Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
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| Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York |
Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Good afternoon.
Climate Change
The Secretary-General spoke a short while ago at the opening of Climate Week NYC 2014 at the Morgan Library, a few blocks from here.
Ahead of tomorrow’s Climate Summit, the Secretary-General said that more and more people understand that climate change is happening and that it is affecting communities and economies around the world.
The Secretary-General added that we are being forced to do business in a new way, and that by rising to the challenge, we can create a cleaner, greener and more prosperous future for us all.
He said that the actions we take today can open the door to greater opportunity, prosperity and dignity for every person on this planet. He stressed the need to reach a meaningful, universal climate agreement in Paris next year.
The Secretary-General said at yesterday’s Climate March that he was overwhelmed by the strong power, energy and voice of the people.
He stressed that climate change is the defining issue of our time, and that if we do not take action now, we will have to pay.
His full remarks both from today and yesterday are available online.
Secretary-General’s Meetings
As you know, he has had quite a hectic schedule over the weekend as the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly gets under way.
This morning, he spoke at the opening of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, and he said that indigenous peoples are central to the discourse of human rights and global development. He added that the success of this Conference is integral to progress for all humanity.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General will also chair the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian issue and will co-chair the fourth high-level meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism dealing with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region.
Over the weekend, the Secretary-General attended a special event for the HeForShe campaign, along with UN-Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson. He said that one in three women is a victim of violence — but this is a men’s issue. Men are responsible for most of the threats and violence against women.
The Secretary-General said it is important to send a message to men and boys: Do not raise your hands in violence — raise your voices to stop it.
We have his full remarks from the events over the weekend, as well as his meeting with Leonardo DiCaprio, who was named as a Messenger of Peace by the Secretary-General.
Turkey-Syria
I do have a statement regarding the release of Turkish nationals who have been held hostages in Iraq.
The Secretary-General welcomes the release on Friday, 19 September, of the Turkish men, women and children who had been held captive by ISIL since 11 June 2014 following the seizure by the terrorist group of the Turkish Consulate in Mosul. He is relieved that, at the end of a three-month ordeal, they are now home safe and sound.
The Secretary-General reiterates his call for the immediate release of all hostages in the region and reminds parties that kidnapping is a gross violation of human rights and humanitarian law.
Syria
Also related to Syria, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is stepping up its response to help the Turkish Government provide assistance to an estimated 130,000 Syrians who have crossed into Turkey since Friday.
The Turkish authorities and UNHCR are preparing for the possibility of hundreds of thousands more refugees arriving in the coming days, as the battle for the northern Syrian city of Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab and surrounding areas, forces more people to flee.
The Government of Turkey is accelerating the construction of two camps, along with the help of UNHCR, for those who are not being hosted by the local communities and relatives.
UNHCR says it is also preparing an air, sea and land emergency relief response to offer a supply of thermal blankets, sleeping mats and kitchen sets, as well as help to rapidly set up and run registration centres.
Also on a related note, Staffan de Mistura has told me that he will be available at a press stakeout tomorrow afternoon around 5 p.m., following the meeting of Arab League Foreign Ministers that he will be attending. That’s in Conference Room 8. We still have to figure out exactly where the stakeout will be, but he will be able to take your questions after that meeting.
Libya
On Libya, our humanitarian colleagues (OCHA) say that almost 150,000 people have been internally displaced by the conflict in Libya since July.
It is estimated that a total of 2 million people may be affected by the conflict. Intense fighting has caused a rapid deterioration of living conditions, including shortages in food, fuel, water, medical supplies and electricity, as well as reduced access to health care and lack of public services.
More information is available on the OCHA website.
Ebola
On Ebola, the members of the advance team of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, otherwise known as UNMEER, have arrived in Accra, Ghana, where the Mission will be based, and another detachment has arrived in Liberia.
The UN also established today the Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund, which will ensure a coherent UN System contribution to the overall response.
The Fund seeks contributions from Member States, regional legislative bodies, inter-governmental or nongovernmental organizations, businesses and individuals. Contributions can be made at http://mptf.undp.org. Take a look and bring out your credit cards.
Of course, donors can also choose to channel their contributions directly to UN agencies participating in the response.
Also on Ebola, the Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization wrapped up its second meeting last week, and reiterated that there should be no general ban on travel or trade. Flight cancellations and other travel restrictions continue to isolate affected countries, resulting in detrimental economic consequences, and hinder relief and response efforts, according to the Committee. And that is a message that we have echoed from here, as well as by the Secretary-General.
Avian Flu
Another disease-related note: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns today against a recent strain of avian influenza virus in poultry in South-East Asia.
Chinese authorities first reported the virus in poultry in April 2014 and it has since then been detected in Lao and Viet Nam.
FAO stressed that the virus is highly virulent in chickens and geese and translates into a real threat to poultry-related livelihoods, which contribute to the income of hundreds of millions of people throughout the subregion.
South Sudan
Moving on to South Sudan, following fighting this weekend, the UN Mission in that country, UNMISS, is calling the parties to immediately cease their military operations and demonstrate the political will to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. The UN Mission also urges them to sincerely commit themselves to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
Over the weekend, the Mission reported often sustained shelling and mortar fire by the Opposition in Renk and Meena Port in Upper Nile State from the Western side of the Nile River. The Mission also reports that the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) retaliated with mortar fire.
We do have more information online. Just to remind you that the UN Mission is still protecting some 97,000 civilians in its camps.
Afghanistan
From Afghanistan, as you will recall, we issued a statement yesterday, in which the Secretary-General welcomed the conclusion of the presidential election process in Afghanistan and the agreement between the candidates to form a Government of National Unity.
That statement is available online as well as the statement issued by the Security Council.
Yemen
Also on yesterday’s news, we issued a statement by the Secretary-General welcoming the announcement of the signing of the Peace and National Partnership Agreement in Yemen. The Secretary-General expects that the agreement will be implemented in full without delay. Specifically, the Secretary-General calls on Yemeni political leaders to ensure that the forces over which they exercise control or influence cease all violent acts, and disengage from the conflict.
My World Campaign
Big congratulations to our colleagues from the UN Millennium Campaign.
We announced today that 5 million people in 193 countries have participated in the My World survey, which asks ordinary citizens what are the issues that would make the most difference in people’s lives.
This is the biggest survey every undertaken by the United Nations and the majority of the participants have been people under the age of 30. The top six issues people had voted for as key to improving their lives include a good education, better health care, better job opportunities, an honest and responsive government, protection against crime and violence, and affordable and nutritious food.
Millennium Campaign and Corinne Woods are at the back of the room and they will be happy to take your questions afterwards.
Noon Briefing Guest Today
Lots of events today. I will be joined shortly by the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), to discuss the Special Session of the General Assembly on the follow-up to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which starts at 1 p.m. today.
Later this afternoon at NYU, Gordon Brown, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Education, will be holding a special rally to challenge world leaders over stalled progress on Education for All and attacks on school. More information is at the documents’ counter.
And we have a lot of press conferences today and they are all online and I won’t read them all out.
Questions and Answers
Spokesman: Yes, sir.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Just a quick housekeeping question. Now with, of course, it’s understood during this week all the revisions and last minute changes. With regard to the general debate scheduling, I just knew a few hours ago the Egyptian president has changed from Thursday the 25th to the 24th. We don’t have any updates on who’s going to speak when. Little bit of planning dilemma for us.
Spokesman: I’m sorry that we’re not putting things out quickly enough. I'll check with the office on it. We are putting things out as quickly as we can when we get them from the General Assembly Secretariat, but we’ll make sure we get stuff out quickly. Yes, Matthew?
Question: Yes. I wanted to ask, I saw the statement which you also re-read of the Secretary-General welcoming the deal in Yemen, but there are reports of continued advances by the Houthi, tanks and homes being blown up. I just wonder, do you view that as now resolved? Or is that just a temporary thing? Is Mr. Benomar there? What's his role? What can you say? And I wanted to ask one other thing which is just… Just yesterday there were a lot of complaints about journalists that registered to be accredited even before September 5th that were waiting in extremely long lines in the North Lawn. I’m wondering, are you aware of that? Is anything being done to make — as people arrive? Understaffed? Or what happened?
Spokesman: I think our colleagues in the Media Accreditation, I think in the list of people who work hard are up there. Isabelle does a great job with the staff that she has. She relies on volunteers. There are a lot of journalists and a lot of people that have to be processed. Unfortunately, I saw the lines. Delegates have to wait on line. Journalists have to wait on line. People have to wait on line to get in the building. It happens every year. We do our best. And we apologize for people who have to wait on line. We’re just thankful that it’s not raining. On Yemen, Mr. Benomar was critical in the outcome of the deal. Obviously, I think the situation does have to settle down. But we would call on all parties to support that deal. Mr. Carpenter and then Evelyn. Then Sarah.
Question: Hi. There are reports that the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] Foreign Minister will meet Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this week. Can you confirm that?
Spokesman: We have the list of all the bilaterals available in my office. I don’t want to speak off the top of my head. But you can check the list of bilaterals. Evelyn.
Question: Yeah, I hate to bring it up again, but I have a problem understanding the Secretary-General’s initiative on Ebola. Who is he coordinating? And what exactly is it doing? Is it coordinating the UN agencies, the NGOs?
Spokesman: I think the Mission, the Ebola mission, which is explained, I think, in length in the letters he sent to the Security Council and General Assembly, is there to ensure a strong coordination of the international response. It will be based in Accra. It will also have presence in the three countries that are most impacted. It will ensure that the funds that are given are spent in the best possible coordinated manner. It will work hard to stop the spread of the disease, to support the countries in need, to support their health systems, and to ensure that we don’t see a recurrence of this epidemic.
Question: Coordinating everybody? The U.S.?
Spokesman: We are trying to coordinate as much as possible the international response to avoid overlap and waste. Sarah and then Joe. Just, guys, we have a guest waiting. No niceties.
Question: Trying to be nice. My question is on UNDOF. Can you give us any update on any plans of any of them to return to their positions again? Disposition of vehicles and so forth?
Spokesman: No updates except to say that on a daily basis the Mission leadership assesses where they can patrol and where they can fulfill their —
Question: Where are they now physically?
Spokesman: They are in as much of the area of operations as they can be. But these things are assessed on a daily basis. Sarah?
Question: What is the reasoning behind why we can’t walk through the Rose Garden and have to walk all the way to the satellite?
Spokesman: I'm happy to answer logistical questions. It’s the same difficult situation every year — for journalists, for delegates, for staff. Thousands of people descend on this compound every year, people who require a lot of security. We’re trying to accommodate as many people as possible and ensure that the dozens and dozens of side meetings, of high-level meetings, low-level meetings, medium-level meetings take place. And it disrupts the routine of those of us who work here every day, whether it’s you, whether it’s me or the diplomats. But it’s all for a good cause. So I would just ask you all to be patient for a week.
Question: Thank you, Steph. Following up on the statement you read about Afghanistan. Do you know when the official UN-audited results of the presidential elections will be announced? And, secondly, whether the Secretary-General has had the chance to speak to the President-Elect in Afghanistan?
Spokesman: I don’t believe he’s spoken to him yet. And I will find out when the results are announced.
Question: Thanks, Steph. The SG has urged the world to act decisively against the Islamic State. But there are reports that hundreds of Kurds have tried to cross back into Syria. They have been blocked by Turkish security forces. Does the SG believe these Kurds should enjoy freedom of movement to go back to Syria to fight? And will he bring up this issue with President Erdoğan today?
Spokesman: I think the issue of the border between Turkey and Syria and Turkey and Iraq will be on the agenda this afternoon. So I will wait for the readout. The issue of the flow of foreign fighters is always one that the Security Council will take up. The Secretary-General has been, I think, very strong in his call to halt the flow of arms and fighters into this conflict area. Ivan?
Question: Thank you. Last week on Friday, Russian Ambassador Churkin proposed to Secretary-General to appoint a Special Representative on investigation of Malaysian plane crash in Ukraine and a mission to coordinate efforts with OSCE. What is response from the Secretary-General?
Spokesman: We’ve heard the call. Mr. Feltman was part of the debate. As soon as we have an answer, an update, I will share that with you. Oleg?
Question: Stéphane, on Syria a couple of days ago I asked you on these efforts on vaccination. What happened to them actually? Were they stopped? Did you check with the UNICEF or the authorities?
Spokesman: I think I went into that on Friday. I don’t know if you were not here, you were here or not here or something else. The campaign, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF work in partnership with local NGOs for these fairly complicated vaccination campaigns, which often take place during a conflict. They identified the NGO that was responsible for the mix-up. It was a human error mixing muscle relaxant with the vaccine. It was a tragic, tragic error that all very much regret. The focus is now on moving the campaign forward and regaining the trust of the community. Yes?
[The Spokesman later shared the following information read out on Friday 19 September with the correspondent: “Information collected by a three-member WHO team indicated that human error was behind the deaths of 15 children during a vaccination campaign in Idlib, in northern Syria, on 16 September.
A diluent that was to be used with the measles vaccine had been kept in a fridge with a muscle relaxant — Atracurium — which was normally used for anaesthesia. WHO says that the biggest challenge now is to continue the investigation. The Measle Task Force on the ground, the NGO running the campaign, had immediately suspended the vaccination campaign, but it remains important to continue immunization as soon as possible and rebuild trust with the community.”]
Question: But what about accountability? Who is accountable for this?
Spokesman: This is what WHO is looking into that. This was a partner organization they’ve worked with. And they are looking into what exactly happened and what will happen next. Matthew?
Question: I want to ask two questions. One is about Flood Wall Street and the other is about WIPO [World Intellectual Property Organization]. Obviously the Secretary-General was in the march yesterday. There’s another action today down in Lower Manhattan called Flood Wall Street, targeting banks that finance environmentally destructive projects. I just wondered, given that the Secretary-General today here and tomorrow in the Summit is partnering with a number of corporations, does he have any comment on the portion of the environmental movement that view these participation as “blue washing”?
Spokesman: The march yesterday was interesting. It was very moving for the Secretary-General. He really felt energized by it. There were a lot of banners in the march. The Secretary-General didn’t agree with all of them. He agreed with some of them. Not all of them. I think the environmental movement is a broad movement. The Secretary-General firmly believes that there is a critical role for the private sector to play, including banks and corporations. We look forward to the meeting tomorrow with announcements by some of these private sector companies. But the private sector, the financial services, banks have a role to play in not only in funding the green economy and in also adopting practices that are good for the environment. So we believe that they, along with NGOs and civil society, have a place in the tent.
Question: Thanks for that. I wanted to also ask you at the World Intellectual Property Organization, they have their own General Assembly today. The reason I’m asking is because the Director has been the head of the Secretary-General’s High Level Committee on Management. There’s a big controversy about retaliation against whistleblowers. The head of the staff union was first down. The Deputy Director General has asked for an investigation on two counts of the Director General. What's the Secretary-General — is he monitoring it? What does he think about this retaliation?
Spokesman: We would obviously have to see what the decision of the WIPO General Assembly is.
Question: Do the whistleblower protections of the UN system apply to WIPO?
Spokesman: That is what I’ll have to check. And I will come back in 30 seconds with the Executive Director of UNFPA.