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 Vannina Maestracci, Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Hello everyone. Bonjour.
**Press Conference Today
At 12:30, Ambassador François Delattre, Permanent Representative of France and President of the Security Council for the month of March, will be here to brief on the programme of work for this month.
**Libya
From Libya, the UN Mission there (UNSMIL) today announced that the next round of political dialogue will take place later this week in Morocco.
The mission says that the parties have formally communicated their decision to take part in the dialogue following close consultations with Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernardino Leon during his visit to Tobruk and Tripoli yesterday.
This week’s talks will focus on the formation of a government of national unity, security arrangements to pave the way for a comprehensive ceasefire, and completion of the constitution drafting process within clear timelines.
Mr. Leon is expected to brief the Security Council tomorrow morning by video link and we will provide more details on the talks as soon as they are available.
**Sri Lanka
The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, today wrapped up a visit to Sri Lanka.
Mr. Feltman met with the President, Prime Minister, and acting Foreign Minister, as well as with leaders of political parties, diplomats and civil society representatives.
Speaking to reporters in Colombo, he said that the country’s democratic elections and peaceful transition have not only inspired the citizens of Sri Lanka but also captured the attention of its many friends in the international community.
On the country’s speech to the Human Rights Council yesterday, Mr. Feltman said that he was encouraged by the Government’s commitment to promote reconciliation, accountability and human rights, which, he said, is very much in line with the 2009 joint communique.
Mr. Feltman also encouraged national leaders and political stakeholders to work on issues of trust between communities in the spirit of inclusion and consultation. He said that, as requested by Sri Lanka, the UN is committed to assisting in the process of accountability and reconciliation.
His full press statement is available on the counter in our office.
**Ebola
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Ebola, David Nabarro, participated today in the high-level international Ebola conference in Brussels.
He said that the phase 2 of the response — where we are now — is the hardest part and a bumpy road. He added that all must remain fully engaged until the task is completed, especially as the virus is moving and as some communities are reticent about being engaged in the response.
Dr. Nabarro stressed that communities engage if they trust responders and that the 22 million people living in the affected countries need to be able to access the employment, markets and services that enable them to stay healthy.
He added that a gap of around $900 million remained to fund the response in the next six months, with $400 million urgently needed for critically important activities to get to zero cases.
Also in Brussels today, the Head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Helen Clark, called for international support to the three most affected countries — that’s Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, of course — so that serious development setbacks are as short lived as possible.
You can find a copy of her full remarks on UNDP’s website.
And you will have followed yesterday the “Stop Ebola and Build for the Future” concert. In his remarks before the event, the Secretary-General said that Ebola can be beaten but that nobody can afford to drop their guard, as the outbreak began with one case and will not be over until all countries are totally free of Ebola.
His full remarks are online also.
**Somalia
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nick Kay, and the Special Representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson today made a joint call for increased measures to protect Somalia’s women and girls. They reiterated their commitment to support efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence in Somalia.
They also highlighted the importance of providing better, more timely and comprehensive assistance, including health and psychosocial care, to victims of sexual violence and their families.
And there is more information on that available online.
**Nigeria/Cameroon
From Geneva, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reports that some 16,000 Nigerian refugees fled to Cameroon’s Far North region over the weekend to escape clashes in north-east Nigeria between regional military forces and insurgents.
Starting tomorrow, the Agency will work with Cameroon to relocate refugees to a transit site at Kousseri, 90 km from the border. These refugees will then be transferred to a camp in Minawao.
UNHCR also says that given the evolving security situation and the prospect of more refugee arrivals, the possibility of setting up a second refugee camp is being considered.
**Statistics
The Deputy Secretary-General addressed the 46th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission today.
Noting that the lack of data is affecting poor and marginalized communities unfairly, Mr. Eliasson stressed that in a new era of development, the need for data and information will have to go beyond what statistical offices are currently doing in each country. He added that it will require new ways of gathering data, new data-based partners, new users and new policies for better lives.
The Deputy Secretary-General highlighted that the post-2015 development agenda is our opportunity to make this a living reality for every person on the planet.
His remarks and more information about the session are also available online.
**Narcotics
The International Narcotics Control Board, or INCB, has warned that three quarters of the world or an estimated 5.5 billion people worldwide have limited or no access to pain relief medications.
According to the INCB Annual Report for 2014, which was released today, around 92 per cent of morphine used worldwide is consumed by only 17 per cent of the world population. The INCB added that Governments have an obligation to address the discrepancy in the availability of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for medical and scientific purposes.
The report also pointed out that natural disasters and armed conflicts can further limit access to essential medicines, and reiterated that under international humanitarian law, parties to armed conflicts have to allow access to medicines and medical care for the civilians in territories under their control.
**Honour Roll
Finally, the honour roll: Ecuador and Turkmenistan have paid their regular budget assessments, bringing the number of Member States who have paid in full to 52.
**Press Conferences Tomorrow
Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., there will be a briefing here by the Head of the Azerbaijan International Development Agency. This briefing is being sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan.
Then at around noon, the guests at the noon briefing, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, and the Lead Author of the Global Assessment Report (GAR) on Disaster Risk Reduction, Andrew Maskrey.
**Questions and Answers
Associate Spokesperson: That’s what I have for you. We have a few minutes for questions before the Ambassador Delattre comes here. So any questions? No? That's great. Okay. Then we're done. Oh, sorry. Go ahead, Matthew.
Question: Sure. Thanks a lot. First, I guess I wanted to ask, OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) seems to have tweeted today they're extending Valerie Amos for two months. I wonder if you could explain — she was going to leave at the end of March. And also if you can explain, this selection process, Steven O'Brien, a UK candidate, will be interviewed today by the Secretary-General.
Associate Spokesperson: On the selection process, I have nothing to confirm. On Valerie Amos, yes, she did agree to a short extension in her current post as Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator. I believe it is until the end of May. The reasoning is that she wants to see the third Kuwait Pledging Conference through and make sure there's a smooth transition with her successor.
Question: But will a successor be named before the end of March as had been planned or is it… because most people see this as basically the decision couldn't be made. Will the decision be made?
Associate Spokesperson: I really have nothing about the selection process to give you. I can tell you about — yes, indeed, she has been extended a little bit, two months, but that's it.
Question: And I wanted to ask you about the readout you gave on Jeffrey Feltman in Sri Lanka.
Associate Spokesperson: Sure.
Question: People in the north that he met with, his interlocutors say they gave him something that they call the “genocide resolution” that they wanted him to file within the UN system, and I wanted to know if you could confirm… maybe you can ask him or get… there was no opportunity obviously, and maybe he'll have a press conference here, but if not, could you ask DPA whether he received the document and what he intends to do with it?
Associate Spokesperson: I will. No, nothing else. Perfect. Sorry. Sorry.
Question: Thanks. Also on Mr. Feltman’s visit Sri Lanka. Two things. Firstly, it says in his statement that as requested by Sri Lanka, the UN is committed to accountability. Was there discussion with the Sri Lankan authorities about access for the investigation on Sri Lanka that OHCHR is trying to conduct?
Associate Spokesperson: What I have as a readout are his press remarks. I can ask specifically on that, but you saw what he said in his statement about accountability, about Sri Lanka’s own promise and commitment to their own investigation. And you remember also what happened in the human — sorry, OHCHR, the deferral in mid-February if I'm not crazy. Yes, Edie.
Question: Vannina, I'm a little confused because, as I understand it, the Kuwait pledging conference is at the end of March.
Associate Spokesperson: It is on the 31st of March and she's staying beyond that to ensure a smooth transition with her successor — so that's it. So I think it's a two month extension. I can check for you guys. It's not just a conference. It's also after the conference what will happen and also coordinating that and the pledges that are made and the disbursement of those pledges. It's not just on the 31st of March. Linda, please.
Question: Thank you [off mic].
Associate Spokesperson: I can't hear you at all without the mic.
Question: Sorry. Would you have further information about Staffan de Mistura's latest actions and plans?
Associate Spokesperson: Not really. He's continuing his efforts — engaging with parties. As Stéphane told you, I believe, yesterday, he will be in Paris tomorrow, Wednesday, and in London on Thursday. And that's it. Other than that, he is continuing his efforts. Joe?
Question: Yes. Is there any plan for the Secretary-General to put out a statement or response to Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech just recently concluded for the joint session of Congress regarding Iran?
Associate Spokesperson: No. Matthew.
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask about this announcement that was made from this podium about child soldiers in South Sudan that UNICEF had somewhat belatedly announced that there had been this massive, you know, recruitment of child soldiers, and now it's reported that the Government has imposed restriction, movement restrictions on NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and I believe on the UN as well in Upper Nile State, saying they have to give — get permits to move around. Many people see this as a way of sort of either covering up or making it more difficult to report on these recruitments. Does the UN there have any response to… even if it's only on NGOs to increased restrictions on humanitarian access?
Associate Spokesperson: I haven't seen that, but I believe what we told you yesterday was that a team both from UNICEF and the Oversight Mechanism went and did some information gathering. So that effort is certainly there and it will continue both by UNICEF and the Mission in South Sudan. But I'll ask. I haven't seen the reports.
Question: Can I ask something about Haiti?
Associate Spokesperson: Go.
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask, there have been a lot of protests in Haiti about what's either called racism, discrimination, in the Dominican Republic, including the lynching of a Haitian there. Today there's a report that the UN peacekeeping mission is put in charge of the security on the border for a protest that was going to take place in a market in the Dominican Republic. So I wanted to know: is it really the case that MINUSTAH's (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) role is to control Haitian protests of what they view as discrimination by the neighbouring country?
Associate Spokesperson: That's kind of a weird question — the way you asked it. I'll ask if MINUSTAH police was deployed anywhere near the border inside Haiti. I will ask that. Yes. Anything else? Perfect. I'll leave you to Ambassador Delattre as soon as he comes. You guys have ten minutes to wait.