HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2016

 

IN LISBON, SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS PRESIDENT, HEAD OF PARLIAMENT, RECEIVES “ORDEM DE LIBERTADE”

• The Secretary-General left Lisbon, on his way back to New York.
  He met with the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa who presented the Secretary-General with the "Ordem de Liberdade" of the Republic of Portugal.
• The Secretary-General also met with the President of the Parliament, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, and they discussed the ratification of the Paris Agreement by Portugal, as well as the role of parliamentarians, among other issues.
• Before leaving Portugal, the Secretary-General met with UN staff in the country.

LEBANON: TERJE ROED-LARSEN TO STEP DOWN

• On 12 May, Terje Roed-Larsen wrote to the Secretary-General to advise him that he would be stepping down from his duties as Special Envoy on the implementation of Resolution 1559, effective 31 May 2016.
• The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Roed-Larsen for his dedicated service as one of his senior advisors on a variety of issues pertaining to the Middle East over the last 12 years. He very much looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Larsen in his capacity as President of the International Peace Institute.
• The Secretary-General has decided to task the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, to take on the responsibilities of reporting on resolution 1559 until 31 December 2016 so as to give the next Secretary-General flexibility to choose on how to report on the resolution.

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS ERIK SOLHEIM AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

• Following the nomination by the Secretary-General, the General Assembly elected Erik Solheim of Norway as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for a four-year term.
• Mr. Solheim will succeed Achim Steiner of Germany, to whom the Secretary-General conveys his gratitude and appreciation for having, during his 10 years’ tenure, managed to inspire and lead significant transformation of UNEP into a strategically powerful and substantively confident organisation.  
• Mr. Solheim is currently Chair of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a post he has held since 2013, and is serving as UNEP’s Special Envoy for environment, conflict and disaster. 
• Known as the 'green' politician, he held the combined portfolio of Norway’s Minister of the Environment and International Development from 2007 to 2012, and served as Minister of International Development from 2005 to 2007.

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS GENERAL ONDIEKI AS FORCE COMMANDER OF THE U.N. MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN

• United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Lieutenant General Johnson Mogoa Kimani Ondieki of Kenya as the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS).
• Lieutenant General Ondieki will replace Lieutenant General Yohannes Gebremeskel Tesfamariam of Ethiopia, who will complete his assignment on 17 June 2016. 
• The Secretary-General is grateful to Lieutenant General Tesfamariam for his dedication and invaluable service during his tenure in UNMISS.
• Lieutenant General Ondieki brings to the position more than 34 years of national and international military, command and staff experience. Having served as Deputy Army Chief of Staff-Command and Control of Kenya Army Forces since 2013, Lieutenant General Ondieki previously served as General Officer-Commanding Western Command-Kenya Army (2012 to 2013) and Land Forces Component Commander of Kenya Defense Forces in Operations (2011 to 2012). 
• In addition, Lieutenant General Ondieki held the position of Sector Commander-United Nations Mission in Sudan from 2010 to 2011. 

GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOLDS BRIEFING ON SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE

• The General Assembly held on 13 May an Informal Briefing of the Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA).
• At the briefing, the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Atul Khare, stressed that the provision of assistance to victims is an area where experience has shown that the UN needs additional resources and strong collaboration among peacekeeping.
• He also indicated that the United Nations made progress in facilitating paternity and child support claims against peacekeepers.
• Mr Khare also reiterated that if allegations are substantiated, the Organization will take all action within its control, and added that the UN counts on Member States to work together to bring those who have committed these shameful acts to justice. “This must be our collective effort”, he said.
• The Special Coordinator on improving the UN’s response to these types of abuses, Jane Holl Lute, also briefed the General Assembly on her visits to the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• She stressed that every personnel, every soldier, every police officer needed to join the fight against SEA, and the need to develop tools to measure the efficiency of the UN measures.

YEMEN: PARTIES MEET TO EVALUATE COMMITTEES WORK, SET NEXT STEPS

• On 13 May, in Kuwait, the Yemeni parties held a plenary session to evaluate the three committees’ work and agree on the nest steps. The three committees of the Yemeni peace talks met in morning and afternoon sessions yesterday to continue discussions on the principles and mechanisms of their respective themes.
• The parties emphasized the need to reach a viable and sustainable solution that is acceptable to both and in line with the agreed reference points, including the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) initiative, the National Dialogue Outcomes and relevant Security Council resolutions.
• The Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said that the humanitarian and economic situation in Yemen means that an agreement is needed soon. He said that the parties should build on unprecedented international support for a peaceful solution and work to arrive at an understanding.

U.N. EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR TO TRAVEL TO NIGER AND NIGERIA

• Ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien will travel to Niger and Nigeria, from 16 to 19 May, to take stock of the humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad Basin.
• According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin, including Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad, has continuously deteriorated over the last two years.
• Insecurity, violence by Boko Haram and counter-insurgency measures have uprooted over 2.4 million people, making it the fastest growing displacement crisis in Africa.
• In the worst-affected areas, almost half the population - 9.2 million people - need assistance. More than three million of them are affected by food insecurity. 

U.N.R.W.A. CHIEF VISITS SYRIA

• The Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Pierre Krähenbühl, visited Syria on Wednesday and Thursday, meeting with Palestine refugees, UNRWA staff and government officials.
• In conversations with Palestine refugees, Mr. Krähenbühl heard first-hand accounts of the pain, despair and violence endured by refugees of all ages. Many of the men, women and children present at the Yarmouk camp spoke of the ongoing extreme hardship and the many consequences of armed violence to which they are exposed.
• Mr. Krähenbühl said that UNRWA remains determined to resume direct distributions inside Yarmouk when the conditions permit.
• As steps are underway to try and resolve the wider Syria conflict, UNRWA staff in Syria are doing their utmost to provide crucial assistance and services to Palestine refugees.

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE ASKS FOR UNHINDERED ACCESS TO SOUTH-EAST TURKEY TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED VIOLATIONS

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that it has renewed its request to the Government of Turkey to allow the Office’s team access to the country to independently examine allegations of violations of international law, including conflicting and competing claims.
• On 10 May the High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein expressed deep concern about alleged violations committed by Turkish military and security forces in south-east Turkey over the past few months including the fate of 100 people, who reportedly burned to death in shelters surrounded by the Turkish forces.
• In response, the Government of Turkey made a statement that it will welcome a visit by the High Commissioner to the region.
• The High Commissioner had emphasized that full and unhindered access for the UN human rights team to the affected population and locations, authorities, documentation and other relevant materials in south-east Turkey was essential for any credible fact-finding exercise. 

GAMBIA: U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNED OVER ARRESTS OF PROTESTERS, REPORTS OF TORTURE

• Our Human Rights colleagues also say that they remain deeply concerned at the situation of dozens of protestors who have been arrested during peaceful rallies on 14 and 16 April in the capital of Gambia, Banjul.
• OHCHR has received worrying reports that some of them, who were still in detention, have been tortured.
• The Office also reiterated its call to the Gambian authorities to launch an impartial investigation into the reported death in custody of Solo Sandeng, Chairman of the youth wing of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) on 14 April. 
• It also expressed deep concern about the situation of Alhagie Ceesay, Director of the Teranga FM radio station, who has been on trial for sedition and false information since July 2015.

ETHIOPIA: U.N. CHILDREN’S AGENCY SAYS 29 OF 146 ABDUCTED CHILDREN - RELEASED

• UNICEF said that of 146 children in the Gambella region of western Ethiopia, who had been taken to South Sudan in cattle raids a month ago, 29 of these children have now been released through negotiations of the Ethiopian and the South Sudanese Governments.
• UNICEF works in close collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia and partners on family tracing, reintegration, psychological support, basic health care and nutrition services for these children.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY REPORTS 1,000 MIGRANTS RESCUED IN MEDITERRANEAN SEA

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that approximately 1,000 people of various nationalities, including refugee families and unaccompanied children, had been rescued from the Mediterranean Sea in recent days in operations coordinated with Frontex - the EU border management agency.
• In one operation carried out on 12 May, some 500 people travelling in two fishing boats that had departed several days earlier from Egypt had been rescued off Sicily, south east of Cape Passero.
• Apart from the two fishing boats that had sailed from Egypt, it was believed that there had been other smaller boats coming from Libya. 
• Disembarkation of these people was taking place today at four different locations in southern Italy: Catania, Palermo, Augusta and Crotone.
• UNHCR staff is providing information and assistance to the rescued persons.

VIETNAM: U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNED OVER VIOLENCE AGAINST PROTESTERS

• The Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed concern over the increasing levels of violence perpetrated against Vietnamese protesters. The protesters were expressing their anger over the mysterious mass deaths of fish along the country’s central coast.
• Recently, the authorities forcefully broke-up demonstrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as well as used tear gas to disperse the protesters. Moreover, about 300 people were beaten and arrested during the protests.
• OHCHR has called on the Government to respect the right to freedom of assembly in line with its international human rights obligations.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS REMAIN HIGH IN SOMALIA

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the humanitarian needs remain high in Somalia, where about 4.7 million people require life-saving assistance and livelihood support.
• The rainy season, coming after a prolonged period of drought, will be critical to improving the humanitarian situation, especially for 1.7 million people in need in drought-affected parts of Puntland and Somaliland.

COLOMBIA: U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY SEES INCREASED FORCED DISPLACEMENT

• In Colombia, the UN Refugee Agency says it is seeing increased recent forced displacement in the department of Chocó, in the country's west.
• In the past two months alone, more than 6,000 people have fled their homes to escape armed clashes, mostly Afro-Colombians and indigenous people.
• UNHCR is working in close coordination with the Colombian authorities and other humanitarian agencies to provide emergency assistance and logistical support to the displaced communities.
• As the Government is in the final stages of a peace dialogue with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), UNHCR stresses that ending the forced displacement of Colombian internally displaced and refugees, and ensuring their reintegration, is critical to the establishment of sustainable peace in Colombia and to the country's socioeconomic recovery.

FORESTS: F.A.O. AND E.U. TO STEP UP EEFORTS TO SUPPORT TROPICAL TIMBER PRODUCING

• The European Union (EU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have agreed to step up joint efforts to support tropical timber producing countries in curbing illegal logging, improving forest governance and promoting the trade of legally sourced timber.
• A $30 million funding agreement was formalized in Rome on May 13.
• Illegal logging and associated trade costs governments an estimated $10-15 billion per year in lost tax revenues and undermines people's livelihoods.
• It is also obviously responsible for the degradation of large swathes of carbon-rich forests and vital wildlife habitats, contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss.