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 Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Hello, good afternoon, everyone.
**Ukraine
You will have seen that we issued a statement this morning in which the Secretary-General said that he is deeply disturbed at the renewed escalation in fighting in eastern Ukraine. He condemns the shelling yesterday of a bus in Donetsk, reportedly resulting in the death of at least 11 civilians. The incident, which must be investigated and those responsible brought to justice, is a stark reminder of the urgent need to halt the violence that has already claimed over 4,800 lives, displaced over 1 million and continues to cause needless harm and suffering to countless civilians.
The Secretary-General exhorts all sides to respect the ceasefire and return to the implementation of the Minsk agreements, which remain a solid base for resolving the conflict. The Secretary-General notes the ongoing diplomatic efforts of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany towards this end and encourages all concerned to continue to seek means of restoring peace and ensuring the stability, territorial integrity and unity of Ukraine.
And the Security Council also issued a press statement condemning the attack.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
The Secretary-General should be landing soon in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, for a two-day visit to the country. Upon arrival, the Secretary-General is scheduled to meet with President Juan Orlando Hernández-Alvarado. We will issue a readout of that meeting this afternoon. Today, the Secretary-General will also meet with the National Commissioner for Human Rights and address the National Congress of Honduras.
**Security Council
The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, spoke at this morning’s Security Council meeting on peacebuilding and presented the findings of the Secretary-General’s recent report on that topic. He told the Council that peacebuilding is most effective when political, security and development actors support a common, comprehensive and clear strategy for consolidating peace. He added that strong and well-functioning institutions that are central to peacebuilding must be based on effective and inclusive political agreements. And peacebuilding requires sustained international political, technical and financial support.
The Deputy Secretary-General added that regional actors and neighbouring countries, working together with the United Nations, can play a critical role in creating an environment conducive to sustainable peace. And he said that promoting inclusion means that we must ensure women’s equal participation in post-conflict political and development processes. The Deputy Secretary-General’s remarks are in our office.
**Syria
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, appealed today for a huge increase in financial support to Syrian refugees and the countries hosting them, as a new UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] report showed that large numbers of them are slipping deeper into poverty.
The report, entitled "Living in the Shadows", showed that two thirds of Syrian refugees in Jordan are now living below the national poverty line, and one in six lives in extreme poverty, able to spend only around $1.30 per day. The findings are based on the largest ever survey of refugee living conditions, involving nearly 150,000 individuals.
With the Syria crisis about to enter its fifth year, the report found that most refugees are becoming increasingly dependent on humanitarian assistance for survival, with a corresponding decline in living standards. Almost half of the households visited for the report had no heating, a quarter had unreliable electricity and 20 per cent had no functioning lavatory. The dire situation has been exacerbated by winter storms that swept across the region last week, bringing snow and freezing temperatures and damaging shelters.
**Libya
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, Bernardino León, briefed the press at the UN office in Geneva today, just before the start of the second round of talks with Libyan stakeholders. Mr. León stressed that the talks, organized by the UN, aim first of all to help the parties reach a political settlement acceptable to all Libyans, including the formation of a national unity government. Secondly, the dialogue aims to stop the fighting. He emphasized the situation had to be addressed in order to avoid total chaos in the country, which would also affect the region. A transcript of the press conference will be available shortly and the archived audio and webcast are available on the UN website.
**Cyprus
The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, spoke to reporters today following his meeting with Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades. Mr. Eide, who wrapped up his two-day visit today, said that they had a constructive meeting and that he acknowledged Mr. Anastasiades’s positive contribution, which he said is something to build on further.
He again expressed his concern about the impasse and that matters are de facto moving in the wrong direction. Mr. Eide said that he will brief the Security Council on 26 January and will urge cooperation from the sides in Cyprus and from all other States to help create the conditions necessary for a speedy resumption of the talks. The full transcript of his press encounter is available online.
**Haiti
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Haiti, Sandra Honoré, and the other members of the international community in the country represented in the "Core Group" have deplored that the extraordinary session of the National Assembly, which was convened to vote on the amendments to the Electoral Law, did not take place.
The “Core Group” says it is also gravely concerned that the Haitian Parliament has become dysfunctional due to the fact that elections have not been held within the constitutional timeframe. In this context, the “Core Group” expresses its support to the President of the Republic in the exercise of his constitutional duty to ensure the regular functioning of institutions and the continuity of the State.
In these exceptional circumstances, the “Core Group” trusts that the Executive and all the political actors will act with responsibility and restraint. The “Core Group” also encourages all parties to join the consensus through the Political Accord recently concluded between President [Michel] Martelly and several opposition parties.
**Press Conferences
For press conferences, tomorrow, at 12:20 p.m., the President of the General Assembly, Sam Kutesa, will be here to brief you on the achievements of the sixty-ninth Session of the General Assembly and the priorities ahead. And then, at 1:30 p.m., there will be a press conference here on the high-level event called the Barbershop Conference, which focuses on changing the discourse among men on gender equality. This briefing is being sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Iceland.
And that’s it from me. Are there any questions? Yes. Olga?
**Questions and Answers
Question: A follow-up on the Libya dialogue in Geneva. Is there any timetable how long will this second round last in Geneva? Is there any understanding that the dialogue will continue and the third round will take place and when?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, of course, some of this depends on what progress can be made during this round. We expected that the current round of talks will last until Friday, but we'll, of course, monitor the events as they proceed. And Mr. León will provide more guidance on this once the process has concluded. He does expect that, if there are parties that have not yet joined the process, that they can do so for subsequent rounds, if they join following the conclusion of this round. Yes, Iftikhar?
Question: Yes. In view of the situation you described about Syrian refugees in Jordan, is the United Nations planning on issuing a special appeal to help them?
Deputy Spokesman: As you know, we do have appeals for Syrian refugees in different countries, including in the neighbouring countries in the region, and we've been asking for further support for those appeals. And we will issue any further appeals for funding if they're needed, but right now, the important thing is for donors to fund the appeals that are already issued. Yes, Seana?
Question: Hi. Do you have any readout on the [Deputy Secretary-General’s] meeting yesterday with the Ambassador of North Korea, especially given what they announced at the press conference, and any hints as to what they discussed?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes. What I can tell you is that the Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, met yesterday with Mr. Ja Song Nam, Permanent Representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the United Nations.
The Deputy Secretary-General took note of the call for dialogue contained in the New Year’s Day address by Mr. Kim Jong Un, First Secretary of the Workers’ Party of the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]. The Deputy Secretary-General emphasised the Secretary-General’s view that renewed engagement and dialogue was the only way forward for building trust and promoting inter-Korean relations. The United Nations stands ready to support efforts to facilitate peace and stability in the region, especially during this symbolic anniversary year for the Korean peninsula. The Deputy Secretary-General welcomed the words of appreciation for the work and attention of the United Nations, and underlined the vital importance of programmes to address continuing basic needs of the most vulnerable people in the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea].
And with that, I wish you all a good afternoon.