الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة

Noon briefing of 6 March 2012

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY EDUARDO DEL BUEY, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
TUESDAY, 6 MARCH 2012
U.N. AGENCY REPORTS FURTHER DISPLACEMENTS FOLLOWING RENEWED CLASHES ALONG SUDAN/SOUTH SUDAN BORDER
  • The UN Refugee Agency [UNHCR] says that renewed clashes in the disputed border areas between Sudan and South Sudan has triggered more displacement to South Sudan’s Upper Nile state and western Ethiopia.
  • The agency says that it has registered 2,287 new arrivals in two refugee sites in Upper Nile last week, bringing to more than 80,000 the total number of registered refugees in this region.
  • In western Ethiopia, UNHCR also reports a steady flow of new arrivals, mainly from Blue Nile state. The agency is working to establish a third camp to accommodate the growing number of Sudanese refugees crossing to Ethiopia. The new camp should be completed later this month and will be able to house 20,000 people.
  • Asked about the oil dispute between South Sudan and Sudan, the Deputy Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in South Sudan, Hilde F. Johnson, had said in press remarks today that it was critical that the two countries continue their negotiations and do their utmost to reach an agreement on oil and the other remaining issues that can foster the viability of both nations and protect the interests of the people of both countries.
SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES SUDAN AND SOUTH SUDAN
  • On Tuesday morning the Security Council met on Sudan and South Sudan and issued a Statement.
  • The Council then met in consultations to discuss Haiti and was briefed by Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe.
U.N. MISSION CONFIRMS FIGHTING IN JONGLEI STATE, SOUTH SUDAN
  • In response to a question asked on Monday about recent fighting in Jonglei state, South Sudan, the Deputy Spokesperson said that the UN Mission in South Sudan [UNMISS] has confirmed that fighting between the Lou Nuer and Murle youth took place in Nyirol County, Jonglei State over the weekend. The number of casualties has not yet been confirmed.
  • The Mission has sent patrols to the reported location in an effort to determine the causes of the clashes and the number of casualties.
LORD’S RESISTANCE ARMY STEPS UP ATTACKS IN EASTERN D.R.CONGO, SAYS U.N. AGENCY
  • UNHCR is very concerned at the recent displacement of several thousand people in Orientale province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • The displacement follows renewed attacks by the Lord9;s Resistance Army [LRA].
  • After a lull in the second half of last year, there have been 20 new attacks since January causing 3,000 people to flee.
  • One person was killed and 17 abducted during these violent incidents.
  • Most of the displaced people moved towards Dungu, the main town of the Haut Uele district and to settlements for internally displaced people [IDPs] in the area.
  • UNHCR describes the conditions the IDPs are living in as harsh.
  • It has recently distributed basic emergency items to some 200 newly displaced people.
  • The World Food Programme has distributed food while NGOs have provided medical care and agricultural tools.
MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL FOR DRINKING WATER REACHED
  • The world has met the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water, well in advance of the 2015 deadline, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
  • At the end of 2010, 89 per cent of the world’s population, or 6.1 billion people, used improved drinking water sources. This is one per cent more than the 88 per cent MDG target.
  • The report estimates that by 2015, 92 per cent of the global population will have access to improved drinking water.
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT REMAINS SECRETARY-GENERAL’S TOP PRIORITY
  • On Tuesday morning, the Secretary-General spoke at an event with the theme, “Gender Equality for Sustainable Business.”
  • He said that empowerment and sustainable development have been and will remain his top priorities for his second term.
  • The Secretary-General said that we cannot achieve sustainability—at a corporate or a global level—without empowering women. We must do more to remove the barriers women face to participating fully in the economy, such as lack of access to jobs, markets, credit and property.
  • He said that the Women’s Empowerment Principles provide guidance on how to do this. These Principles, launched by the Secretary-General two years ago, outline steps for businesses on how to empower women in the workplace, the marketplace and the communities where business operates.
  • As of today, 400 chief executives have publicly declared their commitment to implementing the Principles.

Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, SA-1B15
New York, NY 10017

Transcript

This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at an event with the theme “Gender Equality for Sustainable Business”. He said that empowerment and sustainable development have been and will remain his top priorities for his second term, and that we cannot achieve sustainability — at a corporate or a global level — without empowering women.

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