Noon briefing of 1 August 2016

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

MONDAY, 1 AUGUST 2016

UN MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN REPORTS CONTINUED VIOLATIONS OF PEACE AGREEMENT

· The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is deeply concerned by renewed clashes over the weekend between SPLA and Opposition forces in the Equatorias and other areas of South Sudan, including Nassir in the Upper Nile area.

· These continued actions are in violation of the peace agreement, signed by all parties in August last year, as well as the subsequent ceasefire declaration of 11 July. UNMISS mission calls on all parties to return to their bases and allow the movement of humanitarian aid to affected areas.

· Tensions, meanwhile, persist in the capital, Juba. UNMISS conducted a cordon and search operation at the POC-3 site over the weekend; no firearms were found.

U.N MISSION IN MALI STRENGTHENS POSITIONS IN FACE OF NEW FIGHTING

· In Mali, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission, (MINUSMA), reports that on 30 July, fighting broke out between the Groupe d’Autodéfense Tuareg Imghad et Alliés (GATIA) and the Coordination des Mouvements de l’Azawad (CMA), in Kidal Region in the vicinity of Touzik.

· As a precautionary security measure, the Mission has strengthened its positions. The Mission is monitoring the developments on the ground with continued patrols and a number of checkpoints in Kidal. The situation in Kidal remains calm and tense and MINUSMA continues to provide the parties with its good offices to appease tensions.

U.N. ENVOY WORKS TO REINVIGORATE NEGOTIATIONS ON WESTERN SAHARA

· Over the past weeks, Western Sahara Envoy Christopher Ross has been in frequent contact with the parties and neighbouring states on the need to reinvigorate the Western Sahara negotiating process, as well as on the timing of his next visits to the North African region.

· Now that the Security Council has welcomed the results of the agreement on the UN Mission for Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and reiterated its call for renewed negotiations, nothing stands in the way of Mr. Ross9;s return to the North African region to pursue his facilitation efforts. A formal proposal is being made to the parties and neighbouring states.

INNOCENT PEOPLE EXECUTED IN IRAQ: U.N HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

· The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra9;ad al-Hussein today said he was concerned that innocent people have been - and may continue to be - executed in Iraq in reaction to the July 3 bombing in Baghdad that took more than three hundred lives.

· He said it is “all too easy to permit such atrocities to stoke the fires of vengeance. But vengeance is not justice."

· He said U.N. monitoring has revealed "a consistent failure to respect due process and fair trial standards, including a reliance on torture to extract confessions."

· Executions of innocent people are “gross, irreversible miscarriages of justice,” he said.

· The High Commissioner said that according to the Iraqi government, 45 death sentences have been carried out since the beginning of 2016 and an estimated 1,200 individuals are on death row.

U.N CONCERNED WITH THE PLIGHT OF UP TO 275,000 PEOPLE TRAPPED IN ALEPPO

· The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, visited Tehran on Sunday, where he held discussions with Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari on the means of pushing forward the political settlement for the crisis in Syria.

· Also, on Sunday, Deputy Special Envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. The meeting was part of the Office’s regular, ongoing consultations with the Government of Syria. Mr. Ramzy informed the Foreign Minister of the Special Envoy’s intention to re-convene the intra-Syrian Talks towards the end of August, with a focus on the political transition. ?

· The UN remains deeply concerned over the plight of 250,000 to 275,000 people trapped in Aleppo. Reports indicate that intense fighting has continued in the last days, and that many stores have closed as food runs low. The UN calls on all parties to the conflict to allow safe, unimpeded and impartial humanitarian access in line with international humanitarian law.

· Meanwhile, an inter-agency convoy delivered food, nutrition, health, water, sanitation, hygiene and other emergency items for 71,000 people in need to the hard-to-reach area of Al Houla, in Homs governorate yesterday. Surgical items were removed from health kits during the loading.

YEMENI GOVERNMENT AGREES TO U.N. PEACE DRAFT; LEAVES KUWAIT

· The Government of Yemen delegation departed Kuwait today after submitting a letter to Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, agreeing to the content of a draft peace agreement proposed by the United Nations to resolve the conflict in Yemen.

· The Special Envoy said that the departure of the Government of Yemen delegation from Kuwait is not a departure from the Peace Talks. He said he had agreed with the parties to keep the talks ongoing until they agree on next steps in the coming days, which shall be dedicated to intensive meetings with the Ansar Allah-General People’s Congress delegation, as well as with concerned members of the international community.

· The World Food Programme (WFP) succeeded this month in reaching 55,000 people in a hard-to-reach district of Taiz city, Al Qahira, providing food assistance through food vouchers using a local supplier’s network.

· WFP launched this innovative way of delivering food assistance earlier this year in Sana’a City. It has since expanded to other parts of Yemen including Aden and Taiz, enabling WFP to reach more than 600,000 people compared to only 120,000 in February.

U.N. MISSION DOCUMENTS CIVILIANS DEATHS IN LIBYAN HOSTILITIES

· For the month of July, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) documented 12 civilian deaths and 29 injuries during the conduct of hostilities across the country.

· The Mission documented 5 deaths and 18 people wounded in Benghazi, 4 deaths and 11 wounded in Derna and 3 deaths in Kufra.

WFP STEPS UP HELP TO DROUGHT COMMUNITIES IN AFRICA

· The World Food Programme (WFP) today reported that it is rapidly scaling up life-saving operations for several African communities suffering from effects of two bad harvests.

· The agency is assisting the communities in Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Madagascar, among others.

· The most recent drought was linked to an intense El Niño weather event. It was one of the strongest on record. Its peak coincided with the crucial October-December 2015 growing season.

· WFP is assisting with food and cash while attempting to strengthen resilience building.

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BREASTFEEDING WEEK HIGHLIGHTS HEALTH BENEFITS FOR BABIES

· Today is the first day of World Breastfeeding week.

· More than 170 countries in the world are participating in efforts to support breastfeeding to improve the health of babies around the world.

· According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breastfeeding is the best way to provide infants with the nutrients they need.

· WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth until a baby is 6 months old.

· The agency said breastfeeding continues to be an essential source of nutrition until the age of 2 and beyond.

· WHO said the practice needs to be protected, promoted and supported particularly among poor and vulnerable groups.