ARCHIVES
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE
SPOKESPERSON’S NOON BRIEFING
BY MARTIN NESIRKY, SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
WEDNESDAY, 20 JULY 2011
SYRIA: BAN KI-MOON DEEPLY CONCERNED BY
ESCALATING VIOLENCE AGAINST PEACEFUL PROTESTORS
- The
Secretary-General is following with
deep concern the escalating violence against peaceful protesters in Syria. He
calls on the Syrian authorities to stop repression immediately. All sides
should refrain from using violence.
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- The
Secretary-General reiterates his call for a credible and inclusive
dialogue, which should be carried out without delay and be part of a broad
and genuine reform effort. The mass arrests of protesters are not
consistent with serious reform, and should stop. The Secretary-General urges
President Assad to concretely respond to pressing grievances and longer
term concerns of the Syrian people.
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- The
Secretary-General continues to urge the Syrian Government to allow
humanitarian access to affected areas and to facilitate the visit by the
fact-finding mission of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights.
SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ARREST OF Goran Hadžić, WANTED BY FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
TRIBUNAL
- The
Secretary-General welcomes
today's arrest of Goran Hadžić, who was sought by the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
since 2004 for crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed
in Croatia
in 1991 and 1992. He commends President Tadic and the Serbian authorities
for their leadership in ending impunity for those indicted for serious
violations of international humanitarian law.
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- Mr. Hadžić’s
apprehension sends a powerful message that those who are alleged to have
committed such crimes cannot evade justice and will be held accountable.
His arrest will allow the ICTY to focus on the completion of its mandate,
given that Mr. Hadžić was the only remaining fugitive out of the 161
persons indicted by the ICTY.
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- The
Secretary-General’s thoughts today are first and foremost with the victims
of Mr. Hadžić’s alleged crimes, the victims of other serious
international crimes, and their families. Ending impunity is an essential
step for reconciliation, sustainable peace and justice in the region.
SOMALIA: BAN KI-MOON
WARNS FAMINE COULD SPREAD WITHOUT HUMANITARIAN FUNDING
- The
Secretary-General spoke at the Security
Council stakeout Wednesday morning after the United Nations declared
a state of famine in two regions of southern Somalia.
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- Across the
country, nearly half the population – 3.7 million people – are now in
crisis. Some 2.8 million of these people are in the South.
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- The
Secretary-General said that if
funding was not made available for humanitarian interventions now, the
famine was likely to continue and spread. Children and adults are dying at
appalling rates, the Secretary-General said. Every day of delay will cost
more lives.
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- Mark Bowden, the
Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia,
said earlier Wednesday that malnutrition rates there are highest in the
world, with peaks of 50 per cent in certain areas of southern Somalia.
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- He said that UN
and its partners have scaled up emergency nutrition, water and sanitation,
and immunization efforts to combat malnutrition and reduce disease. He
added that to speed up the delivery of supplies into the worst-affected
areas, the United Nations has started airlifting urgently needed medical,
nutrition and water supplies.
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- Meanwhile, the
World Food Programme (WFP) has elevated
the crisis in the Horn of Africa to the highest level of action. The
Programme’s Executive Director said that the depth and spread of the drought
coupled with an inability among humanitarian agencies to access all
affected areas, has raised this to a full-blown food and nutrition
emergency, requiring a rapid increase in efforts.
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- Asked if the
United Nations had been too slow in addressing the situation in the Horn
of Africa, the Spokesperson said that, as pointed out this morning by the
Secretary-General, the Organization had been sounding the alarm for
months. He added that it had been made clear that there was a looming food
security crisis in the region. He said that several UN agencies had been
speaking very vocally about the situation in Somalia and the region for a
long time.
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- Nesirky also
said that the Secretary-General had emphasized the need for concerted
efforts by the international community as well as for assistance from
donors to make a difference as soon as possible. He noted that US$300
million was needed for Somalia
alone for the next two months to provide an adequate response.
CLIMATE CHANGE REAL AND ACCELERATING, SECRETARY-GENERAL
TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL
- The Secretary-General
addressed the
Security Council on the impact of climate change on international peace
and security. He said that climate change is for real and it is
accelerating in a dangerous manner.
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- The
Secretary-General added that it was up to the Members of the Security
Council to mobilize action to confront climate change and the threats to
international peace and security linked to it.
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- He said that
nothing would build a lasting foundation for a more peaceful world other
than securing sustainable development for everyone.
- The
Secretary-General emphasized the local and global effects, including
instability and the creation of new security dilemmas, due to food and
water shortages.
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- The
Secretary-General also noted the need for the international community to
act quickly on agreements reached in Cancun.
He added that the next conference of the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban must provide
a clear step forward on mitigation commitments by all parties according to
their responsibilities and capabilities.
U.N. CONTINUES CALL FOR RELEASE OF DETAINED STAFF IN DARFUR
- Asked about the
detention of a staff member of the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), the Spokesperson
said that the United Nations had repeatedly called for the release of its
staff and that some of them were released. We continue to call for the
swift release of the staff being detained, he added.
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- Nesirky said
that the Secretary-General was aware of this situation and discussed this
with the relevant officials.
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- In response to
questions on a leaked UN report by the Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights and the former UN Mission
in Sudan (UNMIS) concerning South Kordofan, the Spokesperson said that this
report was not yet finalized.
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- He said that the
United Nations were extremely concerned by alleged incidents in South Kordofan, including the ones brought to light
in this draft report.
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- Nesirky also
explained that the report was the result of dual reporting, from the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the peacekeeping
mission, which is the normal procedure when a UN Mission also has a human
rights component in its mandate.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION CAUTIONS AGAINST USE OF
INACCURATE BLOOD TESTS FOR ACTIVE TB
- The
World Health Organization (WHO) today
warned
against the use of inaccurate blood tests for active tuberculosis.
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- WHO urges
countries to ban such tests and instead rely on accurate microbiological
or molecular tests. Testing for active TB through antibodies or antigens
in the blood is extremely difficult, and patients can have different
antibody responses suggesting they have the disease when they do not.
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- WHO’s
recommendation comes after 12 months of rigorous analysis of evidence by
the Organization’s and global experts.
Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General
United Nations, SA-1B15
New York, NY
10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
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