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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPOKESPERSON’S NOON BRIEFING

BY MARTIN NESIRKY, SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

THURSDAY, 4 AUGUST 2011 

SOMALIA: U.N. RELIEF AGENCY SAYS FAMINE COULD RAPIDLY SPREAD UNLESS HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE INCREASES

 

• The United Nations announced on Wednesday that three new areas in southern Somalia have deteriorated into a famine situation.
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• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also says that, according to the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit, the famine could rapidly spread to more areas in the south unless there is a massive increase in the humanitarian response. Of the 2.8 million people in urgent need of food aid in southern Somalia, relief organizations are reaching only an estimated 20 per cent.
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• The Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, has called on all parties to support an urgent increase of assistance in accordance with Humanitarian Principles.
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• At least 2.8 million people, including 1.25 million children, are in critical need of assistance in southern Somalia. The humanitarian community is striving to secure safe and unhindered access to provide life-saving assistance to the affected populations.

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES SECURITY COUNCIL STATEMENT CONDEMNING VIOLENCE IN SYRIA

 

• The Security Council adopted a Presidential Statement on Syria on Wednesday afternoon, in which it condemned the widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities.
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• The Council called for an immediate end to all violence and urged all sides to act with utmost restraint. It also called on the Syrian authorities to fully respect human rights and to comply with their obligations under applicable international law.
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• The Secretary-General made remarks after the Council’s adoption, in which he welcomed the Presidential Statement as the clear message of the international community. He emphasized that all killings should be investigated fully, independently and transparently and those responsible should be held to account. He promised to meet the reporting obligations mandated by the Security Council without delay.
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• Asked about the Secretary-General’s diplomatic efforts on Syria, the Spokesperson noted that the Secretary-General said that he will try his best, including trying to talk to President Bashar al-Assad directly, and other senior Government officials. He added that he will discuss how to report on Syria with his senior advisors as well as with relevant agencies.

U.N. REPORT REVEALS EXTENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION BY NIGERIAN OIL OPERATIONS

• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a new report which says that pollution from more than five decades of oil operations in the Nigerian region of Ogoniland has penetrated further and deeper than many have supposed.
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• The region’s environmental restoration could be the most wide-ranging and long-term oil clean-up exercise undertaken if contaminated drinking water, land, creeks and ecosystems are to be brought back to full health.
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• The Executive Director of UNEP, Achim Steiner, says that the oil industry has been a key sector of the Nigerian economy for many years, for which the country’s people have paid a high price.
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• He voiced hope that the findings of the new report can break decades of deadlock in the region and serve as the foundation for action to remedy the many health and sustainable development challenges facing Ogoniland.

 

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

DELAY IN EVACUATION OF INJURED PEACEKEEPERS UNACCEPTABLE, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL: In response to a question, the Spokesperson confirmed a meeting earlier this week between the Secretary-General and the Permanent Representative of Sudan to discuss the incident involving UN Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA) peacekeepers. He had made clear that evacuating the wounded soldiers was a matter of saving lives and that any delay was unacceptable.

 

***Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, was the guest at the Noon Briefing.

 

 

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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