HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

MONDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER 2014

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES MORE SUPPORT TO FIGHT EBOLA IN CALLS TO WORLD LEADERS

  • On Ebola, the Secretary-General recently made a series of calls to key countries and organizations, urging more support for countries affected by the disease.
  • He spoke to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, French President François Hollande, Cuban President Raul Castro and President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy. He also spoke to the International President of Médecins sans Frontières, Joanne Liu, thanking the organization for its hard work and discussing how the international community can further support its efforts in West Africa.
  • The Secretary-General, in his calls to the world leaders, welcomed their support and underscored the urgent need to increase the support, including the need for more medical teams, transportation and funding to help communities affected by the epidemic. 

SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT IS ‘COLLECTIVE AND URGENT’

  • The Secretary-General spoke at this morning’s interactive General Assembly discussion on the Responsibility to Protect, saying that the commitment is being severely tested today.
  • He said that the world faces a series of conflicts that feature acts that shock the global conscience -- from the horror unfolding in Iraq and Syria, to persistent violence against civilian populations in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Ukraine, Northern Nigeria, Pakistan, Gaza and elsewhere.
  • The Secretary-General said it is no longer tenable to turn a blind eye to such situations. Our responsibility to prevent and protect is collective and urgent.
  • The Deputy Secretary-General also spoke and said that Member States and the United Nations must now turn growing support for the Responsibility to Protect into more systematic implementation when confronted with early evidence or risk factors of atrocity crimes.

SYRIA: U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY TO TRAVEL TO DAMASCUS TOMORROW

  • The Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and Deputy Envoy Ramzy Ezzedine Ramzy, who have assumed their functions in the beginning of the month, will travel to Damascus for consultations with Syrian officials starting Tuesday.
  • Following this initial visit to Syria, they will then embark on a first round of visits to countries in the region to be continued with visits to other capitals during October and after the conclusion of the High-level Debate in the General Assembly.

U.N. AGENCIES CONTINUE TO REACH MILLIONS IN IRAQ DESPITE INSECURITY

  • In Iraq, UN agencies in the country continue to reach millions of people despite the ongoing insecurity. Since January 2014, up to 1.8 million people have been displaced, and nearly half of them are children.
  • The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) continues to support more than 300,000 displaced people in Iraq’s 19 Governorates since January. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reached nearly half a million people with water and sanitation support. The World Health Organization (WHO) had provided medicines and medical supplies to nearly a million people.
  • The World Food Programme (WFP) has reached nearly 900,000 people with food aid and is working with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to address longer-term food insecurity. 
  • More than 45 cargo flights have arrived recently in Erbil, carrying 6,700 metric tons of food, water, tents, mattresses and hygiene kits.

NEW HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF DELIVERS FIRST ADDRESS TO HUMAN RIGHT COUNCIL

  • Turning to Geneva, the new High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, opened the Human Rights Council’s 27th Session this morning.
  • He said his first address to the Council took place at a time when conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa regions, in particular, are escalating dramatically.
  • The High Commissioner said that, from a human rights perspective, the immediate and urgent priority of the international community should be to halt the increasingly conjoined conflicts in Iraq and Syria.
  • On Syria, he said that this ancient civilisation had devolved into a slaughterhouse. And he said that the so-called ISIL group that currently in effect controls large swathes of northern Iraq had demonstrated absolute and deliberate disregard for human rights. He added that the scale of its use of brute violence against ethnic and religious groups is unprecedented in recent times.
  • On the Middle East, Zeid said that current and future generations of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have a right to live normal lives in dignity: without conflict, without a blockade. He also noted the Israelis’ right to live free and secure from indiscriminate rocket fire.
  • The High Commissioner also touched on the situation in Libya, Ukraine, the Central African Republic and Sri Lanka among others. And he voiced his office’s concerns over the human rights situation of migrants around the world.
  • Finally, Zeid paid tribute to his predecessor, Navi Pillay, calling her one of the greatest senior officials the UN has ever had. He pledged to continue in along the same path as her by being as firm, yet always fair, critical of states when necessary, and full of praise when they deserve it.

ALL UKRAINIANS PAYING PRICE OF UPTICK IN FIGHTING, SAYS SENIOR U.N. RIGHTS OFFICIAL

  • Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonovic said today that with the intensification of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, the number of people killed has risen dramatically.
  • Addressing a special session on Ukraine of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, he said that during his recent mission to the country, he raised the need to abide by international human rights principles and international humanitarian law with representatives of both sides.
  • Mr. Šimonovic stressed that a military solution alone cannot solve the problems in eastern Ukraine, adding that the price of escalation of hostilities is being paid by all Ukrainians, regardless of their ethnicity or political affiliation.
  • Also addressing the OSCE today was Under-Secretary-General Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman. He spoke on the partnership between the UN and the OSCE.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT

  • The Security Council held an open debate on children and armed conflict today.
  • The Secretary-General’s Special Representative on the issue, Leila Zerrougui, told the Council that though progress has been made to better protect children, new crises are rapidly overshadowing these gains.
  • She pointed to what she called the total disregard for human life shown by ISIL in Syria and Iraq. Ms. Zerrougui said that up to 700 children have been killed, including through summary executions, or maimed in Iraq since the beginning of this year.
  • Ms. Zerrougui stressed that children are not a “collateral” issue, as they are targeted and used deliberately in a majority of conflicts around the world.
  • She called on the Security Council to place children and at the center of each and every peace and security action it takes.
  • Also addressing the Council today was Forest Whitaker, UNESCO’s Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation, as well as Hervé Ladsous, the Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.

SOUTH SUDAN: U.N. CONTINUES EFFORTS TO IMPROVE LIVING CONDITIONS FOR INTERNALLY DISPLACED

  • On South Sudan, efforts to upgrade the protection of civilians sites are ongoing.
  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that in Malakal, preparation for a new area within the displacement site is 98 per cent complete, with drainage, road works, sanitation and water structures completed. Some 13,000 (out of 17000) displaced people have been relocated to the new area, although heavy rains have slowed movement significantly.
  • In Bor, the levelling and compacting of land is in progress but further security materials including fencing are needed before relocation can begin. As of 27 August, there were some 4,000 people at the site.
  • In Bentiu, OCHA says that large parts of the site are still flooded and living conditions are dire. One drainage channel has been excavated and another is in progress. Emergency communal shelters have been constructed to accommodate the worst flood-affected households. As of 1 September, some 47, 000 displaced people were sheltering at the Bentiu site. 
  • In Mingkaman, OCHA reports relocation began in July and some 18,000 displaced people have moved to new sites, to ease overcrowding.
  • And finally in Juba, nearly 8,000 displaced people have moved from Tomping to UN House. Some 6,795 remain and the plan is to relocate everyone to the new site at UN House.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that more than 90% of health facilities in Gaza are now operational, although some with limited services due to damage. As of 3 September, three hospitals (out of 32) remain closed and another three are providing only limited services. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that challenges remain due to long-standing shortages of electricity, essential medicines and medical supplies.
  • In answer to a question from the previous week on the detention of a leader of a collation of political parties in Burundi, the Spokesperson said that the UN Office in Burundi (BNUB) is following this case and urges the Government to ensure that due process is followed and that international human rights standards to which Burundi is bound are respected.

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