HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 14 OCTOBER 2014

NO PEACE IN MIDDLE EAST WHILE GAZA CRISIS FESTERS, WARNS SECRETARY-GENERAL

  • During his visit to Gaza today, the Secretary-General spoke to reporters at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jabalia that had been hit during the conflict this summer. He said that he had a deeply moving, unforgettable day and was inspired by the strength and courage of the children he met.
  • The Secretary-General underscored that the Jabalia school is open, and has gone from being the site of terrible tragedy to a symbol of resilience, of learning, and of the possibility of a better day. He added that there can be no peace in the Middle East, no security for Israel, while the crisis in Gaza festers. The build and destroy cycle must be broken. 
  • Earlier, the Secretary-General met with Ministers of the Government of National Consensus in Gaza. He told reporters that he emphasized in his meetings with the Israelis and Palestinian officials that there is no hope for the long term stability of Gaza without addressing the underlying causes of the conflict.
  • This includes both lifting Gaza’s blockade and addressing Israel’s legitimate security concerns.  And he said that he was happy to announce that the first truck carrying construction materials was coming to Gaza today, following the agreement on a temporary monitoring mechanism for such materials.
  • While in Gaza, he also met with a group of families forced from their homes during the conflict who were residing at a shelter for displaced persons and who had lost loved ones in the fighting. He shared his concerns with them that winter would be coming. And he visited a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project to support Gaza fisheries, where he met with Gaza’s sole registered fisherwoman.
  • The Secretary-General then went to southern Israel, where he visited the Ein Hash Losa kibbutz and met with about a dozen family members who were affected by rocket fire and tunnel activity from Gaza.

U.N. SADDENED BY DEATH OF ANOTHER STAFF DUE TO EBOLA

  • The Head of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Karin Landgren, announced the death today of the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) who worked in the UNMIL Medical team and was evacuated to Germany last week to receive treatment for Ebola.
  • This is the second death in the mission due to Ebola, after an earlier probable case that resulted in the death of a national staff member on 25 September. UNMIL colleagues are saddened by the tragic news as they continue to serve at this very difficult time. The United Nations’ thoughts now are with the family and friends of the departed.
  • Anthony Banbury, the Head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), said that this sad loss underscores the importance of an urgent and immediate response from the international community to support the efforts of the courageous health care workers who are on the front lines in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
  • Meanwhile, in Geneva, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the total number of cases has reached 8,914 and 4,447.
  • The United Nations has launched two new initiatives to provide international support against Ebola. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that it will provide specialized diagnostic equipment to help Sierra Leone in its efforts to combat the outbreak. That support will later be extended to Liberia and Guinea.
  • It will consist of supplementing the country’s ability to diagnose Ebola quickly, using a technology known as Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Early diagnosis, if combined with appropriate medical care, increases the victims’ chance of survival and helps curtail the spread of the disease by making it possible to isolate and treat the patients earlier.
  • Another initiative is a Conference on Ebola survivors that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is co-organizing this week at Kenema, in the Southeast of Sierra Leone. The conference will include a meeting between Ebola survivors from Sierra Leone and practitioners in psychosocial and health mental support, to mobilize survivors as helpers and advocates in communities.
  • The Security Council is also expected to meet on Ebola today.

LIBYA: U.N. RIGHTS CHIEF CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

  • The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, today warned that human rights defenders, political activists, bloggers and media professionals have been under increasing attack from armed groups in Libya since mid-May.
  • He added that UN human rights staff had received numerous reports of intimidation, harassment, abductions and murder, which has caused some human rights defenders to flee the country or to go into hiding.
  • Condemning the attacks, High Commissioner Zeid urged Libyan authorities to take all possible measures to conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations, and hold those found responsible to account.

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIAL VISITS IRAQ

  • The Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonovic, arrived in Iraq yesterday and will be in the country until 19 October. During this visit, he will assess the human rights situation in the country, call for the enhanced protection of civilians, and discuss ways to prevent further human rights violations. 
  • Mr. Šimonovic is expected to meet with members of the new government, members of the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee, the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights, representatives of civil society organizations and displaced groups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
  • The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that the latest ISIS offensive on the city of Hit in Iraq's Anbar province has triggered another wave of internal displacement in central Iraq, while the north of Iraq has received a surge in the numbers of Syrians fleeing Kobane in Syria, via Turkey.
  • In the past few days, after its capture by ISIS and affiliated armed groups over the weekend, an estimated 180,000 people have fled from Hit, 180 kilometres from Baghdad, and the surrounding areas.
  • Many are sheltering with relatives and friends, as well as in schools, mosques and public shelters that are already hosting Iraq's mounting numbers of internally displaced people. 
  • Meanwhile in northern Iraq, an increasing number of Syrian Kurds from Kobane are seeking shelter in Dohuk province, having crossed the border from Turkey. Some 5,400 Syrians from Kobane have now entered Iraq, including 3,600 people in the last 72 hours. Another 10,000 to 15,000 people are expected to cross in the coming days.

DESPITE GAINS, SOMALIA’S CHALLENGES REMAIN SIGNIFICANT, WARNS U.N. ENVOY

  • The Security Council adopted two resolutions unanimously, renewing the mandates of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
  • Following that, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, briefed the Security Council by video link from Mogadishu. He said that despite some political gains, Somalia’s challenges remain significant. Urgent action is needed to improve the security, development, political and humanitarian conditions across the country.
  • Today, more than 3 million people need humanitarian assistance in Somalia, including some 1 million people who do not have enough to eat.
  • The United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development today welcomed an agreement between the Somali Government and Puntland State of Somalia to resume relations, and work together on peace and state-building priorities.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: SITUATION IN BANGUI REMAINS TENSE

  • The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has reported that the situation in remains very tense. Since 7 October, a series of violent incidents took place in the capital and the Mission has also been the target of protests and attacks.
  • MINUSCA has taken a robust posture in responding to the events in Bangui, in coordination with EUFOR and Sangaris. On the political front, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy in CAR, Babacar Gaye, immediately engaged with President Catherine Samba-Panza, G8 members, as well as international partners in order to contain the violence and call on the parties to return to dialogue. Today he met with the Regional Mediator in Brazzaville.
  • The Mission has also stepped up its patrols across the capital and continues to work through the Bangui Task Force to address the security situation. On 11 October, MINUSCA intervened and repulsed an attack by around 100 armed anti-Balaka fighters near the residence of the Head of State of the Transition, Ms. Samba Panza, and patrols have been intensified in the area. The Mission remains on high alert and continues its work to address the situation and return the parties to dialogue.
  • On the humanitarian front, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that, according to initial reports, the latest violence has displaced some 6,500 people, but that number could be much higher. The Agency also calls on all parties to respect humanitarian work and allow unhindered humanitarian access to relief agencies working to support thousands of displaced people in desperate need.
  • The Senior Humanitarian Coordinator in CAR, Claire Bourgeois, has also condemned the recruitment and the use of children by armed groups – noting that humanitarian organizations have reported the presence of a large number of children at checkpoints of several barricades in Bangui.

OVER 25,000 DISPLACED PEOPLE MOVED TO BETTER SITES IN SOUTH SUDAN

  • The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported that, more than 25,000 internally displaced peoples have been relocated to better-suited protection sites since June 2014. Dedicated protection of civilians’ sites, adjacent to UNMISS bases, have been constructed in the capital, Juba, in Malakal in Upper Nile State and in Bor in Jonglei State.
  • In Juba, more than 10,800 people have been moved since June this year from the UNMISS Tomping compound to a newly-constructed site close to United Nations House. The Mission also reports the relocation of approximately 1,500 displaced persons from Tomping to the House.
  • In Malakal, some 13,500 internally displaced people have been relocated to the new site. The Mission is supporting humanitarian partners to construct an additional extension to accommodate 5,000 remaining people.
  • In Bor, 300 people have been relocated to a new site since the start of relocation on 9 October. Current plans call for the relocation of all 2,700 internally displaced to the new site over the coming weeks.
  • The Mission also reported that sites where the internally displaced people are no longer in need of protection are being closed. For example, UNMISS shut the Rumbek site last weekend after UNMISS was able to find individual solutions for the remaining people sheltering there.
  • The sites are not a sustainable option for the long-term protection of civilians and should only be considered as an option of last resort. In a United Nations-wide effort, solutions are being sought to help internally displaced people return home, where feasible, or to other places, where they feel safe. Plans are being developed for assisting as many voluntary returns as possible during the upcoming dry season.

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