HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 28 OCTOBER 2014

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONTINUES HORN OF AFRICA VISIT

  • The Secretary-General is continuing his visit to the Horn of Africa.
  • In Addis Ababa this morning, the Secretary-General and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, along with other senior officials, met with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma‎, to discuss efforts to stop the current Ebola outbreak.
  • Talking to reporters afterward, the Secretary-General said that effective regional partnership was crucial in the battle against Ebola. He commended the recent pledges made by African nations. And he told the African Union that it could count on the UN's support in the success of the African Union Support Mission ‎and encouraged the mission to work closely with the UN Mission on Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). The Secretary-General also stressed the need to help affected countries rebuild their health systems to better withstand future shocks.
  • The Secretary-General is in Djibouti, where he met with the Prime Minister and the President of the National Assembly. Tomorrow, he is scheduled to meet with the President of Djibouti.

CHINESE CONTINGENT SERVING WITH U.N. MISSION ASSISTING WITH CONSTRUCTION OF EBOLA CENTRE IN LIBERIAN CAPITAL

  • The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) says today that its Chinese contingent is going to assist in the construction of an Ebola Quarantine and Control Center in Monrovia. The project will take 21 days to complete.
  • The Mission also announces that of the 44 UNMIL personnel who have been quarantined following two infections in the Mission, 42 have already completed their quarantine period.
  • Two remaining staff are expected to complete the quarantine period by 1 November.

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES CONTINUED COOPERATION BETWEEN LEBANESE GOVERNMENT, U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY ON SYRIAN REFUGEES

  • Derek Plumbly, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, attended the meeting in Berlin today of the International Support Group for Lebanon and delivered a message on the Secretary-General’s behalf.
  • In the message, the Secretary-General said that he understands certain anxieties in Lebanon about the scale of the Syrian refugee presence and notes the tensions in some communities, as well as recent policy decisions announced by the Government. He stressed the continuing importance of close cooperation between the Government and UN High Commissioner for Refugees in managing the refugee presence effectively and in accordance with international humanitarian standards and human rights.
  • The Secretary-General added that Lebanon is a beacon of tolerance and co-existence in the region. Easing the situation imposed by a crisis now in its fourth year is essential to Lebanon’s continued stability.

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE SHOCKED, SADDENED BY EXECUTION OF IRANIAN WOMAN

  • The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed its shock and sadness at the execution on 25 October of Reyhaneh Jabbari in Iran.
  • The execution of Ms Jabbari was carried out on Saturday despite repeated calls on the authorities by various United Nations human rights mechanisms not to execute her. Serious concerns were raised about due process in connection with Ms. Jabbari’s case -- in particular the allegation that her conviction was based on confessions made under duress.
  • The Human Rights Office said it was very concerned about the increased use of the death penalty in Iran, as highlighted in the report of the Special Rapporteur which is being presented to the General Assembly later today. It calls on the Iranian authorities to make an explicit commitment to immediately institute a moratorium on the death penalty, particularly in light of the high number of executions and the continuing serious concerns about fair trial and due process.

POLITICAL DIALOGUE ONLY WAY OUT OF CRISIS, SAYS U.N. LIBYA ENVOY

  • At a press conference today in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, Bernardino Leon, stressed again that political dialogue is the only way out of the crisis. He added that the UN will continue to help Libyan authorities work towards a ceasefire, respected by all.  
  • Yesterday, in Tobruk, Mr. Leon also met with the Libyan Speaker of Parliament as well as the President of the House of Representatives.

WOMEN ACT AS AGENTS OF PEACE, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL

  • The Security Council held an open debate on Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. In his message, delivered by the head of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Secretary-General said that the Council’s consistent focus on women, peace and security has enabled the international community to move beyond viewing women as only victims of conflict to seeing them as agents of peace and progress.
  • The Secretary-General called for broad participation in his upcoming Global Study on the implementation of Resolution 1325, which will be led by the former Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy.
  • Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmund Mulet also addressed the Council. Focusing on the theme of the debate, Displaced Women and Girls, Mr. Mulet said that women often bear the brunt of any protracted conflict, especially in displacement.

SOUTH SUDAN: U.N. MISSION AGAIN CALLS FOR HALT TO FIGHTING, PEACE AGREEMENT

  • From South Sudan, following a number of incidents in recent days near Bentiu, the UN Mission in that country (UNMISS) reiterates its call for the immediate end to fighting and for the parties to reach a comprehensive peace agreement so that the country can move towards a path of peace and stability.
  • Meanwhile, the Mission reports that fighting erupted among internally displaced people at its site outside of Malakal in Upper Nile State yesterday afternoon. The violence left one person dead and at least four injured, and had ethnic overtones, as youth of mostly Nuer and Shilluk ethnic backgrounds attacked each other.
  • The Mission says that peacekeepers and UN Police fired tear gas and warning shots to defuse the situation.  Four peacekeepers suffered minor injuries.
  • By late yesterday afternoon, the situation was brought under control but remains tense.

JOURNALIST WITH U.N.-BACKED RADIO NETWORK RECOGNIZED FOR WORK ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

  • One of our colleagues from Radio Okapi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Caddy Adzuba, was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord for her work on violence against women.
  • The Head of the UN Mission in the country (MONUSCO), Martin Kobler, said that this prize paid tribute to the entire team of Radio Okapi, which has spent the last ten years working for peace in the DRC.

SINCE 2008, 2.6 MILLION MORE CHILDREN IN DEVELOPING WORLD PLUNGED INTO POVERTY – NEW U.N.I.C.E.F. REPORT

  • The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a new report today which found that 2.6 million more children have fallen into poverty in the world’s most affluent countries since the 2008 global recession.
  • This brings the total number of children in the developed world living in poverty to 76.5 million.
  • Early stimulus programmes to respond to the recession in some countries were effective in protecting children.
  • However, by 2010, a majority of countries pivoted sharply from budget stimulus to budget cuts, negatively impacting children.
  • UNICEF said that all countries need strong social safety nets to protect children, adding that wealthy countries should lead by example, explicitly committing to eradicate child poverty, developing policies to offset economic downturns and making child well-being a top priority.

SECRETARY-GENERAL ENCOURAGES YOUNG PEOPLE TO RAISE THEIR VOICES

  • In his video message to the 1st Global Forum on Youth Policies, which opened earlier today in Bakou, Azerbaijan, the Secretary-General said that empowering young people remains one of his top priorities. He called on governments to help young people participate more fully in civic and public life, and encouraged young people to raise their voices loud and clear so that they are heard beyond this Forum.
  • Representing the UN at the Forum was the Secretary-General’s Youth Envoy, Ahmad Alhendawi, who said that the Forum represents a great opportunity to reflect on the advances made on youth policies globally.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY VOICES CONCERN OVER SPANISH PROPOSAL ON RETURNS OF ASYLUM-SEEKERS

  • The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said today that it is concerned about a proposal by Spain to legalize automatic returns of people trying to cross border fences into its North Africa enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, the only land borders between the European Union and Africa.
  • Under this initiative, a person trying to access Ceuta and Melilla irregularly and without the required documentation would be automatically rejected and would not be entitled to the legal guarantees foreseen in national and EU law relating to the right of an individual to seek asylum.
  • Since last year, there has been an increase in the number of people arriving irregularly through this route. There has also been an increase in the proportion of those coming from countries torn by war, violence and persecution, including Syria, Central African Republic and Mali.
  • The Agency stressed the importance of permitting access to territory to seek international protection. While it understands the complexity of border management in Ceuta and Melilla, the Agency said the Government should ensure that any legal initiative complies with its international obligations, particularly the 1951 Refugee Convention.

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