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

WEDNESDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2014

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL WARNS OF THREAT POSED BY FOREIGN TERRORIST FIGHTERS, VIOLENT EXTREMISM

  • The Secretary-General spoke at the Security Council’s open meeting this morning on the threat to international peace and security posed by terrorism and violent extremism.
  • He told Council members that the threat of foreign terrorist fighters and the scourge of violent extremism are not just security challenges but they can affect the stability and the social fabric of communities, countries and regions.
  • He called on the international community to think more deeply into the fundamental conditions that allow extremism to thrive. Looking at these challenges solely through a military lens has shown its limits. He added that a rights-centered approach to counter-terrorism must be upfront in all planning and not merely an afterthought.
  • The Security Council issued a Presidential Statement at the meeting, in which it emphasised that the threat of terrorism is expanding and intensifying, affecting a greater number of Member States across most regions.
  • The Security Council further expressed its concern that, according to reports, more than 15,000 foreign terrorist fighters from over 80 countries have travelled to join or fight for terrorist entities associated with A1-Qaida.

MALI: HEAD OF U.N. MISSION FOR EBOLA RESPONSE MEETS WITH PRESIDENT AND PARTNERS

  • The Head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, Anthony Banbury, is in Mali today to discuss the country's efforts against Ebola and see how the UN Mission can support those efforts.
  • He's meeting with international and national partners involved in the response, including the President of Mali.
  • Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that nearly 1.5 million people have received food assistance since April in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
  • The World Food Programme is using innovative methods including cell phone surveys to assess how the Ebola outbreak is disrupting farming and markets, and eroding people’s purchasing power.

MIDDLE EAST: SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS ATTACK ON SYNAGOGUE AND ALL ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CIVILIANS

  • The Secretary-General strongly condemned the attack on Tuesday on a synagogue in West Jerusalem, which claimed five lives and injured several persons. He extended his condolences to the families of the victims and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.
  • He said that clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli security forces continue on a near daily basis in many parts of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
  • The Secretary-General condemns all acts of violence against civilians. Attacks against religious sites in Jerusalem and the West Bank point to an additional dangerous dimension to the conflict which reverberates far beyond the region.
  • The steadily worsening situation on the ground only reinforces the imperative for leaders on both sides to make the difficult decisions that will promote stability and ensure long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

U.N. MISSION IN LIBYA ANNOUNCES 12-HOUR HUMANITARIAN TRUCE IN BENGHAZI

  • The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has announced that the different parties to the conflict in Benghazi have agreed to an unconditional humanitarian truce in the affected areas. The truce, which was facilitated by UNSMIL, commenced at 7 am local time today and was to last for 12 hours. 
  • As agreed with all parties, the Libyan Red Crescent will evacuate civilians from affected areas, remove dead bodies and facilitate the removal of sewage. Civilians can also attend to the injured as well as restock food and other necessary supplies.
  • UNSMIL has urged all parties to fully abide by their commitments during the truce.

SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES BURKINA FASO TRANSITION MUST UPHOLD ASPIRATIONS OF PEOPLE

  • The Secretary-General continues to follow the situation in Burkina Faso very closely.
  • He underscores the importance for the transitional leaders and institutions to uphold the aspirations of the people of Burkina Faso and ensure a smooth transitional period leading to the holding of elections in November 2015.
  • The United Nations will continue to work closely with the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other international stakeholders to support the people of Burkina Faso in achieving these objectives.

AT HIGH-LEVEL FORUM FOR SOMALIA, U.N. SENIOR OFFICIALS WARN AGAINST POLITICAL DIVISION AND PARALYSIS

  • The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs (DPA), Jeffrey Feltman, and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Nicholas Kay, addressed the High Level Partnership Forum for Somalia, which opened in Copenhagen today.
  • Mr. Feltman called on the international community to continue supporting Somalia in stabilization and building sustainable security, under the leadership of the Federal Government. He added this must include a comprehensive approach to counter-terrorism.
  • Talking about Somalia’s political instability, Mr. Feltman warned that the country cannot afford to repeat the pattern of division and paralysis that has led to ten Prime Ministers in a dozen years. 
  • He urged the President and all Somali leaders to ensure that the current crisis is resolved rapidly, and in a way that ensures political stability through to 2016.
  • Also on Somalia, Special Representative Nicholas Kay has been working to encourage the President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament to find a political solution to the current crisis. 
  • Mr. Kay has repeatedly said, in close coordination with Somalia’s international partners, that a political solution should be based on the principles of unity, stability and delivery of the Vision 2016 plan for Somalia’s political transformation. 

C.A.R.: ONE MILLION IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE BY NEXT LEAN SEASON

  • On the Central African Republic, aid agencies are warning that approximately one million people in the country may need assistance by the next lean season – that’s May to September next year -- as household food and income sources remain significantly disrupted due to the conflict.
  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that even though current harvests are easing the assistance needs right now, there are high levels of food consumption gaps particularly among displaced people.
  • There are also very high levels of acute malnutrition and mortality in camps in Cameroon that are hosting refugees from the Central African Republic.
  • OCHA says assistance is urgently needed to help households meet minimal food requirements and treat acute malnutrition.

IN ROME, SECOND CONFERENCE ON NUTRITION ADOPTS DECLARATION AND FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION

  • Ministers and top officials from over 170 countries endorsed today the political Declaration and Framework for Action to tackle hunger and obesity at the Second International Conference on Nutrition that just opened in Rome.
  • The Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, José Graziano da Silva, said that the Rome Declaration and Framework for Action were the starting point of renewed efforts to improve nutrition for all.
  • The Rome Declaration enshrines the right of everyone to have access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food, and commits governments to preventing malnutrition in all its forms.
  • The Framework for Action sets out 60 recommended actions that governments may incorporate into their national plans and consider when negotiating international agreements to achieve better nutrition for all.
  • Dr Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization, stressed that the world's food system – with its reliance on industrialized production and globalized markets – produced ample supplies but created public health problems, with millions vulnerable to death or disease caused by nutrient deficiencies, while widespread obesity pushed life-expectancy figures backwards and the costs of health care to astronomical heights.
  • In a video message, the Secretary-General said this Conference marked a new stage in our quest to banish global hunger and malnutrition for good, and pledged the UN system’s effective support to achieve that goal.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS FIRST PLEDGING CONFERENCE FOR GREEN CLIMATE FUND A MILESTONE AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

  • In a video message to the First Pledging Conference of the Green Climate Fund which began today in Bonn, Germany, the Secretary-General said that all countries have played a part in the Fund, from the smallest and poorest, to the biggest and wealthiest.
  • He called the Fund a victory for people, the planet and multilateral cooperation.
  • The Secretary-General said that we must build on September’s successful Climate Summit, adding that this momentum has been further boosted by recent moves by the European Union, the United States and China.
  • He noted that the pledging conference for the Green Climate Fund is another milestone in our common efforts to address climate change, adding that success will be crucial to building trust and confidence among member states and, ultimately, will help us reach a meaningful, universal agreement at Paris in 2015.

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