HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 16 DECEMBER 2014

ATTACK ON PAKISTAN SCHOOL ‘ACT OF HORROR, RANK COWARDICE’, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL

• This morning, the Secretary-General made remarks at the opening of the open meeting of the Security Council in which he condemned today’s attack on a school in Peshawar, Pakistan.
• The Secretary-General said that the hearts of the world go out to the parents and families who have lost loved ones in the horrific attack at a school in Peshawar this morning, which has taken the lives of more than 130 people, the vast majority children.
• He said that it is an act of horror and rank cowardice to attack defenseless children where they learn.
• The Secretary-General stressed that schools must be safe and secure learning spaces. Getting an education is every child’s right. Going to school should not have to be an act of bravery.
• He extended his deepest condolences to the people, Government and particularly those touched by today’s tragedy. 
• The United Nations will continue to support the efforts of the Pakistani authorities in their fight against terrorism and extremism. The Secretary-General urged the Government of Pakistan to make every effort to bring the perpetrators of this attack to justice.  
• In addition to the Secretary-General’s remarks, there were statements earlier today by Anthony Lake, the Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), who said that the attack in Peshawar today must summon us, all the more, to support the parents of Pakistan who wish their children the best possible education – and all those who are working to provide it.
• There was also a statement from Irina Bokova, the Director General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as well as Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education.

SECRETARY-GENERAL: SECURITY COUNCIL, AFRICAN UNION WORKING TOGETHER MORE THAN EVER

• The Secretary-General also delivered his prepared remarks at the open debate in the Security Council on the relationship between the United Nations and the African Union. He said that over the years, cooperation between the UN and its regional and sub-regional partners has intensified. He said that the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council are working together more than ever and there is increased support for African-led peace operations and their transition into UN peace operations, as we have seen in Mali and the Central African Republic.
• The meeting was presided over by the Foreign Minister of Chad.

LEBANON: DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL DISCUSSES REFUGEE SITUATION WITH MARONITE PATRIARCH FOR ANTIOCH AND THE EAST

• The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, met today in Bkirki, Lebanon, with Bechara Boutros El-Rai, the Maronite Patriarch for Antioch and the East.
• He said afterwards that he and the Patriarch exchanged views on the refugee situation and the strains that Lebanese society feels. They also discussed the refugee situation throughout the Middle East, including the situation faced by Christians in Syria and Iraq.
• Mr. Eliasson said that in his meetings with the Prime Minister and other Lebanese leaders, the United Nations stands at Lebanon’s side in dealing with the refugee crisis and ensuring that people of many faiths and backgrounds can live peacefully together.
• The Deputy Secretary-General said the Patriarch shared their concerns about the vacancy in the Lebanese Presidency. Mr. Eliasson expressed his hope that it will possible to find a formula to determine a Head of State that represents Lebanon.

HAZARD PAYMENTS TO EBOLA WORKERS TO BE MADE VIA MOBILE MONEY IN SIERRA LEONE – U.N. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

• The UN Development Programme (UNDP) today announced that for the first time in Sierra Leone, hazard payments to Ebola Response Workers (ERWs) will be made using mobile money.
• Sudipto Mukerjee, Country Director for UNDP in the country, stressed that one of the most difficult things about tackling the Ebola crisis had been to getting trained people to come and run centres.
• In that context, the transition from direct cash to an electronic solution will help to improve overall efficiency, timeliness and security of payments for Ebola workers.  
• The current cycle of hazard payments are being made from 15-19 December, and approximately 16,000 workers who are being paid by the Sierra Leonean National Ebola Response Centre, and 13,000 are targeted to receive their pay through mobile money.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT JOIN FORCES TO END GLOBAL HUNGER, MALNUTRITION

• Today, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of the Russian Federation signed an important strategic partnership agreement that will spearhead joint efforts to end global hunger and malnutrition.
• One of the highlights of WFP’s Executive Director’s Ertharin Cousin’s first visit to Russia was the ceremonial handover, on Red Square, of 15 KAMAZ trucks; those trucks are especially suitable for reaching remote areas in countries like Afghanistan and the Central African Republic, where access to food has been cut off by conflict or disaster.
• Russia has donated a total of 218 trucks to WFP and is also among WFP’s top 20 donors, contributing more than US$60 million this year alone.  

D.R. CONGO: U.N. MISSION SATISFIED WITH SENTENCING OF ARMY OFFICIAL FOR RAPE

• The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) took note with satisfaction of the sentencing today of Lieutenant-Colonel Bedi Engangel, who is otherwise known as “Colonel 106”, by a military court in South Kivu for crimes against humanity committed between 2005/7 and those crimes include rape.
• The Head ad interim of the Human Rights Office in the DRC, Abdoul Aziz Thioye, said it was a strong message to perpetrators of serious human rights violations that their crimes will not be unpunished.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO ADDRESS PRESS IN NEW YORK

• The Secretary-General will give a press conference tomorrow at noon at UN Headquarters in New York at noon.