HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

WEDNESDAY, 7 DECEMBER 2014

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL OUTRAGED BY DESPICABLE ATTACK AGAINST CHARLIE HEBDO

  • In remarks delivered today, the Secretary-General said that he was outraged by the despicable attack today against the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo.
  • He said it was a horrendous, unjustifiable and cold-blooded crime. It was also a direct assault on a cornerstone of democracy, on the media and freedom of expression.
  • The Secretary-General extended his deepest condolences to the families of those who were killed and his best wishes to those who were wounded in the attack.
  • He said he trusts that the French authorities will do all in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice quickly. This horrific attack was meant to divide, he added.
  • The Secretary-General said we must not fall into that trap. This is a moment for solidarity around the world, he added. We must stand for freedom of expression and tolerance and stand against forces of division and hate.

YEMEN: SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS ATTACK IN SANA’A

  • In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General condemned in the strongest terms the attack against the police academy in Sana'a.
  • He expressed his condolences to the victims' families and wishes a swift recovery to all those wounded. The perpetrators and those who planned for this attack must be brought to justice.
  • The Secretary-General reiterated his previous calls to all Yemenis to work together to fight terrorism and to bring security and stability to Yemen.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR DECISIVE ACTION AGAINST ARMED GROUP IN D.R. CONGO

  • The Secretary-General spoke on the phone and reviewed the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today with H.E. Mr. Joseph Kabila, President of DRC.
  • The Secretary-General reiterated that the Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR) has failed to deliver on its promise to disarm and that the deadline of 2 January had expired without significant results.
  • The Secretary-General called for decisive action against the armed group.
  • The Secretary-General welcomed the President’s assurance that his Government was ready to take action, and noted that the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) was ready to engage with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC).

NOW IS NOT TIME TO EASE UP ON EFFORTS, WARNS NEW HEAD OF U.N. EBOLA EMERGENCY RESPONSE MISSION

  • The head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, gave a press conference in Liberia today.
  • He stressed that there had been a lot of progress in the fight against Ebola, noting that Lofa County, which is the former epicenter of the outbreak, has been Ebola free for eight consecutive weeks.
  • He added that, however now is not the time to ease up on our efforts and that zero cases in Liberia and the entire region must be everyone’s goal.

U.N. MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN REPORTS NEW VIOLENCE IN UNITY STATE

  • The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has reported that there were shelling and firing close to Bentiu in Unity State yesterday morning.
  • The Mission noted as many as 43 explosions as well as instances of small arms fire, not far from its compound outside of Bentiu, where it is protecting some 43,000 internally displaced persons.
  • After the shelling stopped, peacekeepers conducted a patrol to Bentiu and Rubkona to assess the security situation. They said that markets in both towns were open, although with little civilian presence.
  • On 5 January, UNMISS patrol in Rubkona County received reports that recent fighting has displaced more than 50,000 civilians in Bentiu.
  • The Mission also received reports of fighting between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and Opposition forces in Unity Oil Field area on Monday.
  • The Mission called for an end to the fighting and for the leadership of both sides to immediately agree to an inclusive, power sharing arrangement to begin a transitional phase of governance and a roadmap that addresses the root causes of this conflict.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY SAYS 5.5 MILLION DISPLACED IN FISRT HALF OF 2014

  • The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said today that the wars in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere had uprooted an estimated 5.5 million people during the first six months of 2014, signalling a further rise in the number of people forcibly displaced.
  • UNHCR's new "Mid-Year Trends 2014" report says that of the 5.5 million who were newly displaced, 1.4 million fled across international borders becoming refugees, while the rest were displaced within their own countries.
  • Syrians, for the first time, have become the largest refugee population, overtaking Afghans, who had held that position for more than three decades. At more than 3 million people as of June 2014, Syrian refugees now account for 23 per cent of all refugees being helped by UNHCR worldwide.
  • After Syria and Afghanistan, the leading countries of refugees are Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar and Iraq.
  • Pakistan, which hosts 1.6 million Afghan refugees, remains the biggest host country in absolute terms. Other countries with large refugee populations are Lebanon, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Chad.

U.N. AGENCIES LAUNCH WINTER CASH ASSISTANCE FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES IN JORDAN

  • The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) launched a winter cash assistance programme today to provide 41,000 vulnerable Syrian refugee children under the age of 14 in Za’atari and Azraq refugee camps with 14 Jordanian Dinars each, to allow their families to get them winter clothes.
  • The one-time cash assistance from UNICEF will target children from nearly 13,000 vulnerable families in the two camps through the existing WFP electronic food voucher programme.
  • The UNICEF assistance can be used to buy winter clothes, such as boots, gloves, trousers, coats and scarves at WFP-contracted supermarkets in the camps until the end of January.

NEW HEAD OF U.N. FIELD SUPPORT APPOINTED

  • The Secretary-General has appointed Atul Khare of India as Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Department of Field Support (DFS).
  • He will succeed Ameerah Haq of Bangladesh to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her commitment and dedicated service to the United Nations.
  • The Secretary-General is particularly appreciative of Ms. Haq’s exemplary leadership in the Department of Field Support.
  • Most recently, Mr. Khare has served as Assistant Secretary-General leading the Change Management Team (2011-2012) and Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and Deputy Head of the Department from 2010 to 2011.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • The Spokesman responded to questions regarding documents transmitted by the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN relating to the accession of Palestine to 16 multilateral treaties in respect of which the Secretary-General is the depository, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
  • He said that in  conformity with the relevant international rules and his practice as a depositary, the Secretary-General has ascertained that the instruments received were in due and proper form before accepting them for deposit, and has informed all States concerned accordingly through the circulation of depositary notifications.
  • This is an administrative function performed by the Secretariat as part of the Secretary-General’s responsibilities as depositary for these treaties.
  • It is important to emphasize that it is for States to make their own determination with respect to any legal issues raised by instruments circulated by the Secretary-General.

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