HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 13 JANUARY 2015

SECRETARY-GENERAL WRAPS UP INDIA VISIT, MEETS PRESIDENT

• The Secretary-General has departed India, following a day in which he met with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. He also planted a tree at the Ministry of the Environment.
• The Secretary-General spoke to reporters afterwards, and said that he counts on the continuing leadership role of India in the ongoing efforts to address climate change issues. He welcomed India’s use of innovative technologies, such as the Canal Top Solar Power Plant that he saw during his visit to Gujarat.
• He added, “Nature does not wait for us. Nature does not negotiate with us.” Rather, he said, it is up to human beings to make sure that our world will be environmentally sustainable.
• The Secretary-General and President Mukherjee discussed Security Council reform, sustainable development and climate change, as well as terrorism.

COTE D’IVOIRE MAKING PROGRESS ON SUSTAINABLE PEACE, U.N. ENVOY TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Côte d’Ivoire, Aïchatou Mindaoudou, briefed the Security Council this morning.
• She said that during the past six months, the country had continued to make important progress towards sustainable peace and sustained economic recovery.
• But she said that work still needs to be done in areas such as the fight against impunity and the reform of the security sector.
• The Special Representative said that as Côte d’Ivoire embarks on an election year, the country still needs support to ensure a conducive environment and sustain the gains made so far.
• She also noted that the UN Mission in the country, UNOCI, started to reduce its troops on 1 December, as requested by the Security Council. She added that the mission had been restructured to be more mobile and visible, and better prepared to ensure the protection of civilians.

DARFUR: U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS TEAM PREVENTED FROM VISITING TAWILLA SITE BY SUDANESE ARMED FORCES

• The Joint African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur, UNAMID, reports that on 11 January, in North Darfur, a Mission’s human rights team going from the Tawilla Team Site to Martalat, north east of Jebel Marra, was stopped at a Sudanese Armed Forces checkpoint.
• The team was on its way to verify alleged human rights violations resulting from reported clashes around Jebel Marra.
• UNAMID says that despite attempts to negotiate access, the team was not allowed to proceed and had to return to base. The Mission is raising this incident with Sudanese authorities.

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE SPEAKS OUT ‘RUTHLESS’ ATTACKS AGAINST CIVILIANS IN NORTHEASTERN NIGERIA

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says that it deeply deplores the vicious, ruthless attacks against civilians in the northeastern Nigerian town of Baga, where Boko Haram has reportedly been operating since 3 January. It adds that while the exact details remain unclear, it is fairly certain that mass killings and mass forced displacement have occurred.
• The human rights office is urging the Nigerian authorities to redouble their efforts to create conditions for an effective investigation into the incidents in the northeast of the country, with a view to establishing the facts surrounding the killings and holding the perpetrators accountable.
• It also urges the Nigerian Government to act swiftly to restore law and order, while ensuring that security operations are conducted in line with international law and full respect for human rights.

TOP U.N. POLITICAL OFFICIAL VISITS NEPAL

• The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, is currently in Nepal, in his second visit to the country.
• He met today with Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Nembang, the Chief of Staff of the army, and party leaders. 
• Mr. Feltman conveyed the Secretary-General’s strong support for Nepal’s peace process and his appreciation for Nepal having more than 5,000 uniformed personnel in UN peacekeeping operations. 
• He also underscored the importance of concluding the work on drafting a new constitution, a key element of the peace process.

U.N. PEACEKEEPING CHIEF MEETS SENIOR OFFICIALS IN JAPAN

• The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, is currently in Tokyo, Japan, for a series of meetings with Japanese officials from the Ministries for Foreign Affairs and Defence.
• Tomorrow, he will also visit the Japan Peacekeeping and Training & Research Center.
• On Thursday, M. Ladsous will deliver the key note speech at the annual symposium organized by the International Peace Cooperation Headquarters.

U.N. CHILDREN’S FUND DELIVERS SUPPLIES FOR MORE THAN 900,000 CHILDREN IN MIDDLE EAST

• The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has delivered warm clothing, blankets, heating supplies, cash and vouchers to more than 900,000 children in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey as the harsh winter season continues.
• In Syria, UNICEF winter supplies have reached 350,000 children and the distribution continues nationwide.
• UNICEF Lebanon’s winter items and vouchers have been provided to 200,000 children in the most exposed areas of the country, including in elevated areas such as Aarsal. UNICEF teams are working to reach a total of 478,000 children in the coming weeks.
• In Jordan, UNICEF winter kits and cash assistance have benefitted 100,000 vulnerable Syrian refugee children and their families in camps and communities.
• In Turkey, the winter response has reached 62,000 children, including 22,000 children from Kobane who are in Suruc. 
• In Iraq, winter clothing kits have been distributed to more than 200,000 children in over 100 hard-to-reach and high altitude areas.