HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

WEDNESDAY, 21 JANUARY 2015

$1.5 BILLION NEEDED TO ADDRESS EBOLA IN FIRST HALF OF 2015 – U.N. SENIOR OFFICIALS

• Valerie Amos, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and David Nabarro, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Ebola, presented the latest Overview of the UN system and partners' Requirements for the Ebola Response in Davos today.
• The financial needs for the first six month of 2015 amount to $1.5 billion. Almost $500 million is already available and the appeal is now to fund the gap of $1 billion.
• The resources made available and spent during 2014 contributed to the decline in new cases of Ebola in the three most affected countries. Specific results include: Almost 2,000 beds providing people with care; 255 burial teams ensuring safe and dignified burials; and 11,800 contract tracers identifying more and more contacts.
• The work is not yet over. Our goal must be to get to zero cases and there is a long way to go, so continued financial and political support is needed. There is no room for complacency.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES TRANSFER OF LORD’S RESISTANCE ARMY COMMANDER TO INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

• In a statement issued yesterday evening, the Secretary-General welcomed the transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague of senior Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Dominic Ongwen.
• The Secretary-General said that Mr. Ongwen's transfer to the ICC marks an important milestone in accountability, with the first LRA commander being brought before the Court. It is a step forward in efforts to bring justice to the thousands of victims of LRA violence in Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic over the past 28 years.
• He calls on the LRA to immediately disarm and demobilize, cease attacks and release all those abducted.

SPEAKING TO SECURITY COUNCIL, U.N. POLITICAL CHIEF NOTES BURUNDI’S SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS SINCE END OF CIVIL WAR

• Jeffrey Feltman, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefed the Security Council on Burundi this morning, saying that the country has made substantial progress, overcoming formidable challenges since the end of the civil war.
• Mr. Feltman said that organising peaceful and credible elections is one of the most pressing challenges facing Burundi this year. He said that the 2015 elections present Burundians with the opportunity to further strengthen peace consolidation efforts undertaken since the Arusha Accord.
• He said it is critical that the electoral process be managed in an inclusive manner, with integrity, impartiality and independence. Burundians regardless of party affiliation must be free to exercise their civil and political rights, including their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. And he added that it is the responsibility of the Government to prevent violence without impinging on the people’s rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and that people committing unlawful acts of political violence must be prosecuted without delay.
• Mr. Feltman will also brief the Security Council this afternoon on Ukraine.

D.R. CONGO: U.N. MISSION VOICES CONCERN OVER UNREST IN WAKE OF PARLIAMENT DEBATE OVER DRAFT ELECTORAL LAW

• The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) says that it is concerned by the repeated unrest – and by the violence of the past few days –following the debate in the Parliament over the draft electoral law.
• The Mission deplores the loss of life among demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
• It appeals to all sides to refrain from acts of violence and looting and calls on them to preserve the hardly-won peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• MONUSCO is also calling on the authorities to preserve political space and freedom of opinion.

U.N. RELIEF WING REPORTS MORE THAN 18,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN NEWLY DISPLACED IN NORTHERN DARFUR

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that more than 18,000 people have been newly verified as displaced in El Fasher, Shangil Tobaya, Tawila and Um Baru areas in North Darfur, according to humanitarian partners.
• Over 2,200 people of those displaced are sheltering beside the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) site in Um Baru in North Darfur. People continue to arrive at the site seeking shelter and protection. The humanitarian office says that aid organizations are on the ground providing assistance, including healthcare and household items.
• Some 200 people have also arrived in the UNAMID site in Sortony, reportedly fearing attacks on villages in the area. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that access to this isolated area continues to be a challenge for humanitarians but that efforts are underway to carry out a rapid assessment and deliver humanitarian assistance.
• The Office also says that aid agencies aren’t able to access those displaced in the Jebel Marra area and assess their needs due to ongoing hostilities and access constraints.

GENOCIDE ONLY HAPPENS WHEN WE ARE UNWILLING TO ACT, DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS ON 70^TH ANNIVERSARY OF LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ

• This morning, the Deputy Secretary-General spoke at a special event to mark the 70^th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp. This comes ahead of next week’s observation of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. 
• The Deputy Secretary-General stressed the need to reflect on how we can better prevent and protect our world from becoming, once again, the setting for horrific crimes that took place during the Holocaust, as well as in Cambodia, Rwanda and Srebrenica. He added that genocide can only happen when we ignore the warning signs and are unwilling to take action.

U.N. AGENCY RUNNING LOW ON FUNDS TO ADDRESS LOCUST INFESTATION IN MADAGASCAR

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that it is running out of funds to fight locust infestation in Madagascar - a serious plague that could relapse during the upcoming rainy season.
• The agency has appealed for an extra $10.6 million to avoid the resurgence of locusts which could pose a serious food security challenge for 13 million people. 
• So far, more than $28.8 million has been mobilized to fund the joint FAO and Government anti-locust programme.

MALI: U.N. MISSION RESPONDS TO MACHINE-GUN FIRE DIRECTED AT TROOPS

• The UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) says that it used force in response to a heavy vehicle-mounted machine gun fire directed at its troops and towards the town inhabited by civilians, yesterday in Tabankort, in the north of the country.
• The vehicle belonged to the Mouvement national de libération de l’Azawad – the MNLA.
• Before engaging, MINUSMA fired warning shots at the vehicle which were unheeded. In accordance with its mandate to protect civilians, its personnel and its assets against imminent threat, MINUSMA then targeted the vehicle, disabling it.
• Following tensions in Tabankort since the beginning of the month, the Mission has repeatedly reminded all armed groups of their obligation to respect the ceasefire agreement they signed on 23^rd of May 2014. The United Nations reiterates its call to all parties to immediately cease hostilities and respect their ceasefire commitments.
• MINUSMA also reports that public demonstrations have taken place in Ber and Kidal since yesterday to protest the Mission's action in Tabankort. The demonstrations have now ended.

U.N., SYRIAN ARAB RED CRESCENT WRAP UP AID DELIVERY TO HOMS

• The United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent completed their delivery of humanitarian supplies to the Al Wa’er neighbourhood of Homs City in Syria yesterday, delivering the remaining 10 trucks of relief supplies targeting 75,000 people. The first two parts of the convoy reached the area on 15^th and 18^th of January.
• In addition to planned supplies, 743 cartons of baby milk were delivered, in direct response to urgent needs identified on the 15^th January. The UN had not been able to deliver aid to Al Waer since early November.

HAITI: U.N. MISSION COMPLETES INVESTIGATION

• In response to a question, the Deputy Spokesman said that MINUSTAH confirms that the investigation has been completed and the report is now being reviewed by the mission's leadership.
• Appropriate actions have been taken on the initial recommendations for improvements in compliance with established operational procedures.
• At the same time, the concerned individuals have been suspended from operational duty and the Member State concerned has been informed about the investigation.
• On a Board of Inquiry report into a helicopter crash last year in South Sudan, the Deputy Spokesperson said that we have been informed that the draft report is currently in the last stages of being finalised.

U.N. ENCOURAGES D.P.R. KOREA’S GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT TO IMPROVE HUMAN RIGHTS, LIVING CONDITIONS OF ITS PEOPLE

• In response to a question about a witness for the Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Deputy Spokesperson said that we are aware of reports related to the testimony of one witness of the Commission of Inquiry on the situation of human rights in the DPRK.
• This Commission of Inquiry is an independent body established by the Human Rights Council, and therefore we cannot speak on its behalf.
• However, we understand that this witness is one of the more than 300 witnesses heard by the Commission. It is important to bear that in mind.
• What is important is that the patterns of violations documented by the Commission are based on many testimonies and corroborated by other information.
• We encourage the DPRK authorities to engage with the international community to improve human rights and the living conditions of its people. We reaffirm the United Nations’ strong commitment to help the DPRK towards that end.