HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 7 APRIL 2015

YEMEN: U.N. AGENCY WARNS THAT CHILDREN CONTINUE TO BE KILLED, INJURED BY VIOLENCE

• The UN Children’s Fund or UNICEF today warned that children continue to be killed, injured, displaced and put at increasing risk of disease as the conflict continues in Yemen.
• According to the agency, the conflict is exacerbating an already precarious situation for children in a country prone to food insecurity.
• Of the 560 people who have been killed since the start of the fighting, an estimated 74 of them are children. Another 44 children have been maimed. Wherever security conditions permit, UNICEF is working with its partners to provide affected families with drinking water and health services.
• It is also providing fuel for water pumps in three cities in the south, including Aden, where water systems have been repeatedly damaged in the fighting. UNICEF is concerned about the breakdown in water supply and sewage overflow could lead to increased risk of disease outbreaks.
• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that a plane carrying humanitarian staff landed in Sana’a yesterday, and two more planes carrying medical supplies are expected later this week. Plans are also underway for surgical teams to sail from Djibouti to Aden as soon as possible.
• In the last 24 hours, about 12 metric tonnes of medical supplies have arrived in Aden from Al Hudaydah, and distributed to health centres and hospitals. Medical assistance has also been delivered in Sa’ada. Monthly food supplies have been distributed to more than 300 displaced families in Hajjah.
• OCHA reports that some 159 stranded Ethiopian migrants have returned home from Djibouti, including 131 people who had been stranded en route to Yemen and 28 who were evacuated from Yemen by sea.

SYRIA: U.N. REMAINS CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY OF CIVILIANS IN YARMOUK

• The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported that the situation in the Yarmouk camp in Syria is evolving rapidly.
• UNRWA currently has no access to the camp and is unable to confirm the exact number of people who have managed to leave the area.
• However, it added that the situation remains extremely difficult for the remaining 18,000 civilians, most of whom are Palestinian refugees.
• UNRWA is looking into a mission to the area south of Yarmouk to assess the situation and determine how the agency can provide assistance.
• The UN continues to follow the situation in Yarmouk closely. It remains concerned about the safety and wellbeing of civilians in Yarmouk, and will do its utmost to support those displaced by the violence.      

ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF RWANDA GENOCIDE, SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES NEED TO CONFRONT CURRENT CHALLENGES

• Today is the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda. In his message for the day, the Secretary-General says we must use this occasion to look back on the past and to squarely confront the challenges of the present, renewing our collective resolve to prevent such atrocities from happening again.
• The Secretary-General deplores conflicts and atrocity crimes in many parts of the world that continues to divide communities, killing and displacing people. He appeals to the international community to do more than just speak about atrocity crimes and then fail to take timely action to prevent them.
• Joining the Secretary-General, his Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Said Djinnit, commends the Government and people of Rwanda for their resilience and the manner in which the country has rebuilt itself, particularly through significant social reconciliation.
• The Secretary-General will take part in a commemorative event this evening at UN Headquarters on the genocide.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TRAVEL TO PANAMA, QATAR

• The Secretary-General will travel to Panama City, Panama, on Thursday, 9 April, to participate in the seventh Summit of the Americas, and will then head to Doha, Qatar, to attend the 13^th UN Crime Congress that opens on 12 April.
• In Panama, the Secretary-General will address the Summit of the Americas and hold a series of bilateral meetings with participating leaders and other senior officials.
• And in Qatar, the Secretary-General will deliver the keynote speech at the 13^th UN Crime Congress, which brings together governments, policy-makers and experts to exchange their experiences and intensify international cooperation in tackling the threat of transnational organized crime. He will return to New York on 13 April.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL DEPARTS FOR CHINA, REPUBLIC OF KOREA

• The Deputy Secretary-General will depart New York for the People’s Republic of China today. During his visit, he will hold bilateral meetings with senior representatives of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Development and Reform Commission.
• The Deputy Secretary-General will also deliver a lecture at the Renmin University, as well as participate in a roundtable discussion hosted by the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.
• On 11 April, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel from China to the Republic of Korea. He will represent the Secretary-General and deliver keynote remarks at the opening ceremony of the 7th World Water Forum in Daegu.
• And during his visit he will pay a courtesy call to President Park Geun-Hye, as well as hold bilateral meetings with senior Government officials in Seoul.
• He will also attend the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) which is scheduled to be held in Gyeongju.
• He will return to New York on 14 April.

U.N., AFRICAN UNION MISSION SPEAKS OUT AGAINST BOMBINGS IN CENTRAL DARFUR

• The Joint AU-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is able to confirm the dropping of 10 bombs which led to the killing of 14 civilians and the wounding of 18 others in Rowata, Central Darfur, on 1 April. Yesterday, a verification patrol was dispatched to Rowata; while it was in the village, the team witnessed another aerial bombardment, consisting of five bombs dropped close to where they were standing.
• The UN Mission strongly condemns such aerial bombings, which cause widespread death, destruction and displacement of populations.

SOUTH SUDAN: NEARLY 4,500 SHELTERING IN U.N. MISSION’S MALAKAL BASE

• Close to 4,500 displaced people have recently sought shelter in the UN Mission in Malakal, in Upper Nile State in South Sudan.
• This brings the total number of civilians in that site close to 26,000, and overall [more than] 115,000 country-wide are being sheltered in UN compounds. And that is the highest number of displaced that the Mission is protecting since the start of the present conflict in December 2013. New displacements of population are also reported by our other humanitarian partners in other parts of South Sudan, including 31,000 in Jonglei State.

TWO BLUE HELMETS INJURED BY LANDMINE IN NORTHERN MALI

• Two peacekeepers from the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) were injured yesterday in the explosion of a mine while they were escorting a convoy around Kidal, in northern Mali.
• One of them is seriously injured and both were immediately evacuated. The Mission and the UN Mine Action Service remain committed to continue their work against mines in order to protect the civilian population in Mali.

CYPRUS: U.N. ENVOY SEES ‘NO OBSTACLE’ TO EARLY RESUMPTION OF TALKS

• The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, told reporters in Nicosia today that he sees no obstacle to a very early resumption of talks once the elections in the north of the country are over.
• While in Cyprus, Mr. Eide has met with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. He appealed to the leaders of all Cypriots that he strongly feels that 2015 is going to be a decisive year, that he hopes it will be a decisive one in the right direction.
• Mr. Eide noted that the problem shared by Cypriots in the absence of a settlement, and that this is a time to think strategically and understand that this is an opportunity that has to be grasped.

ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE ISSUE OF CONCERN IN UKRAINE – U.N. RELIEF WING

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that access to health remains a major concern for the displaced and others impacted by the conflict in Ukraine.
• At the end of March, the Ministry of Social Protection reported that there are nearly 1.2 million registered IDPs across the country. However, difficulties in verifying residence procedures for them are affecting their ability to access to social services.
• The pressure on schools to accommodate displaced children is increasing because of limited number of available teachers and premises.
• Meanwhile, UNHCR says that as of 2 April, the total number of Ukrainians who have sought asylum, residence permits or other forms of legal stay in neighbouring countries has reached 777,000, with the vast majority of them in Russia.
• Despite the great needs, funding for humanitarian operations remains very low with only 18 per cent of the $316 million required for 2015 having been funded or even pledged so far.

U.N. STANDS READY TO ASSIST IN WAKE OF DEADLY STORM IN BANGLADESH

• OCHA says that a severe storm struck the capital Dhaka and several districts of Bangladesh on 5 April. According to the Government, at least 40 people died and 300 others were injured. The storm affected some 92,000 families, and destroyed nearly 30,000 houses.
• The UN is monitoring the situation and stands ready to help the Government.

NEW U.N. REPORT HIGHLIGHTS POTENTIAL OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

• A new report issued today by our colleagues at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) spotlights new opportunities in geothermal energy for developing countries.
• In some developing economies, as much as half of all food produced is lost post-harvest –due in part to a lack of affordable energy for food processing.
• The report explores the uses of natural heat for food production and processing, including drying foods, pasteurizing milk and sterilizing procedures.
• It says Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Kenya and Romania are among the countries that have much to gain from harnessing heat energy for agriculture.

***The guest at the Noon Briefing was Dr. Jacob Kumaresan, Executive Director of WHO’s Office in New York, who briefed reporters on food safety, the theme of this year’s World Health Day.