HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

MONDAY, 13 APRIL 2015

CRIME FEEDS ON CORRUPTION, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS U.N. MEETING IN QATAR

• The Secretary-General has returned to New York from Doha, Qatar, where he delivered the keynote address at the Thirteenth UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice that is taking place this week.
• In his speech, the Secretary-General said that like a pernicious weed, the roots of crime are everywhere, threatening to choke the weak and vulnerable. Crime feeds on corruption, obstructs good governance, threatens peace and security, hinders development and violates human rights, he added.
• He also gave a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Qatar, during which he welcomed the adoption of the Doha Declaration.
• Before going to Qatar, the Secretary-General was in Panama to attend the Seventh Summit of the America. There, the Secretary-General welcomed the historic participation of both President Obama and President Castro.

IN SYRIA, U.N. OFFICIAL CALLS FOR HELP FOR CIVILIANS TRAPPED IN YARMOUK CAMP

• Pierre Krähenbühl, the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), continued his mission to Syria and called on all sides to respect the beleaguered civilians trapped inside Yarmouk. He said that he was continuing to work today to assist those who wish to temporarily relocate from the camp in safety. At the same time, he said, we need to look at ways to provide humanitarian assistance to the civilians trapped in Yarmouk.
• Mr. Krähenbühl said that his meetings with the Syrian Government yesterday offer some grounds for optimism, although there is much more work that needs to be done.
• He said that among those he met yesterday were a mother and baby who fled Yarmouk just 15 days ago. Fierce fighting forced them to flee when the child was just one day old. He said that the civilians whom he met are individuals with a dignity and destiny that must be at the centre of our responses as we grapple with the complexities of protecting civilians, in Yarmouk and beyond.

NUMBER OF UPROOTED SINCE START OF YEMEN AIRSTRIKES TOPS 120,000 – U.N.

• More than 120,000 people are now estimated to have been displaced in Yemen since airstrikes started on March 26^th, as of this past Saturday. In Abyan more than 1,730 displaced families are living temporarily in schools, in host communities or with family and relatives.
• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the conflict has made it hard for people to get food; for example, in Aden, flour was not available in the local market and all bakeries have closed down. Landlines and cell phone networks are no longer working in some areas in Aden, Abyan and Al Dhale'e. People in Aden and Al Mukalla have experienced prolonged power outages lasting up to twelve hours.
• Humanitarian partners are providing assistance, including water tanks, water trucking, rehabilitation of water and sanitation facilities, and medical clinics and stand ready to provide more as soon as roads are re-opened.

AT LATEST ROUND OF LIBYA TALKS, U.N. STRESSES HOW DIALOGUE IS OPPORTUNITY TO STOP BLOODSHED

• A new round of UN-facilitated talks with Libya’s political leaders and activists started in Algeria today. 
• The UN Support Mission for Libya (UNSMIL) believes that the dialogue is an opportunity for Libyans to stop the bloodshed and put their country back on the road to stability and prosperity. It continues to urge all Libyan stakeholders to make every effort to ensure that the process is successful.
• At the opening of the talks, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Bernardino León, stressed that the resumption of talks in Algeria sends a strong message that no more civilian lives should be lost. He expressed solidarity with the Governments and people of the Republic of Korea and Morocco, following the recent attacks outside their embassies.
• In a note to correspondents that issued yesterday, the Secretary-General stressed respect for the principle of inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises, as he called for the perpetrators of the attacks to be swiftly brought to justice.

AFGHANISTAN: U.N. MISSION REPORTS CONTINUED HIGH CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

• The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says that there is a continuing trend of high civilian casualties in the country.
• In its report on civilian casualties during the first quarter of 2015, UNAMA says that during the first three months of the year, civilian casualties from fighting on the ground rose by 8 per cent compared to the same period in 2014. An estimated 521 people were affected, including 136 who were killed.
• During that period, UNAMA documented another 266 civilian casualties caused by mortar and rocket attacks. Women and children casualty figures have also surpassed the unprecedented levels recorded in 2014. Conflict-related violence killed 55 women and 123 children in the reporting period. A breakdown of the figures is available on UNAMA’s website.
• Also on Afghanistan, the Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Mark Bowden, issued a statement recently on the killing of five staff members of Save the Children International.
• He said that Afghanistan remains one of the most challenging places for the humanitarian community. Last year alone, [nearly] 60 aid workers were killed. He added that attacks against aid workers only lessen their ability to carry out essential lifesaving activities.

IRAQ: U.N. MISSION SPOTLIGHTS NEED FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION FOLLOWING EXPULSION OF REUTERS REPORTER

• The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said that on 9 April a Reuters correspondent was forced to leave Iraq after being subjected to threats against his life on social media. This follows criticism of a report filed by his Bureau on violations against civilians and civilian property perpetrated by pro-Government militias following the liberation of Tikrit from Da’esh.
• The Mission has underscored that freedom of expression and the right to impart and to receive information underpin democracy and the rule of law. It is incumbent on the Government to do all it can to ensure the protection of domestic and international journalists and media professionals in carrying out their duties, and to send the clear message that threats against media professionals are not acceptable, said the UN mission.

U.N. POLITICAL CHIEF DISCUSSES PEACE TALKS WITH COLOMBIAN OFFICIALS

• Jeffrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, arrived in Colombia yesterday to hold talks with Government officials, the UN country team and civil society representatives regarding the situation in the country and especially the ongoing peace talks between the Government and the FARC, now taking place in Havana. 
• Mr Feltman will be in Colombia through tomorrow.

U.N. RELIEF ARM, SINGAPORE HOST GLOBAL MEETING ON HUMANITARIAN CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Government of Singapore are hosting a global summit on humanitarian civil-military coordination which kicked off today.
• The World Humanitarian Summit Global Forum seeks to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of civil-military coordination in disaster relief responses.
• The three-day meeting is expected to draw more than 100 policy-makers and experts from the UN, regional organizations and NGOs, as well as defense and national disaster management authorities.

U.N. CIVIL AVIATION WING UNVEILS CONFLICT ZONE RISK INFORMATION REPOSITORY

• The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) launched a prototype conflict zone risk information repository, responding directly to Member State recommendations which came out of the UN agency’s High-level Safety Conference in February.
• The new repository which you can look through the ICAO’s public website homepage for representatives from States, airlines and the general public. As it becomes populated with submissions, it will provide up-to-date information on potential risks to civil aviation arising from armed conflict.
• Only authorized State officials will have the right to submit risk information under the procedures agreed to by the ICAO Council. In all cases, the identity of the State submitting information to the repository will be clearly indicated, and States being referenced in a risk submission will also have the opportunity to review and approve the related information prior to public posting.

U.N. CALLING FOR NOMINATIONS FOR INAUGURAL NELSON MANDELA PRIZE

• The United Nations is calling for nominations for the 2015 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize.
• Nominations for the 2015 prize will be accepted until 18 May 2015. Details on submission of nominations can be found online, on the UN website.
• It is expected that the laureates will be announced in June 2015 with the first prizes awarded at UN Headquarters in New York during the commemoration of Nelson Mandela International Day on 18 July.