HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

MONDAY, 18 MAY 2015

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND REGIONAL ISSUES WITH LEADERS OF REPUBLIC OF KOREA

  • In his remarks at the airport upon arrival in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, the Secretary-General told reporters that he will hold talks with President Park and other senior officials on development, climate change and regional concerns.
  • The Secretary-General looks forward to addressing the Asia Leadership Conference as well as the Seoul Digital Forum organized by SBS. He will also attend commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations and meet with business leaders who are part of the United Nations Global Compact initiative.
  • The Secretary-General also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, with whom he discussed climate change and Security Council reform, among other topics. 
  • The Secretary-General underscored that 2015 would be a year for global action, as the new Sustainable Development Goals are expected to be adopted in September at the General Assembly. The Secretary-General expressed the hope that the Prime Minister himself would represent in India at the September summit in New York.

SECRETARY-GENERAL INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT PLIGHT OF MIGANTS STRANDED IN ANDAMAN SEA AND STRAITS OF MALACCA

  • In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General said that he is increasingly concerned about the plight of migrants and refugees stranded in the Andaman Sea and Straits of Malacca.
  • In recent days, the Secretary-General has spoken to the Prime Ministers of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, and Thailand, Prayuth Chan-ocha. The Deputy Secretary-General has also spoken to the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali, and the Deputy-Minister for Multilateral Affairs of Indonesia, Hasan Kleib.
  • In their discussions with leaders in the region, they reiterated the need to protect lives and uphold international law. Furthermore, they stressed the need for the timely disembarkation of migrants. They also urged leaders to uphold the obligation of rescue at sea and maintain the prohibition on refoulement.
  • The Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General also encouraged leaders to participate in the upcoming regional meeting in Bangkok on the migrant situation. They hope that the meeting will lead to comprehensive outcomes at the regional and international levels.
  • The UN stands ready to assist all efforts to address the situation, including at the proposed meeting.

YEMEN: SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS ON ALL SIDES TO REFRAIN FROM ACTIONS UNDERMINING SECURITY OF AIRPORTS AND SEAPORTS

  • The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, delivered a statement on the Secretary-General’s behalf at the Riyadh Conference on Yemen yesterday.
  • In that statement, the Secretary-General called on all sides to refrain from any actions that undermine the safety and security of Yemen’s airports, seaports and transport infrastructure. He strongly encouraged ending immediately the interruptions in the import of fuel, food and medicines.
  • The Secretary-General noted how the humanitarian pause had provided a ray of hope and badly needed aid to the people of Yemen. In this spirit, he calls on all sides to renew their commitment to the humanitarian pause for another five-day period.
  • The Secretary-General said he is strongly determined to intensify his good offices and he intends to convene in the near future an inclusive and widely representative conference that will restart a Yemeni-Yemeni peace process in accordance with the relevant above-mentioned Security Council resolutions. He calls on all parties to join these consultations without preconditions.
  • While in Riyadh, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed met with Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, Vice President and Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and many Yemeni political leaders on the margins, as well as the ambassadors of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
  • He met with General Abdulrahman Al-Banyan, Chief of Staff of the Royal Saudi Armed Forces, as part of his advocacy to secure an extension of the humanitarian pause.
  • For its duration, the humanitarian pause greatly facilitated access to areas which had been extremely difficult to reach.
  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that people affected by the conflict were able to move out of insecure areas, seek medical care and receive help.
  • People previously trapped by fighting and airstrikes in Sa’ada, Aden, Lahj, Abyan and Al Dhale’e have reportedly moved from districts where access was previously blocked.
  • In the first four days of the pause, humanitarian workers dispatched enough food aid to cover one month of food needs for more than 273,000 people, delivered fuel to ensure safe water access for 1.2 million people, and transported or distributed enough essential non-food items for nearly 32,000 people. 
  • Some 47 metric tons of medical supplies were given to hospitals and health facilities in five governorates. However, insecurity, fuel shortages and other logistical challenges hindered full implementation of the humanitarian plan during the pause.
  • Health facilities reported that since 19 March, some 1,820 people have been killed and 7,330 injured due to the conflict. Casualty figures are likely to be underestimates. Humanitarian partners estimate that more than 545,000 people were displaced in Yemen between 26 March and 7 May.

EGYPT: SECRETARY-GENERAL REAFFIRMS U.N.’S POSITION AGAINST CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH SENTENCES

  • In response to questions regarding death sentences issued over the weekend against the former President of Egypt and more than 100 other people, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General has noted the serious concern the sentence of death issued by the Egyptian Criminal Court against former President Mohamed Morsy and 105 others. He reaffirmed the United Nations' position against capital punishment.
  • The Secretary-General understands that the verdict is still subject to an appeal. He will continue to monitor the process very closely. 
  • The Secretary-General also underscored the importance of all parties taking steps to promote - and avoiding those that could further undermine - peace, stability and the rule of law in the region.

THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES DISPLACED BY VIOLENCE IN RAMADI, IRAQ

  • Further to reports that Da’esh militants have reached the Iraqi city of Ramadi, humanitarian agencies said that more than 6,500 families have been displaced, with over 3,300 having moved towards the Fallujah area and more than 2,300 families travelling towards the Khalidiyah area.
  • Khaldiyah Hospital has reported receiving many casualties, and the local authorities have requested assistance from the international agencies.
  • UN agencies and humanitarian partners have responded by dispatching food rations, family food packages, tents, sanitation and water kits, conducting joint delivery missions and assessing the needs of families who have fled to safety.
  • Two mobile medical units have been pre-positioned and additional oxygen supplies are being released for Khaldiyah Hospital.

SYRIA: U.N. ENVOY CONTINUES TO MEET INTERLOCUTORS AT GENEVA CONSULTATIONS

  • The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, continued meeting Syrian, regional and international interlocutors today in the framework of the Geneva Consultations.
  • Today, he met with a delegation of the Syrian Popular Front for Change and Liberation, led by Qadri Jameel, who briefed on various perspectives on resolving the Syrian conflict. Mr. de Mistura and Mr. Jameel also discussed the deteriorating situation in Syria and in the region.
  • Mr. de Mistura received a delegation from the People's Republic of China, with whom he discussed the ongoing efforts of the international community to help Syrians end their conflict through political means, as well as the role of the United Nations and the Security Council.
  • A delegation of the State of Qatar briefed the Special Envoy on regional efforts in support of a political solution to the Syrian conflict. The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Nabil Elaraby, also joined today's Geneva Consultations and impressed upon Mr. de Mistura the significance of engaging regional countries and organizations in constructive efforts to end the conflict in Syria.

U.N. ENVOY FOR WEST AFRICA CONTINUES TO HOLD CONSULTATIONS ON BURUNDI

  • The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, Said Djinnit, returned to Bujumbura on Friday, 15 May, after attending the East African Community Summit in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania.
  • He continues to hold consultations with political parties, civil society and religious organizations, Government officials and the diplomatic community with the view to reconvene the political dialogue in the coming days. He also met today with the President of the Electoral Commission.

U.N. MISSION IN D.R. CONGO WELCOMES SURRENDER OF MEMBERS OF ARMED GROUP

  • The UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) today announced that 442 members of the Ituri Patriotic Resistance Front (FRPI) have said that they are willing to surrender.
  • Yesterday, the group of armed men, females and children gathered to start the peaceful surrender in a town of the Eastern DRC province of Ituri.
  • The Mission welcomes and supports this process, providing security on the ground, logistic and technical support to the Congolese.

SOUTH SUDAN: U.N. MISSION CONCERNED ABOUT NEW FIGHTING IN MALAKAL

  • The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said today that it is deeply concerned by the fighting that took place in Malakal in Upper Nile State this weekend following an attack launched by opposition forces on Friday afternoon.
  • UNMISS strongly condemned this new cycle of violence and yet another violation of the cessation of hostility agreement. It called upon all parties to conclude a comprehensive peace agreement at the earliest, and reiterates that there cannot be a military solution to the conflict. 
  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that in Malakal, armed groups have engaged in combat next to the United Nations protection of civilians’ site and, as a consequence, civilians trying to stay out of harm’s way have been injured.
  • The Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, warned that military operations in Unity and Upper Nile states over the past three days have again devastated countless lives. Eyewitness accounts report targeted rape and killing of civilians, including children.
  • The offensive in Unity state has left thousands of homes burnt and Leer hospital is again under threat of destruction.
  • UN agencies and their partners are working to address the immense humanitarian consequences of the violence, which has resulted in more than 650,000 civilians being left without life-saving aid.  In the coming days, humanitarian agencies plan to travel to Leer and Malakal to assess the humanitarian situation.

NEPAL: ENVOY FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION STRESSES NEED TO ADDRESS EDUCATION IN EMERGENCIES

  • In a statement issued today, the Secretary General's Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, said that the tragic events in Nepal illustrate the urgent need to address education in emergencies.
  • In Nepal, nearly 1 million children are unable to return to school and the emergency flash appeal for education has received only 1.3 per cent of the needed funding, placing children at risk of trafficking, forced labour and abuse. 
  • Mr. Brown stressed that the urgency of these unmet needs makes the case for a Global Humanitarian Fund for Education in Emergencies to coordinate and finance immediate help. Currently, education only receives 1 per cent of humanitarian aid in emergencies, although millions of children need support, not only for days but often for years. 

U.N. SUSTAINABLE ENERYGY FORUM OPENS IN NEW YORK

  • The UN Sustainable Energy for All Forum opened this morning at the Sheraton Times Square Hotel in New York. From 18 to 19 May, more than 70 multi-stakeholder sessions will bring together governments, the private sector and civil society to advance sustainable energy solutions, before the Forum moves to the UN on 20 and 21 May for the Global Energy Ministerial. 
  • At the opening, Kandeh Yumkella, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and CEO of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, said that energy touches everything. He added that our mantra going forward is very simple: converting commitments to kilowatt hours for real people.

Secretary-General

Schedule

Resources