HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC, SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

MONDAY, 8 JUNE 2015

SECRETARY-GENERAL WRAPS UP VISIT TO GERMANY

• The Secretary-General was in Germany, where he met with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Bonn, and they discussed the situation in Ukraine and agreed on the need for a comprehensive solution on migration issues.
• The Secretary-General then spoke at the official inauguration of the extension building of the World Conference Centre, also in Bonn. In his remarks, he said that the Centre’s opening takes place at a crucial juncture for people and the planet.
• Earlier today, the Secretary-General travelled to Schloss Elmau, where he met with Chancellor Angela Merkel. He thanked Germany for its strong support for sustainable development, calling on the country to continue its leadership role in delivering on the post-2015 agenda as well as on climate change.
• While in Schloss Elmau, the Secretary-General took part in meeting of the Group of 7 (G7). At a session on terrorism, he said that violent extremism is a fundamental threat to all countries and people, stressing that the international community’s response will be effective only through coordinated, multilateral action.
• At a working luncheon for G7 outreach partners, the Secretary-General urged the countries to support the vision of a new, universal development agenda for the next 15 years that will integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, and place poverty eradication at its core.
• The Secretary-General is currently on his way to Tajikistan, the first stop in a visit to Central Asia which will take him to all five countries in the region.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL ADDRESSES EVENT TO MARK 20^TH ANNIVERSAY OF WORLD SUMMIT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

• The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson spoke at the 20th anniversary commemoration of the World Summit for Social Development earlier today.
• He said that in 1995 in Copenhagen, participants at the Summit agreed that we must place human beings at the centre of our development efforts. He added that the affirmation that poverty eradication, full employment and social integration are closely linked rings even more relevant and true in today’s world.
• Mr. Eliasson stressed that as we strengthen and reinforce our combined commitment to achieve a life of dignity for all, we must use the lessons of the past to ensure a better future for all.

SECRETARY-GENERAL’S LATEST REPORT ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT SAYS 2014 SAW UNPRECEDENTED CHALLGENGES

• Member States received the Secretary-General’s report on Children and Armed Conflict today. In the his latest report, the Secretary-General highlights recent global trends regarding the impact of armed conflict on children during the 2014 calendar year. According to the report, 2014 saw unprecedented challenges for the protection of tens of millions of children growing up in countries impacted by conflict.
• The report says that this is especially true in several situations affected by major crises, namely, the in Central African Republic, Iraq, Israel and State of Palestine, Nigeria, South Sudan, and the Syrian Arab Republic, which were exposed to the most egregious violations.
• Existing violations against children continue to take place in protracted conflicts, such as in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. Most recently, the security situation in Yemen deteriorated further with reports, in April 2015, of significant numbers of child casualties.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES YEMENI PARTIES’ READINESS TO PARTICIPATE IN FORTHCOMING CONSULTATIONS IN GENEVA

• In a statement issued on 6 June, the Secretary-General welcomed the readiness of President Abd Rabou Mansour Hadi, as communicated to his Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, in Riyadh, to send a delegation to participate in UN-facilitated Yemeni-Yemeni consultations in Geneva starting on 14 June.
• The Secretary-General is equally pleased that delegations of Yemeni parties from Sana’a have communicated their commitment to attend the consultations to the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy.
• The Secretary-General reiterated his urgent call on all parties to engage in these consultations in good faith and without pre-conditions. He also reiterated his call for a renewed humanitarian pause in order to allow humanitarian assistance to reach all Yemeni people in need.
• The Secretary-General appealed to the international community and to the countries of the region in particular, to do everything in their power to reduce the civilian suffering in Yemen and to contribute to UN efforts in this regard.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) stressed today that more than 15 million Yemenis do not have access to basic healthcare, with 53 health facilities closed and malnutrition increasing.
• On the education front, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that 87 per cent of schools in the southern five governorates are closed. The Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that there are more than 250,000 metric tonnes of grains in stores in Aden and Hudaydah, but that it cannot be transported due to lack of fuel and insecurity, nor be cooked because of a lack of cooking gas.
• Without the full resumption of commercial imports and a safe environment in which to transport these goods, humanitarian agencies cannot meet the ever-growing needs of people to whom access is increasingly constrained.

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS SENIOR OFFICIALS

• The Secretary-General has appointed Simona-Mirela Miculescu of Romania as Representative and Director of the UN Office in Belgrade (UNOB). He has also appointed Nikhil Seth of India as the Executive Director of the UN Institute for Training and Research, known as UNITAR.
• Other appointments include Major General Didier L’Hote of France as the Force Commander for the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) and Fatoumata Ndiaye of Senegal will become the Deputy Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

NEW U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF VISITS IRAQ

• The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O'Brien, is in Iraq today, where he met with senior Iraqi Government officials as well as with people from Anbar and Salah al-Din Governorates who remain displaced in Baghdad.
• Following his meeting with high-level officials including President Fuad Masum and Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafaari, Mr. O'Brien said that we must do more for all the people in Iraq affected by this devastating conflict.
• Tomorrow he is expected to visit Erbil, to meet with Kurdistan regional officials and families who had fled violence and have sought refuge in the Kurdistan Region in this past year.

U.N.-FACILITATED LIBYA TALKS RECONVENE IN MOROCCO

• Following meetings with representatives of municipalities and political party leaders respectively in Tunis and Algiers last week, the Libyan political dialogue is reconvening today in Morocco.
• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Bernardino León, will introduce a new draft agreement to the Libyan representatives in a plenary session later today. The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) says that the Secretary-General is following the discussions in Morocco very closely.
• The UN appreciates the widespread support from a number of Member States, including the neighbouring States, and looks forward to a productive meeting that will lead to agreement on the formation of a Government of National Accord.

U.N. ENVOY FOR LEBANON MEETS HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIALS IN IRAN TO DISCUSS PEACE AND SECURITY CONCERNS

• The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag, today met with high-level government officials in Iran, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
• Her meetings in Tehran focused on the present situation in Lebanon, including issues related to peace and security, stability and stabilization. They discussed developments in region, and in particular the impact of the Syria crisis on Lebanon.
• Ms. Kaag also reiterated the concern of the Security Council and the International Support Group for Lebanon, that the vacuum in the Presidency of the Republic seriously undermines Lebanon’s ability to address its socio-economic and security challenges.

U.N. ENVOY FOR SYRIA CONTINUES TO CONDEMN USE OF BARREL BOMBS

• The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, reiterated his condemnation of the use of barrel bombs. He added that all evidence shows that the overwhelming majority of the civilian victims in the Syrian conflict have been caused by the use of such indiscriminate aerial weapons and that it is totally unacceptable.
• Mr. de Mistura stressed that the protection of civilians during armed conflicts is a cornerstone of international humanitarian law, and applies in all circumstances and without distinction.

DARFUR: SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES RELEASE OF U.N.-A.U. MISSION CONTRACTORS

• In a statement issued on Darfur, the Secretary-General welcomed the release of two contractors working for the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) after 128 days in captivity.
• The Secretary-General commended the efforts made by UNAMID and expressed his appreciation to the Governments of Sudan and Russia in securing their safe release.
• The Secretary-General underscored the importance of UNAMID's work for the people of Darfur and calls on the Government to launch a full investigation.

ERITREA: NEW HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT SAYS GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR WIDESPREAD VIOLATIONS

• According to a report by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea that was released in Geneva, the Government of Eritrea is responsible for systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations that have created a climate of fear in which dissent is stifled, a large proportion of the population is subjected to forced labour and imprisonment, and that hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled the country.
• Some of these violations may constitute crimes against humanity, says the report, describing a totalitarian state bent on controlling Eritreans through a vast security apparatus that has penetrated all levels of society.
• The release of the report comes as the international community, particularly governments in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, struggles to cope with a growing exodus of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants across the Mediterranean.
• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) placed the number of Eritreans under its concern outside the country at more than 357,400 in the middle of last year.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY SEEKS ACCESS TO REGISTER ROHINGYAS IN BANGLADESH

• In response to a question on the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Rohingya community in Bangladesh, the Spokesman said that UNHCR continues to seek access to register some 200,000 undocumented Rohingyas without legal status in Bangladesh. So far, they do not have access to this population for registration and documentation.

97 COUNTRIES PAY THEIR DUES IN FULL

• Kenya and Timor Leste have paid their regular budget dues in full, bringing the number of fully-paid up Member States to 97.

***The guests at the noon briefing were the Prime Minister of Somalia, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, and the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Maman Sidikou.