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

FRIDAY, 12 JUNE 2015

SECRETARY-GENERAL RECEIVES REPORT BY PANEL EXAMINING INFORMATION ON DAG HAMMARSKJÖLD’S DEATH

• The Secretary-General is pleased to announce that the Independent Panel of Experts, appointed by him pursuant to General Assembly resolution 69/246 to examine and assess new information relating to the tragic death of the former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold and of the members of the party accompanying him, has now submitted its report on its findings, conclusions and recommendations.
• The Secretary-General wishes to thank the Head of the Panel, Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman of the United Republic of Tanzania, and the other members of the Panel, Ms. Kerryn Macaulay of Australia and Mr. Henrik Larsen of Denmark, for their important  contribution to the ongoing search for the truth about the conditions and circumstances related to the tragic death of the late Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjöld, and the members of the party accompanying him on that fateful night of 17-18 September 1961.
• The Secretary-General is pleased that the Panel visited Zambia to meet with new witnesses, and that it successfully gathered additional new information from Member States and other sources, including national and private archives in Belgium, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
• The Secretary-General will study the report carefully and expeditiously, and, subject to any considerations of a medical or private nature, will make the report of the Panel, as well as his own assessment and options on the way forward, available to Member States and the public as soon as possible.

SECRETARY-GENERAL AFFIRM’S U.N. READINESS TO ASSIST UZBEKISTAN IN PROMOTING FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS

• The Secretary-General was in Uzbekistan on Friday, where he met with President Islam Karimov.
• Speaking to reporters, he said that the United Nations stands ready to assist Uzbekistan in promoting and protecting fundamental freedoms and providing opportunities for public participation -- including through independent media, democratic institutions, access to justice, a stronger voice for civil society, and safeguards that enable human rights defenders to do their vital work.
• While in Uzbekistan, the Secretary-General also visited Bukhara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is the most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia.
• The Secretary-General then travelled later on Friday to Turkmenistan, the last country on his visit to Central Asia. There, he was scheduled to meet with the President and address faculty and students at the International University for Humanities and Development.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WILL PARTICIPATE IN YEMEN TALKS IN GENEVA

• On Monday, 15 June,  the consultations with the Yemeni parties will begin in Geneva. The Secretary-General will attend the initial talks.
• The Geneva Consultations are the start of a process. They are the first consultations to involve the different sides of the Yemeni conflict since hostilities resumed.  They mark an important step as the parties embark on the road towards a settlement.
• We hope the Consultations will help create a new dynamic to build confidence between Yemeni actors and yield concrete benefits for the population, especially reduced violence and increased access to humanitarian aid and basic services.
• Specifically, the UN hopes the consultations will help achieve:
  • a renewed humanitarian pause to allow humanitarian assistance to reach all Yemenis in need and provide assistance as we enter into the holy month of Ramadan;
  • agreement on ceasefires with the withdrawal of armed groups from cities, building to a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire throughout the country;  
  • and acknowledgement from the sides of the need for the resumption of a peaceful and orderly political transition, and for subsequent talks to include more representation from other political parties, women, youth and civil society.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS ON THE RISE IN YEMEN, SAY AID ORGANIZATIONS

• Aid organizations released new figures on Friday which show significant increases in humanitarian needs in Yemen since the escalation of the conflict. An estimated 21.1 million people in Yemen - 80 per cent of the country’s population - now require humanitarian assistance.
• Over one million people have been internally displaced and need emergency shelter and essential household items, as do an additional 200,000 vulnerable host community members.
• Civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence, with 11.4 million people in need of protection assistance, including 7.3 million children.
• An estimated 20.4 million people – nearly 80 per cent of the population – require assistance to get access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
• At least 12.3 million people – nearly half the population - are food insecure, representing a 15.7 per cent increase since the crisis began.
• And 15.2 million people require assistance to obtain basic healthcare; 1.5 million women and children need nutrition services, and 2.9 million children require emergency access to education.

U.N. SYRIA ENVOY CONDEMNS REPORTED KILLING OF DRUZE VILLAGERS

• The Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, strongly condemned the reported killing on Thursday of 20 Druze villagers by Al Nusra Front members in northwestern Syria.
• Mr. de Mistura said that the diverse social mosaic of Syria must be protected. Syria must remain a home to all its communities which have lived and prospered there for thousands of years.

MORE THAN 416,000 PEOPLE NEED ASSISTANCE IN MYANMAR’S RAKHINE STATE

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that, three years since outbreaks of inter-communal violence in Rakhine State, in Myanmar, more than 416,000 people continue to need humanitarian assistance. This includes almost 140,000 displaced people living in dire conditions in camps and many others without citizenship in isolated villages.
• Access to adequate healthcare and livelihoods remains a major concern for displaced people and vulnerable communities in Rakhine State.
• Restrictions on the freedom of movement of hundreds of thousands of people in Rakhine State severely compromise their basic rights to food, healthcare, education, livelihoods and other basic services, leaving them dependent on humanitarian aid.
• Up to 40,000 displaced people in Rakhine State live in camps that are within 500 metres of the coastline. With the monsoon season underway, weather conditions along the coast are expected to deteriorate.

UNICEF: AT LEAST 68 CHILDREN KILLED IN VIOLENCE IN UKRAINE SINCE MARCH

• From Ukraine, UNICEF reports that at least 68 children are reported to have been killed and 180 injured since March last year as a result of conflict in eastern Ukraine.
• But the actual number of child casualties is expected to be considerably higher than reported as many areas remain inaccessible due to conflict. 
• UNICEF and its partners are working to ensure the safety of children in eastern Ukraine, including through the recent launch of a mine-risk education campaign, psychosocial support through schools and community protection centres, and safe drinking water to more than 550,000 conflict-affected people in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• UNICEF is appealing for US$55.8 million to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of children and families.

HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES CONCERNED BY RENEWED CLASHES IN COLOMBIA

• The High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, expressed concern that renewed armed clashes in Colombia could derail the peace process under way and create further risks for the population.
• He called on both parties to move forward with negotiations, adding that he hoped that talks, which have been taking place in the Cuban capital Havana since 2012, will soon result in a peace accord.
• Mr. Guterres said progress on key aspects of the negotiation agenda, the agreements reached so far and the participation of victims in the talks were significant achievements that could make the difference between war and peace.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY CONCERNED ABOUT RISKS FOR MIGRANTS, REFUGEES IN BALKANS

• UNHCR said it is concerned about increasing risks facing refugees and migrants in the Western Balkans.
• What has become known as 'the Western Balkans route' is seeing a dramatic increase in refugees and migrants coming via Greece.
• Between 2012 and 2014 the number of people registering their intention to seek asylum in that area, the Western Balkans, went from 5,000 to 20,000, a four-fold increase. So far in 2015, the numbers have been rising further, with over 22,000 asylum claims lodged in Serbia alone in the first five months of the year.
• The situation is particularly difficult in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia where refugees and migrants follow rail tracks and mountain routes, walking for days exposed to train accidents, natural elements and to abuse and threats from smugglers and criminal networks.

SATURDAY MARKS FIRST DAY OF ALBINISM AWARENESS

• Saturday is the World’s first-ever day for Albinism Awareness.
• In a statement by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, he stressed it is an opportunity to celebrate the talents and achievements of people with albinism, and to join the struggle against the challenges they face.
• Across the world, these children are likely to face bullying, prejudice and even violence because of stereotypes based on the colour of their skin. Albinos frequently cannot access adequate healthcare, although albinism may impair their vision and increase their risk of skin cancers. 

QUEEN LETIZIA NAMED SPECIAL AMBASSADOR FOR NUTRITION

• The Food and Agriculture Organization announced that Queen Letizia of Spain has been named Special Ambassador for Nutrition of the Food and Agriculture Organization, in a ceremony in Rome today.
• The appointment was made in recognition of the Queen's personal commitment to building a world free from hunger and malnutrition, and Spain's efforts to promote global food and nutritional security.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Spokesman clarified that a Press Article had misquoted the Director of the UN Counter Terrorism Centre, Jehangir Khan, concerning the Geneva Consultations on Yemen. The Spokesman reiterated that no country - except Yemen - will be invited to the forthcoming Yemen talks in Geneva, and the Secretary General expects all countries to be supportive of these talks.
• The High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations, appointed by the Secretary-General in October last year, has now completed its review. The Panel, chaired by former President of Timor-Leste, Mr Jose Ramos Horta, is submitting the report to the Secretary-General on Tuesday, 16 June. Mr Ramos-Horta will brief the press about the report the same day at 1.30 p.m. and will be accompanied by the Vice-Chair Ms Ameerah Haq for the press briefing.