Noon briefing of 26 June 2015

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

FRIDAY, 26 JUNE 2015

SECRETARY-GENERAL CELEBRATES 70^TH ANNIVERSARY OF U.N. CHARTER IN SAN FRANCISCO

• The Secretary-General arrived in San Francisco late last night and will take part in the Charter Day commemorations in the city. He is currently meeting with a group of tech entrepreneurs for a round-table on how the private sector, and especially the tech industry, can be an active partner in implementing the post-2015 development agenda.
• The Secretary-General will stress to these business leaders that they have an extraordinary opportunity to contribute to this effort.
• Following that meeting, the Secretary-General will hold a separate meeting with climate leaders, including representatives of business, politics, civil society and others. He will highlight the importance of US leadership in achieving an ambitious global climate agreement in Paris.
• The Secretary-General will then join US Minority Leader Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and California Governor Jerry Brown in the rotunda of San Francisco’s City Hall for an official ceremony to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the Charter.
• The Charter day event in San Francisco will be shown ‘live’ during a special event here in Conference Room 2 starting at 2:30 p.m. The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, United States Permanent Representative Samantha Power and General Assembly Vice President Greta Gunnarsdottir are expected to attend. The anniversary edition of the Charter will be launched during the event.
• Back in San Francisco, following the Charter ceremony, the Secretary-General will participate in a lunch at City Hall with LGBTQ leaders. The Secretary-General is expected to receive the Harvey Milk prize to honour his commitment to the LGBTQ human rights movement.
• Upon receiving the award, the Secretary-General is expected to say he stands with the millions of people, around the world, who are forced to live in hiding, in fear of violence, just because of who they are or whom they love.
• Later that afternoon, the Secretary-General will go to Palo Alto for a conversation with Stanford University students on the UN at 70. He will close out the day’s programme with an official dinner with civic leaders. The Secretary-General will return to New York on Saturday afternoon.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISION TO LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE

• In response to questions about the Secretary-General’s reaction to the decision reached by the United States Supreme Court to legalize gay marriage today, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General welcomes the decision which paves the way for gay and lesbian Americans to have their relationships legally recognized, no matter what part of the country they live in.
• The Secretary-General called it a great step forward for human rights. He is a strong believer in equality and in the equal worth and dignity of LGBT people.
• Denying couples legal recognition of their relationship opens the door to widespread discrimination. This ruling will help close that door and marks a great step forward for human rights in the United States. He joins the LGBTQ community and its millions of allies in celebrating this historic decision.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS TERRORIST ATTACKS IN TUNISIA, KUWAIT AND FRANCE

• In a statement on terrorist attacks in several countries around the world today, the Secretary-General condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in Tunisia, Kuwait and France today. Those responsible for these appalling acts of violence must be swiftly brought to justice.
• The Secretary-General affirmed that, far from weakening the international community’s resolve to fight the scourge of terrorism, these heinous attacks will only strengthen the commitment of the UN to help defeat those bent on murder, destruction and the annihilation of human development and culture.
• The Secretary-General extended his condolences to the families of those killed and injured in today’s attacks and expresses his solidarity with the peoples and Governments of Tunisia, Kuwait and France.

BURUNDI: SECRETARY-GENERAL DEEPLY CONCERNED OVER PREVAILING POLITICAL AND SECURITY ENVIRONMENT

• In a statement on Burundi, the Secretary-General said that he continues to follow closely developments in Burundi. He commended the efforts of the Joint International Facilitation Team, comprising the East African Community, the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the UN to assist the Burundian parties to reach consensus on the way forward to ensure peaceful and credible elections in their country.
• The Secretary-General, deeply concerned over the prevailing political and security environment in Burundi, appealed to the Burundian authorities to seriously consider the proposal put forward by the Joint International Facilitation Team to postpone the elections further in order to create a conducive environment for inclusive, peaceful and transparent elections, in line with the recent decisions of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the Summit of the East African Community.
• The Secretary-General reiterated his appeal to all Burundian political leaders to address the current political crisis through dialogue in the larger interest of the people of Burundi, in order to consolidate peace and security and further strengthen national reconciliation.
• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that it continues to note a steady increase in arrivals of Burundian refugees in neighbouring countries. According to UNHCR, Burundi9;s political turmoil has so far seen nearly 127,000 Burundians registering as refugees in Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia.
• Many more Burundians are thought to have left the country but have not registered as refugees – their number is unknown. The Regional Refugee Response Plan launched last month to protect and assist up to 200,000 Burundian refugees is only 13 per cent funded. UNHCR says this leaves crucial activities such as shelter, water, health, sanitation and education seriously underfunded.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED OVER UPSURGE IN FIGHTING IN COLOMBIA

• In a statement on Colombia, the Secretary-General expressed concern over the current upsurge in fighting in Colombia following a welcome period of de-escalation in the armed conflict.
• He encourages the parties to the Havana talks and the Colombian people to remain hopeful and to persist in the search for peace.

U.N. ENVOY IN SOMALIA CONDEMNS ATTACK AGAINST AFRICAN UNION MISSION

• The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, has strongly condemned today’s attack by Al Shabaab militants on an African Union Mission (AMISOM) base in Leego, manned by troops from the Burundian contingent.
• Mr. Kay reiterated that this will not lessen the international community’s support for the Somali people, and its solidarity with the African Union Mission, and Somali security forces in efforts to defeat al-Shabaab, and build peace and stability in the country.

U.N.-FACILITATED DIALOGUE ON LIBYA RECONVENES IN MOROCCO

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, Bernardino León, yesterday convened a new round of dialogue with Libyan parties in Morocco.
• Speaking to the press there, Mr. León said that he was very encouraged by the fact that all participants have accepted the fourth draft of the proposed agreement. More discussions are expected to continue in the coming days.

SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR EFFORTS OF U.N. ENVOY FOR YEMEN

• In a press statement issued yesterday, the members of the Security Council recognized and welcomed the extraordinary efforts of the UN, in particular the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy for Yemen, to convene the consultations for Yemen in Geneva and expressed their continued support for the efforts of the Special Envoy.
• The members of the Security Council positively took note of the Special Envoy’s briefing to the Security Council on the principles to advance the UN-brokered consultations. The members of the Security Council strongly encouraged the parties to further discuss and consider these proposals in their engagement with the UN and the Special Envoy.
• Meanwhile, the Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, will travel to Kuwait this weekend, followed by visits to Riyadh and Sana’a. He intends to spend more time in the two capitals to discuss the draft principles paper until preliminary agreement is reached.

SYRIA: AID AGENCIES IN QAMISHLI PREPARE TO ASSIST DISPLACED PEOPLE

• Within the framework of the Geneva Consultations, the Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met with leaders of the Syrian tribes yesterday. They briefed Mr. de Mistura on their assessments of the situation on the ground and concerns of their respective communities. They also discussed perspectives for a political solution to the Syrian conflict.
• Today, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy met with Rajaa Altalli and Mr. Renas Sino of the Centre for Civil Society and Democracy in Syria.
• They briefed Mr. Ramzy on the escalating conflict and deteriorating situation on the ground, as well as on the work of the Centre. They also shared their perspectives for a political solution in Syria and for ways that civil society organizations could contribute to efforts for ending the Syrian conflict.
• Yesterday, Da’esh advances inside Al-Hasakeh city in Syria resulted in the displacement of an estimated 60,000 people, including 50,000 within the city and another 10,000 towards Amuda, according to local humanitarian partners.
• There are concerns that others may try to flee the city to northern areas of the governorate. According to 2011 estimates, some 300,000 people live in the city and there are additional displaced people in the area. Al-Hasakeh has a mixed Arab, Kurdish and Christian population.
• Fierce fighting and shelling from both parties is reportedly ongoing in the city, as well as aerial bombardments. Humanitarian partners and UN agencies in Qamishli are preparing in case of the arrival of displaced people. The World Food Programme (WFP) has 25,000 food parcels available, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has 5,000 kits of household items available, and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has 5,000 full hygiene kits.

SOUTH SUDAN: SEVERITY OF FOOD INSECURITY LIKELY TO WORSEN, U.N. WARNS

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the latest report from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET), the severity of food insecurity is likely to be worse than previously anticipated.
• An increasing number of households are at risk of 9;catastrophic9; levels of food insecurity -- the highest level in the classification index, or level 5.
• More than three and a half million people, nearly one third of the population, are currently either experiencing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity.
• Many of the worst affected areas of southern Unity and Upper Nile State have not received any food assistance for up to two months.
• Without access to food assistance, vulnerable families in conflict-affected areas will experience increasing food deficits, and levels of global acute malnutrition and mortality will likely rise further.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY NOTES E.U. DECISION TO RELOCATE AND RESETTLE PEOPLE

• On the crisis in the Mediterranean, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) noted last night9;s decision of the European Council to relocate 40,000 people in need of international protection and to resettle 20,000 refugees.
• UNHCR said this is an important step along the way to finding answers to this crisis, but clearly much more will have to be done, including addressing root causes.
• It stressed that amid the largest global forced displacement crisis of modern times, it is essential that states work together to find answers, and that Europe shows leadership and vision.

EFFORTS AGAINST ILLICIT DRUGS MUST BE CONNECTED TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL ON INTERNATIONAL DAY

• In his message for the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Secretary-General said that efforts against illicit drugs must be connected to our work to promote opportunities through equitable and sustainable development.
• He added that the UN General Assembly special session on the world drug problem, to be held in April 2016, can advance this cause, with countries sharing knowledge and forging common solutions.
• The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, this morning participated in the New York launch of 2015 World Drug Report. He called the report one of the most comprehensive reviews of global trends in the production and cultivation of illicit drugs.
• The report, produced by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), estimates that some 246 million people, slightly over 5 per cent of those aged 15 to 64 years worldwide, used an illicit drug in 2013.