HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY VANNINA MAESTRACCI, ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

WEDNESDAY, 19 AUGUST 2015

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL RELIEVED THAT U.N. AGENCY FOR PALESTINIAN REFUGEES OPENS ITS SCHOOL YEAR

  • In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General said that he is greatly relieved that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will be able to open its school year, safeguarding the education of 500,000 students in United Nations schools across the Middle East.
  • He stressed that education is a right, and that rights delayed are rights denied. Thanks to the generosity of UN Member States and tireless fund-raising efforts, that right can now be realized. This achievement cannot be underestimated at a time of rising extremism in one of the world’s most unstable regions.
  • The Secretary-General has personally been involved in raising the issue of UNRWA funding at the highest political levels. He reaffirms his commitment to working with Member States to place UNRWA on a solid financial footing to avoid a situation where the Agency is forced to the brink of a decision that would have had tragic human consequences.
  • He called on UN Member States to support his efforts on behalf of Palestine refugee children and their families. For them education is a passport to dignity, offering an escape from the poverty trap to a life of prosperity and security. He emphasizes that we must stand by them and the agency that serves them.
  • The governments of host countries, in particular, the State of Palestine, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and Lebanon, have spared no effort during this challenging period. The Secretary-General expresses his sincere gratitude for their support.
  • The Secretary-General also underscored that we must do all we can to protect UNWRA’s mandated core services until such times as the Palestine refugees have their plight resolved in the context of a just and durable solution, based on international law and UN resolutions.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS ON ALL TO HONOUR SELFLESS DEDICATION OF AID WORKERS ON WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY

  • In his message for World Humanitarian Day, the Secretary-General calls on everyone to honour the selfless dedication and sacrifice of aid workers and volunteers around world as well as to celebrate our common humanity. 
  • He urges all to show solidarity as global citizens by signing up to the #ShareHumanity campaign, a digital story-telling campaign launched by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on behalf of the humanitarian community.
  • OCHA has announced that the campaign can now be seen in more than half a billion Facebook and Twitter feeds. By donating social media feeds, people can promote humanitarian action and help to give a voice to the voiceless by sharing their stories of crisis, hope and resilience. That is also in Secretary-General’s message.
  • World Humanitarian Day marks the anniversary of the bombing of the UN offices in Baghdad in 2003. The Secretary-General, this morning, participated in the ceremony to pay tribute to aid workers who lost their lives helping others.

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF U.N. MISSION IN KOSOVO

  • The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Zahir Tanin of Afghanistan as his Special Representative and Head of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
  • Mr. Tanin succeeds Farid Zarif, who will complete his assignment on 31 August 2015.  The Secretary-General expresses his deep appreciation for Mr. Zarif’s successful management of the Mission in a challenging political environment and his dedicated efforts to further peace and stability in Kosovo and the region.
  • Mr. Tanin has, since 2006, served as Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the UN.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: NEW SERIES OF DISTURBING ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT REPORTED

  • The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) said today that a new series of disturbing allegations of misconduct have recently come to light. The events allegedly took place in recent weeks.
  • These new allegations concern a report that three young females were raped by three members of a MINUSCA military contingent.  The allegations were reported to the Mission’s Human Rights Division on 12 August 2015 by the families of the three women.
  • After receiving the report, the Mission informed UN Headquarters in New York, which notified the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and the Troop Contributing Country in question. The Department of Field Support (DFS) has requested to meet with the Member State immediately.
  • Per procedure, the Troop Contributing Country has been asked to indicate within ten days if it intends to investigate the allegations itself. Should the member State decline to investigate or fail to respond, the UN will rapidly conduct its own investigation.
  • The Secretary-General last week said that it was critical that Troop Contributing Countries take swift action to appoint national investigation officers, conclude investigations and hold perpetrators accountable.
  • MINUSCA has been requested to preserve all available evidence concerning these allegations. Criminal accountability is the responsibility of the Troop Contributing Country, which is ultimately responsible for the good conduct, order and discipline of its forces. The Mission and its partner agencies have been requested to provide such assistance to the three alleged victims as may be required.
  • The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is working with a partner organization providing medical and psychosocial assistance. To respect the privacy of those concerned, the specific details of that support are confidential.
  • The Mission reiterates its commitment to combatting all forms of misconduct by its personnel. It calls on anyone in possession of information to come forward in this regard and assures them that they will be protected.

U.N. POLITICAL CHIEF BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON MIDDLE EAST

  • The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, briefed the Security Council today, saying that the past month had witnessed unconscionable crimes of hatred by extremist elements, reprehensible retaliatory violence, provocations at Jerusalem’s holy sites, and a worrying increase in rockets launched from Gaza towards Israel.
  • In such a contentious environment, restoring confidence, before a return to realistic negotiations, is a must.
  • What is needed now is a comprehensive approach on three levels – on the ground, in the region, and with the international community – to alter fundamentally the current negative dynamics and begin to shape a clear and positive pathway towards peace, Mr. Feltman said.
  • He also reiterated that in Syria, hostilities must end and the parties must show genuine commitment to resolving the conflict through an irreversible political transition.
  • Finally on Lebanon, Mr. Feltman called once more on Lebanon’s leaders to act urgently and responsibly by filling the presidential vacuum without further delay.

HUMANITARIAN ENVOY IN YEMEN EXTREMELY CONCERNED OVER DEEPENING IMPACT OF CONFLICT ON CIVILIANS

  • The Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Johannes van der Klaauw, said today that he is extremely concerned by the deepening impact that the continued conflict has on civilian populations.
  • He said in a statement that to date, nearly 4,500 people have been killed and a further 23,000 have been wounded, many of them civilians.
  • The Humanitarian Coordinator also expressed concern that the port of Hudaydah has been affected in the ongoing conflict. Serious damage to the port will potentially deprive millions of people of food and prevent importation of fuel which is necessary to run health facilities, flour mills and water and sanitation works.
  • The Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Ertharin Cousin, today warned that the lack of immediate and unhindered access to people who urgently need food assistance, coupled with a funding shortage, have created the possibility of famine for millions of people – mostly women and children..
  • WFP estimates that the number of people who are food insecure in the country is now close to 13 million. Out of that number, 6 million – that’s one in five people in the population – are severely food insecure and urgently need external assistance.
  • The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today in a new report that an average of eight children are killed or maimed every day in the country as a direct result of the conflict.
  • UNICEF said that nearly 400 children have been killed and more than 600 others injured since the escalation of violence four months ago.

HEAD OF U.N. CULTURAL ORGANIZATION DEPLORES DEATHS OF SCHOLARS OF SYRIAN ANTIQUITY

  • The Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, today deplored the deaths of two leading scholars of Syrian antiquity.
  • UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said today that she was saddened and outraged to learn of the brutal murder of Khaled Asaad, who oversaw antiquities at the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Palmyra.
  • According to news reports, the 82-year-old archaeologist was killed at the site he had worked at for more than 50 years.
  • Ms. Bokova was also saddened to learn of the killing of Qasem Abdullah Yehiya, who reportedly died in a rocket attack on the Damascus Citadel and the National Museum last week.

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