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

FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2015

SECRETARY-GENERAL DISCUSSES SITUATION ALONG BORDER IN MEETINGS WITH FOREIGN MINISTERS OF COLOMBIA AND VENEZUELA

• The Secretary-General met with the Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, earlier today, following his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Colombia, Maria Ángela Holguín, on 8 September.  
• During the two meetings, the Secretary-General took note of the Foreign Ministers’ views regarding the situation along the Colombia-Venezuela border, while reiterating that he is following the situation with concern.
• The Secretary-General conveyed to the two Foreign Ministers that he trusted both countries would address border challenges through constructive dialogue. He offered his good offices if both countries so requested.

SECRETARY-GENERAL LISTS PRORITIES FOR U.N. PEACE OPERATIONS IN NEW REPORT

• In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General said that he is presenting his agenda today to take forward the recommendations of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations.
• He sets out what he believes to be the priorities for United Nations peace operations and the steps we need to take to achieve them. In so doing, the Secretary-General draws on his experiences over the past eight years and the Panel’s comprehensive recommendations.
• The Secretary-General believes three fundamental changes are urgently required to adapt UN peace operations to today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
• First, we need to prioritise prevention and mediation if we are to break the cycle of responding too late and too expensively.
• Second, we need to change the way we plan and conduct UN peace operations to make them faster, more responsive and more accountable to countries and people in conflict.
• Third, we must put in place a global-regional framework to manage today’s peace and security challenges. The Secretary-General believes it must start with a reinforced partnership between the United Nations and the African Union. He sets out a detailed action plan to set in motion these changes.
• The fundamentals of UN peace operations will not change. Our job is to support the negotiated settlement of conflicts and to protect civilians and advance their right to security, justice and development. 
• It is essential that we are accountable and responsive to the needs of the people we serve. Critically, we cannot be the source of additional suffering. The report therefore outlines over a dozen new measures that the Secretary-General is taking to rid the UN of heinous sexual exploitation and abuse.

NEPAL: SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED OVER RECENT VIOLENCE, STRESSES NEED FOR DIALOGUE

• In response to a question on the political situation on Nepal, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General is closely following the situation in the country and is concerned about the recent violence and saddened by the loss of lives.
• He stresses the importance of dialogue and non-violence as well as respect for peaceful protest and freedom of assembly. 
• The Secretary-General welcomed the decision of the political parties to temporarily pause the constitution voting process. He urges all stakeholders to use this opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue.
• He noted the historic opportunity that Nepali leaders have to promulgate a constitution that addresses the root causes of past and potential conflict and has the widest popular support.

SYRIA: SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES SECURITY COUNCIL VOTE TO ESTABLISH JOINT INVESTIGATIVE MECHANISM ON CHEMICAL WEAPONS

• In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General welcomed the authorisation by the Security Council of his recommendations to establish and operate the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)–UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM).
• It underlines once again the importance of addressing the use of toxic chemicals as weapons, and the need for the perpetrators to be held to account.
• The Secretary-General, in close coordination with the Director-General of OPCW and all other relevant parties, shall, without delay, undertake all steps, measures and arrangements necessary for the speedy establishment and full functioning of the Joint Investigative Mechanism.
• The Secretary-General reiterated the call on all parties in the Syrian Arab Republic to cooperate fully with the JIM.
• He counts on the continued engagement and support of the members of the Security Council as well as the entire UN membership to ensure the effective implementation of this resolution.

U.N. ENVOY TO CONVENE TALKS WITH KEY YEMENI PARTIES NEXT WEEK

• The Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, welcomed the commitment of the Government of Yemen, the Houthis and the General People's Congress to join peace talks that he will convene in the region next week.
• The peace talks, for which a venue and a date will be announced in the coming days, are aimed at creating a framework for an agreement on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2216, a cease-fire and the resumption of a peaceful political transition, in accordance with the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and Implementation Mechanism and the Outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference.

NEW ROUND OF U.N.-FACILITATED TALKS WITH LIBYAN PARTIES COMMENCE IN MOROCCO

• A new round of UN-facilitated political dialogue with Libyan parties started in Morocco yesterday.
• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, Bernardino León, said he remains hopeful that the parties will reach an agreement by the 20^th of September – an agreement that will help the Libyan people out of this crisis.
• He added that the UN is working to make sure that all the process is inclusive and completely transparent. The talks are expected to continue today and possibly over the weekend.

U.N. WELCOMES EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S PROPOSAL TO ADDRESS REFUGEE CRISIS

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) welcomed the European Commission's proposals unveiled to address the current refugee crisis in Europe.
• It said that given the urgency of the situation these proposals need to be implemented fully and swiftly, and that the proposed relocation scheme for 160,000 refugees from Greece, Italy and Hungary would go a long way to address the crisis.
• UNHCR said that their initial estimates indicate an even higher need, but that the focus must now be on ensuring that all Member States take part in this initiative, and that it is swiftly implemented.
• When relocating refugees, their needs, preferences and specific qualifications should be taken into account to the extent possible, it added, stressing that the relocation scheme can only succeed if it is accompanied by large-scale emergency reception, assistance and registration efforts in the countries impacted the most by arrivals, particularly Greece, Hungary and Italy.
• UNHCR is already ramping up its capacity in all countries affected by the current refugee flows and is ready to fully support all measures by the European Union in effectively responding to the crisis.

U.N. RIGHTS OFFICE CONCERNED OVER FORCE EVICTIONS OF ROMA COMMUNITIES IN NUMBER OF EUROPEAN STATES

• The Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, expressed serious concerns about ongoing forced evictions of Roma and travellers in a number of European States, including most recently in France and Bulgaria.
• The High Commissioner urged Bulgaria to halt forced evictions, saying they were devastating to the affected communities.
• In France, he said that it is becoming increasingly apparent that there is a systematic national policy to forcibly evict the Roma. He called on France to replace this punitive and destructive policy with a policy of genuine inclusion.

WORLD FORESTRY CONGRESS CONCLUDES, ADOPTS DURBAN DECLARATION ON FUTURE OF FORESTS

• The 14^th World Forestry Congress concluded in Durban, South Africa, today. The Congress was the largest gathering on forests this decade and set out its vision of how forests and forestry should look in 2050, adopting the Durban Declaration after a week of debate.