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

WEDNESDAY, 4 NOVEMBER 2015

LIBYA: SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF U.N. MISSION

• The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Martin Kobler of Germany as his Special Representative and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
• Mr. Kobler will succeed Bernardino León of Spain, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service and effective leadership of UNSMIL. The leadership transition will take place in the coming days.
• Prior to this appointment, Mr. Kobler served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
• The Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Ali Al-Za’tari, condemned the continued abduction of two Libyan humanitarian workers affiliated with aid agencies in southern Libya despite repeated calls for their immediate and unconditional release.
• Mr. Al-Za’tari warned that the ability to deliver crucial aid to the needy in the South is being affected by threats to aid workers. He has, once again, called for the immediate and unconditional release of the humanitarian workers.

SECRETARY-GENERAL REMAINS OPTIMISTIC OVER REACHING MEANINGFUL AGREEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE IN PARIS

• The Secretary-General today spoke to the General Assembly at an event on climate change. The Secretary-General commended the recent ambitious joint statement by the Presidents of China and France, as well as other efforts, aimed at finding solutions to the difficult issues under negotiation.
• He said that the deadline the world has set for concluding a climate agreement is just some three weeks away, and that he remains optimistic that Governments will conclude a meaningful agreement in Paris.
• The Secretary-General noted that from every walk of life, and every corner of the globe, we see people taking action to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and build a climate resilient future.
• The world expects to see a similar positive momentum reflected in the negotiations, he will say, but despite months of talks, the key issues – including equity, finance, and ambition – still remain in play.
• The Secretary-General also stressed that ultimate responsibility for success in Paris rests firmly in the hands of Heads of State and Government, who he will actively engage with to help them unlock these issues. 

U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR SYRIA MEETS WITH RUSSIAN OFFICIALS FOLLOWING VIENNA CONFERENCE

• The Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met today in Moscow with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other officials of the Russian Federation.
• They discussed follow-up to the Vienna meeting of 30 October. They focused on issues needed to maintain the momentum of this important process through follow-up action on the agreed specific areas in the Vienna Communiqué.
• They also discussed preparation for the next meeting, and the urgent need for de-escalation of violence and ceasefires.

AID AGENCIES CONTINUE TO HELP COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY CYCCLONE IN YEMEN

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that Cyclone Chapala was downgraded last night to a tropical storm and is expected to weaken to a tropical depression over the next 12 hours in Yemen.
• The immediate concern remains the impact of flooding and storm surges on coastal towns in Yemen’s Hadramaut and Shabwah governorates.
• The UN and its partners are using all available routes into the affected areas to deliver assistance: from Aden as the principle dispatch hub and Sana’a as an alternate; and from Djibouti by sea and from the east from Oman by road and sea.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided 20,000 litres of diesel fuel to eight hospitals in Mukallah, and 2,500 litres of petrol for 16 ambulances.
• The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and WHO surveillance rapid response teams are also being deployed and a WHO shipment by sea with an additional 18.3 metric tonnes of medical supplies and reproductive health kits is also being deployed from Djibouti to Aden.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: U.N. MISSION REPORTS ONGOING TENSIONS IN BANGUI

• The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) continues to report ongoing tensions in Bangui.
• Today, in the capital's 8th district, suspected anti-Balaka combatants attacked a commercial convoy being escorted by the Mission on three separate occasions.
• A civilian driver and two peacekeepers have been wounded and one of the peacekeepers is reported to be in critical condition.
• The Mission also reports that yesterday, anti-Balaka combatants fired shots from near the Fatima Church in Bangui's 6th district, during a visit by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga. Peacekeepers returned fire; no casualty was reported.
• The Mission strongly condemns all attacks and provocations by armed groups and underlines that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute a war crime.
• The Mission reiterates its call on all armed groups to end the fighting and abide by their commitments to the peace process.

U.N. MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN PROVIDES ASSISTANCE FOLLOWING CARGO PLANE CRASH

• The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported that it is in the process of providing assistance, including troops for the recovery and search operation, at the request of the airport authorities, following the crash of the Antonov cargo plane that took place in Juba earlier today.
• The Mission conveyed its heartfelt condolences to the Government of South Sudan and to the families of those who died.

MYANMAR: U.N. OFFICIALS CALL ON GOVERMMENT TO ENSURE ELECTIONS ARE HELD IN PEACEFUL ENVIRONMENT

• The Secretary-General’s Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and on the Responsibility to Protect today called on the Government of Myanmar to take all possible measures to ensure that the 8 November elections are held in a peaceful environment.
• Mr. Adama Dieng and Ms. Jennifer Walsh expressed concern at the politicization of ethnicity and religion during the election campaigning, which they say violates the constitution.
• They said that the promotion of a political agenda that is based primarily on the protection of a particular religion or ethnic group is dangerous, particularly in a country as richly diverse as Myanmar.
• While recognizing the importance of the elections for the democratization of Myanmar, the Special Advisers voiced concerns that the electoral process has resulted in further marginalisation of religious minorities, in particular Muslim Rohingya.
• The asked the current Government to take all possible measures to guarantee that the elections take place in a climate of freedom, mutual respect and peace.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION TO DISCUSS ITS PROGRAMME BUDGET

• The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to start a two-day financing dialogue this week (5-6 November) to achieve full funding of the Programme Budget 2016 –2017.
• The financing dialogue is a key element of WHO’s reform process to ensure that the Organization is well-equipped to address the increasingly complex challenges of health in the 21st century and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

**The guest at the noon briefing will be the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonovic, who briefed on the issue of the death penalty.**