HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

MONDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 2015

AT G20 SUMMIT, SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS TERRORISM THREAT TO ALL MANKIND IN WAKE OF PARIS ATTACKS

• The Secretary-General is returning to New York today from the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey. In a press conference at the event, the Secretary-General reiterated his profound condolences to the people of France following the terrorist attacks in Paris and stressed that terrorism is a threat to all humankind. He said that our response needs to be robust, but always within the rule of law and with respect for human rights. Otherwise, we will only fan the fire we are trying to put out.
• The Secretary-General also urged the participants to the Vienna talks held on Saturday to move beyond their differences so that they can push for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria, combat terrorism and address key governance and constitutional issues. After years of division, he said, this is a rare moment of diplomatic opportunity to end the violence and advance the search for a negotiated political solution.
• The Secretary-General discussed the situation in Syria with President Erdogan as well, thanking Turkey for hosting such a large number of refugees, and he participated in a working dinner with the G20 leaders on Terrorism and the Refugee Crisis.
• Climate change was also a major topic of discussion at the Summit.  In a working lunch on the subject, the Secretary-General told G20 leaders that they had wide-ranging political and moral responsibilities – not just to their own citizens, but to the world.

SYRIA: SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR FAST-TRACKED PLANNING FOR POLITICAL PROCESS, NATIONWIDE CEASEFIRE

• A statement issued over the weekend noted that the Secretary-General has instructed the UN Secretariat to accelerate planning on modalities for supporting the implementation of a political process and of a nationwide ceasefire in Syria for further exploration with the relevant parties.
• The Secretary-General reiterates the need for a single process of mediation to ensure that the international community speaks with a powerful voice. As part of accelerating diplomatic efforts to advance a political solution to the crisis, the Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, remains ready to convene intra-Syrian talks, building on considerable preparatory work undertaken to date.
• At its Saturday meeting in Vienna, the International Syria Support Group agreed to support and work to implement a nationwide ceasefire in Syria to come into effect as soon as the representatives of the Syrian Government and the opposition have begun initial steps towards the transition under UN auspices on the basis of the Geneva Communiqué.  The five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council pledged to support a Security Council resolution to empower a UN-endorsed ceasefire monitoring mission in those parts of the country where monitors would not come under threat of attacks from terrorists, and to support a political transition process in accordance with the Geneva Communiqué.  
• The participants welcomed the Secretary-General’s statement that he has ordered the UN to accelerate planning for supporting the implementation of a nationwide ceasefire.  The group agreed that the UN should lead the effort, in consultation with interested parties, to determine the requirements and modalities of a ceasefire.  
• The United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations today announced the Syria Donor Conference for 2016, which is expected to take place on 4 February in London next year.  Leaders noted that they are increasingly concerned about the plight of the Syrian people and that current funding to the 2015 UN appeals has not even reached last year’s levels. So far this year, $3.4 billion has been received against the appeal for $8.4 billion.
• The aim of the conference is to raise significant new funding to meet the needs of all those affected by the Syria crisis within the country itself and by supporting neighbouring countries who have shown enormous generosity in hosting refugees to cope with the impact of the crisis. The conference also intends to identify long-term funding solutions and address the longer-term needs of those affected by the crisis.
• Stephen O'Brien, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that the Conference in London will be a critical opportunity to remind the world of the suffering that Syrian civilians are going through. As the brutality and violence in their country intensifies, it is our job to appeal on their behalf for essential and sustained aid and protection.

U.N. RELIEF OFFICIAL CALLS FOR END TO PUNITIVE DEMOLITIONS IN OCCUPIED WEST BANK

• The Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Robert Piper, today called for an end to punitive demolitions in the occupied West Bank. Mr. Piper said that the family homes of five alleged perpetrators of attacks against Israelis have been demolished by Israeli security forces in the past two days. Initial assessments indicate 20 people, including eight children, were rendered homeless by the demolition of the five homes.
• The most recent operation took place this morning in Qalandiya refugee camp. Initial information indicates that two Palestinians were killed and nine others were injured in clashes protesting the demolition.
• Mr. Piper said that punitive demolitions are a form of collective penalty, as they effectively punish not only the alleged perpetrators but also people for acts they have not individually committed.  Collective penalties, he noted, are prohibited under international law and are inherently unjust, punishing innocent people for the acts of others.

NEW U.N. REPORT DOCUMENTS VIOLENCE PERPETRATED AGAINST CIVILIANS IN LIBYA

• The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN Human Rights Office have issued a report documenting indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, abduction of civilians, torture and executions, and other serious abuses and violations of international law in various parts of Libya from 1 January to 31 October this year.
• The report says that all parties in Libya “appear to be committing violations of international humanitarian law including those that may amount to war crimes” as well as “gross violations or abuses of international human rights law.”
• The report also says that due to breakdown of law and order, and infighting, groups that pledge allegiance to the so-called Islamic State have gained and consolidated control over swathes of territory in Libya, committing gross abuses, including public summary executions.
• The report warns that those involved in grave abuses of international human rights and international humanitarian law are criminally liable, including before the International Criminal Court which is investigating the situation in Libya.

U.N. PEACEKEEPING CHIEF BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC AHEAD OF END-OF-YEAR POLLS

• The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, briefed the Security Council this morning on the political and security situation in the Central African Republic as well as on the preparations that the UN Mission there (MINUSCA) is undertaking ahead of the elections at the end of the year.
• In light of the ongoing tense security situation, with clashes continuing between ex-Seleka and anti-Balaka factions, the Secretary-General is expected to submit a letter to the Council requesting approval for the temporary re-deployment and the immediate transfer of a detachment of some 300 personnel of the UN Mission in Cote d’Ivoire’s Quick Reaction Force to the UN Mission in the Central African Republic for a period of eight weeks under inter-mission cooperation arrangements.

BOKO HARAM UPROOTS 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE IN LAKE CHAD BASIN AREA – U.N. HUMANITARIAN OFFICIAL

• Toby Lanzer, the United Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, said that activities by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin and the counter-insurgency operations have displaced more than 2.5 million people in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
• Speaking to the press in Geneva, he added that 1,100 schools destroyed this year by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.
• Mr. Lanzer also said that the Sahel is a region where 25 million people are food insecure; 5 million of them are severely food insecure; and about 700,000 children every year will lose their lives because of malnutrition.

NEW U.N. REPORT REVEALS WIDESPREAD GLOBAL MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT THREAT POSED BY ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

• A new multi-country survey shows that there is widespread misunderstanding around the world about the major threat that antibiotic resistance poses to public health and how to prevent the threat from growing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which is ramping up its fight against antibiotic resistance, which happens when bacteria change and become resistant to the antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause.
• WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said that the rise of antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis which is reaching dangerously high levels in all parts of the world. She noted that antibiotic resistance is compromising our ability to treat infectious diseases and undermining many advances in medicine.