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

MONDAY, 23 NOVEMBER 2015

 

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

  • The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Michael Keating as his new Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).
  • Mr. Keating will succeed Nicholas Kay, who will complete his assignment at the end of the year. The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Kay’s dedication, courage and excellent leadership of UNSOM over the past two and a half years, a critical period for Somalia’s political transformation.
  • Mr. Keating brings to this position extensive experience in supporting political and peacebuilding transitions, as well as leading complex humanitarian and recovery programs in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa.
  • While Associate Director of Chatham House since 2012, he concurrently served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Syria.
  • He was Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan from 2010 until 2012.

NO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT CLIMATE ACTION, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS LEADERS OF SOUTH EAST ASIAN NATIONS

  • The Secretary-General returned to New York today, after participating in the seventh summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the UN in Malaysia yesterday.
  • He congratulated the leaders gathered for the ASEAN-UN summit on the signing of the inspiring ASEAN Community Vision 2025, which he said should be carried out in tandem with the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • At the same time, he stressed that there can be no sustainable development without climate action. He applauded the progress achieved before the Paris Climate Change Conference, as more than 166 countries have submitted national climate plans, but added that more needs to be done to keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees.
  • The Secretary-General also spoke at the ASEAN East Asia summit yesterday, where he welcomed the recent Trilateral Summit that brought together leaders of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
  • He also welcomed the recent family reunions on the Korean peninsula and expressed his hope that both sides will expand their engagements through sincere dialogue.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED OVER REPORTS OF KILLING OF SOUTH SUDANESE REFUGEES NEAR EGYPTIAN-ISRAELI BORDER

  • In response to questions related to refugees, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General remains deeply troubled by reports of the killing of five Sudanese refugees and the wounding of six others near the Egyptian-Israeli border.
  • This comes a week after reports that 15 Sudanese refugees were shot dead and 8 injured by Egyptian security forces in the Sinai on the Egyptian-Israeli border.
  • The Secretary-General urged the Egyptian authorities to launch a full investigation in order to shed light into these tragic events, ensure accountability and prevent a recurrence of these events.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SADDENED BY PASSING OF FORMER PRESIDENT OF REPUBLIC OF KOREA

  • In a statement issued recently, the Secretary-General learned with sadness of the passing of Kim Young-sam, the former President of the Republic of Korea, on 22 November.
  • He expressed his deepest condolences to the people of the Republic of Korea, especially to Kim Young-sam’s family and loved ones.
  • The Secretary-General paid tribute to President Kim’s major contribution to the Republic of Korea’s peaceful transition to democracy.

MIDDLE EAST: DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL UNDERSCORES NEED FOR TWO-STATE SOLUTION AT COMMEMORATION OF INTERNATIONAL DAY

  • The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, spoke at an event today marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
  • He said that more than one year since the last ruinous conflict in Gaza, security and hope in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, remain at a very low point.
  • The Deputy Secretary-General condemned the recent stabbings, shootings and other attacks that have caused immense suffering among Israelis and Palestinians alike.
  • He said that it is abundantly clear that Palestinians feel deep frustration over an occupation that has lasted nearly fifty years. Similarly, Israelis strongly fear for their security.
  • The lack of a political horizon to achieve the two-State solution seriously increases the risk of the situation spiralling out of control. 

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO VISIT SWITZERLAND AND LIECHTENSTEIN

  • The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, will travel to Berne, Switzerland, later today. In Berne, he will participate in the Annual Democracy Forum, co-hosted by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and the Government of Switzerland.
  • He will also meet with the Swiss Refugee Council and hold bilateral meetings with Government officials.
  • On 26 November, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Vaduz, Liechtenstein, for an official visit to attend the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Principality of Liechtenstein’s UN membership.
  • At 6 p.m. today at the Visitors’ Lobby, there will be an opening ceremony for a photo exhibition entitled Palestinian Children: Overcoming Tragedies with Hope, Dreams, Resilience and Dignity.

NEW SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR LIBYA STRESSES NEED TO ESTABLISH GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL ACCORD

  • The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Martin Kobler, was in the country over the weekend, meeting with Libyan parties in Tobruk and Tripoli. He met with the Foreign Minister, as well as with the Second Vice President and members of the House of Representatives.  
  • During a press conference he held in Tobruk, Mr. Kobler stressed the urgent need to move forward with a vote on a Government of National Accord as soon as possible. He reiterated the importance of peace, security and prosperity for the Libyan people.
  • Mr. Kobler is currently in Rome, meeting with Italian officials there.

NEPAL: 100,000 BHUTANESE REFUGEES HAVE LEFT CAMPS TO RESTART NEW LIVES

  • The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that 100,000 Bhutanese refugees have moved from camps in eastern Nepal to eight countries to start new lives, in the past 8 years.
  • Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom joined the United States in welcoming the refugees, many of whom had spent nearly 20 years in the camps, hoping to one day return to Bhutan.
  • High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres and IOM Director General William Lacy Swing welcomed the close cooperation between their agencies, the Nepalese government and the resettlement countries that made it happen.
  • In a statement issued last week, the Secretary-General underscored his growing concern over the blocking of essential supplies on the Nepal-India border.
  • He said he is alarmed by reports of the obstruction, and destruction, of life-saving medical supplies and the continued impact on humanitarian operations, and calls on all sides to lift these restrictions without further delay and underlines Nepal’s right of free transit.

HAITI: U.N. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE CONDEMNS RECENT VIOLENCE

  • The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, Sandra Honoré over the weekend condemned the recent violence in the country.
  • She called on all to avoid any use of violence, intimidation or defamation, and to guarantee that the right to demonstrate peacefully and freedom of opinion are protected.

U.N. MISSION IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC REPORTS NEW CLASHES IN BANGUI

  • The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reported that two people were reportedly killed in clashes between anti-Balaka and ex-Seleka in the capital’s 3rd and 5th districts yesterday.
  • Mission-escorted convoys were also attacked in the Boali area in three separate incidents yesterday without casualties.
  • Furthermore, the Mission's positions were fired upon by armed groups over the weekend in Bangui’s 2nd, 3rd and 5th districts with no casualties reported.

SOUTH SUDAN: U.N. WARNS OF DETERIORATING HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

  • The Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the humanitarian situation in South Sudan continues to deteriorate.
  • Humanitarian agencies report that an estimated 7.5 million people are now food insecure and an unprecedented malaria outbreak is affecting nearly all the states in South Sudan.
  • Over 2.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the conflict began.
  • Meanwhile, the Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Eugene Owusu, has strongly condemned the armed robbery of the Nile Hope NGO compound in Juba on Friday in which aid workers were held at gunpoint and significant assets were taken.
  • This is the latest in a string of violent incidents affecting aid agencies. In October alone, humanitarian partners reported 32 cases of attempted or successful robbery, burglary and looting, including 15 in Juba the capital alone.

SINCE 1995, OVER 600,000 PEOPLE HAVE DIED DUE TO WEATHER-RELATED DISASTERS, WARNS NEW REPORT

  • A new UN-backed report has found that in the past 20 years, 90 per cent of major disasters have been caused by nearly 6,500 recorded floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts and other weather-related events.
  • The five countries hit by the highest number of disasters are the United States, China, India, Philippines, and Indonesia.
  • The report found that since the first climate change conference in 1995, more than 600,000 people have died as a result of weather-related disasters, with an additional 4.1 billion people having been injured, left homeless or in need of emergency assistance.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION CONVENES HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON HEALTHCARE FOR REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) convened a high-level meeting today in Rome, Italy, bringing together health ministers and others, to discuss how to improve healthcare for refugees and migrants. The meeting aims to find a common approach and joint action for meeting the needs of these vulnerable people.
  • Related to this, in a joint statement, WHO, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and UNICEF said that given the unprecedented influx of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants to Europe, there must be an effective response requiring the strengthening of health systems to ensure that these people have access to the health services they need. In doing so, the statement stressed, the principles of equity, solidarity, human rights and dignity must be adhered to.

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