Noon briefing of 8 December 2015

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 8 DECEMBER 2015

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES U.S. ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEXT ROUND OF SYRIA TALKS ON 18 DECEMBER

• The Secretary-General met today in Paris with United States Secretary of State John Kerry, and, speaking to the press afterward, the Secretary-General welcomed Mr. Kerry’s initiative to hold the third meeting of the International Syria Support Group in New York on 18 December. If the talks are held then, he said that he and his Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, intend to participate. The Secretary-General also underscored the necessity of having a nationwide ceasefire in Syria as soon as possible. He added his hope that the talks in New York will provide a firm and solid basis so that the ceasefire and political process can begin.
• Speaking of the climate change talks underway in Paris, the Secretary-General said that the political momentum has been growing day by day. With three and a half days to go, the Secretary-General hopes that the parties will accelerate the speed of their negotiations, so that by Friday evening, we will have a universal and robust climate change agreement.
• He also spoke at a Global Compact business forum, telling business leaders that the collective momentum among the private sector for climate action is growing daily. Across the world, he said, businesses and investors are standing up for a strong agreement in Paris that sends the right market signals. They are asking for a clear message that the transition to cleaner, low emissions energy sources is necessary, inevitable, irreversible and beneficial.
• The Secretary-General also held bilateral meetings with some of the delegations attending the Conference of the Parties, in his effort to ensure that momentum will be maintained.
• He has arrived in Finland, where he will meet with Finnish officials tomorrow.

BOKO HARAM REMAINS ‘CRITICAL THREAT’ TO STABILITY IN CENTRAL AFRICA, U.N. ENVOY TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Central Africa, Abdoulaye Bathily, this morning updated the Security Council on the work of the UN regional office there.
• He said that Boko Haram remained a critical threat to stability, peace and security in the region. He also said that while killings and attacked by the Lord’s resistance Army have diminished, the LRA still pose a threat, particularly to populations in the Central African republic and the Democratic republic of the Congo.
• Mr. Bathily reported that during the past months, the number of cases of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has increased and that in addition to the usual robbery activities, pirates have been committing acts of rape which he called a “new and disturbing phenomenon.”
• Finally, he noted that political tensions were mounting in the Central Africa as several countries in the region enter an electoral cycle that will run up to 2018. He said he would continue to use his good offices to encourage the peaceful resolution of disputes.
• This afternoon, the Security Council will hold consultations on Western Sahara.

NEW U.N. REPORT SPOTLIGHTS CLAMPDOWN ON OPPOSITION IN D.R. CONGO AHEAD OF KEY ELECTIONS

• A new UN report highlights a worrying clampdown on opposition, media and civil society in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the beginning of the year. It also stresses the need to guarantee political and civil rights ahead of key elections.
• The report, prepared by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, documents human rights violations in relation with the electoral process between 1 January and 30 September 2015. It warns that the trend of restricting freedom of expression and violating the security of those taking a critical stance on the government’s actions, indicates a shrinking of the democratic space likely to compromise the credibility of the electoral process.
• In total, the report documents 143 human rights violations linked to the electoral process. After the violent repression of demonstrations by security forces in January 2015 which resulted in the extrajudicial killing of at least 20 people by State agents, a second wave of human rights violations started in July 2015. Threats, arbitrary arrests and detention have been targeting mostly media workers, members of civil society and political opponents.
• Members of the Congolese national police (PNC) and the national intelligence agency (Agence nationale de renseignements) are responsible for most of the human rights violations documented in the report.
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein urged the Congolese authorities to ensure accountability for the very serious human rights violations documented in this report.

SOUTH SUDAN: U.N. MISSION PATROLS AREA FOLLOWING REPORTS OF GUNSHOTS

• The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported sporadic gunshots coming from different locations of Yambio town in Western Equatoria State yesterday evening. Intensified gunfire could be heard, once again, this morning at around 7:00 am local time and has continued intermittently throughout the day. There is no information yet on casualties.
• Peacekeepers from the Mission patrolled Yambio today to assess the security situation. They observed some houses burning, civilians moving out of the town as well as a large number of Sudan People9;s Liberation Army soldiers and South Sudan National Police Service officers patrolling.
• The Mission reports that some 300 civilians, mostly women and children, have sought refuge in an non-governmental organization compound adjacent to the Mission’s base in Yambio.
• UN Police are currently assisting in screening the displaced persons before they enter the NGO compound, while UNMISS military are providing security.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC COURT APPROVES 30 CANDIDATES TO RUN FOR PRESIDENTIAL POLLS – U.N. MISSION

• The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reports that earlier today the country’s Constitutional Court approved the applications of 30 candidates to run in the Presidential elections scheduled for 27 December. The Court rejected 14 candidates, including former President Francois Bozize and anti-Balaka coordinator Edouard Ngaissona, for not meeting the necessary requirements.
• Also, yesterday, the National Electoral Authority published a list of 406 incomplete candidacies for the legislative elections to give relevant candidates the opportunity to finalize their dossiers.

SOMALI PRESIDENT, U.N. ENVOY HOST MEETING TO REVIEW PROGRESS ON ACTION PLAN

• The President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the country, Nicholas Kay, today co-hosted the seventh High-Level Partnership Forum in Mogadishu.
• The Forum reviewed overall progress over the past six months against the New Deal Somali Compact, the three-year action plan which articulates the country’s priorities from 2014 to 2016.
• The Forum also identified possible gaps and focused on what needs to be accomplished ahead of the Ministerial Forum to take place in Istanbul in February 2016.
• And according to aid agencies in Somalia, people displaced from Gaalkacyo in Puntland State have started returning home following a local peace agreement signed on 2 December.
• More than 90,000 people had fled Gaalkacyo to nearby villages over the past three weeks following the start of a conflict in November.
• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that an estimated 4.9 million people are in need of assistance, and 1.1 million people have been displaced around the country.

U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY VOICES ‘GRAVE’ CONCERN FOR 12,000 SYRIANS STRANDED AT NORTHEASTERN BORDER WITH JORDAN

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today said that it is gravely concerned for some 12,000 people trying to flee Syria and stranded in remote areas at the northeastern Jordanian border, facing deteriorating humanitarian conditions. That group includes elderly people, others who are sick or wounded, children, women, and others who are vulnerable and need help. The number of people massing in the locations near the border has risen sharply since the start of November, from 4,000 to 12,000 following the recent intensification of conflict in Syria.
• UNHCR also released today the results of a preliminary questionnaire of over 1,200 Syrian refugees who arrived in Greece between April and September. The sample is the largest set of data collected to date and offers insights into who these families are and why they are coming to Europe.
• Among other things, UNHCR reports that, of those interviewed, 86 per cent had a high level of education, at secondary or university level. Almost a quarter were still searching for a family member missing in Syria, and one in five had been separated from one or more family members in that country. The majority – 63 per cent – had fled Syria during 2015, and 85 per cent had reached Greece on their first attempt, while more than 62 per cent originated from Damascus and Aleppo, Syria9;s largest cities.

NEW U.N.-BACKED REPORT ANALYZES GLOBAL HEALTH TRENDS AHEAD OF START OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

• The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched a new comprehensive analysis of global health trends since 2000 and an assessment of the challenges for the next 15 years.
• Called Health in 2015: from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the report identifies key drivers of progress in health since 2000.
• It also lays out actions that countries and the international community should prioritize to achieve the SDGs.
• In terms of achievements, the report says that the past 15 years witnessed major declines in child and maternal mortality as well as progress in the fight against HIV, TB and malaria in developing countries.

U.N. MEETING ON ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN TO KICK OFF IN TURKEY

• Starting tomorrow, some 150 high-level representatives from more than 40 countries, as well as from the Council of Europe, UN agencies, academia and NGOs will start a two-day meeting on Ending Violence against Women: Building on Progress to Accelerate Change in Turkey.
• The meeting is organized by UN Women and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
• This week also marks the end of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign on 10 December which is also Human Rights Day.

***The guest at the noon briefing was Adama Dieng, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. He spoke to reporters about the new International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide.