HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

WEDNESDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2015

IN HELSINKI, SECRETARY-GENREAL WELCOMES FINLAND’S EFFORTS TO FOSTER DIALOGUE ALONG RELIGIOUS, CULTURAL LINES

• The Secretary-General is traveling back to Paris from Finland, where he participated in the commemoration of the 60^th anniversary of that country’s UN membership. In remarks there, he said that over the last six decades, Finland, the Finnish people and the United Nations have developed a rich history and a fruitful partnership.  The Secretary-General also welcomed Finland’s measures to prevent social exclusion and foster dialogue and understanding across religious and cultural lines, and he applauded its work to promote human rights, equality and democracy. He added that as the world faces the refugees and migration crisis, development assistance has never been more important. That is why we must not divert resources from development to humanitarian aid.
• In the afternoon, before leaving the country, the Secretary-General visited an asylum seekers’ centre close to the capital, along with the Finnish Interior Minister and the High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres.  The Secretary-General stressed that integration takes time, resources and good will from all sides, and said that we needed strong leadership – and media engagement – in the fight against rising xenophobia and discrimination.
• While in Finland, the Secretary-General also met with several senior officials, including President Niinistö, with whom he held a joint press conference.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: U.N. MISSION APPEALS FOR PEACEFUL CAMPAIGNS AHEAD OF POLLS

• The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reports that the electoral code of conduct of political parties and candidates was signed in Bangui today.
• The Mission appealed to all candidates to campaign peacefully and called on the supporters of the rejected presidential candidates to avoid any actions that could jeopardize the electoral process.
• The Mission says that following the decision by the Constitutional Court, alleged anti-Balaka groups erected barricades in several locations of Bangui yesterday and in Bimbo in Ombella Mpoko prefecture. MINUSCA dismantled the barricades in the 8th district this morning.
• Peacekeepers on patrol were also fired upon yesterday by alleged anti-Balaka fighters in the same district. The peacekeepers returned fire and no casualties were reported.

U.N. SOUTH SUDAN MISSION CONTINUES PATROLS AMIDST REPORTS OF CONTINUED GUNFIRE

• The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reports that gunfire continued yesterday in Yambio town in Western Equatoria State.
• The Mission says it received reports that the fighting that erupted the previous day between Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) soldiers and armed youth was triggered by the arrest of individuals suspected to have connections with the armed youth.
• The Mission continued its patrols in Yambio and surrounding areas today and observed closed shops in the main market. Normal activity has however resumed in the Marsia area, located west of the Mission’s compound.
• Peacekeepers also saw several burned houses in Hai Kuba area.
• Meanwhile, displaced persons who took refuge at the non-governmental organization (NGO) compound close to the Mission's Yambio base yesterday have begun returning to the town this morning.   

U.N., AID PARTNERS APPEAL FOR NEARLY $2 BILLION TO HELP MILLIONS AFFECTED BY SAHEL CRISES

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that aid organizations in the Sahel region today launched the regional humanitarian appeal for 2016, calling for nearly US$2 billion to provide vital assistance to millions of people affected by crises in nine countries across the Sahel.
• The Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, Toby Lanzer, said that in the Sahel, the combined effects of climate change, abject poverty, fast population growth and a tormenting rise in violence and insecurity dangerously undermine the lives, assets and future prospects of some of the most vulnerable communities in the world.
• In 2016, some 23.5 million people – almost one in six - will not have enough to eat. Of them, at least six million will require emergency food assistance, and acute malnutrition will threaten the lives and development of 5.9 million children under five.

DESPITE DROP IN HOSTILITIES, SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS PERSIST IN EASTERN UKRAINE, LATEST U.N. REPORT FINDS

• Recent months have seen a significant reduction of hostilities in parts of eastern Ukraine, but serious human rights concerns persist, including torture and an absence of rule of law, according to the latest report by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
• The report said that more than 9,000 people have died in the conflict.
• High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said that the absence of the rule of law and legitimate authorities in territories controlled by armed groups, coupled with continuing presence of foreign fighters and sophisticated weaponry, have left people in hardship and with no real protection and no access to redress and justice.
• He said that civilians in the conflict-afflicted eastern parts of Ukraine end the year as they began it, in a very difficult humanitarian and human rights situation.
• The High Commissioner also urged all sides to fully implement the Minsk Agreements and to actively work to ensure the application of the rule of law and international human rights norms everywhere in Ukraine.

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF HAILS END OF DEATH PENALTY IN MONGOLIA

• The High Commissioner for Human Rights today hailed the end of the death penalty in Mongolia, calling it a welcome step in the fight for the human rights of all.
• Last week, Mongolia became the 105^th country to abolish the death penalty in law, while another 60 States have moratoria or have not carried out executions in the last 10 years.
• The High Commissioner said the move by Mongolia is very encouraging and a clear example of positive progress in the fight for human rights for all, including people convicted of terrible crimes. We must not allow even the most atrocious acts to strip us of our fundamental humanity.

U.N.-BACKED APPEAL CALLS FOR NEARLY $1 BILLION TO HELP PEOPLE FLEEING YEMEN CONFLICT

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched an interagency appeal for $94 million to provide protection and assistance over the next year to refugees, returnees and migrants fleeing the conflict in Yemen.
• An estimated 80 per cent of Yemen’s population requires protection and assistance, including 2.3 million people who are internally displaced. Meanwhile, around 170,000 Yemenis, refugees and third-country nationals have fled to Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and some Gulf countries.
• The interagency appeal aims to give nine participating agencies and 48 partners the capacity to continue delivering food, shelter, water, sanitation, protection, emergency education and other assistance to people arriving in the Horn of Africa from Yemen. It anticipates 164,000 arrivals by December 2016.

MARKING FIRST-EVER DAY TO COMMEMORATE GENOCIDE VICTIMS, SECRETARY-GENERAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST INTOLERANCE, XENOPHOBIA

• Today is the first-ever International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
• In a message, the Secretary-General says that this is an ideal time to reaffirm our commitment to prevent this serious international crime, honour the memory of the victims, and reaffirm the right to remedies and reparation, as recognized in international law.
• He notes that across the world today, intolerance and xenophobia are on the rise. A dangerous “us versus them” dynamic is often being exploited to justify the exclusion of communities based on different forms of identity such as religion, ethnicity or other, and to deny assistance, restrict human rights and perpetrate atrocious acts of violence.
• Also echoing the need for understanding was Adama Dieng, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, who said that the Day is both about the past and the future. Remembering the victims of genocide and the crimes committed in the past must contribute to our understanding of the present and guide our actions in the future.
• Genocide is, at its heart, Mr. Dieng says, an identity-based conflict and to prevent it means managing diversity constructively. We must protect diversity and use it to promote dialogue and understanding, not to spread hatred and intolerance.

SECURITY COUNCIL ADOPTS FIRST-EVER RESOLUTION ON ROLE OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN PEACEBUILDING, COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM

• The Security Council this morning adopted Resolution 2250, on youth, peace and security. That resolution is the first one by the Council to focus entirely on the role of young men and women in peacebuilding and countering violent extremism.
• Ahmad Alhendawi, the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, said that the resolution is a major breakthrough in collective efforts to change the predominantly negative narrative on youth and recognize the significant role of young people in peacebuilding.
• He said that youth have for too long been cast away as either the perpetrators of violence or its victims. With this resolution, he said, the Security Council recognizes the important contributions that young people make in countering violent extremism and supporting peacebuilding efforts around the world.