Noon briefing of 17 February 2016

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

WEDNESDAY, 17 FEBRUARY 2016

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS UPCOMING SIGNATURE CEREMONY FOR PARIS AGREEMENT “AN ESSENTIAL STEP”

• The Secretary-General today briefed Member States on the high-level signature ceremony for the Paris agreement on climate change, which will take place in New York on the 22^nd of April.
• The world now has a universal, fair, flexible and durable climate agreement, but our task is not over, it has just begun, said the Secretary-General, calling the signature ceremony is an essential step.
• The Secretary-General said that the signature ceremony, which will be the first opportunity for Governments to advance the process that will lead to the implementation and ratification of the Paris Agreement, will keep the global spotlight firmly focused on climate change. He urged Member States to ensure that the legal requirements for their leaders to have full powers to sign are in place by that date.
• He added that the cost of inaction becomes clearer every day with more extreme weather events, lost lives, homes, productivity and hope.

U.N. AND PARTNERS TO DELIVER AID TO OVER 100,000 PEOPLE IN PARTS OF SYRIA

• United Nations and Syrian Arab Red Crescent operations are underway to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to over 100,000 people in Moadamiyeh, Madaya and Zabadani in Rural Damascus; and in Foah and Kafraya in Idleb.
• The inter-agency convoys are carrying food supplies, medicine and health and nutrition assistance. Further details will be made available once the convoys have safely reached their destinations.

MUCH WORK LIES AHEAD, SAYS U.N. ENVOY FOR LIBYA ON 5^TH ANNIVERSARY OF REVOLUTION

• In a statement issued today on the anniversary of the 17 February 2011 revolution which toppled the dictatorship in Libya, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, Martin Kobler, commended Libyans for their unmatched will and sacrifice to achieve peace and a life of freedom.
• He added that much work lies ahead to achieve the revolution’s goals of building a state based on democracy, justice, rule of law, and human rights, and urged Libyans to use this occasion to spark another “revolution of will” against the divisiveness to bring back unity to the country.
• Mr. Kobler stressed that tremendous sacrifices have been made in 2011, and tremendous compromises are still needed today, adding that the United Nations and the international community stand united with Libyans in their hour of need and continue to offer support to the country and its institutions.

YEMEN: U.N. SPECIAL ADVISERS EXPRESS CONCERN AT HEAVY TOLL ON CIVILIANS

• The Special Advisers to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, and on the Responsibility to Protect, Jennifer Welsh, have expressed concern at the heavy toll on civilians of the conflict in Yemen.
• The two Special Advisers noted that civilians and civilian infrastructures continue to be targeted by all parties to the conflict, to the point that the attention of the international media has largely become saturated. They called on the international community - and notably on the Security Council - to take action to end this unacceptable situation.
• The Special Advisers also said that they expected that commitments by the Yemeni authorities and by Saudi Arabia to conduct credible and independent investigations into all alleged violations and provide reparations to victims will be swiftly implemented.
• They underlined the importance of looking for the most effective means of supporting this goal, including the possibility of establishing an international independent and impartial mechanism to support accountability in Yemen.

POLITICAL IMPASSE DELAYS IMPLEMENTATION OF ESSENTIAL REFORM IN BURUNDI, WARNS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Guinea-Bissau, Miguel Trovoada, today briefed the Security Council. He said that the country was in a political impasse with state institutions and the main political actors divided. He added that this was delaying the implementation of essential reforms.
• Mr. Trovoada called on the national stakeholders to have a frank and sincere dialogue which respects the laws of constitution of the country. He also called on political leaders to put national interest above all things and encouraged them to examine the possibility of adopting a “pact for stability.”

DARFUR: OVER 70,000 PEOPLE DISPLACED DUE TO RECENT CONFLICT IN JEBAL MARRA

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the number of civilians displaced as a result of the recent conflict in the Jebel Marra area has increased from 38,000 to 73,000 people.
• Civilians have been fleeing Jebel Marra since hostilities escalated mid-January, and have been arriving in three main locations in North Darfur State.
• The recent increase is largely due to a massive influx of some 30,000 civilians in Sortony, where civilians have been gathering next to a base operated by the joint African Union-UN peacekeeping mission. Some 18,000 individuals in total have also arrived in Tawilla since mid-January, at an established camp for displaced persons.
• Thousands are also reported to have fled into Central Darfur but the UN has not yet been able to verify reported displacement or ascertain and respond to humanitarian needs, despite several requests to the authorities to access the relevant areas.
• The AU-UN mission is putting in place contingency measures to protect the civilian population – including the establishment of protective areas to secure the displaced civilians and reinforcing the number of troops and police officers, as well as increasing the number of patrols.

U.N. MISSION SAYS SITUATION REMAINS CALM FOLLOWING ELECTIONS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

• The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reported that the situation continues to remain calm following Sunday9;s Presidential and legislative elections.
• The National Elections Authority released provisional results yesterday for polling stations in Bangui and Ombella-Mpoko Prefecture.
• The announcement of results for remaining prefectures is expected to continue later today. Meanwhile, the Mission began the transportation of results from other prefectures to Bangui today.

ALMOST ONE MILLION CHILDREN IN EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA NEED TREATMENT FOR SEVERE MALNUTRITION, WARNS U.N. AGENCY

• The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has underscored that two years of erratic rain and drought have combined with one of the most powerful El Niño events in 50 years to wreak havoc on the lives of the most vulnerable children.
• According to the Agency, almost one million children are in need of treatment for severe acute malnutrition in Eastern and Southern Africa.
• In Malawi, the World Food Programme (WFP) has also warned that faced with increased needs, it urgently requires US$38 million to help the most vulnerable during this extended lean season.
• Without additional contributions, cash distributions will have to be suspended in March, while food distributions will be drastically reduced or even discontinued by mid-April.

UKRAINE: U.N. AND AID PARTNERS APPEAL FOR $298 MILLION TO HELP 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE IN 2016

• The humanitarian organizations in Ukraine together with the Government today appealed for $298 million to help 2.5 million of the most vulnerable people in the country in 2016.
• The funding will go towards providing critical, life-saving assistance in the most affected locations along the ‘contact line’ and in areas beyond Government control.
• The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Neal Walker, added that the cumulative impact of insecurity, destruction, trauma, disruption of basic services, and limitation on freedom of movement over the last two years have resulted in a high level of humanitarian and protection needs in the country.

COLOMBIA: U.N. AND GOVERNMENT LAUNCH TRUST FUND TO AID STABILIZATION AND PEACEBUILDING

• The UN and the Government of Colombia launched today in Bogota a new Multi Partner Trust fund to respond to stabilization and peacebuilding needs.
• The Fund will be managed by the Government and the UN, in close cooperation with interested donors, and will especially support conflict areas in the lead-up to and aftermath of possible peace agreements with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP).
• The fund will boost access to justice, community security and local governance capacity, restore victims’ rights and kick-start social and economic rehabilitation.
• Norway, Sweden and the UN’s own Peacebuilding Fund are the first contributors, helping the new fund kick off today with an initial US$8 million.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION LAUNCHES GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR ZIKA RESPONSE

• The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday launched a global Strategic Response Framework and Joint Operations Plan to guide the international response to the spread of Zika and the neonatal malformations and neurological conditions associated with it.
• An estimated $56 million is required to implement this Plan. In the interim, WHO has tapped a recently established emergency contingency fund to finance its initial operations.

U.N. TO OBSERVE PASSING OF FORMER SECRETARY-GENERAL BOUTROS-GHALI

• On the occasion of the passing of Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, a book of condolence will be open to Permanent Missions, UN Staff, and the public on 18 and 19 February from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Visitors9; Lobby.
• The Secretary-General will sign the book on Thursday morning at 8:45 a.m. In addition, the UN Flag will be flown at half-mast on Thursday, 18 February 2016. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural (UNESCO), will represent the Secretary-General at Mr. Boutros-Ghali’s funeral in Cairo.

**The guest at the noon briefing was the Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Robert Glasser.**