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

MONDAY, 28 MARCH 2016

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS TERRORIST ATTACK IN LAHORE, PAKISTAN

  • The Secretary-General strongly condemned  the suicide bombing on 27 March 2016 at Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park in the Pakistani city of Lahore, that killed at least 60 people and wounded over 100, including many women and children.
  • The Secretary-General called for the perpetrators of this appalling terrorist act to be brought swiftly to justice, consistent with human rights obligations.
  • He urged the Government of Pakistan to do its utmost to put in place protective measures to ensure the personal security of all individuals, including religious minority communities living in the country.
  • The Secretary-General extended his heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families, and expressed his solidarity with the people and the Government of Pakistan.

IN TUNISIA, SECRETARY-GENERAL COMMENDS DEMOCRATIC GROWTH, EFFORTS TO TACKLE INEQUALITIES

  • On 28 March the Secretary-General arrived in Tunisia, on the last leg of his joint visit with the President of the World Bank Group, Dr. Jim Yong Kim.
  • In a press conference following a meeting with the President of Tunisia, Béji Caïd Essebsi, the Secretary-General congratulated the President on Tunisia’s democratic growth and commended his efforts to tackle social and economic inequalities.
  • He added that during this two-day visit to Tunisia, he and Dr. Kim will discuss concrete proposals that will yield economic dividends to the Tunisian people, particularly on job creation and economic support.
  • Regarding Libya, the Secretary-General said that the United Nations fully understands the impact that the situation is having on Tunisia, particularly on security and on the economy. A political solution in Libya is the only way to end the crisis and bring the stability to the country and to the region, he said.
  • The Secretary-General and Dr. Kim later laid a wreath outside the Bardo Museum, which was a site of a terrorist attack about a year ago.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVELS TO LEBANON, IRAQ, JORDAN OVER THE WEEKEND

  • On 27 March, the Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank Group, Dr. Jim Yong Kim were in Jordan where they visited the Zaatari refugee camp, meeting with several residents there.
  • The Secretary-General said that he was moved by the resilience of the Syrian people and stressed the need to both support them while they are refugees and to continue working for a political situation in Syria, in order to allow them to return home as soon as possible.
  • In Amman, the Secretary-General and Dr. Kim also met with King Abdullah of Jordan, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Jordan.
  • While in Jordan the Secretary-General also met with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and the Prime Minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglu.
  • On 26 March, the Secretary-General and Dr. Kim were in Iraq.
  • The Secretary-General condemned the terrorist attack in Iskanderiyeh, south of Baghdad.
  • Following a meeting with Prime Minister al-Abadi, he called on Iraq’s regional and international partners to lend their support to the Government and people of Iraq in the fight against Daesh, stressing that this support must be provided with respect for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
  • The Secretary-General and Dr. Kim were also accompanied by the President of the Islamic Development Bank, also addressed Iraq’s Council of Representatives.
  • On 26 March, in Erbil, the Secretary-General praised the critical contribution of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in combatting Daesh and underlined his grave concern over the economic and fiscal crises in the Kurdistan Region that are compounding the war against Daesh and the response to the humanitarian crisis.
  • On 25 March, in Lebanon, the Secretary-General and Dr. Kim visited both the Palestinian camp Nahr el Bared and Syrian refugees in the Beka’a Valley and a social development centre supported by the United Nations in favour of poor and marginalized Lebanese.
  • In his final press conference in Beirut, the Secretary-General stressed that the United Nations and the World Bank are not settling Syrian refugees permanently in Lebanon, but are helping them settle temporarily until they can feel they can return safely to their home country, Syria.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXPRESSES SERIOUS CONCERN REGARDING DEVELOPMENTS IN WESTERN SAHARA

  • On 24 March, the Security Council formulated a consensus position on Western Sahara as expressed to the press by His Excellency Mr. Ismael Abraão Gaspar Martins, President of the Security Council in March.
  • The Secretary-General noted that the Security Council members expressed serious concern regarding recent developments, especially as they relate to their impact on the effective functioning of MINURSO.
  • As the Security Council has recalled, peacekeeping operations and other missions are deployed by the Security Council to carry out tasks that are critical for the maintenance of peace and security.
  • All Member States and other actors should abide by their obligations under the Charter and the decisions of the Security Council.
  • What is now important is to overcome the current difficulties and enable the Mission to resume its full capacities to carry out its Council-mandated functions.
  • The Secretary-General, his Personal Envoy, Christopher Ross, and his Special Representative are ready to spare no effort to help it do so in a constructive, cooperative, and comprehensive manner, as the members of the Council have requested. 

AFRICA: SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSES ROLE OF WOMEN IN CONFLICT PREVENTION

  • The Security Council met on 28 March to discuss the role of women in conflict prevention and resolution in Africa.
  • The Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka told the Council that the role of women in conflict prevention was often lauded but rarely visible. She said that women’s empowerment was the best line of defense against militarism and violent extremism.
  • She said that the Council had to make sure that its deliberations were more frequently informed by the perspective and analysis of women on the ground. She also said that women’s organizations should receive political and financial support to engage in violence prevention, mediation and diplomacy.
  • The Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Taye-Brook Zerihoun, underlined his Department’s actions to promote women’s effective participation in conflict mediation and to address their specific needs in peace-making efforts.
  • He said that prioritization prevention and inclusive political solutions has never been more urgent. And he added that experience has shown that with early diplomatic initiatives, actively engaging civil society and notably women’s organizations, we stand a better chance of helping prevent and resolve conflicts.

SECRETARY-GENERAL EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES ON RAQUELINA LANGA UNTIMELY DEATH

  • The Spokesman for the Secretary-General said that on 28 March the Secretary-General learned with sadness of the passing of Raquelina Langa, a remarkable young woman from Mozambique.
  • The Secretary-General met Raquelina in 2013 when he visited her school in Maputo. At the time, she asked the Secretary-General if she, as a girl, could become Secretary-General and what she needed to do to achieve her goal.
  • In response, and as a way to encourage her, the Secretary-General invited her to come to New York to see what it would be to be Secretary-General for a day.
  • Raquelina spent International Youth Day here on August 12th 2014.
  • In a letter to her family, the Secretary-General expressed his deep personal condolences at her passing.
  • He wrote that “while her life was short, her legacy will be long. Raquelina was more than a bright individual from Mozambique; she was the embodiment of why the world needs to invest in the health, well-being and future of young women everywhere.”

C.A.R.: U.N. TEAM ON WAY TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION ON NEW SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE ALLEGATIONS

  • Over the weekend, a delegation led by the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for the Central African Republic (CAR), Diane Corner, and including members from the conduct and discipline team, human rights unit, as well as representatives of UNFPA, UNHCR, and UNICEF visited Kemo prefecture to gather more information on new allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse – and to engage with local communities and authorities.
  • On 25 March, the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) said it received new information of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse both by UN and non-UN forces and civilians in the Kemo prefecture. These allegations reportedly refer to incidents that occurred in 2014 and 2015.
  • The Mission said that its primary concern was to ensure that victims have been assisted and all reports immediately investigated to ensure that any perpetrator is appropriately sanctioned.
  • The integrated team will gather all available information and preserve evidence to the extent possible.

U.N. PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS HEAD TO ATTEND PRESIDENT’ INAUGURATION CEREMONY IN C.A.R.

  • Hervé Ladsous, the Under-Secretary-General for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, is travelling to the Central African Republic to represent the Secretary-General at the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected president of CAR, Faustin-Archange Touadera – that will take place on 30 March.
  • During his visit, Mr. Ladsous will meet with the national authorities and discuss the political process as well as their views on the country's relationship with the peacekeeping mission there, MINUSCA.
  • He will also meet with the mission’s leadership as well as senior UN police and military commanders to address the issues of security, performance and conduct, including sexual exploitation and abuse.

SUDAN: U.N. AND GOVERNMENT SIGN ACTION PLAN TO PREVENT USE OF CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICT

  • In Sudan, the Government signed on 27 March an Action Plan with the United Nations to prevent the recruitment and use of children by Sudan Government Security Forces.
  • The Action Plan sets out a series of measures to enhance the overall protection of children affected by armed conflict, including the cessation and prevention of child recruitment, and the release of children from national security forces.
  • The Office of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui, said that this was a new milestone for the ‘Children, not Soldiers’ campaign.
  • With this signing, all seven countries whose national security forces are listed by the Secretary-General for recruitment and use of children have committed to the objective of the global campaign to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children by Government security forces in conflict.

U.N. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC EMHASIZES YOUNG PEOPLE’ ROLE TO ACHIEVE SDG

  • The first-ever survey on youth and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Asia-Pacific was launched on 28 March in Bangkok by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
  • The report says that young people will play a key role in achieving sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • According to the report, there are over 700 million people aged 15 to 24 years in Asia-Pacific, and while the region stands to benefit from engaging its young population, there are obstacles toward achieving the SDG. Poverty and health risks, for example, are big issues for the young people in Asia-Pacific.

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