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

FRIDAY, 17 JUNE 2016

SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS REFUGEES IN GREECE

·         In Russia this morning, the Secretary-General met with the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and participated in a wreath-laying Ceremony at the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad, before leaving St. Petersburg for Athens.

·         Upon arrival in Greece, he visited refugees and other vulnerable people at the Athens Solidarity Centre. He planned to attend an official dinner given by Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

·         Tomorrow morning, the Secretary-General is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and to visit the island of Lesvos to meet with refugees, as well as with local volunteers and authorities.  He will be back in New York on Sunday evening.

U.N BUILDING CAMPS TO SERVE FALLUJA DISPLACED

·         More than 15,000 people fled Fallujah on 15 and 16 June, bringing the total number of people displaced since 23 May to over 68,000, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

·         Humanitarian workers are expecting the number to increase further and that thousands more people could still be on the move.  Thousands of families may still be trapped in Fallujah.

·         These are estimates, as the UN has no direct access to the city and is not able to directly verify the situation in the city. The UN remains very concerned about the safety and wellbeing of people still in Fallujah.

·         Many of the displaced people are reportedly arriving in poor condition and need all kinds of emergency assistance, notably water, food, shelter and medical care.

·         The UN Refugee Agency, (UNHCR), is rapidly building two new camps to relieve overcrowding while the Government has erected over 2,350 tents in the last days and is expected to provide another 1,000 shortly.

MANIPULATION OF ORLANDO MASSACRE ‘SHAMEFUL’: U.N.

·         The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, condemned the criminal attack that took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States, on 12 June.  He offered his sympathy for the victims and expressed grave concern at the outpouring of hatred, homophobia and Islamophobia that followed this attack, which targeted the LGBT community.

·         Mr. Dieng said that he was appalled by the immediate and shameful efforts of some political and religious leaders to manipulate and politicise the events in Orlando to fuel fear, intolerance and hatred.  He was particularly sickened to hear religious leaders commend the killings of members of the LGBT community. 

·         Mr. Dieng also criticized calls by some politicians to cite radical Islam as the cause of the attack in Orlando, to ban Muslims from the United States and to label all Muslims as “terrorists”.

U.N. CONDEMNS VIOLENCE IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

·         The acting Humanitarian Coordinator for the Central African Republic, Michel Yao, joined and humanitarian partners in the country today condemned the recent upsurge in violence against the civilians in Ngaoundaye, Ouham-Pende Prefecture. 

·         The Humanitarian Coordinator called on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, to protect civilians and ensure that they can relocate safely from insecure areas.

·         Aid organizations warn that the increase in violence will likely cause additional humanitarian needs in country as well as lead to more insecurity, affecting aid work and access.

LIVELIHOODS OF MILLIONS AT STAKE FROM DESERTIFICATION: U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL

·         Today is the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

·         In his message for the day, the Secretary-General warned that the livelihoods and well-being of hundreds of millions of people are at stake due to desertification, land degradation and drought. He highlighted the need for land degradation neutrality as well as sustainable, climate-smart agriculture.

·         The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) also launched today a report saying that evaluating the long-term potential of land will help the world sustainably produce enough food, fuel and fibre.

·         Also today, at a high-level event in Beijing, China and the Convention launched the Joint Action Initiative which aims to make the whole region along the “Silk Road” – where many countries are seriously affected by desertification, land degradation and drought – environmentally sound and ecologically sustainable.

U.N.I.C.E.F. REPORTS ABUSE OF MIGRANT CHILDREN IN FRANCE

·         The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has a report on the serious exploitation of migrant children in the camps of northern France.

·         The report, called Neither Safe Nor Sound, is a joint effort of the UNICEF offices in France and the UK.

·         It details findings of sexual exploitation, violence and forced labour in the camps.

·         Both UNICEF UK and UNICEF France have made specific recommendations to their respective governments in the light of the study.

·         They include increased resources, improving information for and about the children and, increased training for the adults involved in the camps.