HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

THURSDAY, 14 JULY 2016

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS SAUDI ARABIA FOREIGN MINISTER

  • The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Adel al-Jubeir, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • The Secretary-General thanked Saudi Arabia for supporting the work of his Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. He stressed that a negotiated political settlement is the only way to end the war and ensure that the interests of all the parties are met. 
  • The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister agreed on the urgency to have the Yemeni peace talks focus on outcomes and agreements that are actionable on the ground.
  • On the issue of protecting children and civilians in the armed conflict in Yemen, the Secretary-General welcomed the Coalition’s readiness to take the necessary concrete measures to end and prevent violations against children and, to that end, work together with the United Nations in a constructive, forward-looking manner. He hoped that in advance of the open debate in the Security Council on 2 August, the Coalition would be able to provide information on the concrete actions they have taken. 

U.N. CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION OF REPORTED ATTACKS OF U.N. AND NGO PERSONNEL IN SOUTH SUDAN

  • The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), reported that the situation in Juba is calm but tense today with heavy Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) military presence. The mission reported that its peacekeepers continue to undertake limited patrols as well as strengthening security at the outer perimeter of the protection of civilian (PoC) sites and UN House.
  • The Mission is protecting some 33,000 internally displaced persons in Juba, most of whom are sheltering in the PoC site adjacent to UN House. The mission will also start conducting search operations in the PoC sites for weapons.
  • In the meantime, the Mission as well as other UN agencies, funds and programmes are preparing for the temporary relocation of non-critical staff from Juba. Two peacekeepers injured in the fighting have also been medically evacuated today.
  • The mission has further received highly disturbing reports of targeting of UN and international NGO personnel, premises and assets in Juba, allegedly by SPLA soldiers, during the fighting that erupted in the last few days. The reports include allegations of killing of at least one South Sudanese national working for an international NGO, as well as rapes, including of international NGO staff. UN staff members have also been assaulted. The United Nations calls on the national authorities to investigate these serious allegations immediately and thoroughly and bring the perpetrators to justice. UNMISS is also looking into these incidents, including its own response.
  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also reported that three days into the tenuous ceasefire in Juba, many people have begun to return to their homes. However, thousands remain displaced, including at the UNMISS Tomping base, UN House and the WFP compound.
  • The relative calm has provided a window of opportunity for humanitarian organizations to respond and all areas where people were reportedly displaced have been visited. Humanitarian organizations are responding to the most critical needs, including distributing high energy biscuits, nutritional supplements and sanitary items; establishing family tracing and reunification systems; re-supplying of vital medicines; and providing light basic supply kits for the most vulnerable people.
  • Humanitarian partners are closely monitoring the evolving situation in several locations across the country, including Yei, Wau and Leer.
  • The United Nations continues to call for immediate, safe and unhindered access and protection of civilians.

SYRIA: OVER 978,000 PEOPLE IN HARD-TO-REACH AREAS RECEIVED ASSISTANCE IN 2016, U.N. SAYS

  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that today an inter-agency convoy is delivering food, health, nutrition, water and sanitation and other emergency supplies to the besieged Al-Waer neighborhood in Homs, Syria. This is the first of two convoys planned to the neighbourhood, targeting 75,000 people in need. The last inter-agency humanitarian delivery to this area was on 16 June. However, surgical items were removed during the loading.
  • The United Nations continues to call on all parties, particularly the Syrian authorities, to allow for all necessary humanitarian aid, including medical supplies and surgical items, to be allowed onto convoys, as well as the deployment of medical teams or medical evacuations where necessary.
  • Since the beginning of 2016, more than 978,000 people in hard-to-reach areas, including more than 364,000 people (over 60%) in besieged locations have received various types of assistance, including food for at least one month, through UN inter-agency operations; many of them more than once. However, much more access is required.
  • Despite receiving Government approvals to reach nearly all requested besieged and hard-to-reach areas requested by the UN as part of the July plan, access to many of these areas continues to be constrained by increased fighting and insecurity, differences in the estimate of the number of beneficiaries in these locations, and other administrative delays. This is leading to unnecessary loss of life and compounds the suffering of civilians, particularly in the hot summer months.

HUMANITARIAN PARTNERS PREPARING TO INCREASE ASSISTANCE IN NIGERIA

  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) informed that UN agencies and partners are today finalizing an operational plan to provide immediate assistance to at least 275,000 people living in 15 newly accessible military-controlled camps in Nigeria’s Borno State.
  • They are also preparing for cross-border assistance from Cameroon into Banki, Nigeria, where 15,000 displaced people need urgent assistance. Agencies such as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are working with the Nigerian Government to scale up assistance in north-eastern Nigeria to help some 431,000 people, including malnourished children.
  • Aid agencies urgently need a funding of US$221 million to ensure humanitarian response through the end of September in the Lake Chad Basin.

IMPUNITY RAMPANT IN UKRAINE: U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS MISSION

  • A new report released by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine today documents widespread killings that have taken place in the country since January 2014. It also highlights the very limited accountability that has taken place.
  • According to the report, armed conflict in certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk has claimed up to 2,000 civilian lives. Moreover, nearly 90 per cent of conflict-related civilian deaths have resulted from indiscriminate shelling of residential areas.
  • Nobody has taken responsibility for any civilian deaths caused by the conduct of hostilities. The report adds that impunity for killings remains rampant, encouraging their perpetuation and undermining prospects for justice.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS ASSASSINATION OF HAFSA MOSSI, FORMER BURUNDIAN MINISTER

  • In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General condemned the assassination of Hafsa Mossi, former Burundian Minister for East African Community Affairs and Member of the East African Legislative Assembly, in Bujumbura earlier in the day. He extended his deepest condolences to Ms. Mossi’s family. He stressed that this despicable act of violence only serves to promote divisions, entrench mistrust, and destabilize the country.
  • The Secretary-General reiterated the need to intensify efforts to find a negotiated settlement to the crisis in Burundi and called on all parties concerned to engage fully and in good faith in the peace process led by the East African Community (EAC). The United Nations will continue to provide assistance to the EAC-led dialogue process and its Facilitator, former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa.

UAV CRASHED IN DRC: MONUSCO

  • The UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) reported that one of its Unmanned Aerial Vehicles crashed some 35 miles southwest of Bunia yesterday. A recovery helicopter found the UAV today in a remote spot; there were no injuries to civilians on the ground or damage to property. The UAV was destroyed.

U.N. MISSION IN MALI CALLS FOR CALM AFTER VIOLENCE IN GAO

  • In a statement issued yesterday, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) condemns the violence that erupted in Gao the previous days and asks for calm. The mission notes that, before and during the demonstrations, it tried to promote dialogue, and it continues to do so. It encourages any initiative to resolve any misunderstanding and familiarise the population with the peace agreement and national reconciliation. MINUSMA remains committed to supporting the efforts of all parties in support of peace.

LIBYA: FIVE WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN DANGER

  • The World Heritage Committee today placed the five World Heritage sites of Libya on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of damage and the threat of further damage caused by the conflict.
  • The five sites include the Archaeological Site of Cyrene, Leptis Magna, Sabratha as well as the Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus and the Old Town of Ghadamès.
  • Also, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, today again called for an end to the destruction at the Ancient City of Aleppo. She also deplored the recent shelling at the National Museum – a World Heritage property located just outside of the boundaries of the Ancient City of Aleppo.

CRIMINALS CAN NO LONGER BE CONFIDENT FORCE WILL WIN THEM IMPUNITY: SECRETARY-GENERAL

  • The Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel, Miguel de Serpa Soares, spoke on behalf of the Secretary-General today at an event marking International Criminal Justice Day.
  • In his message, the Secretary-General stressed that to realize the vision of a more peaceful, just and sustainable future, we must hold perpetrators of the most serious crimes of international concern to account.
  • Thanks to the International Criminal Court (ICC), he said, criminals can no longer be confident that force will win them impunity. This is why the ICC can expect to face constant challenges to its authority, attempts to destroy public trust in it, and other efforts to undermine its work.

INDIA ELIMINATES YAWS AND MATERNAL AND NEONATAL TETANUS, SAYS WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) today officially declared the elimination of yaws as well as maternal and neonatal tetanus in India.
  • India is the first country under the 2012 WHO neglected tropical diseases (NTD) roadmap to eliminate yaws, a disease known to affect the most underserved population.
  • With this, the entire WHO South-East Asia region has achieved elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus. Indonesia and Timor-Leste are now the only remaining countries with yaws transmission in the region.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • In response to a question about Baquer Namazi, a former UNICEF staff member reportedly detained in Iran, UNICEF informs that Mr. Namazi, who was 80 years old at the time of his detention, retired from UNICEF in 1996. The United Nations has no information to provide on his status. We remain concerned about his health and well-being and will continue to follow the situation.

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