HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE U.N. SYSTEM

TUESDAY, 30 AUGUST 2016

**There was no noon briefing today.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED ABOUT PREMATURE DECLARATIONS ON OUTCOME OF ELECTION IN GABON

• The Secretary-General spoke on 30 August by phone to H.E. Mr. Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic and Mr. Jean Ping, presidential candidate of the Démocratie nouvelle party. He commended the peaceful holding of the presidential election on 27 August 2016. He welcomed the high voters’ turnout as well as the presence of a large number of national and international observers.
• The Secretary-General expressed concern about the issuance of premature declarations on the outcome of the election ahead of the official announcement of the results.
• He called on President Bongo Ondimba and Mr. Ping to impress upon their supporters the need to show restraint while waiting for the announcement of the provisional results scheduled for 30 August 2016.
• The Secretary-General encouraged President Bongo Ondimba and Mr. Ping to address any dispute that may arise after the announcement of the results through the existing legal means, following a transparent and democratic process.
• The Secretary-General reiterated the availability of his Special Representative for Central Africa, Mr. Abdoulaye Bathily, to assist in defusing tensions.

SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS WITH DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI IN MYANMAR

• The Secretary-General arrived today in Myanmar, where he met immediately upon arrival with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor and Foreign Minister of the country.
• In a joint press conference, he commended the new government for its emphasis on dialogue, cooperation and reconciliation between military and civil society leaders and political and economic stakeholders, but stressed that steps towards peace and national reconciliation will need to be further strengthened, broadened and consolidated.
• The Twenty-first Century Panglong Conference, in which the Secretary-General will participate tomorrow, is a promising first step, he said.
• The Secretary-General also said that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and him agreed that the people of Myanmar, whatever their ethnicity, religion or economic status, want better social and economic opportunities, in an environment where everyone is free, equal and secure.
• He added that he conveyed the concern of the international community about the tens of thousands of people who have been living in very poor conditions in IDP camps for over four years in Rakhine State, stressing that this is not just a question of the Rohingya community’s right to self-identify but a broader issue for all of Myanmar’s people, of every ethnicity and background.
• As the new government addresses these challenges, its friends across the world fully understand the need for patience and respect for national ownership, the Secretary-General finally said, adding that the United Nations are proud to stand with Myanmar towards peace, prosperity and human rights for all. 

SECRETARY-GENERAL WRAPS UP VISIT TO SINGAPORE

• Earlier today, the Secretary-General wrapped up his visit to Singapore where he met with H.E. Tony Tan Keng Yam, President of Singapore, H.E. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister, and H.E. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs.
• He expressed appreciation for Singapore’s leadership on global issues and strong support to the United Nations. He congratulated the Government for its commitment to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• The Secretary-General also expressed hope that Singapore will ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change before the end of the year, and discussed the status of this Agreement’s ratification at the global level.
• The Secretary-General exchanged views with Singapore’s leaders on regional issues, including strengthening the ASEAN-UN partnership and the situation in Myanmar. On the issue of the South China Sea, the Secretary-General stressed the need to defuse tensions through dialogue, in accordance with international law. He hoped for further progress in the elaboration of a Code of Conduct to lead to increased mutual understanding.
• The Secretary-General also discussed his efforts on responsibility-sharing in the context of the refugees and migrants’ crisis, as well as on the prevention of violent extremism.
• The Secretary-General also received an honorary Doctor of Letters from the National University of Singapore from Dr. Tony Tan Keng Yam.
• He said this distinction was paying tribute not only to him, but to all those who bring our founding Charter to life, the thousands of dedicated women and men who work around the world to ease suffering and build a better world.
• He stressed that institutions like the National University of Singapore had a key role to play as the world is being tested. People worry about the next extreme storm, the next financial shock or the next outbreak of deadly disease, he said.
• He also reiterated that no country is immune from the threat of violent extremism, including Singapore itself, stable and prosperous, which has had to take steps recently to heighten its defences.
• With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Secretary-General said that we have a remarkable opportunity to find solutions to long-standing challenges, and to steer the world onto a safer, more just and sustainable path.
• At this crossroads moment, our ability to harness the full range of human potential is critical, he concluded, saying that leaders, public institutions, the private sector and citizens must relate to each other in a spirit of mutual accountability.

ONGOING CRISIS IN GUINEA-BISSAU CAN AND MUST BE RESOLVED: U.N. REPRESENTATIVE

• The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Guinea Bissau, Modibo I. Touré, briefed the Security Council today. He said that the ongoing political impasse can and must be resolved. He stressed the need to urge parties to the crisis to honour their commitment to make the necessary sacrifices and concessions needed to end the parliamentary standoff and put the government machinery back on track. In this regard, he called on political leaders to put partisan considerations aside and focus on the national interest as well as the welfare of the suffering population.
• He stressed that breaking the stalemate should also provide the opportunity to the political actors of Guinea-Bissau to reflect on ways of ending the recurrent cycle of institutional paralysis and ensuring sustainable stability. This can only be achieved through genuine and inclusive dialogue among the citizenry, he said.
• He further said that the path to stability will require a pragmatic and integrated approach. In addition to the current focus on achieving stability from the top down, we should also invest energy and resources to foster stability from the bottom up. To this end, he called on donors to consider allocating more resources to the social sectors, including health and education, and to programmes that empower women and create opportunities for the youth.

MEDIA STAKEOUT BY HEAD OF OPCW-UN JOINT INVESTIGATIVE MECHANISM

• The Head of the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism, Ms. Virginia Gamba, will address the journalists at the media stakeout today at 5pm, following her briefing to the Security Council on the Mechanism’s third report.
• The Mechanism conducted an independent, impartial and objective investigation as a sub-organ of the Security Council, led by a three-member Leadership Panel (Virginia Gamba, Adrian Neritani, Eberhard Schanze). The Mechanism was mandated by Security Council resolution 2235 (2015) to identify to the greatest extent feasible those involved in the use of chemicals as weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic where the OPCW Fact Finding Mission (FFM) determined that a specific incident involved or likely involved the use of chemicals as weapons.
• The OPCW supported the Mechanism’s work by providing access to the FFM findings, which represented the starting point for the Mechanism’s investigation into nine cases related to incidents between April 2014 and September 2015. The Mechanism independently collected and analysed further information and evidence that contributed to the identification of those involved in the use of chemicals as weapons.

U.N. SYRIA ENVOY REGRETS INTENSIFIED FIGHTING AND GRAVE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

• The Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, greatly regrets the intensified fighting and the grave humanitarian situation in Syria, his Spokesperson said today. She also reiterated that a political process and a political solution is the only way out of the crisis. The Special Envoy is determined to carry forward the political track and continues actively to consider options for early action.
• She noted that discussions between the Russian Federation and the United States this week are crucial to efforts to restore the cessation of hostilities and that the United Nations is continuing consultations with the Co-Chairs of the ISSG and ISSG members on the way ahead.
• Regarding Mr. de Mistura’s call for a 48-hour pause in fighting in Aleppo, the Office of the Special Envoy has conducted an assessment and has come to the conclusion that the statement from 27 August still stands.  Discussions are ongoing between the US and Russia, and everyone involved and no-one has rejected the urgency of a humanitarian pause.

AFRICA HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT

• The second Africa Human Development Report (AfHDR) on “Accelerating Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Africa” was launched by the UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and the President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta during the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi, Kenya. 
• The launch of the AfHDR 2016 marks the start of UNDP's “Africa - Putting women first” campaign which will bring into greater focus the essential part that African women play in building the continent’s future.
• Gender inequality is costing sub-Saharan Africa on average $US95 billion a year, peaking at US$105 billion in 2014– or six percent of the region’s GDP – jeopardising the continent’s efforts for inclusive human development and economic growth, according to the Africa Human Development Report 2016.

SCHOOL MEALS AT RISK FOR 1.3 MILLION CHILDREN IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA

• More than 1.3 million children across West and Central Africa risk missing out on school meals from the World Food Programme (WFP), as widening financial constraints force the United Nations agency – the top sponsor of such initiatives – to reduce its reach.
• WFP today said that dwindling resources, shifting donor priorities and changed financing mechanisms in some countries have all conspired to create a funding gap and jeopardize programmes.
• Unless vital funding comes through in the next month, more than half a million children across Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania and Niger could start the school year without the meals they have come to rely upon. By the end of 2016, assistance will run out for a further 700,000 children in 11 other countries.
• While in some countries the government and other agencies lead or complement WFP’s programme, in most of this region WFP is the sole or main provider of school meals, targeting areas where hunger and malnutrition levels are highest. Year after year, funding constraints have been forcing WFP to shrink its areas of coverage.

FAMILIES AND FRIENDS ALSO VICTIMS IN ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL

• On the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Secretary-General said that all States have an obligation to investigate, prosecute and punish enforced disappearances, as well as to provide redress to its victims. According to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, a victim is also “any individual who has suffered harm as the direct result of an enforced disappearance”. He called on States to acknowledge that family members and friends of the disappeared are also victims, and to guarantee their right to full protection from any form of reprisals.
• He also urged all Member States to sign, ratify or accede to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which includes specific provisions against the ill-treatment or intimidation of witnesses, relatives, and persons participating in the investigation of enforced disappearances. “Let us all show solidarity with the victims and their relatives as they strive to realize their right for truth and justice”, he said.

U.N. AGENCY RELEASES GUIDELINES FOR TREATMENT OF SEXUAL TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS, AHEAD OF MAJOR CONFERENCE

• Ahead of the high-level meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the World Health Organization (WHO) today released new guidelines for the treatment of three common sexually transmitted infections (STDs) in response to the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.
• Chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis infect an estimated more than 300 million people each year, but the infections often go undiagnosed and are becoming more difficult to treat.
• The agency’s new guidelines reinforce the need to treat these STDs with the right antibiotic, at the right dose, and the right time to reduce their spread, and improve sexual and reproductive health.
• The high-level meeting on AMR will take place on 21 September at the United Nations headquarters. 

INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS OBSERVED ON 31 AUGUST AT HEADQUARTERS

• The International Day against Nuclear Tests will be observed on 31 August at United Nations Headquarters.  This year’s official opening ceremony, marked by an informal meeting of the General Assembly, will be convened by the President of the seventieth session of the General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Mogens Lykketoft. The seventh annual International Day against Nuclear Tests will showcase international efforts to inform and educate on the importance of the nuclear weapon test ban with the aim of achieving worldwide security.
• The informal meeting will feature a high-level panel, which will focus on the theme “Strengthening the Global Norms Against Nuclear Tests – CTBT@20”.  Distinguished experts will reflect on the progress made to date, current and emerging challenges, and opportunities to strengthen the global norms against nuclear tests. In particular, they will discuss how to coalesce global efforts to promote the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty into an early entry into force.

PRESS BRIEFING IN GENEVA

• The regular bi-weekly press briefing of the UN system in Geneva took place today. Its summary can be accessed here.