HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE U.N. SYSTEM
 
FRIDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2016
 
**There was no noon briefing today.
 
SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS U.A.E. FOREIGN MINISTER

• The Secretary-General met on Friday in Abu Dhabi with H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates. They discussed the important role of the United Arab Emirates in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and on tackling climate change. They also discussed regional developments, including in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Lebanon and Iraq.
• The Secretary-General also spoke to the Emirates Diplomatic Academy and said that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted last year is the world’s plan to build a future of peace, prosperity, dignity and opportunity for all. The Agenda, he said, is an example of how the international community can overcome divisions and act in the shared global interest. 
• The Secretary-General highlighted Sustainable Development Goal 16 in particular, noting that it emphasizes that peace, justice and effective institutions are at the core of sustainable development.
• From Abu Dhabi, the Secretary-General travelled onward to Turkmenistan, where he is to speak at a conference on road safety over the weekend.

• Marking the International Day to End Violence against Women and Girls, the Secretary-General said that, at long last, there is growing global recognition that violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, public health pandemic and serious obstacle to sustainable development. Yet, he noted, much remains to be done to turn this awareness into meaningful prevention and response.
• Violence against women and girls imposes large-scale costs on families, communities and economies. When women cannot work as a result of violence, their employment may be put at risk, jeopardizing much-needed income, autonomy and their ability to leave abusive relationships. The net result is enormous suffering as well as the exclusion of women from playing their full and rightful roles in society.
• The Secretary-General stressed that the world cannot afford to pay this price. While efforts to address this challenge are rich in political commitment, they are chronically under-funded. The Secretary-General therefore called on governments to show their commitment by dramatically increasing national spending in all relevant areas, including in support of women’s movements and civil society organizations. 

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES SIGNING OF PEACE AGREEMENT IN COLOMBIA

• In a statement issued on Thursday, the Secretary-General welcomed the signing of the new peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP), following broad consultations with political and social sectors. He commends the parties for their determination to bring this long-standing conflict to an end. He congratulates all who participated constructively in the dialogue that led to the new agreement.
• The Secretary-General believes it is essential to move now to implementation. The violent incidents that have taken place recently in conflict-affected areas underscore the relevance of many of the commitments contained in the agreement and the urgency of putting them into effect.
• The Secretary-General hopes that Colombians will come together at this time to move the peace process forward. He reiterates the commitment of the United Nations to provide all necessary support, both through the United Nations Mission in Colombia and through the relevant UN agencies, funds and programmes.

BAN KI-MOON CONCERNED ABOUT DETERIORATING SITUATION ALONG LINE OF CONTROL IN KASHMIR

• The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the deterioration of the situation along the Line of Control in Kashmir in recent days.
• He calls on all involved to prioritize the restoration of calm and stability in order to prevent any further escalation and loss of life. 
• The Secretary-General trusts that the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan can find common ground and work towards a sustainable peace.
• The United Nations stands by the people of the region and supports all efforts to reach durable peace and security.

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that current displacement in the context of the Mosul military operations in Iraq has reached nearly 73,000 people. The latest recorded displacement is the arrival of some 1,200 families in the Namrud area to the south-east of Mosul.
• On 24 November, an inter-agency distribution by UNICEF, UNFPA and WFP provided humanitarian assistance to 5,000 families, including newly displaced families, in 16 villages in Namrud area.
• The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that since the onset of the Mosul operation on 17 October, WFP and partners have provided ready-to-eat food to more than 196,000 people affected by the conflict.
• There are reports of displacement around Tel Afar amid heavy fighting in the area. A UNHCR camp at Amalla, north of Tel Afar, is ready to receive more than 3,000 displaced families. So far, no displaced families from Tel Afar have arrived at the camp.

• The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), MINUSCA, reports that the security situation in Bria has slightly improved.
• 85 people were reportedly killed and 76 wounded as a result of fighting since Monday. The Mission has regained control over the hospital and peacekeepers have intensified patrolling throughout the town and facilitated the delivery of humanitarian assistance. MINUSCA continues its efforts to strengthen security in the area and has reinforced its presence in Bria with one extra company and special forces elements.
• Yesterday, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the CAR, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, conducted a joint mission to Bria with the African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States calling for the belligerent parties to immediately cease hostilities.
• The UN Mission is witnessing continuous arrival of civilians to camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and tensions remain high between Fulani and other communities including Gula and Runga in the IDP camps.
• In Bambari region, the Mission has also reinforced its patrols following reported clashes between the anti-Balaka and the Rassemblement patriotique pour le renouveau de la Centrafrique (RPRC) against the Union pour la Paix en Centrafrique (UPC) earlier today. The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, Diane Corner, travelled to Bambari today to call for peace.

• UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has appealed to all parties involved in the conflict in Ukraine to improve freedom of movement at check points for people living near the line of contact and to allow humanitarian aid to reach hundreds of thousands of people displaced in government and non-government controlled areas.
• Mr. Grandi’s appeal came at the end of his first visit to Ukraine on Thursday, in which he pushed for solutions for affected populations on both sides of the line of contact. Two and a half years of conflict have left more than two million Ukrainians displaced from their homes or living as refugees in Russia.
• Despite a ceasefire in place since 2014, civilians continue to pay a very high price as a result of the conflict, especially in the areas on both sides of the line of contact. Existing procedures at check points have severely limited the ability of people to leave the conflict area, return home to visit family members or check their property. Many people are unable to access services like medical care and social benefits.

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that thousands of Nigerian refugees are living in difficult conditions in isolated and insecure border areas of northernmost Cameroon and urgently need assistance. UNHCR is keen to help, but the continuing Boko Haram threat is a hindrance to regular access.
• A UNHCR team was able to visit previously inaccessible border areas of Far North Region, where they helped pre-register more than 21,000 refugees who have been living for months with host families after fleeing deadly Boko Haram attacks in north-east Nigeria. The latest UN figures put the number of out of camp refugees there at 27,000.
• The team found refugees were living under tough conditions. Some are staying with destitute host families but most were sleeping in the open under trees, in makeshift shelters or on the dirt floors of dilapidated classrooms. In some villages, lack of health care and sanitation as well as potable water is a major concern as infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged. Basic services are non-existent in many areas.