HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 15 MAY 2017
 
SECRETARY-GENERAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST LATEST MISSILE LAUNCH BY D.P.R. KOREA

• In a statement, the Secretary-General condemns the launch of another ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
• This action is in violation of Security Council resolutions and a threat to peace and security in the region. The Secretary-General calls on the DPRK to ensure full compliance with its international obligations and return to the path of denuclearization.

NEW DEPUTY HEAD OF U.N. CLIMATE BODY APPOINTED

• The Secretary-General has appointed Ovais Sarmad of India as Deputy Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the Assistant Secretary-General level.
• The appointment has been made after consultation with the Conference of Parties through its Bureau.  Mr. Sarmad will succeed Richard Kinley of Canada, to whom the Secretary-General and the Executive Secretary are grateful for his dedicated service to UN climate change efforts over the past 20 years.
• Mr. Sarmad currently serves as Chief of Staff to the Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

WORLD HAS RESOURCES, TECHNOLOGY TO END EXTREME POVERTY, SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES IN CHINA

• The Secretary-General spent the weekend in Beijing for the Belt and Road Initiative Forum on International Cooperation. In his remarks to the Forum, the Secretary-General said that for the first time in human history, the world has at its disposal sufficient resources and advanced technologies to end extreme poverty, to reduce inequalities and to place the planet on a sustainable trajectory.  In order for countries along the Belt and Road to fully benefit from the potential of enhanced connectivity, it is crucial to strengthen the links between the initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals, he stressed.
• As projects under the initiative unfold, the Secretary-General called on all to work together to uphold international environmental and social standards, and to ensure that the benefits reach beyond cities into rural areas. With the initiative expected to generate vast investments in infrastructure, let us seize the moment to help countries make the transition to clean-energy and low-carbon pathways, he added, stressing that Chinese leadership on climate change will continue to be pivotal.  The Secretary-General added that China’s engagement as a central pillar of multilateralism is more necessary than ever today.
• While in Beijing, the Secretary-General met with several members of the Chinese Government, including Premier Li Keqiang, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun and State Councilor Yang Jiechi. He also held a series of bilateral meetings with other leaders in attendance, including Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece, Prime Minister Jargaltulgyn Erdenebat of Mongolia and Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni of Italy, as well as with Toshihiro Nikai, Secretary General of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party.

SECRETARY-GENERAL DISCUSSES PEACE PROCESS, RAKHINE CRISIS WITH MYANMAR’S AUNG SAN SUU KYI

• The Secretary-General met today in Beijing with H. E. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, on the occasion of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
• The Secretary-General and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi discussed the United Nations’ support to the democratic transition in Myanmar, the peace process and the way to a fair solution addressing the root causes of the current crisis in Rakhine State.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TAKE PART IN GLOBAL HEALTH CONFERENCE IN CANADA

• This evening, the Deputy Secretary-General will depart New York for Ottawa, Canada.
• She will participate tomorrow in the Global Adolescent Health Conference, as well as have meetings with the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie and other senior Government officials.  The Deputy Secretary-General will return to New York later tomorrow.
• She spoke over the weekend at the Doha Forum, reminding participants that the deadline to fulfil the Agenda for Social Development is 2030, adding, “That is not much time.  But it is enough if we work hard and we work together, if we work with long-term objectives in mind, and if we all make sustainable development a priority.” And she said that the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change is inextricably linked with the Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed, the steps we take to mitigate and adapt to climate change will simultaneously advance the 2030 Agenda.

FORTHCOMING SYRIA TALKS TO BE MORE INTERACTIVE, PROACTIVE – U.N. ENVOY

• The Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, spoke to reporters in Geneva today and said that the meeting that starts in Geneva tomorrow will be a preparatory meeting  He added that all the invited delegations will be present.
• Mr. de Mistura said that the intention this time is to go a little bit more deeply and be more business-like. He said the meetings will be a little bit more interactive and proactive, and more frequent.

MUSLIM CITY IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CONTINUES TO BE UNDER ATTACK – U.N.

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that the city of Bangassou in the Central African Republic has been the scene of indiscriminate violence since May 13 when an assault was launched by unidentified gunmen on the Tokoyo district, which is mainly inhabited by the Muslim population. Within hours, intense violence forced more than 3,000 people to flee their homes. At present, nearly 1,000 people are confined in the Mosque compound following threats of an imminent attack, about 1,500 people have sought refuge in the cathedral, while 500 others are in the town’s hospital. An unknown number of people have crossed the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two humanitarian flights are scheduled to fly to Bangassou tomorrow from Bangui to deliver emergency relief items.
• The UN peacekeeping mission in the country has reinforced its presence in the town with peacekeepers and the deployment of an attack helicopter, as it continues to secure some of the strategic areas of Bangassou.  Meanwhile, peacekeepers exchanged fire with anti-Balaka this afternoon, including around the mosque.
• A statement was issued over the weekend on the Central African Republic in which the Secretary-General was outraged by the attacks perpetrated by suspected anti-Balaka against civilians and the UN Mission on 12 and 13 May in Bangassou. These attacks led to an undetermined number of civilian casualties and the death of one Moroccan peacekeeper.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION OFFICIAL DISCUSSES EBOLA OUTBREAK WITH D.R. CONGO AUTHORITIES

• The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, visited Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Saturday to discuss with national authorities and partners ways to mount a rapid response to stop the ongoing Ebola outbreak. The visit follows notification by the Government of the DRC of an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Likati health zone, in the northern part of the country bordering the Central African Republic. As of Saturday, 11 suspected cases had been reported, including 3 deaths.
• Dr. Moeti said that WHO has already mobilized technical experts to be deployed on the ground and is ready to provide the leadership and technical expertise required to mount a coordinated response. The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network has been activated to provide additional support if required. Reinforcement of epidemiological surveillance, contact tracing, case management, and community engagement are under way. The full extent of the outbreak is not yet clear. Extensive investigation and risk assessments are being conducted.

U.N. AGENCIES CALL FOR URGENT FUNDING TO HELP SOUTH SUDANESE REFUGEES

• The UN Refugee Agency and the World Food Programme today urged donors to step up support for desperate refugees fleeing South Sudan. Humanitarian agencies are seeking US$ 1.4 billion to provide life-saving aid to South Sudanese refugees in the six neighbouring countries until the end of 2017. The South Sudanese refugee response plan so far remains only 14 per cent funded.
• South Sudan has now become the world’s fastest-growing refugee crisis, with more than 1.8 million refugees – including one million children – having sought safety in neighbouring countries. The current rate of people fleeing South Sudan exceeds the humanitarian community’s already pessimistic estimates. For example, the number of people fleeing to Sudan in March surpassed the expected figure for the entire year.

YEMEN: 7.6 MILLION PEOPLE LIVE IN HIGH-RISK AREAS FOR CHOLERA – U.N. RELIEF WING

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that an estimated 7.6 million people live in areas at high risk of cholera transmission in Yemen. Inadequate sanitation infrastructure, coupled with displacement, overcrowded shelters and settlements, increase the risk of person-to-person cholera transmission.
• In response, the UN is supporting 33 diarrhoea treatment centres in Yemen, and ten oral rehydration therapy centres have been opened.
• The UN has established two emergency centres, in Aden and Sana’a, with Rapid Response Teams to monitor and treat contaminated water sources.

WITH NUMBER OF AFGHAN CHILD DEATHS IN CONFLICT REACHING RECORD HIGH, U.N. MISSION URGES STEPPED UP PROTECTION

• The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is urging parties to take action as the number of child deaths from conflict has hit a new high.
• The mission recorded 987 child casualties during the first four months of this year – 283 deaths and 704 injured. This is a 21 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2016.
• The mission said that child deaths have risen largely as a result of the persistent use of indirect and/or explosive weapons in civilian-populated areas and the use of illegal and indiscriminate improvised explosive devices. UNAMA called on all parties to the conflict to take immediate measures to reduce harm to civilians and to prioritize the protection of children.

ONE IN FOUR CHILDREN IN MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA LIVING IN POVERTY – U.N.I.C.E.F.

• UNICEF said today that at least one in four children – or nearly 30 million children – live in poverty in the Middle East and North Africa.
• According to an analysis covering 11 countries in the region, these children are deprived of two or more of the most basic necessities, including basic education, decent housing, and nutritious food.
• Geert Cappelaere, the UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, warned that when children are deprived of the basics, they are at risk of getting trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty.

U.N.-BACKED INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES SPOTLIGHTS PROMOTION OF EDUCATION

• Today is the International Day of Families. This year’s observance focuses on the role of families and family-oriented policies in promoting education and overall well-being of their members.
• The Day also aims to discuss the importance of the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity.

WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION UNVEILS CAMPAIGN TO BOLSTER WEATHER, CLIMATE PREDICTIONS

• Today, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) launched its Year of Polar Prediction campaign which seeks to improve predictions of weather, climate and ice conditions in the Arctic and Antarctic.
• According to WMO, the Arctic and parts of the Antarctic are heating twice as rapidly as the rest of the world, causing melting of glaciers, shrinking sea ice and snow cover.
• Better forecasts of weather and sea-ice conditions will reduce future environmental risks and maximize the opportunities associated with rapid climate change in polar regions. They also lead to improved forecasts in lower latitudes where most people live.
• The campaign will take place from mid-2017 to mid-2019 in order to cover an entire year in both the Arctic and Antarctic.

SWAZILAND BECOMES 98TH MEMBER STATE TO PAY DUES IN FULL

• Swaziland has made its full payment to the regular budget, bringing the number of Member States which have done so to 98.