HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 10 OCTOBER 2017
 
MARKING DAY AGAINST DEATH PENALTY, SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES COUNTRIES TO HALT EXECUTIONS

• This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at an event to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty and said that this barbaric practice has no place in the 21st century, and called on countries who continue to use it to stop executions.
• He praised the progress that has been made so far, with some 170 countries having either abolished or stopped using the death penalty. However, he also warned that in many countries, governments conceal executions and enforce an elaborate system of secrecy to hide who is on death row and why, and said that this lack of transparency shows a lack of respect for the human rights of those sentenced to death and their families. Full and accurate data is vital to policy-makers and the general public, and is fundamental to the debate around the death penalty and its impacts, he added.
• The UN Human Rights Office also released a statement to mark the Day.

• This morning, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed briefed the Security Council.
• He stressed that the parties to the conflict are pursuing a futile and cruel military conflict while country’s people are suffering from an entirely man-made catastrophe.
• The recent sharp increase in civilian casualties show the parties’ continued disregard for the loss of civilian life and their obligations under international humanitarian law, the Envoy said.
• The Special Envoy said that there are no winners on the battlefield, and the losers are the Yemeni people who are suffering as a result of the war.
• The Envoy said he is currently in the process of discussing a proposal including humanitarian initiatives to rebuild trust and steps to bring the parties back to the negotiating table.
• For his part, John Ging, the Director of Operations for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), pointed to three main challenges: the lack of humanitarian access; the impact of salary interruptions for civil servants and critical services; and continued risks to commercial access to the country.
• Mr. Ging reiterated his call for the protection and continued operation of Hodeidah port, the unconditional instalment of the four World Food Programme (WFP) cranes, and the resumption of flights to Sana’airport.
• He said the $2.3 billion Humanitarian Response Plan is 55 per cent funded.

• The United Nations continues to be alarmed over the impact of ongoing fighting and airstrikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Deir Ezzour Governorate in Syria.  Between 1 and 8 October, some 95,000 men, women and children were reportedly displaced to 60 locations within the governorate, as well as the nearby governorates of Al-Hasakeh, Ar-Raqqa and Aleppo due to fighting.
• Fifteen thousand residents in the city of Al-Mayadeen and surrounding areas are reportedly without access to health services following a string of reported airstrikes on the city which have rendered all hospitals and medical points in the city inoperable.
• Meanwhile more than six years of hostilities have left less than half of Syria’s health facilities fully operational, contributing to thousands of avoidable deaths from injury or illness.

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that more than 11,000 Rohingya refugees crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar yesterday. Exact figures are not available due to restrictions to access in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, but we still estimate that 519,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh since 25 August.
• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that many of yesterday’s new arrivals came from the Buthidaung area in norther Rakhine. Some of these people said they had fled torching and killings, while others said they left in fear of violence.
• The new arrivals are no in camps and settlements, where UNHCR has trucked in plastic sheets and jerry cans.
• The World Health Organization (WHO), together with UNICEF and the Bangladeshi Government, are leading the second largest oral cholera vaccination campaign ever, which kicked off today in Cox’s Bazar. Two hundred mobile teams will deliver 900,000 doses of the vaccine.

• The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is continuing to deliver supplies to those affected by Hurricane Maria.
• The agency is currently helping to distribute items like solar lights, water purification supplies, and kitchen and hygiene kits. It is also supporting the Government in efforts to provide shelter, which has become an urgent need, with an estimated 23 per cent of houses gone and 39 per cent of houses having sustained severe damage,  causing thousands of  Dominicans to routinely sleep in shelters or with host families while returning to their own homes during the day to salvage their belongings and clear debris.

• The Food and Agriculture Organization and its partners today launched a $53 million dollar initiative that will help African Caribbean and Pacific countries to halt unsustainable wildlife hunting, while strengthening people’s livelihoods and food security.
• The seven-year-initiative will contribute to the conservation of wildlife in forests, savannas and wetlands by regulating wildlife hunting, strengthening the management capacities of indigenous and rural communities, and increasing the supply of sustainably produced meat products and farmed fish. This will help to avert a looming protein deficit for poor rural families and meet the growing rural and urban demand for food.

• Today is World Mental Health Day, which seeks to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
• This year, the Day is focusing on mental health in the workplace. According to the World Health Organization, a negative working environment may lead to physical and mental health problems, harmful use of substances, absenteeism and lost productivity. However, employers and managers who put in place initiatives to promote mental health and to support employees who have mental disorders see gains not only in the health of their employees but also in their productivity at work.

• In response to questions on the Secretary-General’s recent meeting with Alan Peter Cayetano, the Foreign Secretary of the Philippines, on 29 September, the Spokesman said they discussed the importance of preventing violent extremism in Southeast Asia and globally.
• The Secretary-General thanked the Philippines as ASEAN Chair for their efforts to strengthen the ASEAN-UN relationship. They also discussed the regional response to the crisis in Rakhine and other issues of mutual concern.