HIGHLIGHTS OF THE U.N. SYSTEM
FRIDAY, 24 NOVEMBER 2017
 
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS ATTACK ON AL-RAWDAH MOSQUE IN EGYPT

• In a statement, the Secretary-General condemns in the strongest terms today’s attack on al-Rawdah Mosque during Friday prayers in the town of Bir al-Abed in North Sinai, Egypt.
• The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Egypt and wishes a swift recovery to those who have been injured. The Secretary-General calls for those responsible for today’s horrific attack to be swiftly brought to justice.

• The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, has condemned today’s attacks against the UN Mission in the country.
• A convoy of the UN Mission was attacked north of Douentza, in the Mopti region, leaving one UN peacekeeper dead and three severely injured.
• Earlier today, three peacekeepers were killed in an attack in Ménaka, while 16 peacekeepers and one civilian personnel were wounded. A Malian soldier was also killed and another one injured. Aerial support was immediately deployed to secure the perimeter and facilitate medical evacuations. 

• The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, arrived in South Africa today for a two-day visit that will include delivering the 15th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture 2017 on Saturday in Cape Town.
• At a press briefing in Johannesburg, the Deputy Secretary-General said that tackling gender-based violence begins in the home and in communities and that “while progress has been made, a lot more needs to be done.” She cited her experiences with her own children and highlighted the importance of educating young boys and men about respecting women.
• Speaking about developments in Zimbabwe, Ms. Mohammed welcomed the change in leadership, adding that “Zimbabweans should congratulate themselves for the peaceful transition. This is a new dawn, and a new era; they can right the wrongs and it’s very important for them to reflect and not be in a rush.”

• The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, takes note of reports that the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar have reached agreement on the return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. It says that refugees have the right to return and that a framework that enables them to exercise this right in line with international standards will be welcome. First and foremost, this means that returns must be voluntary and take place in safe and dignified conditions that pave the way for lasting solutions.  
• At present, UNHCR says, conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State are not in place to enable safe and sustainable returns. Refugees are still fleeing, and many have suffered violence, rape, and deep psychological harm. Some have witnessed the deaths of family members and friends. Most have little or nothing to go back to, their homes and villages destroyed.
• The agency says that it is critical that returns do not take place precipitously or prematurely, without the informed consent of refugees or the basic elements of lasting solutions in place. People must have the option of returning home, and not be confined to specific areas.
• Progress towards addressing the root causes of flight, including their lack of citizenship, as recommended by the Rakhine Advisory Commission, will also be crucial.

• The United Nations is following with concern a rise in demolition activities and plans against Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
• On 22 November, Israeli authorities carried out demolitions in eight different communities in the West Bank, the highest number in demolitions for a single day since September 2016. A total of nine structures were demolished, displacing 19 Palestinians, including nine children, and affecting 50 other people, mainly in East Jerusalem.
• In addition, Israeli authorities have informed several communities of imminent demolition, including in the Kufr Aqab neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, in Susyia and in Area C in the northern Jordan Valley and on the outskirts of Jerusalem, increasing risk of further displacement.
• These demolitions are carried out following court orders on grounds of lack of building permit, which are very difficult for Palestinians to acquire.

• Mark Lowcock, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, today wrapped up his first official visit to the Russian Federation. He met with key Government officials, including the Minister for Civil Defense, Emergency Situations and Disaster Relief, Vladimir Puchkov, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov and representatives from the Ministry of Defense. He also visited the National Crisis Management Centre.  
• Mr. Lowcock discussed scope for strengthening the collaboration between the Government and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on disaster response and readiness. He also discussed the humanitarian situation in Syria, Yemen and Ukraine. He thanked Russia for its generous support to humanitarian action as well as its support to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund.

• The Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ursula Mueller, will visit the Republic of Turkey from 27 November to 1 December 2017 to attend the Global South-South Development Cooperation Expo in Antalya. She will co-chair a Leadership Roundtable together with the President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, Dr. Serdar Çam, on “South-South Cooperation for Peace, Prosperity and Partnerships – from delivering aid to ending need: Advancing the 2030 Agenda in crisis contexts” on 29 November.
• On 28 November, Ms. Mueller will meet with senior Government officials and humanitarian partners in Ankara to discuss the collaboration and partnership between the Government of Turkey and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as well as global and regional humanitarian issues and challenges.
• Ms. Mueller will also visit Gaziantep from 30 November to 1 December and meet with relevant authorities and humanitarian partners to discuss cross-border operations in the response to the Syria humanitarian crisis.

• The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) is calling for calm in Bangui following an incident today that led to the death of a student. The UN Mission underlines that the vehicle that hit the student was not a UN vehicle.
• This incident has led to violent protests targeting the United Nations. A UN vehicle was set on fire and others were attacked.
• The UN Mission is working with the national police and gendarmerie to restore calm in Bangui.

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today said it is deeply disturbed by the forcible removal of refugees and asylum seekers from the former ‘Regional Processing Centre’ on Manus Island.
• The agency said that footage of refugees and asylum-seekers being beaten by uniformed officers with metal poles is shocking and inexcusable.
• UNHCR remains on the ground in Manus Island but its limited access is hampering its monitoring role.
• The agency called on the Australian authorities once again to take immediate action to provide protection and safety for all refugees and asylum-seekers transferred to Papua New Guinea.

• The UN Migration Agency today released a new report which analyses four decades of undocumented migration data and concludes that Europe’s Mediterranean border is “by far the world’s deadliest.”
• The report states that at least 33,761 migrants were reported to have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean between 2000 and 2017 (as of 30 June). The agency noted that this number likely under-reports the actual scale of the human tragedy, as many deaths are not reported.
• The report analyses irregular migration across the Mediterranean since the 1970s and highlights that irregular arrivals to Europe have increased in response to more restrictive migration policies by some European countries.

• The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report warning that illegal logging, illegal caviar trade, mass-killing of wild birds and poaching of bears, wolves and lynx, are threatening the biodiversity and livelihoods in the Danube-Carpathian region stretching over 15 European countries.
• The report says despite European Union legislation, the region’s wildlife is frequently exposed to poaching and is endangering the livelihoods of people in the region as well.
• The report recommends stepping up inter-agency collaboration within countries and cooperation between the states of the region on data sharing and law enforcement.

• The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, has welcomed the transfer of 50 children detained on national security related charges from the maximum-security adult detention facility in Parwan to the Juvenile Rehabilitation Center of Kabul province.
• In a statement, Ms. Gamba said that it is now a priority to support the Afghan Government to ensure that appropriate services are made available for these children including access to legal, social and educational services.
• She also called on the Government to continue facilitating unhindered access to these children by independent national and international human rights and humanitarian organizations to monitor the conditions of their detention and address any deficiencies.