HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2017
 
SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR STRONGER COMMUNICATION CHANNELS WITH D.P.R. KOREA

• This morning, the Secretary-General spoke to the Security Council on the situation in the Korean Peninsula. He told Council members it is time to re-establish and strengthen communication channels, including inter-Korean and military to military channels, and stressed that this is critical to lower the risk of miscalculation or misunderstanding and reduce tensions in the region.
• He said unity in the Security Council is key to achieve denuclearization and to create space for diplomatic initiatives to do this in a peaceful manner. The Secretary-General reiterated the availability of his good offices and the support of the UN to facilitate communication among all parties.
• The Secretary-General also highlighted the humanitarian situation in the DPRK and called on Member States to step up their assistance, noting that only 30 per cent of the funds needed to cover humanitarian needs have been provided. “The people of the DPRK need our generosity and help,” he said.

• Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Special Envoy for Yemen, wrapped up a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he said he had productive and constructive meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anwar Qirqash, and senior officials to discuss the conflict in Yemen, including the humanitarian situation and the best way to advance a political solution.
• The Special Envoy also met with senior leaders of the General People's Congress to offer his sincere condolences on the death of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and discuss the best way to put an end to the conflict in Yemen. He added that what is happening in Sana'a is unacceptable and said that we need to put an end to the targeting of GPC leaders, activists and their families. 

• Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy for Syria, spoke to the press in Geneva last night after the completion of the eighth round of the intra-Syrian talks. He told reporters that real negotiations ultimately did not take place between the parties, and called this last round of talks “a golden opportunity missed”.
• The Special Envoy said that he did not see that the Syrian Government was really looking to find a way to have a dialogue and negotiate in this round, and added that he had seen signs that the opposition delegation was trying to negotiate.
• Mr. de Mistura added that he will assess the results of this round and hold discussions with the Secretary-General and Security Council in New York, where he is traveling this weekend.

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said today that it is deeply shocked and appalled at the mass execution on Thursday of 38 men at a prison in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya, which once again raises huge concerns about the use of the death penalty in the country. These 38 prisoners had been convicted for terrorism-related crimes. The Human Rights Office once again urges the Iraqi authorities to halt all executions, establish an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty and carry out an urgent and comprehensive review of the criminal justice system.
• Meanwhile, UN human rights officers visited the area of Tuz Khurmatu on 7 December and again on 14 December to investigate reports of the burning of homes and looting of businesses. They spoke to residents of Tuz Khurmatu in Kirkuk and Erbil who had fled the violence and saw for themselves in Tuz Khurmatu some 150 premises that had been burned or otherwise damaged.
• The Human Rights Office urges the end of all acts that threaten the fundamental rights of the Tuz Khurmatu population. It also calls on the Iraqi authorities to ensure that civilians there are protected and those responsible for human rights abuses brought to justice. 
• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs adds that on 13 and 14 December, some 3,000 people are reported to have fled villages located on the east side of Hanjir mountain in Tuz Khurmatu district, Salah al-Din Governorate, as a result of insecurity and mortar fire in the area. 

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that, for the seventh day in a row, the daily availability of power supply has dropped to no more than four hours in most areas of the Gaza Strip. This shortage is caused by faulty lines and lack of fuel for the Gaza Power Plant, which critically affects services in health, water and sanitation, and exacerbates the suffering of the 2 million people in Gaza.
• Last week, the Humanitarian Coordinator released $2.2 million from the Occupied Palestinian Territory’s Humanitarian Fund to cover urgent needs in emergency energy backup, medical supplies and food assistance.
• No significant change in the humanitarian situation has been noted since the Palestinian reconciliation accord signed in October, which the Secretary-General had hoped would lead to alleviating the humanitarian crisis. 

• As South Sudan enters its fifth year of fighting, UNICEF warns that the country is in the throes of a tragedy for children that affects more than half the child population.
• The Agency’s report, Childhood under Attack, shows that almost three million children are severely food insecure; 2.4 million have been forced from their homes; two million are out of school, and if the current situation persists, only one in 13 children are likely to finish primary school; more than 19,000 children have been recruited in the ranks of armed forces and armed groups; and more than 2,300 children have been killed or injured.
• UNICEF warned that new funding is essential to provide critical assistance to children and women. In 2018, UNICEF requires $183 million, and currently has a funding gap of 77 per cent.

• The UN Refugee Agency says it is increasingly worried about the deterioration of the overall protection environment in which Rohingya refugees are living in Bangladesh.
• They will start on Sunday distributing the first of almost 200,000 items of clothing to help recently-arrived people prepare for cooler temperatures in the weeks and months ahead.
• Children, who are 55 per cent of the Rohingya refugee population, are particularly vulnerable. An estimated ten percent of all refugees are also either disabled, have serious medical conditions or older persons at risk.
• UNHCR has been working to bolster the quality of shelters in the camps by supplying higher quality materials as well as expanding technical support for construction and drainage.
• At present, a steady but smaller number of refugees continue to cross from Myanmar, some 100 a day. As you know, an estimated 650,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since late August.

• Yesterday, UNHCR evacuated 74 vulnerable refugees, the vast majority children and women, from Libya to Niger. With the support of UNHCR’s partners in Niger, these refugees will be accommodated in guesthouses in Niamey.  
• In the Central African Republic, UNHCR also started this week the voluntary repatriation of Sudanese refugees from a camp in Bambari. More than 230 refugees have arrived in Sudan since the returns began on Tuesday. 66 UNHCR chartered flights are scheduled to bring some 1,500 refugees home before the end of the year.
• UNHCR also welcomed today the launch of the “Refugee Coalition for Europe”, which brings together refugee representatives living in different European countries, so their voices can be taken into account in decisions and policies impacting their lives. The first meeting of the Coalition took place this week in Milan, Italy, and promoted actions to strengthen refugee rights and enhance their integration in host countries.

• The Human Rights Office reiterated today the High Commissioner’s call for a moratorium on the application of Article 133 of El Salvador’s Penal Code which stipulates prison terms of two to eight years for those who procure or carry out abortions.
• It also calls for a review of all cases where women have been detained for abortion-related offences. 
• These calls come as this week, the Second Appeal Court of San Salvador upheld a 30-year prison sentence against a woman, Teodora Vasquez, for aggravated homicide – a charge commonly used to prosecute women suspected of deliberately terminating their pregnancy.
• El Salvador has one of the most draconian abortion laws in the world, completely prohibiting access to abortion regardless of the circumstances including if a woman’s life is at risk or if she has suffered sexual violence.
• The Human Rights Office highlights that El Salvador’s Penal Code disproportionately affects women living in poverty.
• It also calls on El Salvador to comply with its international human rights obligations and lift the absolute prohibition on abortion as reiterated by UN human rights mechanisms.