HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 26 MARCH 2018
  
U.N. CHIEF CONDEMNS LAUNCH OF MISSILES TOWARDS CITIES IN SAUDI ARABIA

• The Secretary-General strongly condemned the launch late yesterday of a series of missiles claimed by the Houthis toward cities in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, as he does consistently with all attacks against civilians.
• Today marks the third anniversary of the conflict in Yemen. The Secretary-General calls for restraint amid mounting tensions and stresses that military escalation is not the solution. He urges all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure against attack.
• After his visit to Riyadh, the Special Envoy is in Sana’a this week to meet with various Yemeni parties. The Secretary-General emphasizes that a negotiated political settlement through inclusive intra-Yemeni dialogue is the only way to end the conflict and address the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

• The UN is stepping up its efforts to address the needs of people affected by weeks of ongoing hostilities in Afrin District in northwest Syria, where ongoing fighting has resulted in death and injury, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and further displacement.
• On 25 March, a United Nations/Syrian Arab Red Crescent inter-agency convoy to Tal Refaat delivered food, nutrition, health and core relief items for 50,000 people in need who have fled Afrin district in recent weeks.
• The team also carried out a needs assessment in Tal Refaat and surrounding areas. An estimated 183,570 men, women and children are estimated to be have been displaced. The massive influx of displaced people is putting a strain on host communities, which are already overwhelmed.
• Meanwhile, nearly 55,000 civilians from Eastern Ghouta are currently being hosted in seven collective shelters in Rural Damascus. This is a displaced population that has endured months with limited access to food, medical care or other essential items.
• While humanitarians are bravely doing all they can to respond to the needs of people who have been displaced, they also need access to people still trapped inside Eastern Ghouta – in Duma in particular, where fighting and besiegement continue. In this regard, the UN calls on all parties to fully respect international humanitarian and human rights law, to guarantee the protection of all civilians in Eastern Ghouta and to ensure immediate humanitarian access to those in need.

• This morning, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, briefed the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, and in particular the implementation of resolution 2334. He said that while the resolution calls on Israel to "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem" and to fully respect all its legal obligations in this regard, no such steps were taken during the reporting period.
• Mr. Mladenov said that Israel's illegal settlement expansion and related activities continue further threatening the viability of the two-state solution and eroding the prospects for peace. He also warned that violence and incitement continue to fuel hatred, division, distrust and fear. Continuing terror attacks on Israelis and the attempt on the life of the Palestinian Prime Minister illustrate the growing risk of destabilization and the empowerment of radicals and extremists, he said. He added that the use of force by Israel must be calibrated. He also called on Palestinian factions to engage earnestly with Egypt and move forward on the implementation of the Cairo agreement.
• Mr. Mladenov said he remains greatly concerned by the state of our collective efforts to advance peace. Long-held international consensus positions on final status issues, including on Jerusalem and refugees, and United Nations principles must remain the guiding framework of a negotiated process towards the ultimate goal of a two-state solution, he said, adding that any deviation from these principles would be dangerous.

• Over the weekend, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan strongly condemned the attack that killed at least 15 civilians and injured more than 40 people who were leaving a sports match in the province of Helmand.
• The head of the UN Mission, Tadamichi Yamamoto, called the attack, morally reprehensible, and said that incidents like these “must not deter our collective resolve to make progress on ending the conflict.”
• Mr. Yamamoto added that the United Nations stands with Afghans in solidarity and remains committed to an Afghan-led peace process that will end the war and enable Afghanistan to allocate more resources to protect all citizens from such atrocities.

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs expressed concern today about a new strong earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea over the weekend.
• This comes after last month’s earthquake which left an estimated 270,000 people in need of assistance.
• The UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund has released over US$9 million in funding to provide for the immediate needs of those affected.

• This morning, the UN International Dialogue on Migration kicked off at UN Headquarters. Over the next two days the Dialogue will focus on the topic of inclusive and innovative partnerships for effective global governance of migration.
• The Dialogue is in support of the Global Compact for Migration and counts with the participation of Member States, civil society, migrants’ groups and experts. You can watch it on our webcast page.

• The World Food Programme launched today the “Road and Market Access and Household Food Security in Nepal” report, which aims to raise awareness on the impact of improved road and trail infrastructure on household food security.
• This study found that improved infrastructure including rural roads, trails and bridges can serve to unlock different livelihood opportunities, and improve food security for remote mountain communities.
• Moreover, the study found that in areas where people were able to access markets more quickly and easily, households spent more money on non-staple foods, and had more diverse and nutritious diets, reducing the likelihood of stunting among children.

• In regard to questions asked last Friday, the requirement for Unmanned Aerial Services was the subject of a request for proposals ("RFP"). Under RFP exercises, the Organization may award a contract to the proposer offering the best value for money. This requires an evaluation of both the technical and financial offers of each proposer. The lowest bidder, therefore, will not necessarily be successful. 
• In the MONUSCO exercise, there was no "declared winner". One of the proposers, whose financial proposal was the lowest, had been issued a "notice of consideration of award". The award was subject to successful contract negotiations. Unfortunately, no contract was concluded because the UN technical experts rescinded the original technical evaluation of this vendor after learning of information which rendered the technical proposal non-compliant. 
• Any suggestion of an intention to enter into "sole source" negotiations is not correct.

• Today South Africa joined the Honour Roll, becoming the 69th Member State to pay its regular budget dues in full.