HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 6 APRIL 2018

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES RESTRAINT IN GAZA PROTESTS

• We continue to follow the protests in Gaza with concern. Reports are still coming in and it is still too early to determine the outcome of the day.
• As the Secretary-General said in a statement yesterday, we urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid confrontation.
• Colleagues on the ground are closely following the situation. Special Coordinator Mladenov is in contact with his various interlocutors on the ground to reinforce this message.

• In a statement yesterday, the Secretary-General condemned the mortar attack against the UN Mission in Mali’s camp that killed two Chadian peacekeepers and injured at least ten others yesterday in Aguelhok, in Kidal region.
• The Secretary-General conveys his deepest condolences to the Government of Chad and his profound sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims. He wishes a swift recovery to the injured.
• The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. These acts only reinforce the commitment of the United Nations to support the people and the Government of Mali in their quest for peace.

• In Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is concerned about reports of escalating hostilities in the Idleb governorate. Yesterday, airstrikes on the Al-Bara town in Ariha district, south of Idleb city, reportedly hit two schools and a mosque causing extensive material damage.
• OCHA also expressed concern for the safety and protection of civilians in Douma following reports of the resumption of hostilities in the area. An estimated 78,000 to 150,000 people remain in besieged eastern Ghouta and continue to face deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
• The UN calls on all parties, and those with influence over them, to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, to ensure freedom of movement and to allow for safe, sustained and unhindered access by all humanitarian parties to provide life-saving assistance to all in need.

• In Myanmar, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Ursula Mueller today visited the Maina KBC camp in Myitkyina Township in Kachin State where she met with displaced people.
• The camp is home to more than 2,500 women, men, girls and boys, many of whom have been displaced since 2011. People described their lives in the camp and shared their hopes to return to their homes. They also talked about the challenges they face, including issues of land ownership, landmine contamination, protection concerns and difficulties accessing their land.
• Ms. Mueller also visited a Women and Girls’ Centre in Myitkyina supported by UNFPA where she met with women who work on prevention and response to gender-based violence in displacement camps in Kachin.

• In Paris, the UN Development Programme Administrator, Achim Steiner, urged the international community to continue its support for Lebanon, citing its critical role for stability in the region. 
• Mr. Steiner was speaking at a conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron to support Lebanon’s economic stability. The conference received pledges of $10.2 billion dollars for Lebanon.
• Mr. Steiner praised Lebanon’s Capital Investment Plan, saying it presents an ambitious agenda to put the country firmly back on the path of economic growth and create employment opportunities for the Lebanese people and Syrian refugees alike. Lebanon is currently hosting nearly 1.5 million Syrian refugees displaced by the war in Syria.

• In Brazil, the UN Refugee and Migrant agencies have been working with the government to ramp up the humanitarian response for the growing number of Venezuelans arriving in the north of the country.
• According to Government estimates, more than 800 Venezuelans are entering Brazil each day, and as the situation in their country worsens, they are in more desperate need of food, shelter and health care.
• UNHCR has been working with the Brazilian Government to register Venezuelans and ensure all arrivals have proper documentation. Once documented, they have the right to work, and access health, education and other basic services. Meanwhile, IOM is supporting the Government to relocate about 300 Venezuelan migrants from the State of Roraima to other cities in Brazil.
• More than 52,000 Venezuelans have arrived in Brazil since the beginning of 2017. UNHCR has requested an initial US$ 46 million to implement its regional response plan for Venezuelans in the main host countries, Brazil included. So far, this plan is only 4 per cent funded.

• A new report released by our colleagues at the UN Environment Programme found that solar energy dominated global investment like never before in 2017. Investment in solar power grew by 18 per cent and is now at $160.8 billion dollars, surpassing new investments in coals and gas which were about $103 billion last year.
• A driving force behind this surge is China, which leads with more than half of the world’s new solar power capacity. There were also sharp increases in investment in Australia, Mexico and Sweden. The report also attributes this surge to the falling costs for solar electricity and to some extent wind power.
• Last year was the eighth in a row in which global investment in renewables exceeded $200 billion – and since 2004, the world has invested $2.9 trillion in these green energy sources.

• Today is the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. The Day highlights the unique power of sport to promote social integration and economic development in different cultural and political contexts. Sport also helps to promote the ideals of peace, fraternity, solidarity, non-violence, tolerance and justice.
• Tomorrow is the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General said that on this day, “we remember all those who were murdered and reflect on the suffering of the survivors, who have shown that reconciliation is possible, even after a tragedy of such monumental proportions.”
• He added that “to save people at risk, we must go beyond words. We must nurture the courage to care and the resolve to act. Only by meeting these challenges can we honour the victims,” he said. A commemoration event will be held here at Headquarters next Friday.
• World Health Day will also be observed tomorrow. This year’s theme is “Universal Health Coverage for Everyone, Everywhere.” And the World Health Organization is not just marking World Health Day, but also its 70thanniversary.

• Nigeria has paid its regular budget dues in full, bringing he Honour Roll to 74.