HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 10 MAY 2018

 SECRETARY-GENERAL VOICES CONCERN OVER MISSILE LAUNCHES FROM SYRIA, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES RETALIATORY STRIKES

• The Secretary-General followed with utmost concern reports overnight of missile launches from Syria targeting Israeli positions and retaliatory strikes by the Israel Defense Forces, that followed earlier strikes in Syria on Tuesday, 8 May. He notes with relief today’s partial normalization of the situation.
• The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has maintained contact with the Syrian Arab Armed Forces and Israel Defense Forces, urging both parties to exercise maximum restraint and abide by their obligations under the Disengagement of Forces Agreement. 
• The Secretary-General urges for an immediate halt to all hostile acts and any provocative actions to avoid a new conflagration in the region already embroiled in terrible conflicts with immense suffering of civilians.
• The Secretary-General reiterates the United Nations unwavering support to long term de-escalation efforts, and stability in the Middle East. The United Nations will continue to advance and support all efforts aimed at further de-escalation in the region. In this context, the Secretary-General reiterates that the conflict in Syria should be brought to an end with a political solution through the Geneva intra-Syrian talks, as stipulated in resolution 2254 of the Security Council.
• The Secretary-General calls on the Security Council to remain actively seized of the matter and shoulder its responsibilities under the Charter. He stands ready to work closely with all its members in this regard.

• This afternoon, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will depart New York for Havana, Cuba, to attend the closing of the ongoing thirty-seventh session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. 
• She will also meet with senior Government officials and the United Nations Country Team.
• The Deputy Secretary-General will return to New York on 13 May.

• This morning, the Secretary-General met with his senior leadership to acknowledge the signing of the 2018 senior manager compacts. More streamlined and focused than in previous years, they capture and communicate key priorities and are the first set of compacts to be signed by the new senior leadership team. This is part of his efforts to shift the management paradigm of the United Nations, and the pledge of the Secretary-General that the Secretariat would be transparent, responsible and accountable in its stewardship of the resources of the Organization and in delivering upon agreed mandates.
• Performance compacts with senior managers are a vital component of the accountability culture of the United Nations and set the tone from the top for results.
• For the first time, the Compacts are aligned with the UN System Leadership Framework to include characteristics for senior leaders that are essential to fulfilling the Organization’s core mandates. 
• The compacts include commitments to prevent, address and report allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse and ensure rapid response to allegations of sexual harassment. It includes a commitment to protecting whistleblowers who bring these and other types of misconduct to the attention of senior leaders. They also reflect the Secretary-General’s commitment to reaching gender parity and improving geographical diversity.  
• The compacts reflect the wide-ranging reform agenda. The Secretary-General expects senior leaders to contribute to these efforts in a concrete and constructive manner, including by regularly engaging with staff, as the Organization undergoes an extensive process of change. 
• Stressing the importance of a strong team spirit, the Secretary-General called on the leadership team to create a work environment that is civil, empowers staff, fosters creativity and innovation, enables better communication with staff, and respects the dignity of each person.

• The Secretary-General is pleased to announce that for the first time in the history of the United Nations, there is now gender parity among those nominated to fill the position of UN Resident Coordinators – the UN’s team leaders on the ground around the globe. 
• These latest appointments also increase the regional diversity of this group, showing that the goals of gender parity and regional diversity can be pursued in parallel.
• This milestone builds on the achievement in gender parity among the UN Senior Management Team. Taken together, that means that the UN’s top leadership both at headquarters and the country-level is now 50-50.
• The Secretary-General regards gender parity at all levels of the United Nations to be a priority, not only to improve the effectiveness of our work, but to end the power imbalances that contribute to sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse.
• The Secretary-General will continue to press for fast progress on gender parity at all levels across the UN system.

• This morning the Joint Special Representative and Head of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), Jeremiah Mamabolo, briefed the Security Council on the situation in Darfur and the work of the mission. Mr. Mamabolo told Council members that the general security situation in Darfur remains calm, except for sporadic clashes between the Sudan Liberation Army of Abdul Wahid (SLA/AW), Government forces and nomads in the Jebel Marra.
• He said some 1.76 million displaced people are registered as living in approximately 66 camps in Darfur. UN humanitarian agencies and partners estimate that an additional 500,000 displaced people live in some 108 host communities and settlements. Mr. Mamabolo stressed that for Darfur to be guaranteed peace and development, durable solutions will have to be found for the plight of internally displaced people.
• He concluded that as UNAMID continues its reconfiguration and drawdown, the transition phase will be critical in creating the foundation for a durable peace. He further encouraged efforts to mobilize financial resources to consolidate and sustain peace and stability in the region.

• The UN Mission in Afghanistan today released a report detailing a pattern of attacks at election-related facilities ahead of the October 2018 elections.
• The Mission verified 23 election-related security incidents since voter registration began on 14 April. These incidents have resulted in 271 civilians killed and injured, with the vast majority of civilian casualties occurring on 22 April from a suicide attack among a crowd gathered outside a national identity card distribution centre in Kabul, resulting in 198 civilian casualties. Many of these incidents also involved threats, harassment and intimidation against election-related personnel, teachers and potential voters.
• Also in Afghanistan, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Andrew Gilmour, met this week with President Ashraf Ghani and other senior government officials, calling for action against civilian casualties, torture, violence against women and boys and to ensure justice for victims of human rights violations. Mr. Gilmour also addressed a conference on “Accountability, Human Rights, Justice and Peace” organized by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that today the Central Emergency Response Fund allocated $1.26 million to Gaza. These funds are meant to strengthen the trauma pathway in Gaza to support the rapid procurement of essential medical supplies and their distribution to critical hospitals providing trauma care.
• OCHA also published today an analytical bulletin covering the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory highlighting that the access to education of over 450,000 children in Gaza is undermined by recurring violence, electricity shortages, the intra-Palestinian divide and the unprecedented financial crisis faced by UNRWA.

• In a statement yesterday, the Secretary-General expressed his concern about the recent and sharp escalation in the Yemen conflict, namely the Coalition airstrikes on 7 May that hit a Government building in the Tahrir district, a densely-populated area of Sana’a City, and the firing of ballistic missiles by the Houthis on 6 and 9 May toward different targets in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh.
• The Secretary-General reminds all parties to the conflict that they must uphold international humanitarian law, including taking steps to protect civilians. All potential violations of international humanitarian law should be thoroughly investigated and those responsible for violations must be held accountable.
• The Secretary-General appeals to the parties to refrain from further escalation as this adversely impacts the chances for peace. He reminds the parties 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 Refugee Agency today evacuated 132 vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers out of Tripoli, in Libya, and flew them to Niamey, Niger.
• Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR’s Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean Situation, said that refugees in detention in Libya are languishing in extreme conditions that threaten their life and wellbeing, adding that UNHCR’s humanitarian evacuation programme is about saving vulnerable individuals from further harm. The Government of Niger has offered additional space for up to 1,500 refugees in the Emergency Transit Mechanism run by UNHCR in Niamey. UNHCR urgently needs to find resettlement solutions for these refugees in other countries.
• Additional evacuations are being planned and will include refugees held in different detention centres in Libya.

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched today the first voluntary guidelines for forest concessions in the tropics to make concessions more transparent, accountable and inclusive - all for the benefit of some of the poorest and most isolated communities in the world.
• Over 70 percent of forests in the tropics used for harvesting timber and other forest products are state-owned or public; most of the public forests are managed through concessions that governments give to private entities or local communities.
• While they have generated more jobs and better income for people in remote areas, in many cases, they have also left behind a trail of degraded forests and tenure conflicts.
• The new voluntary guidelines build on lessons learned to offer practical guidance for a more sustainable management.

• UNICEF is releasing today a new analysis on breastfeeding, calling for the narrowing of “breastfeeding gaps” between rich and poor worldwide.
• Worldwide, approximately 7.6 million babies each year are not breastfed, 1 in 5 babies in high-income countries, compared to just 1 in 25 in low- and-middle-income countries. This, even though breastmilk saves lives, protects babies and mothers against deadly diseases, and leads to better IQ and educational outcomes.
• The United States alone accounts for more than one-third of the 2.6 million babies in high-income countries who were never breastfed.
• Within low-and-middle-income countries, wealth disparities affect how long a mother will continue to breastfeed her child.

• Tomorrow at 12:20 p.m. the Secretary-General and his Envoy on Global Education, Gordon Brown, will be receiving a petition signed by some 1.5 million young people calling for more investment in education. The petition will be delivered by three youth activists from India, Kenya and Sierra Leone. This will take place in the Secretary-General’s conference room.
• Right after receiving the petition, Mr. Brown will be the guest at the noon briefing and will talk about a new UN initiative to finance global education.