Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 23 August 2018

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 23 AUGUST 2018

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TAKE PART IN CHINA-AFRICA COOPERATION SUMMIT IN BEIJING
  • On Saturday, 1 September, the Secretary-General will leave for a visit to China, where he will speak at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing.
  • During his visit, the Secretary-General will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, State Counsellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, and other senior Chinese officials.
  • He will also meet with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, and other African leaders on the margins of the Summit.
  • The Secretary-General will be back in New York on the evening of Tuesday, 4 September.
SECURITY COUNCIL TO OBSERVE MINUTE OF SILENCE FOR KOFI ANNAN BEFORE COUNTER-TERRORISM MEETING
  • This afternoon, at 3pm, the Secretary-General will join members of the Security Council for a minute of silence in honour of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
  • The Council will then hold an open meeting and then consultations on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
  • Vladimir Voronkov, the head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, and Michèle Coninsx, the Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, will brief on the Secretary-General’s strategic-level report on the threat posed by Da’esh.
U.N. REFUGEE, MIGRATION AGENCY HEADS URGE STEPPED UP SUPPORT FOR COUNTRIES RECEIVING PEOPLE FLEEING VENEZUELA
  • Today, the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, and the Director General of the UN Migration Agency (IOM), William Lacey Swing, appealed for greater support from the international community to the countries that are receiving Venezuelan refugees and migrants.
  • More than 1.6 million Venezuelans have left the country over the past three years, with 90 per cent of them have stayed in countries in South America.
  • Mr. Grandi and Mr. Swing commended countries in the region for generously hosting Venezuelans arriving at their borders. However, they also expressed concern over recent developments including new passport and border entry requirements in Ecuador and Peru, as well as changes to the temporary stay permits for Venezuelans in Peru.
  • The current situation underlines the urgent need to increase international engagement and solidarity in support of the governments’ response plans, they said.
SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS ON MEMBER STATES TO RENEW POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR U.N. PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
  • The Secretary-General last week sent a Declaration of Shared Commitments on UN Peacekeeping Operations for endorsement to the Member States and relevant international and regional organizations.
  • The Declaration is part of the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative and aims to renew political support for UN peacekeeping operations. It spells out specific commitments that are vital to their success such as enhancing their political impact and strengthening the protection they provide.
  • Pakistan was the first country to endorse the Declaration, on the day after its issuance. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland endorsed it yesterday during the Secretary-General’s meeting with the UK Foreign Secretary. Ukraine just confirmed its endorsement today.
  • The Secretary-General has requested that Member States convey their endorsements by 14 September, ahead of a Heads of State and Government event on Action for Peacekeeping on 25 September.
MORE THAN 100 EBOLA CASES REPORTED IN D.R. CONGO – U.N. RELIEF WING
  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that, as of 21 August, some 103 cases of Ebola have been reported -- 76 confirmed and 27 probable. This includes 61 deaths.
  • Suspected new cases continue to emerge in Mabalako and Oicha areas of North Kivu. New alerts are under investigation in three more provinces: Mongala, Haut-Uele and Haut Katanga.
  • A joint United Nation-Ministry of Health team is implementing activities to combat the Ebola outbreak including alerts investigation; vaccination; water, sanitation and hygiene education; epidemiological surveillance; and psychological assistance to the affected families.
  • Since 8 August, more than 2,000 people have been vaccinated.
  • A joint response plan by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health is finalized with funds secured from donors and humanitarian partners.
  • The country-wide Humanitarian Response Plan, which requires $1.67 billion to respond to the needs of 10.5 million people, is however only 24 per cent funded.
U.N. MARKS INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR REMEMBRANCE OF SLAVE TRADE
  • Today is the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.
  • The date, 23 August, marks the anniversary of the 1791 insurrection of enslaved men and women in the western part of the island of Santo Domingo, which, on proclaiming its independence reverted to its original Amerindian name: Haiti. The uprising conveyed a universal demand for freedom. It speaks to humanity as a whole, without distinction of origin or religion, and continues to resonate now with undiminished force.
SIERRA LEONE BECOMES 123RD MEMBER STATE TO PAY U.N. FULL DUES
  • Sierra Leone has paid its regular budget dues in full, becoming the 123rd Member State to do so.

Transcript

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a joint United Nations‑Ministry of Health team is taking action to combat the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu Province, which has killed 61 people as of 21 August.  Since 8 August, more than 2,000 people have been vaccinated.

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