SECRETARY-GENERAL'S TRAVELS
The Secretary-General today visited Palu, on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island, where an earthquake and a tsunami struck two weeks ago.
In Balaroa, he saw the scale of the devastation generated by the liquefaction phenomenon which occurred during the earthquake. He said it was impossible not to be heartbroken by what he had just witnessed.
The Secretary-General also visited people affected by the disasters at a nearby hospital, which had been partly destroyed two weeks ago.
He then met with displaced people who had either lost their home or were too afraid to go back to their home. He spoke to families who had lost loved ones and to schoolchildren and their teacher in the camp in Jalan Balaikota.
The Secretary-General said he had made the visit to express the UN’s full solidarity with the people of Sulawesi and of Indonesia. He paid tribute to their resilience and said that their courage and spirit of solidarity were remarkable.
The Secretary-General also commended Indonesia’s response to the disasters and appealed to the international community to support reconstruction.
The Secretary-General visited Palu with the Vice-President of Indonesia, Muhammad Jusuf Kalla. He also met there with the Head of the Indonesian National Disaster Management Authority and the Governor of Central Sulawesi.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will participate in the World Bank-International Monetary Fund meetings in Bali, where he will discuss sustainable development and climate change in various sessions.
MALAYSIA/DEATH PENALTY
Last night, we issued the following statement on the Malaysian Government’s decision to abolish the death penalty:
“The Secretary-General welcomes the decision of the Malaysian Cabinet to seek abolition of the death penalty in the country. This decision was taken as we commemorated the World Day against the Death Penalty on 10 October.
The Secretary-General commends this decision as a major step forward in a global movement towards the universal abolition of the death penalty.
The Secretary-General seizes this opportunity to call on all countries which still retain it to follow the encouraging example of Malaysia.”
GAZA
In response to questions this morning about the Special Coordinator of the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, the Deputy Spokesman said that the UN Secretary-General fully supports the efforts of Special Coordinator Mladenov, who has been working tirelessly with all concerned parties, particularly with the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Israel to change the dynamics in Gaza - to avoid escalation, to support intra-Palestinian reconciliation and to address all humanitarian issues.
The Secretary-General hopes that relieving the humanitarian pressure in Gaza will reduce the tensions that risk a devastating armed conflict in Gaza and create space for the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to engage seriously with Egypt on reconciliation and the implementation of the 12 October 2017 Cairo Agreement. However, any humanitarian response to Gaza’s problems can only be temporary and limited in scope. What is needed is a political breakthrough that will restore intra-Palestinian unity under a single, legitimate national authority; a lifting of the closures in line with Security Council resolution 1860; and, ultimately, progress towards advancing a negotiated two-state solution based on relevant UN resolutions and previous agreements.
SYRIA
The United Nations is deeply concerned by the prevalence of explosive hazards, particularly improvised explosive devices (IEDs), that continue to kill and injure civilians in Syria. The latest such incident was reported yesterday, when a child was reportedly killed and another injured when an IED exploded in Al-Atareb city, 35 kilometres west of Aleppo city.
Some 8.2 million men, women, and children are living in communities reporting explosive hazards exposed to the threat of grave injuries and death on a daily basis, according to the 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview.
The presence of explosive hazards is a lethal barrier to movement and delivery of humanitarian aid, and it endangers those who are seeking refuge from violence.
The United Nations continues to call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, in line with parties’ obligations under International Humanitarian Law.
YEMEN
Our humanitarian colleagues in Yemen report that conflict has escalated over the last 24 hours in areas south of Hodeidah City with reports of increased air strikes, shelling and clashes mainly in Ad Duryahimi and At Tuhayta districts. The UN is working to confirm the impact of this escalation, including initial reports of civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
Since 1 June, more than 570,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Hodeidah Governorate. The United Nations and partners have reached nearly all of these people with emergency response kits that include food rations, hygiene supplies and items to preserve dignity. Additional assistance, including supplementary food, cash and shelter kits, are provided to the most vulnerable displaced people based on assessed needs.
Yemen remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with 22.2 million people – or 75 per cent of the population – in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. This includes 8.4 million people who do not know how they will obtain their next meal. The crisis is rapidly worsening due to escalating conflict and severe economic decline.
LEBANON
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Maritime Task Force (MTF) participated in a search-and-rescue operation at sea after receiving reports on Wednesday of a missing boat off the coast of Lebanon. UNIFIL was informed that a small boat, allegedly heading towards Cyprus, was missing and it tasked its Maritime Force to locate the missing vessel.
Yesterday, UNIFIL’s flagship, BRS Liberal, found a small white boat northwest of Beirut with 32 passengers on board: 19 men, six women and seven children. The boat was out of fuel and the passengers had been without food and water for four days. While waiting for the Lebanese Navy to arrive, UNIFIL naval peacekeepers distributed water and food and provided medical assistance.
After the Lebanese Navy arrived at the scene, the passengers arrived safely at Beirut’s port today, escorted by UNIFIL.
MINUSCA
The UN Mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, reports that, yesterday, it dismantled a base belonging to the armed group, UPC, and confiscated a number of weapons and ammunition in a joint operation in Bambari, Ouaka Prefecture.
The same evening, a group of UPC fighters opened fire and threw grenades at MINUSCA peacekeepers who were responding to a report that the UPC was threatening civilians in the city.
No MINUSCA casualties were reported. The Mission has increased patrols in Bambari to protect civilians.
NIGERIA/CHILDREN
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, welcomed the release earlier today of 833 children by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in North-East Nigeria.
The CJTF – a local group supporting security forces and protecting local communities in the northeast against Boko Haram – signed an action plan in September 2017 committing themselves to put measures in place to end and prevent child recruitment. Today marks the first formal release of children from the group since then.
In her statement, the Secretary-General’s Representative expressed concern for boys and girls in the country’s north-east who continue to be subjected to grave violations by Boko Haram, as well as for children detained by the authorities for their or their parents’ alleged association with armed groups.
EBOLA
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports progress in the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s North Kivu Province, but says a multitude of challenges, notably security in and around the city of Beni, have led to a recent increase in new cases.
The agency says 39 new confirmed cases were reported between 1 and 11 October, 32 of which are from Beni.
WHO warned that continuing insecurity severely affects both civilians and frontline workers, forcing the suspension of the response and raising the risk that the virus will continue to spread.
Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund reports that one month after the beginning of the school year, 80 percent of school-aged children have returned to school in Beni and Mabalako health zones, the two epicentres of the Ebola outbreak. UNICEF has identified more than 1,500 schools in the areas affected by the epidemic.
AUSTRALIA
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today called on the Government of Australia to urgently address a collapsing health situation among refugees and asylum-seekers at off-shore facilities in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.
UNHCR said that Australia must act now to prevent a further tragedy to people forcibly transferred under its so-called offshore processing policy. It reiterates its call for refugees and asylum-seekers to be moved immediately to Australia, where they can receive adequate support and care.
More than one quarter of the approximately 1,420 people still held in Papua New Guinea and Nauru have been returned to Australia on medical grounds.
Since 2016, UNHCR has consistently and repeatedly warned of the severe, negative health impacts of offshore processing which are as acute as they are predictable.
DISASTERS
I want to flag that tomorrow is the International Day for Disaster Reduction. The theme this year focuses on reducing economic losses in relation to global Gross Domestic Product by 2030.
In his message, the Secretary-General draws attention to the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia and said that this disaster “showed yet again the urgency of resilience and risk-awareness.”
Disasters have a steep human and economic cost, he says, adding that keeping track of the economic losses is crucial for progress in crisis prevention.
BIRDS
And tomorrow is also World Migratory Bird Day, which seeks to raise awareness about the importance of bird conservation.
In his message, the Secretary-General says that migratory birds are symbols of peace and of an interconnected planet and that their epic journeys inspire people of all ages, across the globe.
He added that the Day is an opportunity to celebrate the great natural wonder of bird migration, but also a reminder that those patterns and ecosystems worldwide, are threatened by climate change. The Secretary-General also urged Governments and people everywhere to take concerted conservation action that will help to ensure the birds’ survival and our own.
