HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2018
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at a special event here at Headquarters ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
He said that violence against women and girls is a global pandemic, a mark of shame on all our societies and a major obstacle to inclusive, equitable and sustainable development. At its core, he said, violence against women is “a failure by men to recognize the inherent equality and dignity of women.” He added that recent efforts to uncover the issue are showing the galvanizing power of women’s movements to drive the action and awareness needed to eliminate harassment and violence everywhere.
The Secretary-General also highlighted the UN’s work to achieve gender parity among senior leadership, combat and prevent sexual harassment committed by staff and UN partners, and to end all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers and UN staff in the field.
The commemoration brought together survivors and activists under the theme ‘Orange the World’.
ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS
The Secretary-General this morning also spoke at the opening of the eighth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilization, which he said is fundamental to peace, security and to sustainable development to the world we need to build.
Sadly, he said, culture, faith and a false notion of identity today are still creating serious problems and threats in different regions.
As examples, he pointed to the plights of the Rohingya people of Myanmar and the Yazidi people in Iraq.
He stressed the need for all us to work together to build societies that are truly respectful and inclusive, where diversity is seen as a richness, and not a threat.
For this to happen, the Secretary-General said that we must engage in sincere and inclusive dialogue; we need to harness the creativity and energy of young people, and our efforts must be anchored in respect for universal human rights.
YEMEN
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, today tweeted that he welcomes Ansar Allah’s announcement to halt drone and missile attacks.
Mr. Griffiths added that he hopes that all parties continue to exercise restraint, to create a conducive environment for convening consultations.
As you will recall, last week he welcomed President Hadi’s announcement to move swiftly to a political solution and said he believes that Ansar Allah is committed to this.
Mr. Griffiths said he feels that we are close to resolving the preparatory issues to reconvene the parties and he intends to visit Sana’a this week to finalize arrangements. He noted he has received firm assurances from the leadership of the parties that they are committed to attending.
The Special Envoy also plans to visit Hodeidah this week with UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Lise Grande to revisit a UN supervisory role and to draw attention to the continued need for a pause in the fighting.
Over the weekend, Mr. Griffiths took part in the Sir Bani Yas Forum in the United Arab Emirates and he is back in Amman today.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reports that suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) elements launched an attack on Friday evening in the area of Boikene, close to Beni in North Kivu Province. One civilian was reportedly wounded, and two homes and a civilian vehicle were destroyed. A member of the Indian Formed Police Unit stationed there was also lightly wounded.
The UN Mission and the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) have increased security measures in the Beni area, including around hotels occupied by UN personnel and humanitarian workers who are focused on the Ebola response, and they have also expanded their support of police operations in the Beni area.
The Mission also reports that memorial services were held over the weekend for the Malawian and Tanzanian peacekeepers who were killed last week during an operation against the ADF in the Beni area.
And the World Health Organization (WHO), for its part, says that following the attacks on Friday in Beni, all activities related to the Ebola response were relaunched yesterday, and that includes vaccination activities, which are continuing. The treatment centers, which are run by partners, also remain operational.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
We issued a statement over the weekend on the recent violence in the Central African Republic.
There was an attack on a camp for internally displaced persons last week as well as a separate attack on the UN Mission in the country, in which a Tanzanian peacekeeper was killed.
The UN Mission in the Central African Republic reported today that 60 civilians were killed in that attack in the IDP camp in Alindao.
The Mission provided security to an estimated 3,000 people who sought protection at its temporary operating base, and the peacekeepers also dispatched a patrol to the scene of the clashes to investigate the incidents. It also intensified patrols near the town to provide protection to civilians and to deter activities by armed groups.
The UN Mission is also engaging with the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic and anti-Balaka to address their roles in instigating the violence as well as religious leaders on ending this violence in Alindao and Ouaka Prefectures.
In addition, on Saturday, Alfred Yekatom was surrendered to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague on Saturday, following the issuing of an arrest warrant for his alleged criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity conducted in the western part of the country between December 2013 and August 2014.
At the request of the government, the Mission provided reinforced security in the Camp de Roux prison, where he was held in custody, and provided an escort for his transportation to the airport.
SYRIA
Turning to Syria, we are concerned about reported restrictions to education, health and nutrition services in the northeast of the country since September.
Half of the 102,000 children enrolled in Government schools in northeast Syria are reportedly facing transportation restrictions, especially in Qamishli and Hassakeh cities. Of the affected school children, an estimated 10,000 have not been able to attend school since late September.
The UN continues to provide education support in the northeast, including through the rehabilitation of schools, installation of pre-fabricated classrooms, targeted programmes to help those who have missed years of school to catch up, and provision of education materials.
Access to health facilities has also reportedly been restricted, although health support continues in some facilities and in internally displaced people settlements across the governorate.
The UN calls on all parties to allow safe, sustained and unimpeded access for all in need, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law.
HAITI
The peacekeeping mission in Haiti, MINUJUSTH, reports that the demonstrations held yesterday were largely peaceful although there were reports of casualties.
The Haitian National Police pre-deployed in the sensitive areas in the country, supported by the UN Mission’s Formed Police Units in key areas of Port-au-Prince and [in the] regions.
MYANMAR
The UN Resident Coordinator in Myanmar, Knut Ostby, said that he is deeply concerned about the reports of shooting in Ah Nauk Ye camp in central Rakhine State, which holds internally displaced people who fled the violence in 2012.
He called for calm, non-violence and restraint, expressing his appreciation for the work of the organizations which provide first aid on site to the injured.
The UN will continue to monitor the situation and is committed to supporting sustainable solutions to the situation in Rakhine State.
LIBYA
Our humanitarian colleagues in Libya report that a joint United Nations inter-agency visit to Tawergha and Misrata on 14 and 15 November found a high level of destruction to houses and infrastructure as well as protection risks, including unexploded ordinances.
Most Tawerghans remain displaced, living in urban settings and in more than 26 poorly resourced camps throughout Libya where humanitarian conditions have reportedly deteriorated. Leishmaniasis – a disease transmitted by the bite of certain type of sandflies -- is a major concern with very limited or no treatment available.
The humanitarian community will mobilize to address the people’s most urgent needs, while engaging with authorities and development partners to ensure that durable solutions are promoted, allowing for voluntary, safe and dignified returns.
MIDDLE EAST
The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, briefed the Security Council by video conference today. He said that in recent days, we witnessed another dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza that risked unleashing an armed conflict with catastrophic consequences for two million impoverished Palestinians. He said his team had worked closely with Egypt and all concerned parties to ensure a return to the 2014 ceasefire arrangements. Thankfully, he added, a precarious restoration of calm has now been achieved, and we must all work to ensure that this calm is maintained.
UN POLICE
The annual UN Female Police Officer of the Year Award will be presented in New York today.
The 2018 Award is presented to UN Police Officer Phyllis Ama Tebuah Osei, who is with the UN Mission in Somalia. Ms. Osei is a superintendent of police from the Ghana Police Service whose exemplary work has positively impacted the local community and helped to build the capacities of the host state police in Jubbaland.
This is the first time the award is being presented in New York, and a ceremony is being co-hosted by the UN Police Division and the Permanent Mission of Canada.
MALARIA
The World Health Organization today released its 11th World Malaria Report, which says reductions in malaria cases have stalled after several years of decline globally.
For the second consecutive year, the annual report reveals a plateauing in numbers: in 2017, there were an estimated 219 million cases of malaria, compared to 217 million in 2016; in the preceding years, the number of people contracting malaria globally had been steadily falling.
In 2017, approximately 70 percent of all malaria cases were concentrated in 10 African countries and India.
In order to get the reduction in malaria deaths and disease back on track, WHO and partners launched a new country-led response to scale up prevention and treatment, increase investment and protect vulnerable people from the deadly disease.
TOILET DAY
Today is World Toilet Day, and this year’s theme is ‘When Nature Calls’ and highlights the need to act on the sanitation crisis. Nearly 4.5 billion people live without access to a safe toilet and 892 million people still practice open defecation, which can lead to the spread of disease, and contamination of water and soil, and have a serious impact on public health.
WORLD TV DAY
Wednesday is World TV Day, which we are marking today. Our colleagues in the Department of Public Information and the UN Foundation, are holding an event this afternoon in the ECOSOC Chamber called ‘Lights, Camera and Action on the Sustainable Development Goals’. The 3pm event consists of a series of discussions with TV executives that will showcase production used to promote the SDGs.
