HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 28 JANUARY 2019
 

HOLOCAUST
The Secretary-General spoke at the ceremony this morning to mark the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of Victims of the Holocaust.  He said that as we remember the Holocaust’s victims, we also reaffirm our resolve to fight the hatred that still plagues our world today. He said that he wished to sound an alarm today: Not only is anti-Semitism still strong - it is getting worse. We must rise up against rising anti-Semitism, he told the audience.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, he noted, anti-Semitic incidents in the United States increased by 57 per cent in 2017. The European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency reported last year that 28 per cent of Jews had experienced some form of harassment for being Jewish.  And other communities are also facing greater harassment, the Secretary-General warned, saying that the demonization of others rages on. Such hatred is easy to uncork, he said, but very hard to put back in the bottle. The Secretary-General also discussed the lessons of the Holocaust when he spoke on Saturday morning at a special ceremony at the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan.
As part of today’s events in remembrance of the Holocaust, there is the opening of the exhibit Beyond Duty: Diplomats Recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. That is at 1:15 p.m.to 2:30 p.m., in the Visitors Lobby – there will be an event which the Secretary-General will attend. 
There is also a panel discussion entitled India: A Distant Haven during the Holocaust, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., in Conference Room 2. 
And this evening, there is the opening of the exhibit Bracha. A Blessing. Back to Polish Shtetls, that is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the South Wall, Conference Building.  For events in the coming days, please look at the “week ahead”.
 
YEMEN
Martin Griffiths, the Special Envoy for Yemen, is on his way to Sana’a today.  He then intends to go to Hodeidah on Tuesday and be back in Amman on Thursday.
Mr. Griffiths has emphasized to the parties that the UN is committed to staying the course to help the parties implement the Stockholm Agreement fully and rapidly. Both parties continue to demonstrate political will in abiding by the Stockholm Agreement, and he believes that both parties are constructively and seriously engaged in implementing the Agreement.
Yesterday, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, condemned the 26 January shelling of a collective centre for internally displaced people (IDP) in Haradh District, in Hajjah Governorate, during which eight people were killed and 30 others were wounded.   She also expressed her condolences to all of the families impacted by the attack.  “Any attack on a civilian site is unconscionable and a clear violation of international humanitarian law,” she said.
 
PEACEKEEPING
The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, is in N’Djamena, Chad, where this morning he attended a memorial organized by the Government to pay tribute to the 10 Chadian peacekeepers killed in last Sunday’s attack in Mali.
Mr. Lacroix praised the heroism of the Chadian contingent in not only repelling a well-coordinated attack and protecting many lives in Aguelhok, but also in taking every precaution in avoiding civilian casualties.
He also conveyed the UN’s immense gratitude for Chad's commitment to the restoration of peace and security in Mali and the Sahel. He noted that Chad has the highest number of fatalities of any [UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) troop contributing country.]
The Under-Secretary-General, accompanied by the head of the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), also met with President Déby of Chad.
 
WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY
And also on peacekeeping, our colleagues say that a two-day event on women, peace and security kicked off today, in Addis Ababa in preparation for the 2019 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial conference, due to take place in New York in March.
Ethiopian President [Sahle Work] Zewde and Secretary-General’s Special Representative to the African Union, Hanna [Serwaa] Tatteh, addressed the gathering, which is co-hosted by Ethiopia and Canada and brings together Member States, troop and police contributing countries, civil society, academia and UN officials.
The meeting aims to develop concrete proposals for the advancement of the Women, Peace and Security [agenda] in the context of the Secretary-General’s Action for Peacekeeping initiative, as well as to elicit pledges and action ahead of the Peacekeeping Ministerial conference.
 
STATEMENTS
Over the weekend, you saw we issued two statements: one condemning the terrorist attack that took place at Jolo Cathedral in the Philippines; a second also expressing the Secretary-General’s sorrow at the terrible loss of life and significant damage to people’s homes and environment caused by the collapse of the dam in Brazil.
 
VENEZUELA
As you know, also on Saturday the Security Council met to discuss the situation in Venezuela. Council Members heard from the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, who stressed the need to bring about a political solution that will allow the country’s citizens to enjoy peace, prosperity and all human rights.
And today, the UNHCR-IOM Special Representative for Venezuelan refugees and migrants, Eduardo Stein, issued a statement praising the “exemplary solidarity” and generosity [that] Latin American countries have shown towards people fleeing Venezuela. However, he expressed concern over the violent actions and threats against Venezuelan citizens that have taken place in recent days.
He called these incidents of xenophobia “extremely worrying” and called on governments and societies to respond with a clear and forceful message of rejection.
 
FAO/WFP
And a new report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) shows that the link between conflict and hunger remains persistent and deadly. The report, prepared for the UN Security Council, estimates that around 56 million people are in need of urgent food and livelihood assistance across eight conflict zones around the world, including in Yemen, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Last May, the Council adopted resolution 2417, which condemns starvation as a tool of war and calls on all parties to armed conflict to comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law to minimize the impact of military actions on civilians, including on food production and distribution.
 
HONOUR ROLL
And as we come to a close with January, a number of Member States [have] paid their regular budget dues in full for 2019. We wish to thank Bulgaria, Denmark, Netherlands, Tuvalu and Ukraine for their payments. The Honour Roll now stands at a healthy 25.