HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 3 MAY 2018
 
U.N. CHIEF EXECUTIVES REITERATE COMMITMENT TO END SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE

• The Secretary-General is in London spending most of the day in retreat meetings with the executive heads of UN agencies meeting as the Chief Executives Board.
• The lunch time session was devoted to a discussion on sexual harassment. Following the discussion, the CEB members agreed that sexual harassment results from a culture of discrimination and privilege, based on unequal gender relations and power dynamics. It has no place in the United Nations system.
• They reiterated their firm commitment to uphold a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment; to strengthen victim-centred prevention and response efforts; and to foster a safe and inclusive working environment.
• Members of the board are driving action in three key areas:
  • Reporting:
    • Providing mechanisms such as 24-hour helplines for staff to report harassment and access support
    • Establishing a system-wide database to avoid rehire of individuals who have perpetrated sexual harassment
  • Investigation and decision-making
    • Instituting fast track procedures to receive, process and address complaints
    • Recruiting specialized investigators, including women
  • Outreach and support
    • Enforcing mandatory training; providing guides for managers; harmonizing policies
    • Launching staff perception surveys to learn from experiences
• Working on changing the culture requires a continuing effort CEB leaders will continue to focus on. They believe that the United Nations must be a place where staff are valued and empowered to speak up and where sexual harassment is never tolerated.

• The Secretary-General condemns the violence that erupted in Bangui, Central African Republic, on 1 May, resulting in at least 22 people dead and over 100 injured. Two MINUSCA staff were also injured in subsequent violence.
• The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a prompt recovery to the wounded.
• The Secretary-General calls for calm and urges the Central African Republic authorities to investigate these repeated attacks and quickly bring those responsible to justice. The Secretary-General also expresses his continued concern over inflammatory rhetoric that seems to be prevalent. He recalls that there is no justification for incitement to violence or hate speech.
• The Secretary-General reaffirms his support to the Central African Republic and to MINUSCA’s role to protect civilians and stabilize the country. He urges all actors to cease violence and work together to bring peace and stability to the country. 

• A statement was issued yesterday in which the Secretary-General condemned the terrorist attack on the High National Election Commission (HNEC) headquarters in Tripoli. He extended his condolences to the families of the victims and sincere sympathy to the wounded. 

• As a result of hostilities and military operations in Syria’s Afrin District, which began on 20 January, some 126,000 men, women and children remain displaced from Afrin to Tall Refaat, Nabul, Zahraa, Fafin and other areas. In addition, an estimated 150,000 people remain in Afrin District, where access to people in need continues to be extremely limited.
• The United Nations continues to provide humanitarian assistance, including food, nutrition, shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and protection services, to people displaced from Afrin District.
• Several parties to the conflict continue to hinder displaced people’s movement, preventing them from seeking safety in their areas of choice or from returning to their areas of origin.
• The United Nations calls on all parties to the conflict, and those with influence over them, to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, to ensure freedom of movement, and to allow for safe, sustained and unhindered access by all humanitarian parties to those in need.

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that during the past week, heavy rains have continued in the Juba and Shabelle river basins, exacerbating flooding in parts of south central Somalia. Overall, 630,000 people have been affected by flash and river flooding, including some 215,000 people who have been displaced from their homes. Humanitarian partners have stepped up their response to the flooding by providing life-saving assistance including food, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, shelter and sandbags. However, OCHA said that resources remain limited and are asking for $16 million dollars to avert a crisis.

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today that their Food Price Index remained broadly steady in April, a tiny notch up from March and 2.7 percent higher than in the same month of 2017.
• Prices of cereals and dairy products continued their recent rising trend, while those of sugar continued their decline.
• FAO also released its first forecasts for the 2018/19 marketing season, predicting a decline in global cereal output and reserves, both of which have been at or near record highs.
• The decline is mostly due to an anticipated contraction in maize production, especially in the United States of America.
• Lower wheat output is mostly associated with an expected decline in the Russian Federation after an exceptional outcome the year earlier.

• Today is World Press Freedom Day. The theme this year is ‘Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law’ and it highlights the importance of an enabling legal environment for press freedom, and gives special attention to the role of an independent judiciary in ensuring legal guarantees for press freedom and the prosecution of crimes against journalists.
• In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General said that “promoting a free press is standing up for our right to truth” and added that the service that journalists and media workers provide to the public is invaluable.
• He also called governments to protect journalists and ensure that those who commit crimes against them are prosecuted. His full message is available online.
• To mark the Day, UNESCO has partnered with 40 news organizations to launch a campaign that encourages readers to look beyond their usual newspaper and to actively engage with alternative news sources. The campaign’s message is: ‘Read more. Listen more. Understand more. It all starts with a free press,’ and it was featured at the global celebration of the day in Accra, Ghana.