HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 3 FEBRUARY 2021
SG HUMAN FRATERNITY AWARD
This morning, the Secretary-General was co-awarded the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity.
The Secreraty-General said it was an honour to receive the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity. He said he knows this is also recognition of the work of the United Nations to advance peace and human dignity every day and everywhere.
He also congratulated this year’s other awardee, Latifa Ibn Ziaten of France. Her dedicated efforts to support young people and promote mutual understanding, arising out of immense personal tragedy, have won admirers at home and beyond.
Discrimination, racism and extremist violence are surging across the globe, he said.
As the world faces the COVID-19 pandemic, an economic crisis, a climate emergency and threats to peace, unity and solidarity are more important now than ever. There must be no room for hatred in the future we are striving to build.
The Secretary-General also said that this is also very much the spirit of the pathbreaking efforts of His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb to advance their inter-faith dialogue and promote our common humanity.
This award will inspire us as we continue that vital work.
In that spirit, the Secretary-General has decided to donate the prize money – half a million US dollars, that’s $500,000 -- to the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees to buttress its indispensable efforts to protect the most vulnerable members of the human family – the forcibly displaced.
MYANMAR
In Myanmar, the UN is watching the situation very closely and with concern.
The UN has more than 2,500 personnel in Myanmar, both international and national, providing crucial development and humanitarian support to the people of Myanmar in their pursuit of democracy, peace, human rights and the rule of law
The UN in Myanmar has been providing significant support to the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest political developments in Myanmar come at a particularly difficult time for the country, as it is experiencing a public health emergency with significant socio-economic impacts. The first vaccines arrived in Myanmar only last week and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic must remain a priority for the foreseeable future.
The UN is also providing humanitarian assistance to more than a million people in Myanmar.
YEMEN
In a note issued yesterday on the Safer tanker, the UN explained that it has requested the Houthi de facto authorities in Yemen to provide a letter with security assurances in order to deploy a team to the Safer tanker.
The UN regrets that, to date, no response was received despite multiple requests for this letter. Without the letter, the cost of the mission would increase by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The UN is also very concerned by indications that the Houthi de facto authorities are considering a “review” of their formal approval of the mission to deploy. Houthi officials have advised the UN to pause certain preparations pending the outcome of such a process, which would create further delays for the mission.
In light of these challenges, the timeline of deployment of the mission for the tanker remains uncertain and dependent on the continued facilitation of all stakeholders involved.
The UN hopes to receive a renewed commitment from the Houthi de facto authorities to resolve this urgent matter as soon as possible. Any other outcome would be extremely disappointing.
ETHIOPIA
On Ethiopia, in a statement yesterday, the Secretary-General remains seriously concerned over the situation in Tigray.
He attaches strong importance to the partnership between the Government of Ethiopia and the United Nations, through its Country Team, in addressing the acute humanitarian needs of all affected populations. He underlines the need for continued urgent steps to alleviate the humanitarian situation and extend protection to all those at risk in Tigray.
In this context, he welcomes the positive engagement of the Government during the recent visits by senior UN officials. These included the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi; the head of UN Safety and security, Gilles Michaud; as well as the Executive Director of the World Food Programme. These engagements are undertaken in line with the Secretary-General’s call to the Government for sustained, impartial and unimpeded humanitarian access to affected areas in the Tigray region and to internally displaced persons and refugee camps.
SOMALIA
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, today visited Hargeisa in Somaliland.
He met with Muse Bihi Abdi and other senior government officials, members of civil society, and the National Electoral Committee.
Mr. Swan said he was pleased to be able to discuss the work of the UN in Somaliland and to help address practical issues affecting the people. Our partnership dates back to 1991, he said, adding we have remained committed since then through the most difficult times and better times.
Mr. Swan noted that the UN’s support is wide-ranging, and includes humanitarian and development aid.
While in Hargeisa, he also visited a World Food Programme-operated nutrition and medical centre.
AFGHANISTAN
A report released today by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the UN Human Rights Office warns that allegations by detainees of torture in Afghanistan detention facilities continue at high rates. The report also notes that the procedural rights of those detained are largely ignored.
According to the report, almost a third of people detained for security or terrorism-related offences in Afghanistan have been subjected to torture or other forms of ill-treatment.
Also to note, the humanitarian team in the country warns that the number of people in need in the country has doubled from 9.4 million at the start of 2020 to 18.4 million at the start of 2021. Four in 10 people are now going hungry, which means that almost 17 million people are in crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity through March 2021. According to our humanitarian colleagues, almost half of all children will be acutely malnourished in Afghanistan.
RUSSIA
In response to questions about the latest developments in Russia, the Spokesman said the UN Human Rights office urged the Russian authorities to immediately release all those detained for exercising their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression over the past few weeks of protests across the country.
The Human Rights office added they are deeply dismayed by the sentencing of Aleksei Navalny yesterday.
The Secretary-General fully subscribes to the statement made by the High Commissioner’s office.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
In response to questions about hate speech in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Spokesman said the UN rejects any form of hate speech, denial of war crimes and genocide as well as the glorification of convicted war criminals, in Bosnia and Herzegovina and elsewhere.
The Secretary-General, in a message he delivered last year on the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accord, stressed that building a future of peace requires dealing with the past. It means acknowledging that horrific crimes were committed during the war.
The Secretary-General emphasized that those crimes should never be forgotten, nor should the ideology of the perpetrators be celebrated. Hate speech or narratives of mistrust and fear have no place in an inclusive, peaceful Bosnia and Herzegovina.
OCEANS
This morning, the Secretary-General delivered remarks – by pre-recorded video – to the Brave New Ocean high-level virtual event organized by UNESCO. This is to launch the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
He said that to recover from the pandemic and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we must stop degrading the environment we depend on. He said that restoring the ocean’s ability to nurture humanity and regulate the climate is a defining challenge. It will influence the outcome of our efforts to stem biodiversity loss, implement the Paris Agreement and meet the promise of the SDGs.
WHO
The World Health Organization announced today that Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, will continue for a third term as WHO’s Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries.
CHILD LABOUR
The initiative called Music Against Child Labour was launched as a competition to mark the UN International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour.
Musicians of all genres are invited to submit a song to inspire governments and stakeholders to take action to eliminate child labour, which affects nearly 1 in 10 children worldwide.
According to the ILO, child labour has decreased by almost 40 per cent over the last two decades. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to reverse this progress.
You can find more information about the competition and how to enter on the ILO website.
NOON BRIEFING GUEST TOMORROW
The guest tomorrow will be Denise Brown, the Deputy Special Representative for the Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic. She will brief virtually from Bangui and will give reporters an update on the situation there.
TIMUR GOKSEL
The Spokesman paid tribute to Timur Goksel, the longtime face and voice of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, who passed away from COVID-19 earlier this week. He offered condolences to his family and his many friends around the world.
Although Timur only signed on to be with UNIFIL for six months, he stayed with the peacekeeping mission for 24 years. He served as UNIFIL spokesman from 1979 and then as senior adviser from 1995 until he retired in 2003. And even after that, he spoke as a university lecturer in Beirut about the UN’s peacekeeping work.
And on a personal note, the Spokesman said that both Farhan (Haq, the deputy Spokesman) and himself relied heavily on his expertise for many years to get the latest information from UNIFIL. It’s hard to imagine a world without his sage advice and wry outlook. He will be missed.
HONOUR ROLL
Hungary and Malaysia have made full payments to the 2021 regular budget. The Honour Roll now stands at 28.
