HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 4 OCTOBER 2019

 
DEMONSTRATIONS
The Secretary-General has been following closely the recent waves of street demonstrations that have been taking place in several countries around the world.
He is deeply concerned that some of these protests have led to violence and, regretfully, in some instances have resulted in the loss of life and serious injuries.
The Secretary-General restates that freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental rights that must be respected. Upholding these rights is one of the bedrocks of our society and is crucial for advancing democracy, development and peace.
The Secretary-General reiterates his call for security forces to act at all times with maximum restraint and to respond to any acts of violence in conformity with relevant international human rights standards on the use of force by law enforcement officials. He also calls on protestors to demonstrate peacefully and to refrain from violence.
As he stated in his address to the United Nations General Assembly last week, the Secretary-General urges all States to safeguard civic space and to uphold human rights to help deliver on sustainable development and peace.
 
IRAQ
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, welcomed last night’s address by Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, which emphasized the need for unity, dialogue and action.
The Special Representative said that there is an opportunity to move forward and that the interests of the country must be prioritized above all else. She said that dialogue must pave the way to understanding, reconciliation and progress.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights today called on the Iraqi Government to allow for people to freely exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The Office said that the use of force should be exceptional, and assemblies should ordinarily be managed without resort to force. Any use of force must comply with applicable international human rights norms and standards, including the principles of necessity and proportionality, the Office of Human Rights said.
 
TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Secretary-General will depart New York on the evening of Wednesday, 9 October, to head to Copenhagen in Denmark.
Building on the momentum generated by last month’s Climate Action Summit, the Secretary-General will take part in the C40 World Mayors Summit to show his support for the tremendous efforts undertaken by cities, more than 100 of which committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the UN Climate Summit in September. In Copenhagen, he will urge cities to continue enhancing resilience to climate change and accelerating the transition to a green economy.
The Secretary-General will deliver the keynote address at the C40 plenary session on Friday, 11 October, on the theme, “The future we want is inclusive – and climate action must lift everyone up.”
While in the Danish capital, he will participate in a working lunch with the Foreign Policy Committee of the Danish Parliament, on Thursday, 10 October.
He will also hold bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and they will jointly visit a UNICEF warehouse where they will pack kits of humanitarian supplies.
The Secretary-General will visit UN City, an environmentally sustainable facility, where he will take part in the official opening of the UN Refugee Agency/World Bank Joint Data Centre on Forced Displacement. This project aims to allow for decisions affecting refugees, internally displaced people, asylum-seekers and others to be made in a timelier and evidence-based manner.
On Friday, the Secretary-General will have an audience with Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark.
 
DSG TRAVELS
Tonight, the Deputy Secretary-General will go to Geneva to attend and deliver remarks at the 17th annual session of UNHCR’s Executive Committee as well participate in the High-Level Segment on statelessness. She will also meet UN officials while there and she will be back in New York on 7 October.
 
POLITICAL AND PEACEBUILDING AFFAIRS
The head of the Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, will visit the Middle East from 5 to 11 October to discuss with key counterparts and partners current efforts by UN Missions, agencies, funds and programmes in the region.
From 5 to 8 October, she will meet with Government officials and civil society organizations in Israel and Palestine and visit the Office of the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process in Jerusalem.
On the 8th, Ms. DiCarlo will go to Amman, Jordan, where she will meet with Jordanian and UN officials and she will be in Lebanon from 9-11 October for talks with Government officials and civil society organizations, including women’s groups. During her three-day visit, she will also meet with the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, the UN country team, and she will also visit the UNIFIL troops in southern Lebanon.
 
USG LOWCOCK
Mark Lowcock, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, will visit three European countries: Sweden, the Netherlands and France.
Between Monday and Wednesday next week, he will meet with Government officials in each of the countries to discuss issues related to humanitarian action.
On Tuesday, in Amsterdam, he will also deliver a keynote address at the International Conference on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Crisis Situations.
 
DR CONGO
In other news, our colleagues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are marking an important milestone today. The 1,000th person to survive Ebola after receiving treatment has returned home.
In a joint statement, David Gressly, who heads the emergency relief operation for Ebola, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, and UNICEF as well as Save the Children commended the strong leadership of the DRC health authorities and the tireless efforts of thousands of local health workers and partners. 
New treatments have improved survival rates of people infected with Ebola. According to recent study, over 90 per cent of people who receive treatment early enough during their illness can be saved. Vaccination has also protected over 225,000 people.
 
TUNISIA
The UN closely following the ongoing electoral process in the country. The UN commends Tunisia for the successful holding of the first round of Presidential elections on 15 September and calls for peaceful and transparent elections to be held for the Parliament on 6 October and the second round of the Presidential contest on 13 October.
The UN urges all concerned to ensure a level-playing field for all candidates, including equality of chances in full respect for Tunisian law and the prerogatives of the judicial branch. We remind the authorities and candidates of their responsibility in ensuring peaceful elections and resolving any complaints through the constitutional process.
 
YEMEN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that more than 90,000 people have been affected by floods caused by heavy rains and thunderstorms in Yemen since 27 September. Most of the affected people - 70 per cent - are in Hajjah governorate. Humanitarian agencies have stepped in to provide initial assistance.
Residential areas, sites for displaced people, farms and water reservoirs have been damaged. Humanitarian agencies are undertaking more detailed assessments.
 
CONCERT FOR CLIMATE ACTION
The UN Chamber Music Society will hold a concert for Climate Action on Tuesday 8 October at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
 
BUDGET DUES
Cameroon has paid its dues to the regular budget bringing the total to 128.