HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 9 JULY 2018
 
IN ADDIS ABABA, SECRETARY-GENERAL REAFFIRMS U.N.-AFRICAN UNION PARTNERSHIP

  • The Secretary-General arrived in Addis Ababa today to attend the second annual UN/African Union conference, which he co-chaired with the Chair of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat.  At that conference, the Secretary-General reiterated his pledge to reinforce the UN-AU partnership based on the principles of solidarity and mutual respect, in conformity with the UN Charter.
  • He said that the United Nations could not afford to fail in Africa. He underscored that the UN and the African Union are working together to implement the UN’s Agenda 2030 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
  • They also jointly reviewed a number of regional situations where both organizations are involved in peacekeeping or mediation efforts.
  • Following a working lunch, the Secretary-General and the AU Commission Chair both addressed a special meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council.
  • A joint UN/AU communique was issued today.
  • The Secretary-General said at that meeting that the African Union is the United Nations’ closest partner. He told the representatives that he was encouraged by the important measures taken to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two organizations. 
  • In speaking to the press afterwards, he said that the recent visit by the Ethiopian Prime Minister to Eritrea and its success and the recent decisions by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on South Sudan give hope that the African continent is moving in the right direction.  He said the evident political will by the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments to resolve their problems was very good news.
  • Before leaving Addis for New York, the Secretary-General had a working dinner with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL WRAPS UP AFRICA VISIT
  • The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, has arrived back in New York from Niger, where she spent Saturday and Sunday on a joint United Nations-African Union visit, which included the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Margot Wallström. She also visited Chad and South Sudan earlier.
  • In Niger, the Deputy Secretary-General had bilateral meetings with authorities in the capital, Niamey, including President Mahamadou Issoufu. She expressed her hope that more women will rise to leadership roles in the country. Climate security and renewable energy were also discussed in a number of meetings.
  • The Deputy Secretary-General also visited a women’s health centre specializing in obstetric fistula care and met with a range of women’s groups, both in the capital and in Maradi.
  • She is due to brief the Security Council on her trip on Tuesday.
U.N. ENVOY VOICES ‘PROFOUND SHOCK’ AT GRAVE VIOLATIONS AGAINST CHILDREN
  • This morning, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, spoke to Security Council members at the open debate on “Protecting children today to prevent conflict tomorrow.”
  • She told Council members that she was profoundly shocked by the appalling number of grave violations perpetrated against children last year. Over 21,000 violations were documented by the United Nations, a significant increase compared to previous years. The majority of these acts were perpetrated by armed groups she said, adding that while those responsible for grave violations must be held to account, we must not forget that children that have been recruited should be treated primarily as victims.
  • She stressed that while the current situation is grim, progress has been made in many countries and the resolution adopted today is a further step in strengthening the framework of child protection. The resolution provides child protection actors with political space to engage parties to conflict at an early stage and move towards an era of prevention, she said.
  • UNICEF Director, Henrietta Fore also briefed the Council.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA: U.N. WELCOMES GENERAL AMNESTY FOR POLITICAL OFFENSES
  • In response to questions asked last week about the amnesties granted in Equatorial Guinea, the United Nations welcomes the decision announced by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea on 4 July to grant a general amnesty to all citizens condemned by the Courts of Justice of Equatorial Guinea, for political offenses in the exercise of their activities. The presidential decision marks an important step towards the creation of conditions for a peaceful political climate ahead of the national dialogue scheduled for 16 to 21 July.   
  • The United Nations underlines the paramount importance to promote maximum inclusiveness to ensure a national dialogue in which all parties and representatives of Equatoguinean society are engaged. The United Nations encourages the Government to continue to undertake all possible confidence-building measures ahead of this event.
  • The United Nations, through the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), stands ready to support such efforts.
U.N. REITERATES SUPPORT FOR FREE ELECTIONS IN MALI
  • Campaigns for presidential and parliamentary elections in Mali later this month kicked off on Saturday. Last Friday, the Head of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the country, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, held a press conference in Bamako, in which he reiterated the UN Mission’s support for free, credible, transparent and peaceful elections. Among other things, the Mission has reinforced the capacity of electoral actors, implemented projects to safeguard electoral materials, and has recruited, trained and deployed some 60 electoral assistants. The Mission is also responsible for transporting all election materials in the areas where it is deployed.
  • Mr. Annadif stressed that while the 2013 elections helped restore constitutional order following the coup, the 2018 elections must ensure that observers in Mali are convinced that the democratic process is irreversible. The presidential election of 29 July, he added, should be an opportunity for Malians to choose a candidate who will deliver their ambition for a united, democratic, diverse and prosperous Mali.
U.N. MISSION REPORTS TENSIONS IN WAKE OF FUEL PRICE HIKE SUSPENSION
  • The UN Mission in Haiti reports that the situation remains tense and volatile following the suspension of a fuel price hike by Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant on Saturday.
  • The announcement by the Government of a fuel price increase on Friday triggered violent protests, roadblocks and widespread looting in the capital Port-au-Prince and other cities over the weekend, resulting in at least three people killed and international flights cancelled, the Mission said.
  • The Mission is encouraging all actors to engage in constructive dialogue in order to elicit a peaceful resolution to the situation. The Mission’s police component has been assisting in the removal of road blocks to ensure access to key road axes and will continue to closely coordinate with relevant authorities should the situation require it.
U.N. OFFICIAL WELCOMES GOVERNMENT REQUEST FOR U.N. TO PROVIDE AID IN SOUTHERN SYRIA
  • The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Ali Al-Za’tari, today welcomed the request from the Syrian Government for the United Nations to provide humanitarian assistance to thousands of civilian families in the affected rural areas of southern Syria.
  • The United Nations reconfirms its readiness to expand its humanitarian assistance, and calls on all parties to the conflict to facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance and protection to people in need, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law. 
TORRENTIAL RAINS CLAIM MORE THAN 100 LIVES IN JAPAN – U.N. RELIEF WING
  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that floods and landslides caused by torrential rains have left scores of casualties in western and central Japan, 112 people reported dead and dozens missing, according to local sources. 
  • The most-affected prefectures are Hiroshima, Okayama and Ehime.
  • There have been reports of damage to homes and the disruption of gas lines, telephone networks, highways, and public transportation.
SECRETARY-GENERAL HAILS FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF ADOPTION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROHIBITION PACT
  • In a statement issued on Saturday, the Secretary-General welcomes the first anniversary of the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
  • To date, 59 States have signed the Treaty and 11 have ratified it. Once 50 States have ratified the Treaty, it will enter into force, becoming an important element of the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
  • The United Nations remains committed to the total elimination of nuclear weapons as its highest disarmament priority.
GLOBAL FISH PRODUCTION CONTINUING TO CLIMB, U.N. REPORT FINDS
  • A new report released today by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) says that global fish production will continue to grow over the next ten years even though the amount of fish being captured in the wild has levelled off and aquaculture is slowing down.
  • By 2030, the report estimates that fish production will grow to 201 million tonnes, that’s an 18 per cent increase over the current production level of 171 million tonnes.
  • The agency warned that this growth will also require better management of fisheries, reducing waste and tackling problems like illegal fishing, pollution and climate change.

 

***The guest at the Noon Briefing was Elliot Harris, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, who spoke to reporters about the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development which started today.