HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

TUESDAY, 09 OCTOBER 2018

 

 

AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEY 
The Secretary-General wishes to express his deep appreciation for the excellent cooperation and support that Ambassador Haley has always demonstrated. They had a very productive and strong working relationship during her tenure as United States Permanent Representative. They worked hard to promote constructive ties between the United Nations and the United States, showing the value of the United Nations.
The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing to work with Ambassador Haley until the end of her tenure, and of course, with her replacement.

INDONESIA
The Secretary-General is on his way to Indonesia. On Friday he will visit Palu, in central Sulawesi, which was recently devastated by an earthquake, tsunami and landslides, and before that, he will be attending the IMF-World Bank meetings.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that, according to the Indonesian Government, more than 2,000 people have died and more than 10,000 have been seriously injured, with hundreds still missing. 
As we have said, the humanitarian response is being led by the government with support of the international community. 
The UN Children’s Fund and a team of social workers from the Ministry of Social Affairs are identifying separated and unaccompanied children, with reports indicating a high number of separated children. As of yesterday, a total of 61 unaccompanied and separated children were registered and recorded, three of whom have now been reunited with their families.
The United Nations Population Fund is distributing hygiene kits to women, maternity kits, post-delivery kits, and newborn kits. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is also providing 28,000 gallons of bottled water and 1,700 emergency shelters. 
The World Food Programme (WFP) is providing logistical assistance, carrying out assessments of the airport, port and roads. WFP has established a Mobile Storage Unit to store aid items coming into Palu, with six more to be set up in the next week.

SOUTH SUDAN
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reports that for the first time since civil war broke out in South Sudan almost five years ago, it has managed to send boats carrying food assistance up the Sobat river, a major tributary of the White Nile in the Greater Upper Nile region. 
The river convoy transported some 752 metric tons (MT) of food including sorghum, pulses, vegetable oil and a nutritious porridge blend – enough to sustain 40,000 people for one month. WFP plans to deliver more than 6,000 MT of food for some 130,000 people in seven hard-to-reach locations over the next year.
Reaching these areas by river necessitated negotiating access and gaining security guarantees to allow safe passage for vessels; previously, these communities had to be supplied by airdrops, costing on average six times as much as river transport.
Still on South Sudan, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui, the co-chair of the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation, Dr. Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, and the Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, wrapping up a joint visit to the country, and held a press conference in Juba, where they expressed their solidarity with the South Sudanese people and conveyed a message of readiness to help in the implementation of the revitalized Peace Agreement. 

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
UNAIDS and the Government of the Central African Republic today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that aims to curb new HIV infections within the military, reduce sexual violence by security and defence forces and increase their use of HIV support services.  
The MoU comes at a critical time: at 7.8 percent, the HIV prevalence among uniformed personnel in the CAR is nearly double the overall national prevalence of 4 percent. 
The Memorandum of Understanding places special emphasis on training for defence forces reducing gender-based violence and preventing HIV and AIDS, including by improving reporting mechanisms for sexual violence, providing support for survivors and ensuring access to HIV prevention tools.

DPRK
The World Food Programme (WFP) said today that, despite some improvements this year, chronic food insecurity and malnutrition are widespread in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Some 40 percent of the population -- or more than 10 million people -- are undernourished and need humanitarian assistance. One in five children is stunted due to chronic malnutrition in the DPRK.
WFP says it urgently requires sustained funding to help vulnerable people in the country. The UN food agency’s operation for this year is only 37 percent funded for the DPRK, and needs $15 million over the next five months to avoid more cuts to food aid.

REFUGEES
A new report released today by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says funding for the world’s forcibly displaced and stateless people is becoming increasingly squeezed, with barely more than half of the funding needs being met; this is worsening hardship and risks for displaces populations.
UNHCR said it expects to meet just 55 percent of the $8.2 billion in funding needed for this year. This compares to 50.6 [56.6] percent in 2017 and 58 per cent in 2016. In short, donor funding is falling increasingly behind while the number of forcibly displaced people has grown, according to UNHCR. 

CLIMATE CHANGE
We issued the Secretary-General’s statement yesterday afternoon on the special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Secretary-General said the report is an ear-splitting wake-up call to the world, which confirms that climate change is running faster than we are – and we are running out of time.

GAZA
On fuel movements to Gaza, two trucks went in today, with about 35,000 litres each. Tomorrow, seven more are expected. Over the month, the number of trucks per day is expected to rise to 15.
In addition to other long-term efforts underway to increase the energy supply, additional fuel for the Gaza Power Plant remains the fastest and most immediate way to increase electricity to help alleviate the humanitarian and related public health needs on the ground. The Secretary-General expresses his deep appreciation to the Government of Qatar for its $60 million contribution, which made the delivery possible and will allow continuation for the coming months.
While the UN welcomes the improvement in the electricity supply, the return of the Palestinian Authority will substantially better the humanitarian situation of Gaza’s population. Gaza remains an integral part of the two-state solution based on relevant UN resolutions.
The UN hopes that relieving the humanitarian pressure in Gaza will reduce tensions and the threat of escalation. Furthermore, the UN calls on the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to seriously engage with Egypt on reconciliation and move forward with implementing the 12 October 2017 Cairo Agreement. 

POST DAY
Today is World Post Day. In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General said the postal sector is one of the world’s largest logistical networks, and a vital center for communities everywhere. 
This year’s observance highlights the sector’s value not just for delivering the mail, but for delivering good as postal systems offer support during natural disasters, financial services to hundreds of millions of people, and essential information in times of crises.