SECRETARY-GENERAL'S TRAVELS
The Secretary-General tomorrow will take part in a ceremony in Lisbon to kick off that city’s designation as European Green Capital. The title, awarded by the European Commission, aims to honor cities that are leading the way towards environmentally friendly urban living.
The ceremony will also mark the beginning of a decade of climate action to achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement. In another event linked to Lisbon’s designation as 2020 European Green Capital, the Secretary-General will attend the inauguration of an interactive installation titled “One” and taking place at the Lisbon Oceanarium. It is worth noting that the 2020 UN Ocean Conference will also be held in Lisbon in early June.
The President and Prime Minister of Portugal, the Mayor of Lisbon, the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, the Vice-President of the European Commission and others will also take part in the events.
Then, on Monday, 13 January, the Secretary-General will travel to Pau in France to attend a working dinner hosted by President Emmanuel Macron as part of a summit with the leaders of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, otherwise known as the G5 Sahel countries. Josep Borrell of the European Union, Charles Michel of the European Council, the African Union’s Moussa Faki, and Louise Mushikiwabo from the International Organization of the Francophonie are also expected to attend the dinner. The dinner aims to address the crisis in the Sahel by strengthening international engagement and collaboration on security, humanitarian and development issues.
The Secretary-General will be back in New York on Tuesday.
SENIOR OFFICIAL TRAVELS
Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, will arrive in Dakar in Sengal on Sunday, ahead of a week-long visit that will take her, not only to Senegal, but also to Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
In meetings with national and regional leaders, Ms. DiCarlo will discuss the security, political and humanitarian situation in the region and explore ways on how the UN can enhance its support to tackle challenges to peace, security and stability, including the fight against terrorism.
HAITI
Ten years ago, on Sunday, at 4:53, about 35 seconds of violent tremor changed the face of Haiti.
In a video message released today, the Secretary-General paid tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Haitians who lost their lives and to the millions more who lost their homes, family members and so much more in the devastating earthquake. He also honoured the memories of our 102 UN colleagues who lost their lives that day and renewed the UN’s commitment to help Haiti and its people build a brighter future.
In Port-au-Prince, on Sunday, all UN staff have been invited to attend a commemorative ceremony to be held at the site of the Christopher Hotel, which, as you will recall, was the hotel that housed the UN peacekeeping mission’s headquarters and that hotel collapsed during the earthquake. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča will be the senior official from New York representing the UN at this ceremony and other commemorative events organized by the Haitian Government.
Next week, there will be a number of other events to mark the anniversary. On Monday, in Tunis, the UN will inaugurate the Hedi Annabi hall, honoring the memory of the head of the UN peacekeeping mission, Hedi Annabi, who died in the collapse of the Christopher Hotel. As you will recall, Mr. Annabi was also a longtime Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations here in New York.
And in Geneva, on Wednesday, there will be another commemoration at the Palais des Nations, with, among other participants, Haiti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
And lastly, on Friday next week, 17 January, the Secretary-General will take part in a ceremony here which will include representatives of the countries who lost [citizens] their lives in the earthquake. Those wishing to pay their respects will also be able to visit the memorial relocated from Haiti to the North Lawn to honour the memory of all of our colleagues who died that day 10 years ago.
SECURITY COUNCIL
Back here, the Security Council, as you know, is continuing its ongoing meeting on upholding the Charter, which began yesterday. There were 56 speakers inscribed for today’s discussion at the start of the morning.
Meanwhile, we do expect the Security Council to consider the re-authorisation of the cross-border crossings for humanitarian aid for Syria at a meeting later this afternoon.
LIBYA
Turning to Libya, I want to state that we are deeply concerned by the deaths of two more health workers yesterday, who were killed by shelling in Al Washka, about 137 km west of the city of Sirte. Five support staff were also injured in the incident.
In 2019, at least 61 attacks impacting field hospitals, health care workers, ambulances and medical supplies were recorded. At least 75 people were killed in those incidents and 52 others injured.
Humanitarians continue to call on all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Medical facilities, medical personnel and medical transport must be respected and protected at all times.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a new UN report says that killings, rapes and other forms of violence targeting the Hema community in the Ituri province may amount to crimes against humanity.
The report, which is a result of an investigation conducted by the UN Joint Human Rights Office in the country, says that the Lendu armed groups have become more organized to carry out attacks and that one of their objectives is to take control of the land and associated resources of the Hema communities.
Between December 2017 and September of last year, at least 700 people have been killed and 168 injured during inter-ethnic clashes between the Hema and Lendu communities. At least 142 people were subjected to sexual violence. Acts of reprisals of the Hema communities against the Lendus were also documented.
The report urges the authorities to conduct an independent and impartial investigation into the violence and to ensure the right to reparation for victims as well as access to medical and psychosocial care.
ETHIOPIA
On Ethiopia, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that, due to climate and man-made crises, some 8.4 million people are in need of assistance. That’s according to a new report put together by the UN and other partners in consultation with the Ethiopian Government.
Most of the people in need are in the Oromia, Somali and Amhara regions in Ethiopia.
The 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan for Ethiopia is currently being finalized and will be shared with you when we can.
EL SALVADOR
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today welcomed El Salvador’s new law to law that will help protect internally displaced people.
The legislation opens the doors for tens of thousands of victims of forced displacement in the country to gain access to life-saving humanitarian assistance and to have their basic rights restored, including effective access to justice. The law further provides for the establishment of a comprehensive national system that brings together a wide range of State institutions to collaborate in responding to and preventing forced displacement.
The text of the legislation was drafted with technical support from UNHCR and aligns with the UN’s Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.
OLYMPICS
We congratulate UNHCR, because today they were awarded the Olympic Cup by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its work in supporting refugees and their host communities through sport.
In accepting the award, High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said that the award is a tribute to the displaced people and communities that UNHCR serves, who understand the transformative power of sport and have seized the opportunities that have been offered to them.
The IOC has established a second IOC Refugee Olympic Team to take part in the Summer Games in 2020.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
On January 3rd, while many of us were on leave, Farhan spoke about the first three Member States that paid full contributions to 2020’s regular budget. With a fourth country paying up today, we are going to repeat thanks to Armenia, Portugal and Ukraine, and freshly thank India, which paid up today.
We closed out 2019 with 146 Member States having paid their dues in full for the 2019 budget.
