HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 12 AUGUST 2020
SECRETARY-GENERAL/SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the Security Council’s open meeting on pandemics and the challenges of sustaining peace.
The Secretary-General noted that the COVID-19 pandemic threatens not only hard-won development and peacebuilding gains, but also risks making conflicts worse or fomenting new ones.
He stressed that the challenges of this pandemic underscore, like never before, the imperative of coherent, multi-dimensional and cross-pillar responses along with the integrated logic of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Secretary-General pointed to what he called the three key dangers. First, the pandemic can undermine faith in governments and public institutions. Secondly, they can destabilize the global economic order. And lastly, he said, pandemics could weaken the social fabric by, for example, narrowing the civic space and closing avenues for democratic processes.
But, the Secretary-General said, in spite of challenges, the pandemic also creates opportunities for peace, pointing to the positive responses to the appeal for a global ceasefire earlier this year.
The world, he said, is looking to all leaders – including the Security Council – to address this epic crisis in ways that make concrete, meaningful and positive contributions to the lives of people.
BOLIVIA
Yesterday, in a statement on Bolivia, the Secretary-General said he’s following with concern the recent developments in the country. He called on the organizers of protests there to ensure the safe passage of ambulances, oxygen and medicines, and to allow for the delivery of goods and services essential to the people. The Secretary-General also welcomed the readiness of the Executive, the Plurinational Legislative Assembly and the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, as well as political parties and social organizations, to enter into dialogue in order to resolve the political, social, economic and health challenges facing Bolivia. Furthermore, he urged continued restraint to avoid escalation and called upon all social and political leaders to contribute to the preservation of peace.
LEBANON
The United Nations and its partners continue to conduct needs assessments and deliver emergency assistance to people most in need following last week’s blasts in Beirut. The World Food Programme’s Executive Director, David Beasley, announced today that the organization is bringing 17,500 metric tonnes of wheat flour and a three-month supply of wheat into Lebanon to help replenish the country’s food reserves. That is part of a rapid logistics operation that will also involve setting up warehouses and mobile grain storage units.
WFP has also prepared 150,000 food parcels for distribution to families affected by the economic crisis and COVID-19 lockdown measures. In addition, the World Food Programme will scale up its cash assistance programme in Lebanon ten-fold to reach up to one million people, including residents directly impacted by the blast.
The UN Refugee Agency, for its part, has distributed hot meals to 30,000 people along with food kits for 700. Non-food items and hygiene kits were also provided.
And the UN Population Fund’s partners have distributed dignity kits to an estimated [2,000] adolescent girls and women. Forty frontline social workers have also been trained to provide psychosocial support to women affected by the Beirut blast.
UNICEF is also supporting 720 children and adults with psychosocial support through face-to-face sessions, phone calls, and door-to-door visits with families.
UNIFIL
Yesterday, Ján Kubiš, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations briefed the Security Council in a closed session. The briefing included updates on the developments in the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) Area of Operations and on the Mission’s mandate renewal. In his letter on July 29th, the Secretary-General has recommended the extension of the mandate of UNIFIL for a further 12 months, until August 31st of next year. In his latest report to the Security Council, the Secretary-General underscored the importance of UNIFIL’s work as it continues to maintain peace and provide stability at a difficult time for the country.
Noting the resignation of Prime Minister Diab and his Cabinet, Mr. Kubiš, for his part, emphasized the importance of avoiding a prolonged period of governmental vacuum. He urged the rapid formation of a new government that meets the aspirations of the Lebanese people and enjoys their support, a government that can address the urgent and many challenges facing the country and break with the corrupt practices of the past. Yesterday and today, Mr. Kubiš continued his contacts with political and diplomatic representatives in Lebanon as well as different parts of the UN family. He also had a meeting with the visiting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Heiko Maas, who was in Beirut.
YEMEN
The spokesman provided an update on the SAFER oil tanker, anchored off the coast of Yemen.
As journalists will recall, On July 14th, the UN submitted an official request to the Ansar Allah authorities for a UN-led assessment and initial repair mission to the tanker. This request was based on the communication that the authorities sent us on July 5th, confirming that they would accept an assessment and repair mission. The Ansar Allah authorities have recently come back to us with a range of technical follow-up questions, which we have answered. We appreciate, of course, the need to clarify and for all of us to be on the same page. We also understand the importance of making sure this work meets the highest possible technical standards, and the experts we have on standby are extremely well qualified to undertake this work. We hope that the authorities will authorize the mission right away, especially given the vivid illustrations we have seen from Beirut and Mauritius of the risk and what it could cost if we keep waiting. That risk can not be overstated. We are happy to provide – and have been providing – any technical information required, and we want to keep working with everyone to get this done as quickly as possible.
SOUTH SUDAN
Following violence in Tonj over the weekend, which saw 70 people were killed, a patrol from the UN Peacekeeping Mission arrived there yesterday evening. The clashes were between members of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and armed civilians.
The patrol includes both military and civilian peacekeepers. They are engaging with local authorities and community leaders to prevent further violence and help with reconciliation efforts. A human rights team is also on the ground to carry out an investigation. The UN patrol will also visit Romich, a village in Tonj East that was directly impacted by the violence, to assess the security situation there.
And also, on South Sudan, the Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim , Dr. Olushayo Olu, called ‘unacceptable’ an unprovoked attack on an NGO convoy in Yei County, in Central Equatoria state.
He urged the authorities to take immediate action, stressing that protecting humanitarian personnel in the country is a duty for all.
The NGO whose convoy was attacked earlier this week is a partner of the United Nations. Its convoy was carrying patients at the time of the ambush while it was on its way to a refugee settlement to provide health, nutrition and hygiene services.
MAURITIUS
In Mauritius, the Resident Coordinator there, Christine Umutoni, says that an inter-agency UN team, including experts on oil spills, legal support and coordination, arrived yesterday, to support the Government-led response to the oil spill that is impacting Mauritius. And they are also engaging local communities and the private sector.
The International Maritime Organization, the UN Migration Agency, the UN Environment Programme, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime organized this deployment, with the World Food Programme providing flight arrangements.
The UN team is also continuing its support to the ministries of environment and health with daily assessments of the crisis. The UN Development Programme is providing technical advice and the World Health Organization supporting on messaging for impacted communities.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s eastern province of Ituri, since the beginning of the year, hundreds of people have died, including 20 killed in armed attacks in the past few days alone. More than 660,000 people have fled violence and are now displaced in the province. Others have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. In a statement, the humanitarian coordinator for the DRC, David McLachlan-Karr, condemned the violence and expressed his concerns about the humanitarian situation. He also reiterated the importance of preserving the civilian and humanitarian character of the sites housing displaced people. He called on Congolese authorities to do their utmost to support the protection of civilians and address the root causes of instability in the province.
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY
Today is International Youth Day. The theme this year is “Youth Engagement for Global Action”. In a message, the Secretary-General said the theme spotlights the ways in which the voices and activism of young people are making a difference and moving our world closer to the values and vision of the UN Charter. The Secretary-General notes that the lives and aspirations of young people continue to be upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, but this generation is also resilient, resourceful and engaged. For the Secretary-General, realizing the promise of this generation means investing far more in young people’s inclusion, participation, organizations and initiatives. He calls on leaders and adults everywhere to do everything possible to enable the world’s youth to enjoy lives of safety, dignity, opportunity and contribute to the fullest of their great potential.
YOUTH ADVISORY GROUP ON CLIMATE CHANGE
The Secretary-General had the first meeting of his new Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, with seven young climate activists. The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, was also there, as well as the Youth Envoy and the Secretary-General’s Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action. The Secretary-General also noted that he was inspired by young people everywhere who are demonstrating what leadership looks like by bringing positive solutions and holding leaders to account. He added that while we are off track in relation to the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement, we are still in the race. And we are still in the race in large part due to the efforts of youth everywhere. The Secretary-General heard perspectives on boosting climate action from the members of the group, and ideas on implementing his six climate-positive actions to recover better. He offered the support of the UN to help them in their duties and bringing other young people into their work.
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION
A new report released today by the International Labour Organization shows that since the outset of the pandemic more than 70 per cent of youth who study or combine study with work have been adversely impacted by the closing of schools, universities and training centres. According to the report, 65 per cent of young people reported having learned less since the beginning of the pandemic. Despite their efforts to continue studying and training, half of them believed their studies would be delayed and nine per cent thought that they might fail. The situation has been even worse for youth living in lower-income countries, who have less access to the internet, a lack of equipment and sometimes a lack of space at home.
PHONE CALL WITH ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
In response to questions about the Secretary-General’s phone call on Monday with the Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi di Maio, the spokesman said
that the Secretary-General extended his condolences on the death of our colleague, Mario Paciolla. He assured the Foreign Minister that the UN is providing its utmost support to the ongoing Colombian investigation into Mario's death and stressed that such cooperation would equally be extended to the Italian investigation.
UN HEADQUARTERS VENTILATION SYSTEM
In response to a question about the air conditioning system in the UN Headquarters. The spokesman said that the Headquarters HVAC system and the systems in the leased annex buildings are being fully maintained. We have increased the rating of the filters in the HQ campus systems. All HQ campus systems are now installed with MERV 10 pre-filters and MERV 14 main filters. The filters of the HVAC systems of the leased annex have also been upgraded to the maximum MERV ratings that each system is capable of handling. We have taken the approach of "flushing" 100% of outside air to occupied spaces for 30-minute periods multiple times a day. The run times for each unit are staggered so as not to cause spikes in overall energy demand. This is working well, and we have had no issue in maintaining comfortable conditions.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
North Macedonia is the 109th Member States to have fully paid up its dues to the regular budget.
