HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2021
COP26
At the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, the Secretary-General today met with various negotiating groups, including the High Ambition Coalition, the Least Developed Countries group, the ministers of the G77 + China and the Alliance of Small Island Developing States. He is still pushing for higher ambition on all fronts, including on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation, mitigation and financing for developing countries.
LIBYA
The Secretary-General spoke by video message to the Paris conference on Libya that is underway right now, and he said that today’s conference has one overriding goal: to seize this moment for peace. Peace that the Libyan people have been denied for far too long.
He noted that the majority of Libyans support holding elections scheduled for the 24th of December. Nearly three million people have registered to vote so far. Their aspirations and determination to participate in free and fair elections must be met, he said.
The Secretary-General strongly urged Libyans to come together in a spirit of national unity, to overcome remaining differences, and forge a consensus on the legal framework for the elections, in consultation with all relevant national institutions, adhering to their rules and procedures. And he called on all Libyan parties to participate in the election process, and to respect the election results.
The Secretary-General also urged all those with power and influence over the situation to put the nation’s wellbeing and prosperity ahead of their own personal interests. Any party that deliberately undermines or sabotages peace must be held accountable, he said.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning at the Security Council, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of the Department of Peace Operations, briefed on the G5 Sahel Joint Force. He said the situation in the region has remained volatile and civilians continue to pay the highest price.
The security forces of the G5-Sahel member states face this threat with determination and courage, Mr. Lacroix said. Nevertheless, the G5 Sahel Force also continues to face important challenges.
We remain convinced, Mr. Lacroix told Council Members, that only a dedicated support office, funded through assessed contribution, can provide the Joint Force with the support it needs.
He also reiterated the Secretary-General’s call for the establishment of a dedicated political forum to promote regional ownership and foster enhanced international support while ensuring that the operations of the Force are aligned with important political processes, including the implementation of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali.
And, before this meeting, the Security council also voted to extend the mandate of the UN Mission in the Central African Republic for one year.
YEMEN
The Deputy Spokesman said the UN is aware of reports of the withdrawal of Government of Yemen forces from around areas south of Hudaydah city up to Al Tuhayta district, and indications that Houthi forces have now moved into much of the vacated areas.
The UN was not informed in advance of the movements. Nevertheless, the United Nations Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) is monitoring the situation closely and liaising with the parties to establish the facts on the ground and to respond, as necessary, according to its mandate.
The UN calls on all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety and security of civilians in and around those areas where shifts in frontlines have taken place.
MYANMAR
On Myanmar, the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that today’s conviction and harsh sentencing of the journalist, Danny Fenster, by a military court following a closed-door, unfair trial is emblematic of the wider plight of journalists who have been facing constant repression since the military takeover on the 1st of February.
Ms. Bachelet said at least 126 journalists, media officials or publishers have been detained by the military since February 1st, of whom 47 remain in detention. Twenty of these people have been charged with crimes because of their work as journalists. Nine media outlets have had their licenses revoked and 20 others have had to suspend operations. Dozens of journalists reportedly remain in hiding due to outstanding arrest warrants.
The High Commissioner said the military leadership is clearly attempting to suppress journalists’ attempts to report on the serious human rights violations being perpetrated across Myanmar, as well as the extent of opposition to the regime.
She added that attacks on journalists and the media further exacerbate the vulnerability of huge sections of society that rely on accurate and independent information.
Also on Myanmar, our colleagues on the ground tell us that more than 12 million children have not had access to organized learning for more than 18 months, resulting in serious consequences for their education and wellbeing.
UNICEF is working to ensure children are not cut off from learning and, together with partners, is distributing learning materials to nearly 300,000 children across multiple states and regions so they can continue their educations from home.
UNICEF has also been helping to provide safe and continued learning to more than 180,000 children in ethnic minority areas with home-based learning materials and support.
AFGHANISTAN
Today, in a statement, the UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said that she is deeply concerned by reports that child marriage in Afghanistan is on the rise. She said that UNICEF has received credible reports of families offering daughters as young as 20 days old up for future marriage in return for a dowry.
Ms. Fore noted that UNICEF estimates that 28 per cent of Afghan women aged 15–49 years were married before the age of 18. She said that as most teenage girls are still not allowed to go back to school, the risk of child marriage is now even higher.
She said that UNICEF has started a cash assistance programme to help offset the risk of hunger, child labour and child marriage among the most vulnerable families. UNICEF plans to scale up this and other social services programmes in the months to come.
For their part, our humanitarian colleagues and the UN Refugee Agency met yesterday with refugees who have returned to Afghanistan's Baghlan province. Around 1,000 families have settled in a UNHCR Project Area of Return and Reintegration.
This week, the World Food Programme completed the registration of 148,000 people under its seasonal support programme in eight districts of the in Badakhshan Province. WFP has also distributed mixed food items to 10,500 people, and further distributions are forthcoming.
NIGER
Earlier today in Niger, the Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, and the Prime Minister of Niger, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, launched an initiative to strengthen social cohesion and consolidate national dialogue in the country.
This project is part of the UN conflict prevention and peacebuilding strategy.
Mr. Annadif described the initiative as an opportunity to mobilize energies to contribute to stronger social cohesion in Niger and in the region. He added that social cohesion is an effort renewed every day, especially in a context made fragile by the insecurity created by armed groups and other criminal networks.
SOUTH SUDAN
The acting Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Arafat Jamal, today warned of a climate emergency in the country, calling for increased investment in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation to avoid annual heavy flooding.
Mr. Jamal recently visited Jonglei and Unity states, where he met with people affected by the flooding.
He said vast areas of South Sudan are now under water, with more than 780,000 people being affected since this May.
Entire communities have been forced to move to higher ground to escape the floodwaters. Many people uprooted by this year’s floods had previously been displaced by clashes and last year’s floods.
Humanitarian organizations are helping flood-affected people by providing food, shelter, water purification tablets, medicine and other supplies.
South Sudan is ranked among the five countries in the world most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Food insecurity is at record levels. The country regularly experiences torrential rains, seasonal flooding and locust infestations, and it is the most vulnerable people who suffer the most.
SYRIA
The World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director, David Beasley, has concluded a three-day visit to Syria, in which he met with vulnerable families receiving WFP food assistance in Aleppo.
Mr. Beasley has warned that more Syrians are in the grip of hunger today than at any time during their country’s decade-long conflict. He blamed a deadly combination of conflict, climate change, COVID and rising food and fuel costs.
Some 12.4 million people -- almost 60 percent of the population -- are now food insecure and do not know where their next meal will come from. This is a 57 percent increase since 2019 and the highest number ever recorded in the history of Syria.
WFP is assisting over five million people with food assistance across Syria every month. But the agency faces severe funding constraints and was recently forced to reduce the size of the monthly food ration that families receive. WFP is only 31 percent funded and urgently requires close to $480 million for the next six months.
SENIOR APPOINTMENT
The Secretary-General today appointed Unaisi Lutu Vuniwaqa of Fiji as Assistant Secretary-General for Safety and Security. Ms. Vuniwaqa succeeds Nóirín O’Sullivan of Ireland, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her contribution and dedication.
As deputy to the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, the Assistant Secretary-General will be responsible for day-to-day management, supporting in the overall leadership and management of the Department.
Ms. Vuniwaqa has over 35 years of experience in law enforcement at the national and international level.
She most recently held the position of Police Commissioner and Head of the UN Police component with the UN Mission in South Sudan. There, she was instrumental in promoting ‘Gender Responsive Policing’ initiatives which resulted in the early achievement of uniformed gender parity targets set for 2028.
75TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNESCO
Today marks the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. In a message, the Secretary-General notes that UNESCO was born as a pillar of the United Nations system, in the wake of one of the darkest chapters in human history.
The Secretary-General stresses that at a time of great inequalities, environmental crises, polarization and a global pandemic, UNESCO’s role is more critical than ever to restore trust and solidarity. To ensure greater access to education for all, promote cultural diversity, and steer technological progress for the greater good, he adds.
The Secretary-General said that each of these efforts speak to UNESCO’s importance at the center of a more networked, inclusive and effective multilateralism – that delivers tangible benefits for people across the world.
WORLD DIABETES DAY
Sunday is World Diabetes Day and the theme this year is access to diabetes care.
A report published today by the World Health Organization in the lead-up to the Day, highlights that 100 years after its discovery, insulin is still out of reach for many people living with diabetes. According to the report, high prices, low availability of human insulin, few producers dominating the insulin market and weak health systems are the main barriers to universal access.
One out of every two people needing insulin for type 2 diabetes does not get it.
NOON BRIEFING GUESTS
Guests at the noon briefing today were Police Adviser and Director of the United Nations Police (UNPOL) unit, Luís Carrilho, Police Commissioners from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Mody Berethe, and the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA), Violet Lusala. They briefed reporters on this week’s UN Police Week events.
