HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 21 DECEMBER 2017
 
WITH FORMER YUGOSLAVIA TRIBUNAL, ‘ACCOUNTABILITY HAS TAKEN ROOT IN OUR COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS’ - SECRETARY-GENERAL

• The Secretary-General is in The Hague, where, alongside King Willem-Alexander, he attended the closing ceremony for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).  The Secretary-General called the Tribunal’s creation in 1993 as a ground-breaking moment, and he saluted the courage of all those who came to the Tribunal to guarantee that justice could be served.
• The Tribunal, the Secretary-General said, has pushed international expectations of accountability beyond what was anticipated in 1993, transforming how we speak about and address situations in which serious international crimes are committed. He argued that accountability has taken root in our collective consciousness.
• He added that just as the whole international community, including the United Nations, has had to acknowledge their share of responsibility for the massacre, so must the various communities of the former Yugoslavia build on the legacy of the Tribunal and deepen their efforts towards trust and full reconciliation.  Accepting the undeniable truth and facts of past tragedies is crucial for building a better and common future, the Secretary-General said. 
• The Secretary-General also had a tête-à-tête meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Minister of Foreign Affairs Halbe Zijlstra and other senior Government officials, followed by a lunch meeting with the Prime Minister and Under-Secretaries-General Miguel de Serpa Soares and Mark Lowcock.  This evening, the Secretary-General will also have a dinner hosted by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. 

• This morning, the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, briefed the Security Council on the situation in that country. He told Council Members that there is much work to be done to implement the Kabul peace process to end the forty years of conflict, and stressed that the Kabul process meeting on 1 February is crucial to establish a strategy to reach a political settlement with the armed opposition and seek the support of the international community. He added that it is essential the parliamentary elections are held next year, followed by presidential elections in April 2019.
• Mr. Yamamoto also said the Mission remains concerned about the high number of civilian casualties caused by the indiscriminate use of improvised explosive devices by antigovernment elements, as well as air strikes by progovernment forces. He added that there are also disturbing reports of child recruitment by armed groups.
• He stressed the need for economic growth in the country and called on Council Members to support the Humanitarian Response Plan, as well as peacebuilding efforts by the Government.

• A World Health Organization (WHO)-chartered aircraft carrying more than 70 tons of essential medicines and surgical supplies landed in Sana’a Airport today, the largest planeload delivered by WHO to Yemen this year.
• The shipment contains trauma kits sufficient to meet the needs of 2,000 patients requiring surgical care, as well as various types of rapid diagnostic tests and laboratory re-agents to cover the urgent needs of central laboratories and blood banks.
• Earlier this week, two other planes delivered 26 tons of emergency inter-agency health kits. This year, WHO has provided nearly 1,500 metric tons of essential medicines and medical supplies to 96 health facilities that are struggling to keep their doors open.
• According to the 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview, 16.4 million people in Yemen lack adequate access to health care – 9.3 million of whom are in acute need.

• UNICEF warned today that eastern Ukraine is now one of the most mine-contaminated places on earth, endangering the lives of 220,000 children.
• Available data from January to November of this year show on average one conflict-related child casualty per week along eastern Ukraine's contact line. Landmines, explosive remnants of war and unexploded ordnance were the leading cause of these casualties.
• UNICEF is calling for all sides of the conflict to recommit to the ceasefire signed in Minsk and allow mine clearance activities and recovery efforts to begin.

• The recent wave of reports detailing sexual harassment in the workplace from many organizations and institutions worldwide show how pervasive this form of violence and discrimination is. At the November session of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board (CEB), the Secretary-General stressed that addressing sexual harassment is a growing concern of the international community, and reiterated his zero-tolerance policy and commitment to ensure maximum attention and strengthened action across the United Nations system.
• In line with this, the Secretary-General has established a CEB Task Force on addressing sexual harassment in the UN system, under the leadership of Jan Beagle, the Under-Secretary-General for Management. The Task Force will review policies to address and prevent sexual harassment; capacities to investigate allegations; and support and protection offered to victims. It aims to formulate a common and consistent approach to sexual harassment across the UN.
• The Task Force has held its first meeting and will submit a report to the Secretary-General and to the CEB members at their next session in Spring 2018.