HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC​,
​​SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 25 JUNE 2021
 

MALI
The UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) reports today that one of its Temporary Operating Bases in a village in the Gao Region was targeted earlier this morning in an attack involving a vehicle-borne explosive device. Preliminary information indicates that 15 UN peacekeepers from Germany were wounded. A casualty evacuation process is currently underway.
This incident follows yesterday’s attack with another improvised explosive device on another UN patrol in the same area, which thankfully did not result in casualties.
We joint the UN Mission in strongly condemning this attack and we all wish a speedy and full recovery to our colleagues.

SECRETARY-GENERAL’S TRAVEL
The Secretary-General wrapped up his trip to Brussels today.
In the morning, he met with the King and Queen of the Belgians. He thanked them for their support on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
He also thanked Queen Mathilde for her continued engagement as an SDG advocate.
Later in the morning, he met with the Cypriot leaders to discuss issues related to the Cyprus issue.
Finally, he joined Emperor Naruhito of Japan virtually for the fifth UN Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters.
He said that the climate crisis is intensifying water-related disasters, creating complex challenges and threatening lives and jobs.
The Secretary-General added that the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is a precious opportunity to rebuild societies and economies stronger and better. This, he said, includes investing in resilience, while meeting water management challenges like floods and droughts, and providing water and sanitation services to all.
He called on the international community to use opportunities such as the International Decade for Action to mobilize around transforming the management of water and achieving the water-related Sustainable Development Goals. The remarks were shared with you.
The Secretary-General will be back in New York on Monday.

TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
On Tuesday evening, the Secretary-General will travel to Paris to take part in the opening segment of the Generation Equality Forum convened by UN Women and co-chaired by France and Mexico. The Secretary-General will underscore the disproportionate impact that the pandemic has had on women and girls and how it has accentuated the great imbalances of power and the failures of the social order that end up harming women.
He will also highlight the work of new generations of activists, politicians and women leaders of all ages which are creating a new dynamic to restore the balance of power. 
While in Paris, he is also expected to have a bilateral meeting with President Emmanuel Macron.
On Thursday, the Secretary-General will go to Valencia in Spain where he will visit the UN logistics base at Quart de Poblet to mark its tenth anniversary. While in Valencia, he will also meet with university students and engage with them in a dialogue on today’s most pressing issues.
He will then travel to Madrid where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and have an audience with His Majesty King Felipe VI. He will also meet with the Vice-President for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, and take part in a roundtable with climate entrepreneurs. 
 
SYRIA
Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy for Syria, briefed the Security Council in person this morning.  He emphasized that it is absolutely vital to maintain and expand humanitarian access, including cross-border and cross-line operations. A large-scale cross-border response is essential for an additional 12 months to save lives, he said.
The Special Envoy expressed disappointment that we are not making real advances on the political track to implement resolution 2254, including constitutional reform and elections administered under UN supervision. Regrettably, he said, the gulf of mistrust between the parties and the complexity of the situation on the ground makes early progress towards a comprehensive settlement unlikely. He added that he is trying to determine initial steps where progress could be made.
Mr. Pedersen said that there were alarming signs of escalation this month in the attack on al-Shifaa hospital in Afrin city. And he warned that there was also another escalation in southern Idlib, with mutual shelling, airstrikes inside Idlib, reports of civilian fatalities and significant displacement.     

YEMEN
On Yemen, our humanitarian colleagues warn that an increasingly desperate situation for millions of people is continuing.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tells us that conflict is continuing unabated, including in Ma’rib, where violence has displaced over 22,000 people since early February. Humanitarians are scaling up, but ultimately what people need is an end to the fighting across the country.
The country’s economy is in free fall. The value of the Yemeni currency reached record lows earlier this month, meaning that more people can afford less food and basic goods. This is alarming, since more than half of the country’s population is facing food insecurity and five million people are one step away from famine.
A surge in donor support over the past few months has had a significant impact. Yemen’s Humanitarian Response Plan is now 44 per cent funded, up from 15 per cent just in February, so we thank those who have given and encourage others to do the same. But, as you see, much of the funding will run out in the coming months.
Without additional, flexible and predictable funding, we will face yet another funding cliff and millions of people will see reductions in the life-saving assistance they so urgently need.

MYANMAR
On Myanmar, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, today strongly condemned the Myanmar military’s widespread and systematic attacks against civilians, especially women and children, as well as other serious violations of human rights since it seized power on 1 February.
She said that night raids; arbitrary arrests; sieges of townships and neighbourhoods; torture and deaths in detention; attacks on locations and sites where civilians are gathered or have fled; and reports of sexual violence in detention sites - particularly sexual assault, torture, physical and verbal abuse and intimidation - have become an alarming feature of daily life. 
She said that these alleged reports of sexual violence may amount to violations of international criminal law for those who commit, command, or condone them. 
She said that the patterns of sexual violence perpetrated by the Tatmadaw against women from ethnic and religious minority groups, as well as against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity, are extremely concerning.
She urged the Tatmadaw to cease all acts of sexual violence immediately.                                                                               
For its part, our colleagues in the UN Country Team in Myanmar today called for the immediate release of dozens of detained journalists. Since the military takeover of the Government on February 1st, at least 93 journalists have been arrested and at least 54 journalists remain under detention.
Eight media outlets in Myanmar have had their licenses revoked. Our colleagues say they fear that people working for these news organizations will be arrested, with many having gone into hiding.
The Country Team in Myanmar urges the military to release all people who have been detained arbitrarily, including journalists. They stress that freedom of expression is the cornerstone of any democracy.

COVAX
Costa Rica received 40,950 vaccine doses through COVAX last night, bringing the total number of vaccine doses received to 172,950.
On Wednesday, Honduras received an additional shipment of 19,310 vaccine doses. The Honduran government handled the transportation of this fourth COVAX shipment through its health ministry.

PEACEKEEPING
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, will be travelling to the Middle East from 27 June to 2 July.
He will visit the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).
Mr. Lacroix will be meeting with senior Government officials and key stakeholders in Syria and Israel to discuss the Mission’s work in a challenging environment.
He will also meet with the people working at the Mission and thank them for their dedication and contribution.
  
ENERGY
The Ministerial Forums for the High-level Dialogue on Energy wrapped up this morning.
Energy commitments included announcements by the major power supplier in India, NTPC; Power Africa, which committed to getting electricity to more health centres in Africa; and Student Energy, which said it would mobilize $150 million to train 35,000 young energy leaders in 100 countries. 
Some 50 Ministers joined over the week, to voice their commitment to clean, affordable energy for all by 2030.
 
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE SEAFARER
Today is the International Day of the Seafarer. In his message, the Secretary-General said the life and work of seafarers have been affected dramatically by the pandemic. Throughout the crisis, seafarers have faced enormous challenges concerning repatriation, travel to join their ships, proper access to vaccinations and medical care, and shore leave.
The Secretary-General said the members of this multinational workforce of 1.6 million people must be recognized as key workers who deliver an essential service and be given access to transit and travel, adding that seafarers must also have equitable access to vaccines, as nobody is safe until everyone is safe.

PRESS BRIEFINGS ON MONDAY 
On Monday, I will be joined at the noon briefing by the President of Estonia, Her Excellency Kersti Kaljulaid.  She will be here to discuss, among other things, Estonia’s Presidency of the Security Council in June. 
Also on Monday, there will be hybrid press briefing with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of UN peacekeeping; Catherine Pollard, the Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy; and the South African Ambassador to the United Nations, Mathu Joyini. They will brief on the meeting that will be taking place on Monday called ‘Strengthening the Conduct of Peacekeeping Personnel.’
 
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
And I end on a good note. We have a fresh contributor to the 2021 regular budget. 
This country – whose capital is Gitega – participated in its first Olympic Games in 1996 and had a gold medal winner in those Games. What country? [The country is Burundi.]