HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2018
 
SECRETARY-GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR FAIR GLOBALIZATION TO FACE GLOBAL CRISIS OF TRUST

• The Secretary-General spoke at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today and discussed the challenges facing the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.  He told the ECOSOC members that our world is facing a crisis of legitimacy, of confidence, of trust. This crisis, he said, is not abstract – it is rooted in the legitimate fears, anxieties and even anger of people.  
• Despite improvements in living standards, he added, too many are being left behind in the different Rust Belts of our world. Women are still far less likely to participate in the labour market – and gender pay gaps remain a global concern. Youth unemployment is at alarming levels and inequalities are rampant – stretching the fabric of societies to the breaking point and undermining the social compact.
• He said that we need to seize the potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution while safeguarding against its dangers. To rebuild trust, he said, we need to build a fair globalization, with the 2030 Agenda as our crucial contribution.  
• This meeting marks the beginning of formal consideration by Member States of the Secretary-General’s proposals for the UN Development System. The three days will provide an opportunity for Member States and the system to debate the seven key areas of transformation – and related proposals –  of the Secretary-General’s December report.
• The Deputy Secretary-General will also speak to ECOSOC this afternoon on the reform of the Resident Coordinator system.  At that meeting, she will express her deepest condolences on the loss over the weekend of Una McCauley, the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka. 
• Speaking by VTC to the Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum, the Deputy Secretary-General said that globally, we have witnessed positive signs since the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by Heads of State and Government in 2015.

• Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed spoke to the Security Council this morning, in his final briefing as the Special Envoy for Yemen, and he said that the parties have continued to practise “zero-sum politics” while disregarding the suffering of the Yemeni people caused by the conflict.
• He reiterated his call to all those in Aden to resolve their differences peacefully and constructively through dialogue and warned that all attacks on civilian areas were in violation of international human rights and humanitarian law.
• Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed detailed his work with the parties on a roadmap to end the conflict and said he would have wanted to announce that the parties had agreed to a peace proposal, but unfortunately one of the parties backed away at the last moment. He wishes his successor, Martin Griffiths, every success in his efforts. Only the Yemeni decision-makers are able to stop the war and the bloodshed, he said.
• John Ging, the Director of Operations and Advocacy of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that after three years of conflict, conditions in Yemen are catastrophic. He said that a record 22.2 million people need humanitarian assistance or protection - including 8.4 million people who are severely food insecure. About 400,000 children under 5 are so severely malnourished they are ten times likelier to die without treatment than their healthy peers.

• Following military operations on Sunday in East Ghouta in Syria, which had claimed the lives of 30 people, reports from humanitarian partners and other reliable sources indicate that the fighting is continuing this morning and that shelling between East Ghouta and Damascus is ongoing in both directions.
• The United Nations is ready to move lifesaving convoys into East Ghouta, and to evacuate hundreds of casualties, as soon as security conditions permit. In the current situation, that is not possible.

• The UN humanitarian organisations and partners in Libya are deeply concerned about the situation faced by Tawergha men, women and children who are unable to return home and are currently living in makeshift-tented settlements in precarious conditions in Qararat al-Qataf and Hwara.
• Maria Ribeiro, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, said that hundreds of people, wanting to exercise their legitimate right of return have been stuck in open areas under difficult weather conditions and without access to basic services for over three weeks. She added that their voluntary, safe and dignified return should not be delayed any further and that the Tawerghans should not be held hostage to the political crisis in the country.
• UN agencies and Libyan and other international partners have provided life-saving assistance including tents, hygiene items, winter clothing, water and food.

• The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, today concluded the Lebanon leg of his wider Middle East tour to visit UN Peacekeeping missions, in which he visited the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL.
• During his three days in Lebanon, Mr. Lacroix met with President Michel Aoun; Speaker Nabih Berri; Prime Minister Saad Hariri; the Lebanese Armed Forces Commander, General Joseph Aoun; and the Director General of General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim. He saw first-hand UNIFIL’s work alongside the Lebanese Armed Forces in maintaining calm and stability in the UN Mission’s area of operations.
• Before leaving, Mr. Lacroix praised the continuous support and cooperation received from the Government of Lebanon in implementing UNIFIL’s mandate.
• The next stop on Mr. Lacroix’ mission will be Cyprus, where he will arrive tomorrow for a two-day visit to the island. Mr Lacroix will meet with Government officials, local authorities and community representatives.
• During his visit he will also meet with UN peacekeepers, members of the diplomatic community, the Committee on Missing Persons and speak at an event to mark International Women’s Day.

• The Spokesman clarified that he had previously reported that 62 Member States had paid their regular budget dues in full. However, since then, one state decided to switch its monies to a different account. The true Honour Roll total as of today is therefore 61.