HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2017
 
SECRETARY-GENERAL REITERATES FULL SUPPORT FOR U.N. OFFICE IN MYANMAR

• The United Nations strongly disagrees with allegations against the UN Resident Coordinator in Myanmar. The Secretary-General has full confidence in the Resident Coordinator and her team in Myanmar.
• The United Nations has consistently and strongly focused on protection of human rights and inclusive development on behalf of all the people of Myanmar, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or citizenship status. The Resident Coordinator has been a tireless advocate for human rights, conflict prevention, and humanitarian and development assistance in Rakhine State. She has drawn attention to rights abuses and called for credible investigations; advocated against incitement to violence; and supported efforts to promote inter-communal harmony. The UN in Myanmar led by the Resident Coordinator works with a wide array of government and non-government partners to help enhance Myanmar’s capacities to tackle root causes of conflict, to strengthen democratic institutions, to expand access to justice and to reduce poverty. Human rights stand at the center of everything the UN does, and this includes the rollout of the Human Right Up Front by her team.
• As the Secretary-General told the Security Council yesterday, he calls on the Myanmar authorities to take three immediate steps:  to end the military operations; to allow unfettered access for humanitarian support; and to ensure the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of the refugees to their areas of origin.
• The head of the World Food Programme, David Beasley, is beginning a visit to Bangladesh today to see first-hand how the country is coping with the humanitarian crisis on its border, with more than half a million people having fled there from Myanmar, while the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, and the UNICEF Executive Director, Tony Lake, will also visit the country beginning 2 October.
• For its part, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has begun distributing plastic sheeting and other items to refugees at the entrances to camps in Bangladesh.
• UNHCR’s partners are also scouting points along the border to see where supplies such as solar lamps and plastic mats can be distributed to refugees as soon as they enter Bangladesh.

U.N. SEEKS $31 MILLION FOR DOMINICA AMID ‘MONUMENTAL’ NEEDS

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will be issuing a Flash Appeal for Dominica today.
• With everyone of Dominica’s 71,000 population affected by Hurricane Maria, and with near-everything on the island destroyed or damaged by the Category 5 hurricane, the needs are monumental.
• Through this $31-million appeal, the United Nations and its partners plan to provide humanitarian assistance and early recovery interventions over the next three months.
• The World Food Programme has delivered some 10 metric tons of high-energy biscuits to Dominica this week, including to communities in the remote interior by helicopter and to coastal communities by boat.
• Overall, WFP plans to provide a range of food assistance to some 25,000 people for three months.
• WFP is also providing critical logistics, air service and telecommunications support to Dominica and the humanitarian relief response.  The UN has been airlifting critical emergency supplies, including mobile storage units and pallets, tarpaulins, boats, and electric generators from Panama.
• Two vessels from the Royal Dutch Navy and their crew have also been assisting the humanitarian community in transporting food and non-food items from Antigua to Dominica.

• In a statement, the Secretary-General said he is deeply concerned about the situation in Cameroon, including with regard to the recent security incidents in Bamenda and in Douala, and mounting tensions in the South-West and North-West regions related to planned events on 1 October.
• The Secretary-General has encouraged the Cameroonian authorities to continue their efforts to address the grievances of the Anglophone community. He urges the authorities to promote measures of national reconciliation aimed at finding a durable solution to the crisis, including by addressing its root causes.
• The Secretary-General supports upholding the unity and territorial integrity of Cameroon and urges all parties to refrain from acts that could lead to an escalation of tension and violence. The Secretary-General believes that genuine and inclusive dialogue between the Government and the communities in the South-West and North-West regions is the best way to preserve the unity and stability of the country.
• The Secretary-General stands ready to support these efforts, including through the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA).

• The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will depart New York for Tokyo tomorrow to participate in the Asahi World Forum.  She will also have meetings with senior Government officials and representatives of civil society and business.
• She will return to New York on 3 October.

• In response to questions about the role of the UN in Iraq following the Monday referendum, the Spokesman said that we are always offering help to all sides if they need our assistance.
• The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq, UNAMI, wants to act in the best interest of the people of Iraq, including the people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. That's why it will continue our work in all fields, in particular humanitarian affairs, human rights, development and political concerns.
• The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Jan Kubis, confirmed this to the Iraqi foreign minister in their meeting yesterday, as well as in his continuing contacts with the leaderships in Baghdad and Erbil, in which he added that he is available to assist if requested by the sides.
• We respect the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. In this respect, we take full note of the approach of the Government of Iraq.
• We also appreciate that both the Government of Iraq and the Government of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have pledged to do their utmost to protect the people of Iraq, including the people of the Kurdistan Region, and to uphold the interests of the people and not allow any escalation or violations of their well-being. We also noticed that both sides have called for calm and restraint. We join them in these calls.

• The United Nations is grateful to the many Member States that have already answered the call by the Secretary-General to sign onto the Voluntary Compact on preventing and addressing sexual exploitation and abuse. A number of additional Member States have formally indicated their intention to sign it. This represents an unprecedented demonstration of solidarity and a firm commitment to addressing the issue comprehensively and effectively, ensuring full implementation of the Secretary-General’s zero tolerance policy.
• The Secretary-General introduced the Compact at a High Level Meeting on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse last week. The signatories to the Compact represent a broad cross-section of the membership.
• Through the Compact, the Secretary-General and Member States reaffirm their mutual belief that sexual exploitation and abuse runs counter to their shared values and erodes the trust of those the UN serves. The Compact also sets out specific commitments adopted by the UN and by signatory Member States to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, to hold individuals accountable and to respect the dignity of those who have been victimized by providing them with meaningful support.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated today its recommendations for large-scale deworming to improve children’s health and nutrition.
• Periodic deworming programmes with a single-tablet treatment can drastically reduce the suffering of those infected with parasitic intestinal worms and protect the 1.5 billion people currently estimated to be at risk.
• This major public health problem disrupts people’s ability to absorb nutrients, impeding the growth and physical development of millions of children.

• UNICEF said today that the crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria has left over 57 per cent of the schools in Borno state closed as the new school year begins.
• Since 2009, across the northeastern part of the country, almost 2,300 teachers have been killed and 19,000 have been displaced. Almost 1,400 schools have been destroyed with the majority unable to open because of extensive damage or because they are in areas that remain unsafe. An estimated 3 million children are in need of emergency education support.
• In the three most-affected states of northeast Nigeria, UNICEF and partners have enrolled nearly 750,000 children in school this year and established over 350 temporary learning spaces.

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), is calling today for stronger international support for Burundian refugees and their host communities, as chronic underfunding severely hampers the humanitarian response in countries of asylum.
• More than 420,000 Burundian refugees remain in dire need of humanitarian assistance and support in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania.
• A revised humanitarian funding appeal of US$429 million for Burundian refugees in neighbouring countries is only 19 per cent funded.
• Underfunding for the World Food Programme (WFP) has forced the agency to cut monthly food rations to 60 per cent in Tanzania, which hosts the majority of Burundian refugees.

• According to a new report by the UN Refugee Agency, thousands of people displaced by gang violence in Honduras are being robbed of their lands and homes because of gaps in the existing property legislation.
• Forced displacement in Honduras has been linked to the extreme violence of ruthless criminal gangs called “maras”, which often fight each other over territory and control of illegal activities.
• According to official figures from 2015, at least 174,000 people were displaced in Honduras between 2004 and 2014 in 20 urban municipalities in the country. Some 7,000 of them said that dispossession and occupation of their land and property was the main reason for fleeing.
• The report presents a set of concrete recommendations to ensure that these rights are better defended and protected.

• Tomorrow will be the first time the UN will officially celebrate International Translation Day.
• The Day pays tribute to the work of language professionals, which play an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security.

• The Office of the Spokesperson extends its best wishes to our colleague Miguel Gonzalez, who has been working in the audio-visual library and has been a great support to journalists needing audio-visual support. He is retiring after 37 years and has served under six secretaries-general.
• We will miss him and we thank him for all the help he has given us.