HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 8 DECEMBER 2017
 
WORST ATTACK ON U.N. PEACEKEEPERS IN RECENT HISTORY LEAVES 14 ‘BLUE HELMETS’, 5 CONGOLESE SOLDIERS DEAD IN D.R. CONGO

• In the evening of 7 December 2017, suspected fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked a Company Operating Base of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at Semuliki in Beni territory, North Kivu. This resulted in protracted fighting between suspected ADF fighters and UN and Congolese forces.
• According to the UN Mission, initial reports indicate that fourteen Tanzanian peacekeepers and five Congolese soldiers were killed. An additional 53 peacekeepers were wounded.
• Speaking earlier today, the Secretary-General expressed outrage and utter heartbreak at the attack. He offered his deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, and to the Government and people of Tanzania and wished a speedy recovery to all those injured.
• The Secretary-General also condemned this attack unequivocally and said these deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime. He called on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice.  There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else, he said.
• He added that military reinforcements had arrived at the scene. The Force Commander was there as well, coordinating the Mission’s response, and the medical evacuation of casualties was ongoing.
• The Secretary-General said that this was the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the Organization’s recent history. It is another indication of the enormous sacrifices made by troop contributing countries in the service of global peace, he added. These brave women and men are putting their lives on the line every day across the world to serve peace and to protect civilians.
• Finally, he noted that the situation in the DRC is one of the emergencies we are highlighting in today’s appeal for the Central Emergency Response Fund. This latest attack highlights the urgency of helping people in need and addressing the volatile situation, he concluded.

• Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council by video teleconference this morning. He noted that two days ago, US President Donald Trump announced that the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel.
• The Special Envoy said that he is particularly concerned about the potential risk of a violent escalation and that his office continues to follow developments on the ground closely.
• Mr. Mladenov urged all political, religious and community leaders to refrain from provocative action and rhetoric that could lead to escalation and he called on all to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue.
• He added that the United Nations remains strongly committed to supporting all efforts towards a negotiated two-state solution. This is the only way to achieve the legitimate national aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians. He once more echoed the Secretary-General’s words: there is no Plan B to the two-state solution.

• The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Paris today, where she attended the meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon on the Secretary-General’s behalf.
• In press remarks, she said that today’s meeting shows that the international community remains united in support of the stability, security, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Lebanon.
• She acknowledged the calm and measured response of the Lebanese leadership over the past several weeks, which served to unify the people of Lebanon.
• Over the weekend, she will travel onward to Quito, Ecuador.

• The Secretary-General spoke this morning at the Annual High-Level Pledging Conference for the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) saying that, since the Fund was launched in 2005, humanitarian needs have increased from $5.2 billion to over $24 billion today.  Protracted conflict and the impact of natural disasters, compounded by structural fragility and chronic vulnerability, mean that more people than ever survive on the brink of disaster. 
• To keep pace, he said, the General Assembly adopted a resolution exactly a year ago, calling for an expansion of Central Emergency Response Fund’s annual funding target from $450 million to $1 billion. He said that a $1 billion CERF will help to bolster contingency financing so that we are able to mitigate and respond to humanitarian suffering quickly in the future.
• The Secretary-General announced a CERF allocation of $100 million to meet critical needs in nine underfunded emergencies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mali, Philippines, Eritrea, Haiti and Pakistan. 

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that the number of Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar since 25 August has risen to 646,000.
• Although this a jump from the estimated number of 626,000 we had earlier this week, the rise is due to better assessments.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) says that diphtheria is rapidly spreading in camps in Cox’s Bazar. As of today, more than 110 people have contracted the disease, with six fatalities. Most of the people affected are children.
• WHO says that, to limit the spread of diphtheria, people must be relocated immediately. It is working with the Health Ministry and other partners to scale up prevention and treatment.
• Routine immunizations targeting children up to the age of six will begin tomorrow. Older age groups cannot be immunized currently due to the shortage of vaccines.

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said today that it is arranging to have talks with Bangladeshi authorities over an agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh signed on 23 November on the voluntary repatriation of Rohingya refugees.
• As UNHCR has previously said, all refugees have the right to return, but this should happen voluntarily and only when people feel the time and circumstances are right.
• UNHCR was not a party to the agreement signed between Myanmar and Bangladesh, but it is referenced in the document.
• The agency says it is ready to help the two Governments work towards arrangements that allow refugees to exercise their right to return – freely, safely and in dignity. This should include a tripartite voluntary repatriation agreement.

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Michael Keating, has welcomed the signing of a power-sharing agreement between the Galmudug State President, Ahmed Duale Ghelle, and the leader of the Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a group, Sheikh Shakir.
• Mr. Keating said the agreement is a significant step towards forming a unified administration in Galmudug and encouraged all stakeholders to maintain momentum to implement the agreement.

• UNICEF said today that 95 million children have not had their births registered across Sub-Saharan Africa, and they warned that if decisive action is not taken, these numbers will soar to 115 million by 2030. 
• UNICEF called on African countries to prioritize birth registration as a first and critical step to a functional national civil registration and vital statistics system. Leila Pakkala, UNICEF’s Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, warned that with no proof of identity, of age, or of nationality, an unregistered child is vulnerable to violations such as child marriage, child labour and recruitment into armed forces.

• Tomorrow is the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General said that genocide is often the culmination of years of exclusion, denial of human rights and other wrongs.
• “Since genocide can take place in times of war and in times of peace, we must be ever-vigilant,” he said.
• Tomorrow is also International Anti-Corruption Day. This year’s theme focuses on how corruption is one of the biggest impediments to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.