HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 13 JULY 2017
 
U.N. ENVOY TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL OF CONCERN OVER SECURITY SITUATION IN WEST AFRICA, SAHEL

• The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, briefed the Security Council this morning. He said that despite laudable progress in democratic consolidation, the security situation in West Africa and the Sahel remains a cause for concern.
• Mr. Chambas said that terrorism and violent extremism have exacerbated traditional threats. These factors, combined with climate change, youth bulge and unemployment and unchecked urbanization constitute push factors underpinning the surge in irregular migration and human trafficking.
• In the Sahel, Mr. Chambas warned that persistent instability in Mali is spilling over to Burkina Faso and Niger, with deadly attacks along border areas. In the Lake Chad Basin, he said that despite the efforts of the Multi National Joint Task Force, recent attacks demonstrate that Boko Haram continues to pose a serious threat in the area. The mode and sophistication of these attacks have raised suspicions that Boko Haram militants might have acquired reinforcements, he added.

• The Humanitarian Coordinator in the Central African Republic (CAR), Najat Rochdi, has condemned the attacks perpetrated by armed groups against health structures in the country. This follows the deadly shooting of a baby at Zémio Hospital, in Haut-Mbomou prefecture, by members of the anti-balaka. The latest incidents have forced international NGOs that were the only providers of health care to suspend their activities and relocate their staff to a safer place. Humanitarian assistance was also suspended in Ouham Pendé prefecture, depriving 14,000 people of life saving aid.
• The UN Mission in the CAR reports that it has begun to deploy the Cameroonian Contingent to the west of the country to replace troops from the Republic of Congo, that are in the process of withdrawing. The Cameroonian troops are starting to take positions in the areas previously held by the Republic of Congo battalion, ensuring a smooth transition and the least impact on the mission's operational requirements and ability to implement its mandate.

• The UN Mission in South Sudan reports that earlier today a group of armed men forcefully entered the compound of an international NGO in Pibor in Jonglei state and physically assaulted two security guards.
• The Mission was informed about the incident and dispatched a Quick Reaction Force to the compound and extracted 13 staff members to the UN base in Pibor. The armed men also reportedly looted items in the compound. Later this morning, the staff members were escorted back to the compound by UN peacekeepers to assess the damage following the incident. Some of the NGO staff will be relocated to Juba today.

• The World Food Programme (WFP) said today that their funding – and food stocks – for Ethiopia are quickly running out.
• Ethiopia is struggling with the effects of devastating back-to-back droughts. Some 7.8 million people need food assistance right now, and that number is expected to rise again in the coming months after another failed rainy season.
• The most immediate concern is the 1.7 million people in the Somali region, who depend solely on WFP for food. With current resources, 700,000 people will be left with no support.
• The government, WFP and other humanitarian agencies have been pulling out all the stops to keep people from going hungry, and for more than a year have managed to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.
• But today, WFP immediately needs US$96 million to ensure assistance up until December. 

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that unexploded war ordnances continue to put people at risk of injury or death in Syria. Three students were reportedly killed by a land mine explosion in Al-Salhiya village in southern rural Quamishli in Al-Hasakeh Governorate today.  A day earlier, a land mine explosion in Kafr Bsien village in northern rural Aleppo reportedly killed two children.
• The UN calls on all parties to the conflict to allow clearance of explosive remnants of war and to safely conduct risk education activities and ensure the respect and safety for humanitarian staff conducting clearance activities. Fleeing civilians are further at risk, as areas they are moving toward are often known to be contaminated.
• Meanwhile, today, in eastern Ghouta, airstrikes and shelling on the towns of Ain Tarma (6 km east of Damascus) and Hazzeh (10 km east of Damascus) allegedly killed and injured several people, according to reports received by OCHA.

• Although the battle for Mosul is drawing to a close, UNICEF said today that it is concerned for the well-being of 650,000 children who have lived through the nightmare of violence in their city.
• Hamida Ramadhani, UNICEF’s Deputy Representative in Iraq, said that in the past three days, her agency and its partners have seen an increase in the number of extremely vulnerable unaccompanied children arriving at medical and reception centres. Some babies have also been found alone in the debris.
• She stressed that the needs and the future of children must remain a top priority in the weeks and months to come, adding that UNICEF reiterates its call on all parties to the conflict in Iraq to treat all children as children, wherever they are born, whoever they belong to.

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the Gaza Power Plant had to shut down operations again yesterday after it ran out of fuel. Power in some areas of Gaza is now available for only two hours per day. The energy crisis, resulting primarily from a Palestinian dispute since April, adds to the vulnerability of the two million people in Gaza.
• On 3 July, OCHA launched an appeal for $25 million to address the urgent needs to prevent the collapse of vital life-saving, health, water, sanitation and municipal services. The UN humanitarian fund released another $360,000 on 6 July to contend with emergency power needs of the sanitation sector.
• The UN warns that lack of power could have catastrophic consequences on the provision of basic services to the people in Gaza.  The UN calls upon the parties to put the welfare of Gaza’s residents first and to take the necessary measures to avoid further suffering.

• On 13 July, the Envoys of the Middle East Quartet met in Jerusalem to discuss current efforts to advance Middle East peace, as well as the deteriorating situation in Gaza.
• The Envoys expressed serious concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and discussed current efforts to resolve the crisis.
• The Envoys from the Russian Federation, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations agreed to meet again and to continue their regular engagement with Israelis and Palestinians, and key regional stakeholders.

• UNEP and UNDP announced the winners of the Switch Africa Green-Seed Awards, which recognize innovative and environmentally friendly start-ups in developing countries.
• Fifteen African start-ups received this award and they include initiatives like a banana-stem bags factory in Kenya, a project to build lasting school benches from plastic waste in Burkina Faso, and an initiative to improve the livelihoods for coffee farmers while protecting mountain gorillas in Uganda.
• The winners will receive business and financial advice, help with marketing and publicity, and introductions to funding bodies, policy makers and other avenues of support.

• More than 20 heads of UN agencies are sharing their perspectives on how and why Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are critical to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in a new report released today by the International Telecommunication Union.
• For his part, the Secretary-General said that the impact and implications of the digital revolution are becoming more evident with each passing hour. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the great potential of global connectivity to spur human progress.
• The report presents evidence of how UN agencies are adopting and adapting ICTs to maximize their impact and help communities and people in need.

• UNESCO is launching a project to assess the levels of achievement (access, quality, openness) of the Internet in individual countries as well as the kind of online environment citizens encounter in their country.
• Part of the project includes an online consultation targeting governments, NGOs, businesses and academics, as well as individuals. Face-to-face consultations are also being organized by UNESCO in various regions.

• Yesterday on the sidelines of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for International Migration, Louise Arbour, highlighted the link between migrants and the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
• Ms. Arbour recalled that when Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda in 2015, they mainstreamed migration in a global development framework for the first time by including a specific target committing to facilitate safe orderly and regular migration with full respect for human rights. The Global Compact on Migration, which is set to be adopted next year, will help achieve this target, she said.
• She added that migrants not only contribute to their host and home countries’ economies but also with ideas, skills, knowledge and entrepreneurship, and this should be taken into account to help shape the conversation around migration.