HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 30 JANUARY 2017
 
SECRETARY-GENERAL REAFFIRMS U.N. SUPPORT TO AFRICAN UNION IN PREVENTING CRISES

• The Secretary-General has been in Addis Ababa for the African Union Summit since the weekend.  This morning, during the opening session, he said he joined that Summit in profound solidarity and respect, and with a deep sense of gratitude as African countries provide the majority of UN peacekeepers around the world. They are among the world’s largest and most generous hosts of refugees, and include some of the world’s fastest growing economies.  He also said he wanted to work with African countries in better preventing crises and countering and preventing violent extremism and terrorism.
• But prevention is not only about conflicts, he added, stressing that the most efficient prevention for sustaining peace is inclusive and sustainable development, in order to provide youth with opportunities and hope.
• The Secretary-General met with a series of Heads of State and Government on the margins of the Summit, as well as with the outgoing Chairperson of the African Union, Ms. Dlamini-Zuma, whom he thanked for her efforts to promote Africa’s socio-economic transformation.
• On Sunday, the Secretary-General participated in a high-level event on South Sudan. We issued a joint statement from the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the United Nations summarizing this meeting. Also on Sunday, the Secretary-General said during a high-level event on the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia that supporting the country in its efforts to cope with a new drought was a matter of justice, as Ethiopia has been constantly building its resilience to natural disasters and climate change.
• And still on the humanitarian front, the Secretary-General announced the allocation of $100 million to underfunded emergencies from the Central Emergency Response Fund, most of them in Africa.
• Before leaving Addis, he met with the press gathered at the African Union.

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that, on Sunday, a local agreement was reportedly reached in Wadi Barada in Syria, resulting in a number of fighters and their family members leaving the Wadi Barada area to Idleb.
• Today, Syrian water authorities and Syrian Arab Red Crescent technical teams gained access to the Ain Al Fijeh spring to assess the infrastructure damage and start emergency repairs to resume the provision of water to Damascus. The Syrian Ministry of Water Resources announced that water samples are being tested and that the damage observed is considerable, including to electronic devices.
• The UN stands ready to support the Syrian water authorities and the Red Crescent to ensure the swift repair of the water infrastructure.  During the water cut-off, the UN provided water through trucking to a number of neighbourhoods in Damascus and surrounding areas as well as to 101 schools benefiting 94,000 children, as well as providing other technical support to the water authorities.
• The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Staffan de Mistura will be here tomorrow to brief the Security Council. We expect him to join the President of the Security Council at a stakeout around 12:30 tomorrow.

• The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) yesterday said it is deeply concerned about the outbreak of fighting between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition in and around Malakal town. Intermittent shelling has been reported over the last few days. The Peacekeeping Mission reports that yesterday the situation in the town remained tense. It continues to patrol regularly in Malakal, which is reportedly largely deserted.
• The UN Mission reiterates its call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and fully implement the peace agreement. The Mission will continue to act within its capacity to protect civilians in imminent danger and calls on all parties to enable the movement of humanitarian aid and personnel to impacted areas.

• We are following developments in the investigation of the horrific attack on a mosque in Quebec. We condemn this apparent act of terrorism on a place of worship.
• We trust that Canada and Canadians, who have shown such leadership in promoting diversity and tolerance, will come together to reject any attempts to sow division based on religion.
• We send our condolences to the people, to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those who were wounded.

• We join the UN Resident Coordinator in Myanmar in condemning yesterday’s killing of U Ko Ni, a prominent constitutional lawyer and a legal advisor to the National League of Democracy.
• The Resident Coordinator expressed her condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
• She also stressed the need for the Government to thoroughly investigate the killing, identifying the motivations behind them and hold those responsible to account.

• Georgia, Ireland and New Zealand have paid their regular budget dues in full, bringing the total of UN Member States who have done so to 25.