HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 6 APRIL 2017
U.N. PEACEKEEPING INVESTMENT IN GLOBAL PEACE, SECURITY – SECRETARY-GENERAL
- The Security Council will discuss peacekeeping operations this afternoon. The Secretary-General will say UN peacekeeping is an investment in global peace, security and prosperity, and that we must adapt all our peace operations to keep pace with our changing world. He will say we have a joint responsibility to the people we serve to make sure mandates are clear and achievable, and peace operations are given the support they need.
U.N. ENVOY REPORTS PROGRESS, DELAYS IN IMPLEMENTING MALI PEACE PACT
- The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, briefed the Security Council on Mali this morning.
- He said that there had been progress in the implementation of the peace agreement, including with the establishment of interim authorities in a number of cities. However, he noted that there remain important delays and that the gains are fragile. The security situation is also of concern and terrorist attacks continue.
- Mr. Lacroix stressed the need to encourage the parties to accelerate the implementation of the peace agreement. He also noted the need to address the scourge of transnational organised crime and its impact on the peace efforts. On this issue, the Security Council has already expressed its intention to consider targeted sanctions against spoilers, and Mr. Lacroix said it is time to consider establishing such a sanctions regime. Finally, he reiterated that the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) continues to adjust its priorities and posture in order to provide the best support.
NEARLY $10 BILLION PLEDGED AT U.N.-BACKED GLOBAL CONFERENCE FOR SYRIA
- At the conclusion of yesterday’s Brussels Conference, 41 donors pledged a combined $6 billion for 2017 in immediate and longer-term support for Syria and the region, and $3.7 billion for 2018 and beyond.
- Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien said the conference was “a momentous opportunity for much of the world to come together to commit more support and solidarity for Syrians and those affected across the region.” He added that we need to see the pledges turned into cash as soon as possible. The UN-coordinated response plans for Syria and the region combined require $8 billion for 2017. The press release is available online.
- Meanwhile, today, Senior Adviser Jan Egeland held a meeting of the Humanitarian Task Force in Geneva, saying that there are still nearly five million people that are in so-called hard to reach and besieged areas which, he said, is actually a euphemism for civilians suffering alone.
- UNICEF says that at least 27 children were confirmed killed in the attack in Idlib, northwest of Syria. A further 546 people, among them many children, have been injured. Casualty figures are expected to rise.
IRAQ: IN MIDST OF MOSUL CLASHES, AID WORKERS CONTINUE TO RESPOND TO NEEDS – U.N.
- As fighting continues in west Mosul, humanitarian partners continue to respond to rising casualties and displacement, as well as providing assistance to families in newly accessible areas, where conditions allow.
- Some 1,500 trauma cases have been received at stabilisation points near the west Mosul front lines since the offensive on western neighbourhoods resumed in late February; more than 6,000 trauma cases have been referred to hospitals in Mosul’s surrounding areas since the start of Mosul operations in late October.
- Rapid expansion and construction work at camps and emergency sites has continued to accommodate rapidly rising displacement. Currently more than 5,000 fully-serviced plots of land – which provide space for more than 32,000 people – are available for immediate occupancy.
- Emergency assistance packages have been distributed to cover the immediate needs of 1.8 million people, with many families requiring such emergency packages more than once.
SECRETARY-GENERAL ISSUES CALL FOR SUSTAINABLE FUNDING FOR U.N. AGENCY SUPPORTING PALESTINIAN REFUGEES
- In a report presented today, the Secretary-General urges all Member States actively to support and make the funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) "sustainable, predictable and sufficient".
- The report says that Member States widely value the indispensable role that UNRWA plays in the provision of essential services to the Palestine refugees and the impact it has had in the context of the unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict.
- The Secretary-General notes in his report that recurring financial crises threaten to disrupt service provision to as many as 5.3 million Palestine refugees.
- Pierre Krähenbühl, the Commissioner General of UNRWA, says that the importance of the report lies both in its renewed focus on the plight of Palestine refugees and in the determination to improve the resourcing of UNRWA's vital services.
SUGAR, VEGETABLE OIL DRIVES GLOBAL FOOD PRICES LOWER, U.N. AGENCY REPORTS
- The Food Price Index of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows a decline in March, as sugar and vegetable oils slide.
- FAO also released its first world cereal supply and demand outlook for the year ahead, expecting it to be "another season of relative market tranquillity" with grain inventories remaining at near-record levels.
GLOBAL RENEWABLE ENERGY CAPACITY SURGED IN 2016, U.N.-BACKED REPORT FINDS
- Global renewable energy capacity reached record levels in 2016, according to new UN-backed research released today.
- This surge happened in spite of a drop of 23 per cent in investment in clean technology, whose costs are continuing to fall.
- The proportion of electricity coming from renewables rose from 10.3 per cent to 11.3 per cent. This prevented the emission of an estimated 1.7 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide.
- The proportion of electricity coming from wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, small hydro and marine sources rose from 10 per cent in 2015 to 11 per cent in 2016, preventing the emission of an estimated 1.7 gigatons of carbon dioxide.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY DESIGNATES 27 JUNE AS DAY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
- Recognizing the crucial role of small businesses in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the General Assembly today adopted a resolution designating June 27 as Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day.
- The resolution was spearheaded by Argentina with support from the International Council for Small Business, and was co-sponsored by over 45 Member States representing over 5 billion people in the world.
U.S. ACTRESS APPOINTED AS NEWEST GOODWILL AMBASSADOR FOR U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY
- American actress Kristin Davis, one of the stars of the television series “Sex and the City,” among other roles, has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
