HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2014

 

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TRAVEL TO WASHINGTON, TUNISIA AND EGYPT

  • The Secretary-General will begin a series of travels, and his first stop will be in Washington, D.C., where he will participate in a series of special meetings at the World Bank. He will attend sessions focusing on the efforts to counter Ebola, to improve sanitation in Haiti and to support financing for development. He will also meet with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.
  • From Washington, D.C., the Secretary-General will travel to Tunis, Tunisia. He will be in Tunisia to express the support of the international community and the United Nations to the transition process in the country.
  • In Tunis, the Secretary-General is expected to meet President Moncef Marzouki, Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa, and Foreign Minister Mongi Hamdi. He will also hold discussions with the leadership of the National Assembly of Tunisia, including the Speaker and Presidents of the Committees, as well as representatives of the civil society.
  • From Tunisia, the Secretary-General will travel to Cairo, Egypt, to attend the donor conference for the reconstruction of Gaza on Sunday, 12 October.  

VOICING CONCERN OVER I.S.I.L. OFFENSIVE IN NORTHERN SYRIA, SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES CIVILIAN PROTECTION

  • In a statement yesterday evening, the Secretary-General expressed his grave concern at the ongoing offensive by ISIL on the northern Syrian town of Ayn al-Arab, which has already resulted in massive displacement of civilians, including into Turkey, and numerous death and injuries.
  • In light of the gross and extensive violations of human rights and international humanitarian law the terrorist group has committed in areas that have fallen under its control in Syria and Iraq during its barbarous campaign, the Secretary-General urgently calls on all those with the means to do so to take immediate action to protect the beleaguered civilian population of Ayn al-Arab.
  • The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also voiced its alarm at the situation in the town. The Office said that it remains hugely concerned for the safety of any civilians remaining in the town, as well as in surrounding villages. Given their atrocious record of repeated murders and summary executions of prisoners in both Syria and Iraq, the Human Rights Office is also extremely concerned about the fate of any combatants captured by ISIL.

LEBANON: U.N. MISSION CALLS FOR RESTRAINT FOLLOWING EXPLOSION

  • This afternoon in Lebanon, the Israel Defence Forces confirmed that two of its soldiers were wounded at an Israeli position in the Shaba’a area as a result of an improvised explosive device. The explosion was followed by Israeli retaliatory artillery fire towards the general area of Kfar Shouba hills.
  • On receiving this information, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) contacted both parties, urging maximum restraint and asking them to cooperate with UNIFIL in order to reduce tension and prevent escalation.
  • UNIFIL is launching an investigation to determine the facts and circumstances of the incident.
  • This incident is a violation of UN Resolution 1701. Such actions are in contravention of efforts to reduce tensions and establish a stable and secure environment in southern Lebanon.

U.N. SOUTH SUDAN ENVOY CALLS ON LEADERS TO MAKE COMPROMISES TOWARDS PEACE

  • In Juba, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in South Sudan, Ellen Margrethe Loej, held her first press conference since she assumed her duties in early September.
  • She said that progress on the peace talks sponsored by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) was taking longer than hoped for. She called on the South Sudanese political leaders to make the necessary compromises for peace. 
  • She also said that the protection of civilians remained a core priority of the mandate of the UN Mission (UNMISS).
  • Regarding living conditions in UN compounds, Ms. Loej said that the Mission and humanitarian partners were working very closely on durable and sustainable solutions, including encouraging the voluntary return of internally displaced persons to their homes. UNMISS is relocating displaced people to new sites in Juba and Malakal in order to decongest the UN sites.

MALI: U.N. PEACEKEEPING CHIEF HONOURING FALLEN BLUE HELMETS

  • The Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, is currently in Mali.
  • He is there to attend a memorial ceremony for the nine peacekeepers from Niger who were killed in an ambush last week and to show support for the Chadian contingent which has also suffered casualties in recent weeks.
  • Mr. Ladsous will also meet with the President and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mali.
  • Tomorrow, he will meet with staff from the UN Mission in Mali. He will also brief the Security Council via videolink from Bamako tomorrow.

FOLLOWING FORMER HAITIAN PRESIDENT’S DEATH, U.N. URGES CONTINUED RECONCILIATION

  • The Head of the UN Mission in Haiti, Sandra Honoré, issued a statement over the weekend regarding the passing of Haiti’s former President Jean-Claude Duvalier.
  • She said that Mr. Duvalier’s return to Haiti in 2011 had presented an opportunity for the country to comprehensively address the painful memories of its recent past through the required processes of accountability and reconciliation.
  • She added that this process should be continued.
  • Similarly, the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights stresses that it is essential for Haiti to continue the ongoing legal proceedings and investigations in respect to other individuals accused of responsibility for serious crimes and human rights violations during the Duvalier regime.
  • Although Jean-Claude Duvalier was never brought to trial, the Human Rights Office recalls that on 28 February 2013, he did at least face some of his accusers, when the appeals court ordered him to appear in person at the proceedings.

U.N. RIGHTS OFFICE VOICES CONCERN OVER PLANNED AFGHAN EXECUTION

  • The Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed concern over the announcement by Afghanistan’s Attorney-General’s office about the planned execution tomorrow of five men, who have been accused of armed robbery and gang rape near Kabul.
  • The Office notes that although the crimes are appalling, the legal processes which led to these convictions have failed to comply with national and international fair trial standards.

HEAD OF U.N. EBOLA RESPONSE MISSION ASSESSING NEEDS IN GUINEA

  • The Head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), Anthony Banbury, is in Conakry, Guinea, today.
  • He is meeting with Government officials and partners to assess the needs in the country. This is the final leg of his visit to the three intensely affected countries.

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS SENIOR OFFICIALS FOR U.N. MISSIONS IN CôTE D’IVOIRE, AFGHANISTAN

  • The Secretary-General has appointed Simon Munzu of Cameroon as his Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI).
  • He will succeed Arnauld Akodjènou of Benin, who now serves as Deputy Special Representative in MINUSMA in Mali (MINUSMA). The Secretary-General is grateful for his outstanding performance in Côte d'Ivoire.
  • The Secretary-General has also appointed Tadamichi Yamamoto of Japan as his Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). He succeeds Nicholas Haysom of South Africa who served in that position since March 2012 and was recently named the Secretary-General’s Special Representative.

 

***The guest at the Noon Briefing was Kevin Kennedy, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, who spoke to journalists from Erbil.

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