HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY VANNINA MAESTRACCI,

ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

THURSDAY, 09 OCTOBER 2014

IN WASHINGTON D.C., SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES URGENCY OF ADDRESSING EBOLA, HAITI CHOLERA

• The Secretary-General is in Washington, DC, where he participated in key sessions on the fight against Ebola and the need for improved sanitation in Haiti that are being held alongside the fall meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.
• On Ebola, he said that the best antidote to fear is an effective response, and he noted that the building blocks for a global response to counter the virus have been put in place. But he said that we need at least a 20-fold surge in assistance and said that it is time for the international community to step up.
• On Haiti, he discussed the need to bring access to water, sanitation and healthcare within the reach of every Haitian. As of today, he said, the $2.2 billion, ten-year National Plan is only 10 per cent funded, so there is clearly much more to do.
• The Secretary-General also took part in a meeting on financing for development, and he later left for the next leg of his travels in Tunisia.

EBOLA: SITUATION CONTINUES TO DETERIORATE IN WEST AFRICA

• The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the total number of cases stands at 8,033, with 3,879 deaths.
• Countries affected are Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and the United States. The confirmed case reported in Spain is not included in this update that covers the period until October 5.
• The World Health Organization says that the past week has seen a continuation of recent trends: the situation in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone continues to deteriorate, with widespread and persistent transmission of Ebola.
• Regarding Liberia, the reported fall in the number of new cases over the past three weeks is unlikely to be genuine, instead, reflecting a deterioration in the ability of overwhelmed responders to record accurate epidemiological data.
• In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Head of the UN Mission in the country, Martin Kobler, visited Lokolia and Boende in the Equateur province, where an unrelated Ebola epidemic is considered under control.
• He commended the authorities, the UN system and Médecins sans Frontières for their extraordinary work, devotion and professionalism.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNED BY RECENT ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE ALONG LINE OF CONTROL BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN

• In a statement, the Secretary-General said that he is concerned about the recent escalation of violence along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan. He deplores the loss of lives and the displacement of civilians on both sides.
• The Secretary-General encourages the Governments of India and Pakistan to resolve all differences through dialogue and to engage constructively to find a long-term solution for peace and stability in Kashmir.

U.N. MISSION CONDEMNS VIOLENCE IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

• The Head of the UN Mission in the Central African Republic, General Babacar Gaye, strongly condemned the ongoing violence in the streets of Bangui and calls on all actors to engage in dialogue.
• Mr Gaye stressed that dialogue is the only way towards reconciliation and lasting peace in CAR.
• The Mission reports that violent demonstrations have taken place in front of the MINUSCA compound over the last two days. As a result several UN vehicles were shot at and pelleted by stones. No UN personnel have been injured. These demonstrations are now being dispersed and the UN Police are currently patrolling Bangui.
• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report that some 3,000 people have been internally displaced following the recent clashes in the capital and have arrived in the town of Bimbo, the capital of Ombella-M'poko prefecture.
• Health workers report that armed groups tried to enter the hospital there, and one child was killed and another injured.

HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE AND MISSION IN D.R. CONGO CALL FOR JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF M23

• In a report issued today, the United Nations asks for justice for the victims of crimes committed by the M23 group in North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Investigations by the Human Rights Office in the country revealed serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law by the rebel group.
• The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, encouraged Congolese authorities to continue their efforts to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.
• The Head of the UN Mission in the DRC, Martin Kobler, also stressed that the amnesty law in the country did not cover serious crimes like genocide, crime against humanity or war crimes, and called for a strict enforcement of that law by the authorities.

PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS OPERATE IN DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENTS, TOP U.N. MILITARY OFFICIAL TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL

• The Security Council met on UN peacekeeping operations. Addressing the Council, Military Advisor Lieutenant General Maqsood Ahmed highlighted that peacekeeping missions often operate in very difficult environments. 
• He said that peacekeeping operations in Mali, where the mission has suffered maximum casualties this year, as well as in the Central African Republic, Sudan and Golan face very challenging security situations. He added that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is adding yet another dimension to the complexity faced by missions in the region.
• Other speakers at the briefing included the Force Commanders of the UN peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Mali (MINUSMA) and the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

ACTOR-DIRECTOR AAMIR KHAN APPOINTED NEW U.N.I.C.E.F. AMBASSADOR IN SOUTH ASIA

• The actor, director and producer, Aamir Khan, has become the newest UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Ambassador in South Asia. He will support UNICEF’s work to promote the right of South Asian children to nutrition, with a focus on ending stunting.
• Mr. Khan said that child stunting remains one of the greatest development challenges in the region. After sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia is the region with the highest number of deaths of children under the age of five.
• Mr. Khan is currently in Nepal, where he took part in the launch of a national nutritional campaign.