Noon briefing of 12 March 2015

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

THURSDAY, 12 MARCH 2015

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO NOT SHIRK ITS COLLECTIVE RESPONSBILITY TO SYRIA

• In a statement on fulfilling our collective responsibility on Syria, by the Secretary-General said that the Syrian people feel increasingly abandoned by the world as they enter the fifth year of the war that has torn their country apart. They and their neighbours continue to suffer under the eyes of an international community, still divided and incapable of taking collective action to stop the killing and destruction.
• In March 2011, thousands of Syrian civilians went to the streets peacefully calling for political reform. This legitimate demand was met with a violent response from the Syrian authorities. Over time, civilians took up arms in response, regional powers became involved and radical groups gained a foothold.
• Today over 220,000 Syrians have been killed. Almost half of the country9;s men, women and children have been forced to flee their homes. More than 4 million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, while a further 7.6 million are displaced within Syria. Every day brings more death, displacement and destruction, raising the fearsome prospect of the total collapse of this country and even more serious consequences in the region.
• While global attention is rightfully focused on the threat to regional and international peace and security, which terrorist groups such as Daesh pose, our focus must continue to be with the Syrian people. Bringing the deadly Syrian conflict to an end is imperative if we are to extinguish the fires of violent extremism and sectarianism that burn throughout the entire region.
• The United Nations continues to provide daily life-saving assistance to the Syrian people. In Aleppo, Special Envoy de Mistura is tirelessly working to bring about a suspension on the use of heavy weapons so that the UN can deliver additional humanitarian assistance to the city9;s beleaguered population.
• The Secretary-General said that, later this month, he will chair an International Pledging Conference in Kuwait to raise funds to help the Syrian people and countries throughout the region that are bearing the heavy burden of hosting millions of Syrian refugees. He hopes that the response at the conference will be extremely generous. He thanked the Government of Kuwait for hosting the event for the third time.
• Humanitarian assistance can only alleviate Syria9;s suffering, not stop the war. For this, a political solution to this senseless conflict is necessary. The Secretary-General called upon the international community to unite and lend its full support to UN efforts to forge an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition based on the Geneva Communique and which meets the aspirations of the Syrian people for freedom, dignity and justice. It is also incumbent upon the Syrian parties themselves, including especially President Bashar al-Assad, to take decisive steps to end the bloodshed and to start a political process. Governments or movements that aspire to legitimacy do not massacre their own people.
• The lack of accountability in Syria has led to an exponential rise in war crimes, crimes against humanity and other human rights violations. Each day brings reports of fresh horrors: executions, widespread arbitrary arrests, abductions and disappearances as well as systematic torture in detention; indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas, including with barrel bombs; siege and starvation tactics; use of chemical weapons, and atrocities committed by Daesh and other extremist groups.
• We have an obligation to the Syrian people to help ensure that serious crimes committed over the past four years do not go unpunished. The Security Council has in the past shown its ability to act against the use of chemical weapons in Syria and to compel the delivery of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable Syrians. The Secretary-General call upon the Security Council to take determined measures to resolve this crisis and on the way forward.
• Let us work together now to build a better future for the people of Syria and the region. We cannot shirk this collective responsibility.

U.N. AGENCIES WARN OF DETERIORATING HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN SYRIA

• The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, warned today that most of the 3.9 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt see no prospect of returning home in the near future, and have scant opportunity to restart their lives in exile. Well over half of all Syrian refugees in Lebanon live in insecure dwellings – up from a third last year – posing a constant challenge to keep them safe and warm. A survey of 40,000 Syrian families in Jordan’s urban areas found that two-thirds were living below the absolute poverty line.
• Meanwhile, UNICEF reports that some 14 million children across the region are now suffering from the escalating conflict sweeping Syria and much of Iraq. The situation of more than 5.6 million children inside Syria remains the most desperate. That includes up to 2 million children who are living in areas of the country largely cut off from humanitarian assistance due to fighting or other factors. Some 2.6 million Syrian children are still out of school.
• Yesterday afternoon, the United Nations issued a call on the public, Member States, world leaders and the wider humanitarian community to join the #WhatDoesItTake social media campaign to express their frustrations around the deteriorating humanitarian situation and to send a message of solidarity with the people of Syria so they do not give up hope. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, said that Syrians need peace now, and they need to know that the world is committed to securing their children’s future.

SECRETARY-GENERAL HEADS TO JAPAN TO ATTEND U.N. DISASTER RISK REDUCTION CONFERENCE

• The Secretary-General is departing shortly for Japan.
• As we told you last week, his first stop will be in the northern city of Sendai, where he will take part in the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, which begins on Saturday.
• In Sendai, the Secretary-General will meet leaders attending the Conference, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and attend several side events.
• He will also visit areas and meet with people affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
• On Monday, the Secretary-General will travel to Tokyo, where he will speak at an event on the 70th anniversary of the United Nations.

U.N. ENVOY ON EBOLA PAYS TRIBUTE TO SELFLESSNES OF RESPONDERS AS NEW HEALTHCARE WORKER IS INFECTED

• On Ebola, a healthcare worker from the United Kingdom was just flown home from Sierra Leone. The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Ebola, David Nabarro said that this incident is a reminder of the bravery of the national and international responders who put themselves at risk on a daily basis to fight Ebola and help the people of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
• He said that their sacrifice is remarkable and that it is the selflessness and determination of national and international responders that is making the difference in the fight against Ebola.
• David Nabarro reiterated that the outbreak will not be over until the last case has been identified and treated.
• He said that for this, we rely on the responders who have stayed the course. We need their help until the job is done and we must stay vigilant until we have dealt with the very last case.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ISSUES NEW GUIDELINES FOR TREATING HEPATITIS B

• The World Health organization (WHO) issued today its first-ever guidance for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, a viral infection attacking the liver and resulting in an estimated 650 000 deaths each year – most of them in low- and middle-income countries.
• Worldwide, some 240 million people have chronic hepatitis B virus with the highest rates of infection in Africa and Asia.
• Effective medicines exist but most people who need these medicines are unable to access them or can only obtain substandard treatment.
• The new guidelines lay out a simplified approach to the care of people living with chronic hepatitis B, particularly in settings with limited resources. They cover the full spectrum of care from determining who needs treatment, to what medicines to use, and how to monitor people long-term.

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS MIROSLAV JENCA OF SLOVAKIA AS POLITICCAL AFFAIRS DEPUTY

• The Secretary-General announced today the appointment of Miroslav Jenca of Slovakia as Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs.
• He will succeed Jens Toyberg-Frandzen of Denmark, to whom, the Secretary-General is grateful for his leadership and acumen in the position.
• Mr. Jenca will be responsible, inter alia, for overseeing the divisions in the Department of Political Affairs dealing with the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East and West Asia, as well as the Decolonization Unit and the Division for Palestinian Rights.

HEAD OF “SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FOR ALL” STEPS DOWN

• The Secretary-General announced today that Kandeh Yumella is stepping down as Special Representative and Chief Executive Officer for Sustainable Energy for All. The Secretary-General expressed his deep gratitude for his outstanding service.
• He said that Mr. Yumkella has been a visionary and dynamic leader of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, helping shape the proposed Sustainable Development Goal on energy.
• Arrangements are being made for the new leadership of this initiative and will be shared in the future.

CIVILA AVIATION ORGANIZATION SELECTS FANG LIU OF CHINA AS ITS NEW HEAD

• The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has appointed Dr. Fang Liu of China as its new Secretary General for a three-year term, beginning 1 August 2015.
• Dr. Liu succeeds Raymond Benjamin of France, who has held the position for two consecutive terms since 2009.
• She becomes the first woman ever to be appointed at the head of the United Nations specialized agency for civil aviation, based in Montreal.