HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

FRIDAY, 13 MARCH 2015

AS SYRIA CONFLICT ENTERS A FIFTH YEAR, U.N. HUMANITARIAN LEADERS EXPRESS OUTRAGE AND FRUSTRATION

  • The senior officials of the UN’s humanitarian system today issued a statement expressing their horror, outrage and frustration as the crisis in Syria enters its fifth year. And they restated their commitment as humanitarian leaders to continue to do their best to help all those caught in the middle of this war.
  • The senior humanitarian officials urged world leaders to put aside their differences and use their influence to bring about meaningful change in Syria.
  • That includes pressing the parties to end indiscriminate attacks on civilians; securing the lifting of sieges where more than 212,000 people have been trapped without food for months; enabling delivery of vital surgical and other medical supplies; ending the collective punishment of civilians by cutting off of water and power supplies; and avoiding the complete collapse of the education system.
  • The officials warned that the credibility of the international community is at stake.
  • The officials signing the statement are the heads of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Health Organization (WHO), World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and UNICEF and the Secretary-General’s Special representatives for Children and Armed Conflict and Sexual Violence in Conflict.

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

  • The Secretary-General arrived a few hours ago in Sendai, in the north of Japan. Tomorrow, he will take part in the opening of the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.
  • Over the weekend, the Secretary-General will meet leaders attending the Conference, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and attend several side events. We will issue readouts of his meetings and the various remarks he is scheduled to give.
  • On Sunday, he will also visit areas and meet with people affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL VISITS BUJUMBURA, BURUNDI

  • The Security Council is in Bujumbura, Burundi today.
  • The Council members are expected to meet with the President as well as with other members of the Government, officials of the National Electoral Commission's (CENI), representatives of political parties and politically affiliated youth groups as well as diplomats, representatives of the UN Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB) and the UN country team.
  • Yesterday they were in Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, where they met with the Peace and Security Council of the African Union.

U.N. MISSION IN HAITI WELCOMES ELECTION CALENDAR FOR 2015

  • The UN Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) welcomes the formal proposal of a calendar for elections in 2015 by the electoral council, and is looking forward to the prompt publication of a calendar so that the electoral council and the relevant government entities can focus on its operationalisation.
  • The Mission commends the Electoral Council for its extensive and all-inclusive consultations with political actors and its transparent approach.
  • These elections are of fundamental importance for Haiti and include all local and municipal seats that have been delayed since 2011.
  • The United Nations and Haiti’s international partners are assisting Haiti’s Electoral Council to organize fair, inclusive and transparent elections that will bring the installation of the country’s 50th Legislature in January 2016 and a handover of power to a newly elected President in February 2016.

U.N. PRESENTS TWO-YEAR HUMANITARIAN APPEAL FOR HAITI

  • On Haiti, Peter de Clercq, the UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, presented today the Haiti Transitional Appeal for 2015-2016 to international donors and partners in Geneva, calling for US$401 million in funding.
  • Mr. De Clercq highlighted the specific transitional character of the two-year appeal, which aims to bridge humanitarian response with development programming and building resilience in vulnerable communities.

MYANMAR: HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE CONCERNED OVER ARREST OF STUDENTS AND PROTESTORS

  • From Geneva, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed its concern about the arrest of more than 100 students and other protestors in Myanmar following their participation in Tuesday demonstrations in Latpadan, in the southern Bago Region. Around 60 protesters have been charged under various laws.
  • The Human Rights Office is also concerned about reports that the police used excessive and disproportionate force against the protestors.
  • The High Commissioner’s Office calls on the Government of Myanmar to investigate the handling of Tuesday’s protests. And it urges the Government to unconditionally release all those detained for the exercise of their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression and to amend the laws that place unnecessary and disproportionate restrictions on people’s rights.
  • Meanwhile, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark and World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Ertharin Cousin met with Government officials in Nay Pyi Taw, and visited Sittwe, in Rakhine State, on a two-day visit to Myanmar this week.  
  • They emphasized the importance of ensuring that humanitarian assistance is provided to all those who are in need, and that there is also strong support for development leading to inclusive and sustainable growth and improved living standards for all. They commended all partners who are providing assistance, including in challenging circumstances. There is a joint press release with more details.

FIRST CROSS-LINE INTERNATIONAL AID CONVOY REACHES AREAS BEYOND GOVERNMENT’S CONTROL IN KACHIN STATE, MYANMAR

  • The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that, for the first time since September 2014, a cross-line international aid convoy reached areas beyond Government control in Myanmar’s Kachin State yesterday.
  • This first convoy to Myitkina is expected to be followed by another seven missions to the area, bringing much need humanitarian supplies to conflict-displaced communities, including shelter and household items, and providing aid agencies with an opportunity to assess shelter, protection and early recovery needs.
  • Approximately 100,000 people have been displaced by conflict in Kachin and northern Shan state, close to 50 per cent of whom are in areas beyond the control of the authorities.  Cross-line convoys had been delayed for the past six months, pending Government approval for travel authorizations for international staff. The latest permissions have been granted for a period from 1 March to 30 April.

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE WELCOMES ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY IN SURINAME AND COTE D’IVOIRE

  • The Office for the High Commissioner for Human (OHCHR) welcomed today the recent adoption by the parliaments of Suriname and Côte d’Ivoire of laws to eliminate capital punishment from their countries’ penal codes.
  • They said they hoped that these laws will shortly be signed and promulgated by the Presidents of both countries.
  • Suriname has had a de facto moratorium on the death penalty in place since 1927, while in Côte d'Ivoire, capital punishment was abolished in the new constitution adopted in 2000 but has remained in the penal code until now.

BOLIVIA, CAMBODIA AND CHINA PAY BUDGET ASSESSMENT IN FULL

  • Bolivia, Cambodia and China have now paid their regular budget in full, bringing the number of Member States who have paid their contributions to 59.

Secretary-General

Schedule

Resources