HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC, SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

MONDAY, 13 JULY 2015

 

SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME CRUCIAL TO ACHIEVE AMBITIOUS POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA, CLIMATE CHANGE DEAL – SECRETARY-GENERAL

  • The Secretary-General is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, today for the Third Financing for Development Conference. In his remarks at its opening, he said that a successful outcome on this Conference is crucial for securing an ambitious post-2015 development agenda and a comprehensive agreement on climate change. He urged world leaders and ministers gathered this week to agree on an outcome that is commensurate in ambition with the sustainable development goals. And he called on them to exercise flexibility and compromise, and overcome narrow self-interest in favour of working together for the common well-being for humanity.
  • Before the opening of the Conference, he met with Hailemariam Desalegn, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, commending his strong leadership in working to produce a historic outcome document for the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
  • Since his arrival yesterday in Ethiopia, the Secretary-General participated in a working lunch on Malaria Financing for a New Era, as well as other several side events.
  • Also this afternoon, he launched a Global Financing Facility in support of the Every Woman Every Child initiative. The Secretary-General stressed that investing in saving and improving the lives of women, children and adolescents is not only a moral imperative, it makes economic sense.
  • He also held a meeting on South Sudan with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, and Head of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), as well as the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and spoke to the press afterwards.

U.N. SYRIA ENVOY STRESSES NEED FOR POLITICAL SOLUTION IN VISITS TO QATAR, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

  • Within the framework of the ongoing consultations on Syria, Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura visited Qatar, where he met yesterday with Assistant Foreign Minister Mohammad Bin Abdullah Bin Mutib Al Rumaihi.
  • On the same day, he visited the United Arab Emirates, where he met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
  • Throughout his discussions, the Special Envoy noted once again the need to start a process leading to a political solution to the Syrian crisis through constructive dialogue.
  • Mr. de Mistura will continue his consultations with Member States in the region for the coming days.

AFGHANISTAN: U.N. ENVOY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST SUICIDE ATTACK IN KHOST

  • The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Nicholas Haysom, has condemned in the strongest terms, yesterday’s suicide attack in the Khost province, where dozens of civilians, including children, have been killed.
  • Mr. Haysom has stressed that the attack, which took place near a community bazaar, can never be justified, adding that those responsible must be held accountable.

IRAQ CONFLICT CONTINUES TO EXACT TOLL ON CIVILIANS, NEW U.N. REPORT FINDS

  • According to a new report released today in Baghdad, the conflict in Iraq continues to take a terrible toll on civilians, with at least 15,000 killed and 30,000 wounded since January 2014. Widespread human rights violations and massive displacement continue unabated throughout the country. The report shows that the situation of civilians in areas under the control of Da’esh remains dire. “Civilians continued to be murdered, often in grim public spectacles,” the report says, which is published by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
  • It also documents violations committed by the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and affiliated forces, including airstrikes and shelling which, at many times, may have violated the principles of distinction and proportionality, and the obligation to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians.

U.N., AID AGENCIES DEEPLY CONCERNED OVER CENTRAL AFRICAN REFUGEES NOT BEING ALLOWED TO VOTE IN UPCOMING POLLS

  • The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Central African Republic, Aurélien A. Agbénonci, the High Commissioner for Refugees and the humanitarian community have expressed deep concerns regarding the decision by the Transitional National Council (CNT) to refuse Central African refugees vote in the forthcoming presidential elections and the potential impact of this decision on efforts to promote reconciliation and social cohesion in the country.
  • The Humanitarian Coordinator said that such exclusion could have consequences on the credibility and inclusiveness of the upcoming elections. Since December 2013, approximately 25 percent of the Central African population has been displaced inside the country and more than 460,000 have fled to Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as well as Chad. This number is significant and represents a considerable electorate that cannot be ignored.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR INFORMATION ON WHEREABOUTS OF TWO ISRAELI CIVILIANS IN GAZA

  • In response to questions, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General is aware of reports that two Israeli civilians who entered Gaza over the last year remain unaccounted for. He calls on all Relevant Palestinian actors in Gaza to provide information as to their possible whereabouts and conditions and to take prompt action to facilitate their safe return to their families. 
  • The Secretary-General underscores the responsibility of all parties to protect and respect the rights of civilians. The United Nations will continue to closely monitor developments on the issue.

SREBRENICA GENOCIDE CONTINUES TO ALTER U.N.’S WORK, DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS AT COMMEMORATION

  • The Deputy Secretary-General attended the commemoration of the genocide in Srebrenica on Saturday. In his remarks at the event, he said that the United Nations and the international community failed to protect the people of Srebrenica, and that this will, and should, haunt us forever.  It has fundamentally affected us and is, in many ways, altering our work, he added.
  • He said that he wished that the Srebrenica genocide made the world fully realize the curse of hate and the folly of division, but that tragedies still take place with grim frequency in places such as Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen.
  • In a separate statement, he spoke out against the attack, which he witnessed first-hand, against the Serbian Prime Minister at the commemoration, saying it was far removed from the spirit he felt at the event.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SPEAKS OUT ON CHAD BOMBING, LIBYA AGREEMENT AND COLOMBIA PEACE PROCESS

  • Over the weekend, statements were issued on Chad, Libya and Colombia.
  • On Chad, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the suicide bombing targeting the central market in N'Djamena, Chad, on Saturday. He said that this brutal attack against civilians during the month of Ramadan serves as a reminder to all of us that the scourge of terrorism knows no bounds.
  • On Libya, the Secretary-General welcomed the initialling of the Libyan Political Agreement in Skhirat, Morocco, on Saturday, noting that he looks forward to the speedy conclusion of the full agreement and its implementation. He added that this is a clear demonstration of political will and courage, which brings the country one step closer to resolving the current institutional and security crisis
  • On Colombia, the Secretary-General welcomed the announcements made yesterday in Havana of the intention of the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP to put in place new measures to de-escalate the current fighting in Colombia and to accelerate the negotiations in order to reach a peace agreement as soon as possible.

Secretary-General

Schedule

Resources