Noon briefing of 6 August 2015

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

THURSDAY, 6 AUGUST 2015

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES PRESIDENT OF BURUNDI TO RESUME POLITICAL DIALOGUE

• The Secretary-General spoke on Wednesday by telephone with Pierre Nkurunziza, President of the Republic of Burundi.
• He reiterated his strong condemnation of the recent killing of General Adolphe Nshimirimana and the attempted assassination of Mr. Pierre Clavier Mbonimpa. He expressed his deep concern over the impact of these events on security in Burundi.
• The Secretary-General urged President Nkurunziza to resume the political dialogue, which has been suspended since 19 July. He encouraged the Burundian authorities to work closely with the Ugandan-led facilitation on behalf of the East African Community.
• The Secretary-General offered the full support of the United Nations to help find a peaceful solution to the grave problems facing Burundi.

BAN KI-MOON CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION TO ELIMINATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON COMMEMORATION OF HIROSHIMA BOMBING

• In a message to the Peace Memorial Ceremony on the 70^th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima today, the Secretary-General said that the commemoration in the Japanese city should reverberate across the world, reminding all people of the need for urgent action to eliminate nuclear weapons once and for all.
• The Secretary-General said that his own commitment was reinforced during his visit to Hiroshima five years ago. He said that the courage of those who lived through this catastrophic, man-made tragedy was deeply inspiring.
• He paid tribute to the bravery of the hibakusha and renewed his resolve to advance our common cause of achieving a safer and more peaceful world, free of the nuclear shadow.
• The Secretary-General noted that this year is also the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, and that as we keep the memory of the bombing alive, so, too, must the international community persist until we have ensured that nuclear weapons are eliminated.
• “I echo your rallying cry,” he said: “No more Hiroshimas. No more Nagasakis.”

UN-FACILITATED LIBYA DIALOGUE TO RESUME MONDAY

• The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has announced that the UN-facilitated dialogue will resume next Monday, 10 August.
• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Bernardino León, has urged the main parties to redouble their efforts and continue working together to find a peaceful resolution of the political and military conflict in Libya.

SYRIA: U.N. ENVOY IN FAVOUR OF INITIATIVES FOR A POLITICAL SOLUTION

• In answer to an earlier question on a reported visit by Syrian opposition officials to Russia, the Spokesman said that the Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is in favour of any initiative to search for a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
• Mr. de Mistura stresses the importance of the contribution of the Security Council members to a political solution to the Syrian conflict. He also underscores the urgent need to find ways to end the bloodshed in Syria.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME FOCUS ON VULNERABLE SYRIAN REFUGEES IN KURDISTAN REGION OF IRAQ

• The World Food Programme (WFP) announced this week that it will focus its resources on the most vulnerable Syrian refugees living in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, following a comprehensive assessment of needs there.
• The decisions being taken on the prioritization of food assistance are based on an assessment to measure the general food security status of refugees living in camps and their ability to cope. Factors taken into account include access to livelihood opportunities, food consumption, household expenditure, coping strategies and other socio-economic considerations.
• In August, WFP will channel all available resources to more than 48,000 refugees who still require support to meet their food needs.
• WFP will reduce the monthly voucher value to $10 per person per month for more than 47,000 moderately vulnerable refugees, while nearly 1,000 refugees considered the most vulnerable will continue to receive $19 per person per month to meet their food needs.

HUMANITARIANS CONCERNED ABOUT FURTHER DISPLACEMENT IN LAKE CHAD REGION

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports further population displacement in the Lake Chad region following fear of attacks by Boko Haram and appeals by the Government of Chad for civilians to leave areas where ongoing military operations are being undertaken against the group.
• On 3 August an estimated 10,000 people fled to the locality of Koulkimé, some 20 km from the town of Baga Sola, in the Lac Region of Chad, bringing the total of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the region to around 40,000. Overall, some 79,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the year.
• The Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad, Thomas Gurtner, said today the United Nations was working with partners to implement immediate life-saving assistance to these new displaced people.
• The Office also says that the volatile security situation and the rainy season are limiting physical access, slowing humanitarian assessments and response. However, to date, three spontaneous IDP sites near Baga Sola have been provided with basic supplies, food and wash kits. Registration of displaced people is ongoing in other sites while international NGOs and UN agencies expect to organize further distributions within the next few days.

FOOD PRICE HIT LOWEST AVERAGE LEVEL IN JULY

• Prices for major food commodities in July hit their lowest average monthly level, reports the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The UN agency says that this is mostly due to sharp drops in the prices of dairy products and vegetable oils.
• FAO’s Food Price Index averaged 164.6 points in July, down 1 per cent from June, and 19.4 percent from a year earlier.