Noon briefing of 14 August 2015

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

FRIDAY, 14 AUGUST 2015

U.N. HUMANITARIAN CHIEF TO VISIT SYRIA, LEBANON

• UN humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien is scheduled to visit Syria and Lebanon from today until 17 August, to see for himself the terrible humanitarian impact of the protracted conflict and violence in Syria.
• Humanitarian needs in Syria have increased twelve-fold since the beginning of the crisis, with 12.2 million people needing assistance, including more than 5.6 million children. Half of the population has been displaced, making Syria the largest displacement crisis in the world, and more than four million people have been registered as refugees.
• Mr. O9;Brien is expected to meet key officials in Damascus and Beirut to discuss ways of strengthening the aid operation to save lives and protect civilians. He expects to meet displaced and refugee families in Homs and the Beka’a Valley, and to see the staff of humanitarian agencies and our partners.

SPECIAL ENVOY FOR SYRIA SAYS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR SHELLING OF DAMASCUS

• The Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, condemns the continued use of indiscriminate weapons in civilian areas in Syria. He said today that there is no justification for the shelling of Damascus neighbourhoods and suburbs, as well as other areas in Syria, which continues to indiscriminately kill and injure civilians.
• Mr. de Mistura renews his call on all the warring parties in Syria to immediately cease attacks affecting any civilian. Instead, he said, all Syrian efforts should now be focused on finding a political solution to the unacceptable situation in the country.

HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE CONCERNED ABOUT VIOLENCE IN BURUNDI

• On Burundi, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that on Thursday, in the commune of Kamenge in Bujumbura Rural Province, a member of the CNDD-FDD and his wife were killed in their car as they were on their way home. Over the past two weeks, at least seven members of the ruling CNDD-FDD party have been killed by unidentified assailants.
• The Office says that such attacks are indicative of a climate of reprisals, but also a worrying sign that some parts of the opposition are increasingly resorting to violence.
• The Human Rights Office adds that the situation in Burundi continues to deteriorate, with at least 96 people killed, mostly among the opposition, since the beginning of election-related violence in late April.
• The Office also says that at least 600 people were arrested and detained during this period, although a good number of them have since been released.
• There have been at least 60 cases of torture and many more cases of other ill-treatment in police and intelligence (SNR) detention facilities.
• OHCHR is urging all sides to resume dialogue before the situation spirals completely out of control. It also calls on leaders on all sides to take concrete steps to renounce the use of violence and to resolve differences peacefully. It stresses that where violations and abuses have occurred, there needs to be prompt investigations with a view to bringing the perpetrators to account and justice for victims.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AT ALL LEVELS TO DEAL WITH ABUSES BY U.N. PERSONNEL

• On Thursday afternoon, the Secretary-General discussed the situation in the Central African Republic with the members of the Security Council.
• He said that an effective response to the reports of sexual exploitation and abuse of power by UN forces, police or personnel demands accountability at the individual, leadership and command level, as well as accountability by the Organization and by Member States.
• He said that the United Nations must lead and said he relied on Member States in that sense.
• He said that too many incidents go unreported, too few cases are prosecuted and too often, justice is denied.

MOVEMENT OF HUMANITARIAN SUPPLIES RESUMES IN SOUTH SUDAN

• On South Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that movement of humanitarian supplies to Malakal and Upper Nile State has resumed following last week9;s lifting of restrictions on the movement of barges on the River Nile and clearances to use the Malakal airstrip.
• In July, no barges arrived in Malakal and no flights were able to land at the airstrip from the end of June until 7 August. Between 15 to 24 July, World Food Programme/UN Humanitarian Air Service helicopters were able to land inside the UN Mission base, but they were only able to bring in minimal supplies.
• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the lifting of the restrictions has allowed humanitarian partners to start re-supplying critical medicines, fuel, food and water treatment chemicals in Malakal.
• As the rainy season leads to increasingly desperate living conditions, relief agencies are racing to cope with the influx. As of 10 August, more than 46,500 internally displaced persons were sheltering at the Malakal site, which was designed for only 18,000 people.

HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR SAHEL URGES CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT WITH MALI

• The Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, Toby Lanzer, today urged the international community to remain engaged in meeting the vital needs of vulnerable communities in Mali and to support efforts towards peace and development.
• At the end of a five-day visit to the country, Lanzer said that humanitarian needs will only grow in Mali if there is no full commitment to peace and stability.
• During this lean season in Mali, 3.1 million people are suffering from food insecurity. Some 410,000 of them require immediate assistance and 715,000 children are threatened by acute malnutrition. The situation is of particular concern in the Timbuktu region, where malnutrition rates exceed emergency thresholds.
• This year’s humanitarian appeal for Mali calls for $377 million to address the most pressing needs, but it remains only 33 per cent funded.

REFUGEE AGENCY CONCERNED ABOUT ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA

• The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says it is concerned about the escalating violence in and around Nigeria and its impact on the situation of Nigerian refugees in surrounding host countries.
• The agency salutes the generosity and humanitarian spirit of Cameroon, Chad and Niger in opening their doors to tens of thousands of people fleeing conflict in north-east Nigeria over the past two years.
• But UNHCR also says that, amid the fluid military situation in border areas, thousands of people have been deported or returned to Nigeria from Cameroon and Chad in July and August.
• The agency says that it has been in close and regular contact with the relevant governments and has expressed its concern at the way these returns were conducted.
• UNHCR fears that such deportations lead to shrinking of the protection and humanitarian space and the agency reminds governments of their duty to protect asylum-seekers fleeing human rights violations and to respect the principle of non-refoulement.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME MONITORING EFFECTS OF EL NIÑO EVENT

• The World Food Programme (WFP) is closely monitoring the El Niño weather pattern and preparing for the possible impacts it will have on food production. Over the next 12 months, El Niño could potentially affect the food security of a large number of already vulnerable people who are dependent on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods in Central America, most of Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia.
• Already, in Central America, people living in the Dry Corridor, from Guatemala to Nicaragua, are enduring the second consecutive year of drought. The situation in Sudan and Ethiopia hangs in the balance. In the coming months, Zimbabwe and other countries in southern Africa could also be severely affected.
• It is possible that WFP will be stretched operationally and financially during 2016, when the impacts of the El Niño event translate into increased food assistance needs across most of the agency’s areas of operation.

HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE WELCOMES IRAQ’S RESPONSE TO PROTESTS

• In Geneva today, the Human Rights Office warmly welcomed the response of the Government of Iraq to the mass protests in the country earlier this month.
• Several thousand people protested against rampant government corruption, social inequality, poor social services and lack of accountability for officials. In response, a reform package was adopted with concrete steps to reinforce the rule of law, improve governance and respect for human rights.
• The Human Rights Office is encouraged by these reforms and calls on the authorities to ensure that human rights are at the core of implementation.

MOLDOVA PAYS U.N. DUES IN FULL

• The Republic of Moldova has paid its regular budget dues in full, making it the 110^th Member State to do so.