HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY VANNINA MAESTRACCI, ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 18 AUGUST 2015

SECRETARY-GENERAL BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND SECURITY CHALLENGES

• The Secretary-General spoke today at the Security Council’s open debate on regional organizations and contemporary global security challenges.
• He said the UN increasingly shares responsibility for peace and security with regional organizations, and counts on them for political leverage as well as civilian and military capacities.
• He added that the UN is deploying into fragile and remote environments with little peace to keep, and that too often, it lacks the proper equipment, resources and training for this life-saving mission.
• The Secretary-General told the Council that he was currently analyzing the report of the High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations, identifying the recommendations that can carried out immediately – and those that will require action by legislative bodies, Member States and partners.
• He said that in recent years, we have seen how practical cooperation among the UN, the African Union and the European Union has enhanced progress in Africa.
• Now we need to build on this trilateral cooperation and boost our collective ability to manage, plan and execute peace operations, and be open to different forms of engagement with other organizations.
• The Secretary-General also drew attention to the Panel’s call for more predictable financing, including through the use of UN-assessed contributions. He finally stressed that investing in prevention will spare the much higher human and financial costs of a crisis.

INTENSE DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO ENSURE CEASEFIRE IS UPDHELD IN MALI

• The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said the clashes that took place in Mali between 15 and 17 August appear to be the first major ceasefire violation since the finalization of the signature of the Peace Agreement by all parties on 20 June.
• Intense diplomatic efforts are underway to ensure that the ceasefire is upheld and that the parties use the existing mechanisms established under the Peace Agreement.
• Efforts are also underway to deploy a Mixed Observation and Monitoring team in Anéfis and more information from the team on the situation on the ground soon. The Mission continues to monitor the situation in Anéfis which appears to be calm right now.
• The Mission has also established a 20 km security perimeter around the city of Kidal – a measure taken to prevent any possible escalation of the situation and to ensure the protection of civilians in accordance with the Mission’s mandate.

U.N. OFFICIALS IN OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY GRAVELY CONCERNED OVER RECENT DEMOLITIONS

• The UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Robert Piper, and the Director of Operations in the West Bank of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Felipe Sanchez, have expressed grave concern over yesterday’s demolitions by the Israeli Civil Administration in vulnerable Palestinian Bedouin refugee communities in Area C, near East Jerusalem.
• A total of 22 structures were demolished in four communities, displacing 78 Palestinians, including 49 children, the vast majority of whom are Palestine refugees.
• According to UN records, this is the largest number of Palestinians displaced in the West Bank in one day in nearly three years.
• Mr. Piper said that these demolitions targeted some of the most vulnerable communities in the West Bank, and Mr. Sanchez noted that many of these refugee families have now been displaced four times in the last four years.
• The four communities are among others in the central West Bank that are included in Israeli plans to transfer Palestinian Bedouin communities to three designated sites.
• The Secretary-General has stated that the implementation of the proposed “relocation” would amount to forcible transfers and forced evictions, contravening Israel’s obligations as an occupying power under humanitarian law and human rights law.
• Mr. Piper and Mr. Sanchez called for an immediate freeze on demolitions in the West Bank.

SYRIA: U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE CALLS BOMBING OF BUSY MARKET PLACE IN DUMA “OUTRAGEOUS”

• In addition to yesterday’s statements by the Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has condemned what it calls the “outrageous” bombing of a busy market place yesterday in Syria’s Duma.
• The Office said that the event has deepened the intense suffering of the civilian population in the area. It added that at least 111 civilians have reportedly been killed and at least 200 others were injured, and the death toll is likely to rise.
• The Office said that it has spoken directly to some residents of the area, who said that the protracted siege by Government forces was the biggest problem facing them and pointed out it had resulted in more deaths and destruction than this single incident.
• It added that any intentional direct attack against civilians or civilian objects, as well as the use of indiscriminate weapons in densely populated areas, are serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and may amount to a war crime for which individuals can be held criminally responsible.

MORE THAN 6,000 CIVILIAN CASUALITIES REPORTED IN YEMEN SINCE ESCALATION OF CONFLICT

• The High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) today said that between 31 July and 14 August, at least 119 civilians were killed or injured in Yemen.
• Since the escalation of the conflict on 26 March, the Office said that it has recorded at least 6,221 civilian casualties – this includes at least 1,950 civilians killed and 4,271 wounded.

LIBYA: U.N. CONCERNED OVER ISIL-RELATED ATTACKS IN SIRTE

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed extreme concern over recent events involving militants claiming allegiance to ISIL in Sirte, Libya.
• A district in Sirte was reportedly indiscriminately shelled by ISIL forces during fighting that erupted last week after the killing of a local imam. The mission said that the total number of fatalities is unknown.
• According to UNSMIL and OHCHR, ISIL militants continue to commit serious human rights abuses on a regular basis in Libya and seem impervious to the suffering of civilians and the rule of law.

NUMBER OF REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS ARRIVING IN GREECE ACCELERATES DRAMATICALLY, WARNS U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece – both by land and by sea – is accelerating dramatically and has now reached the 160,000 mark.
• The pace of arrivals has been steadily increasing in recent weeks, with more refugees and migrants having arrived in Greece during July than during the whole of last year.
• UNHCR said that the vast majority of people who arrived in Greece last week were Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, confirming that the overwhelming majority or arrivals are likely to qualify for refugee status. UNHCR has warned of a mounting refugee crisis on the Greek islands.
• The reception infrastructure, services and registration procedures both on the islands and on the mainland need to be strengthened urgently.
• The Agency is recommending Greek authorities to designate a single body to coordinate an emergency response and set up an adequate humanitarian assistance mechanism. European countries should support Greece on these efforts, and UNHCR continues to support the Greek authorities in its efforts.

EMERGENCY FUNDING ALLOCATED FOR DROUGHT RESPONSE IN DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

• The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated $6.3 million for drought response in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and UN agencies and humanitarian partners are stepping up their support to national relief efforts in the lead up to the peak of the lean season.
• The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the country, Tapan Mishra, said that a long period of abnormally dry weather affecting the country has resulted in drought, impacting agricultural production, reducing access to water and leading to a deterioration of health, nutrition and sanitary conditions.
• An estimated 18 million people, dependent on Public Distribution System rations, have been affected and are at risk of food insecurity, malnutrition and waterborne diseases.

112 MEMBER STATES PAY THEIR DUES IN FULL

• Afghanistan and Uruguay have paid their regular budget dues in full, which brings the total number of fully paid up Member States to 112.