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

MONDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2015

SECRETARY-GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS MIGRATION AND REFUGEE CRISIS IN EUROPE DURING VISITS TO SLOVAKIA AND ITALY

• The Secretary-General today received an honorary degree from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, where he spoke about how the current migration and refugee challenges in Europe demand resolve and generosity.
• He said that Slovakia can understand these challenges from the viewpoint of its large diaspora, where some who left faced hateful discrimination in their new lands. 
• The Secretary-General said that people fleeing political oppression, grinding poverty and raging conflict need more than passive tolerance; they need protection and support. They also deserve lasting solutions. That is why, he said, we are working to resolve conflicts.
• The Secretary-General added that yesterday, he visited Slovakia’s Tatra Mountains, and he noted that global warming has played a role in the destruction of forests there.
• He also spoke to students at Comenius University’s International Relations Institute, telling them how the UN is bringing countries together to address transnational threats based on common values. A country may have the strongest army in the world, he said, but that would never keep out the Ebola virus.
• Over the weekend, the Secretary-General met refugees at Italy’s Centra Tenda di Abramo. He said there that he appreciates the challenges that Europe is facing, but added that this is not a crisis of numbers. If there is any crisis, this is a crisis of global solidarity.

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR LIBERIA

• The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Waldemar Vrey of South Africa as his Deputy Special Representative (Political and Rule of Law) for the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
• Mr. Vrey succeeds Mark Kroeker of the United States of America, whose appointment ended in September 2015. The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Kroeker for his outstanding service in Liberia.
• Currently Director for the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Group in the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), Mr. Very brings to the position a wealth of senior management, political, rule of law, regional coordination and security sector reform experience in the UN, having served since 2004 in political and peacekeeping missions in Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan and most recently in Somalia.
• He previously served as Commander of South African peacekeeping deployments and as Chief of Staff of the African Union Mission in Burundi.

SPECIAL ENVOY CONCLUDES VISIT TO SAUDI ARABIA TO DISCUSS YEMEN CRISIS

• The Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, concluded a three-day visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, today where he met with Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and Vice President Khaled Bahah.
• He also met with key Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef Bin Abdelaziz Al Saud, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Minister for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir.
• The Special Envoy met representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the diplomatic community in Riyadh. The Special Envoy welcomed the statement by the officials of the Government of Yemen in which they expressed their willingness to participate in peace talks.
• In the coming weeks, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed will be working with Government representatives, the Houthis and their allies to complete preparations for the talks, which will help to ensure that the face-to-face negotiations lead to concrete benefits for the Yemeni people and the foundation for sustainable peace.
• The Special Envoy will be in New York this week to brief the UN Security Council on the latest updates and hold bilateral meetings with the relevant parties.

CRITICAL AID SUPPLIES REACH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN BESIEGED AREAS OF SYRIA

• Thirty-one aid trucks carrying medical and humanitarian supplies for 29,500 people yesterday reached Fouah and Kafraya in Syria’s Idlib governorate, and Zabadani and Madaya in Rural Damascus governorate.
• The joint UN, International Committee of the Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent aid convoy, was possible under the framework of the Zabadani, Fouah and Kafraya ceasefire agreement reached in Istanbul on 22 September, with the facilitation of the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura.
• Yesterday’s mission was critical as it allowed aid organizations to reach thousands of people in these besieged locations with urgently needed assistance. Negotiations continue with the aim of delivering further humanitarian and medical supplies.
• The UN and its partners look forward to the implementation of the remaining points covered under the agreement, including the urgent evacuation of critically wounded people. The UN calls on the parties to facilitate these lifesaving humanitarian actions.

SPECIAL COORDINATOR VISITS NORTHERN LEBANON TO DISCUSS IMPACT OF SYRIA CRISIS ON REFUGEES AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES

• The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag, today visited Lebanon’s northern area of Akkar, where she met with authorities to discuss political and socio-economic challenges and the impact of the Syria crisis. 
• The Special Coordinator met with Syrian refugee families in a tented site in Kweshra and visited a public school in Rama that offers classes to Lebanese and Syrian children.
• She said that Syrian refugees are facing incredibly difficult conditions far from their homes and their country, adding that the generosity and support they receive from the residents of Akkar, who live in already difficult circumstances, has been impressive. 
• Ms. Kaag reaffirmed that the UN will continue to encourage greater assistance for both the Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese communities as a matter of urgency.

U.N. AND PARTNERS DISCUSS EFFECTIVE WAYS TO SUPPORT LIBYA’S POLITICAL PROCESS

• Representatives from 40 countries, UN agencies and international organizational today met in London to discuss effective ways to support a new Libyan Government of National Accord.
• At the meeting, organized by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UK Government, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for the country, Ali Al-Za’tari, reiterated the UN’s calls for the Libyan parties to endorse the political agreement. He added that the UN will continue to support Libya, which will require international assistance, especially with funding and expertise.
• The Security Council on 16 October issued a press statement on Libya last Friday, stressing that the political agreement offers a real prospect for resolving the country’s political, security, and institutional crises.

U.N. MISSION IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CONDEMNS VIOLENCE AGAINST PEACEKEEPERS, FOLLOWING RECENT ATTACKS

• The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reported that seven UN police were ambushed and detained illegally by alleged anti-Balaka elements last evening near Boali in Ombella Mpoko. All UN police were freed the same night.
• In a separate incident yesterday, a MINUSCA position in Damara, also in Ombella Mpoko prefecture, was fired upon by three unknown armed men. Peacekeepers returned fire, killing one assailant and seizing a number of weapons. Two of the assailants managed to escape.
• The Mission strongly condemns attacks against its peacekeepers and calls for swift action to bring the perpetrators in both crimes to justice. The Mission underlines that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute a war crime and reminds all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law.
• The Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O’Brien, will be travelling to the Central African Republic tomorrow. He will take stock of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, deepened by the recent violence.
• During the visit, Mr. O’Brien hopes to meet displaced people in Bangui and in Dekoa in Kémo province. He is also expected to meet President Catherine Samba-Panza and other senior officials and representatives of the humanitarian community to discuss challenges in delivering assistance and ways of improving response to those affected by the crisis.  
• On 23 October, Mr. O'Brien is scheduled to travel to Cameroon where he will meet senior Government officials and the humanitarian community to raise awareness of the humanitarian situation and discuss ways to better support those affected by the crises in the Central African Republic and Nigeria.

RELIEF AGENCIES CONCERNED OVER IMPACT OF EL NIÑO IN SOUTHERN AFRICA AND SOMALIA

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are expanding their operations in response to growing food insecurity as a result of poor harvests across much of southern Africa.
• Latest estimates from the Southern African Development Community warn that there could be an estimated 27.4 million food-insecure people in the region during the next six months.
• WFP, FAO and other partners are also monitoring the El Niño weather phenomenon which could significantly impact southern Africa following a poor agricultural season.
• Moreover, UN agencies and humanitarian partners are ramping up efforts to mitigate the impact of the weather phenomenon in Somalia between October and December.
• More than 600,000 people in southern and central Somalia as well as in Puntland are expected to be affected by flooding, which can also lead to disease and food insecurity.

AFGHANISTAN: AID ORGANIZATIONS NEED SUPPORT TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE IN KUNDUZ

• Humanitarian partners in Afghanistan have reported calm and restoration of some basic services within Kunduz city centre.
• Water and electricity have been restored in most parts of the city, including in Kunduz Regional Hospital which is now operational.
• Although some displaced families are returning to the city, security concerns remain. Most displaced families urgently require food, water, shelter as well as health care, sanitation support and protection.
• Aid organizations need additional funding to replenish emergency stocks. The 2015 Humanitarian Response Plan is only 49 per cent so far.

U.N. AGENCIES ON HIGH ALERT AS TYPHOON KOPPU MAKES LANDFALL IN THE PHILIPPINES

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today that Typhoon Koppu, which made landfall in the Philippines yesterday, is slow moving and is expected to continue bringing intense rainfall along its path.
• The Government has reported three deaths and five injuries so far, while more than 100,000 people have been evacuated.
• The UN is working with the Government to carry out rapid needs assessments to better understand the humanitarian impact of the Typhoon.
• The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is on high alert after Typhoon Koppu made landfall in the Philippines yesterday morning. The agency has prepositioned supplies for about 12,000 families, including water purification tablets, hygiene kits, medicines, school supplies, therapeutic food, tents and generators.
• For her part, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, today praised the Philippines for its successful efforts to reduce mortality and the numbers of people affected by the latest typhoon.
• Ms. Wahlström said that the communication of early warnings in the Philippines has improved significantly since Typhoon Haiyan claimed over 6,000 lives in November 2013.

OVER 1 MILLION PEOPLE DIE DURING ROAD TRAFFIC CRASHES, WARNS NEW REPORT BY WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

• The World Health Organization (WHO) today issued its Global status report on road safety 2015, which reveals that some 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.
• That number is stabilizing even though the number of motor vehicles worldwide has increased rapidly, as has the global population.
• In the last three years, 79 countries have seen a decrease in the absolute number of fatalities while 68 countries have seen an increase. Europe, in particular the region’s wealthier countries, has the lowest death rates per capita; Africa the highest.

**The guest at the noon briefing was Cristina Gallach, the Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information. She briefed on the commemorative events marking the 70^th anniversary of the United Nations (24 October). **