HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 26 JANUARY 2016

 

AT SECURITY COUNCIL, SECRETARY-GENERAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ VIOLENCE, POLARIZED PUBLIC DISCCOURSE IN MIDDLE EAST

  • The Secretary-General spoke to the Security Council today about the Middle East, and he informed Council members that 2016 has begun much like 2015 ended – with unacceptable levels of violence and a polarized public discourse across the spectrum in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
  • He once more condemned stabbings, vehicle attacks, and shootings by Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians, but he added that security measures alone will not stop the violence.  They cannot address the profound sense of alienation and despair driving some Palestinians, especially young people.
  • The Secretary-General said that he was deeply troubled by reports today that the Israeli Government has approved plans for over 150 new homes in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. He said that recent settlement announcements are bound to increase the growth of settler populations, further heighten tensions and undermine any prospects for a political road ahead.
  • He also asserted that incitement has no place, and that questioning the right of Israel to exist cannot be tolerated.

U.N. ENVOY SENDS INVITATIONS FOR INTRA-SYRIAN TALKS

  • The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has addressed invitations to the Syrian participants today, in accordance with the parameters outlined in Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). The intra-Syrian talks will start as of this Friday, 29 January, in Geneva.
  • Meanwhile, the Operations Director for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), John Ging, said today in Geneva that the failure in Syria is a political one – and not a failure by humanitarian workers, who continue to work bravely in facing the challenges on the ground. He said that humanitarian workers are now looking, with great hope, for the current political process to deliver a solution that will end the conflict and put the Syrian people back on the right track.

U.N., PARTNERS CALL FOR NEARLY $300 MILLION TO HELP SYRIAN REFUGEES IN IRAQ

  • With no let-up to the war in Syria, UN, humanitarian and development agencies in Iraq have appealed for $298 million in ongoing assistance for nearly 250,000 Syrian refugees in Iraq.  That appeal was made at the launch of the Iraq chapter of the Syria Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan in Erbil today.
  • The response plan for Iraq is committed to continue providing continued protection and assistance to Syrian refugees, to meet their basic needs.   It also recognizes the need to increase the resilience of refugees as well as host communities and calls for a greater investment in education and increased opportunities for vocational training and livelihoods.
  • Meanwhile, the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Atul Khare, today wrapped up a three-day trip to Iraq. Mr Khare visited the capital, Baghdad, as well as Erbil, where he discussed key support issues with members of the host Government. He also met with UNAMI senior management and held a town hall meeting.

WITH 1 MILLION REFUGEES, MIGRANTS ARRIVING IN EUROPE IN 2015, U.N.-BACKED $550 MILLION APPEAL LAUNCHED

  • The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), together with the International Organization for Migration and dozens of other partners, issued an appeal in Geneva today for $550 million to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees and migrants in Europe.
  • Last year, saw more than a million people arriving to Europe by boat, most of whom crossed from Turkey to Greece. The vast majority of these people came from the world's top ten refugee-producing countries, mainly Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
  • Today’s appeal seeks to fund humanitarian operations in 2016 across the affected European countries, with approximately half of the money allocated for Greece.
  • These operations will include aid and protection activities where people are arriving, including identifying those at heightened risk, registration, shelter, water and sanitation. The funding will also go towards front-line responders such as coast guard, border guards, police and support for affected communities, and also assist with relocation, resettlement and other regular solutions.

U.N. AGENCY NEEDS $2.8 BILLION TO REACH 40 MILLION CHILDREN WITH HUMANITARIAN AID

  • UNICEF is launching a $2.8 billion appeal today to reach 43 million children in humanitarian emergencies worldwide.
  • For the first time ever, the largest portion of the appeal – 25 per cent – is going towards educating children in emergencies. 
  • UNICEF plans to dramatically increase the number of children in crises who are given access to education – from 4.9 million at the beginning of 2015 to 8.2 million in 2016.  More than half of these children – 5 million – will be Syrian children inside the country or in neighbouring countries.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION SETTING UP U.N. POLITICAL MISSION IN COLOMBIA

  • Yesterday, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the establishment of a UN political mission in Colombia.
  • In a statement, the Secretary-General welcomed this adoption and said that he will initiate preparations, including on the ground, so that this political mission can be fully operational when the final peace agreement is signed.
  • In this context, he has also requested that the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs,  Jeffrey Feltman, who is representing him at the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to be held in Quito, Ecuador, later this week, to engage with the Members of the regional body on their contributions to the UN mission.
  • The Secretary-General also met with Colombia’s Foreign Minister, María Angela Holguín, following the Security Council’s meeting.

NEPAL: SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES PARLIAMENT’S MOVES TO AMEND CONSTITUTION

  • In response to a question on Nepal, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General welcomes Parliamentary action to amend the Constitution as an important step in resolving differences on constitutional arrangements.
  • He encourages all parties to exercise maximum flexibility in resolving remaining issues via dialogue.
  • He hopes that current positive developments could help normalise passage of supplies at Nepal’s border points and refocus attention to address urgent reconstruction and other needs.
  • The Secretary-General reiterates his calls for restraint and non-violence from all sides, and redoubling of efforts at peaceful dialogue and inclusive democratic processes.

U.N. HEALTH AGENCY MOBILIZES TEAMS TO HELP COUNTRIES COMBAT ZIKA VIRUS

  • With the Zika virus now circulating in 18 countries and territories of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is mobilizing teams of international experts to help member countries prepare for outbreaks of the mosquito-borne virus that growing evidence suggests may be linked to microcephaly in newborns.
  • Zika is transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitos, which also transmit chikungunya and dengue viruses and which are present in every country of the Americas except Canada and continental Chile.
  • Only 1 in 4 people infected with Zika virus develops symptoms, but it can sometimes cause serious complications in those who are infected. In Brazil, where Zika was first confirmed in May 2015, more than 3,500 suspected cases of microcephaly have been reported in areas where the virus is circulating.

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