HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

TUESDAY, 26 APRIL 2016

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES RETURN OF VICE-PRESIDENT MACHAR TO JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN

• The Spokesman said that the Secretary-General welcomed the return of Riek Machar to Juba and his swearing in as the First Vice President which marks a new phase in the implementation of the peace agreement.
• The Secretary-General called for the immediate formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity.
• He commended the efforts of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) Chairperson former President Festus Mogae and the AU High Representative former President Alpha Oumar Konaré. 
• The Secretary-General also called on the Security Council to work closely with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) to mobilize all the required support for the peace process. 

SOUTH SUDAN: U.N. HEAD OF PEACKEEPING BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION

• The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, told the Security Council this morning that the return of Riek Machar to Juba on 26 April, should open a new chapter for the country and allow to truly begin the transition.
• He said the parties should seize this opportunity to show their determination to advance the peace process.
• Mr. Ladsous said the creation of a transitional government and the full implementation of the transitional security arrangements were two further steps that were essential to begin the transition. He said he hope that a national unity government would be formed soon.
• Mr. Ladsous also said that the security situation remained precarious in the country. Noting the continued restrictions on the movements of the UN Mission there (UNMISS) and humanitarian workers, he urged the Council to send a strong message to the government and the opposition on the imperative to grant the Mission and humanitarian partners unimpeded freedom of movement.
• He also called on the Council to work closely with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union Peace and Security Council to mobilize the support required for the Chairperson of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, Festus Mogae, and the AU Hugh representative, Alpha Oumar Konare, to generate the incentives and disincentives to change the current dynamics on the ground.

IN VIENNA, SECRETARY-GENERAL TO CHAIR CHIEF EXECUTIVES BOARD SESSION, MARK 20^TH ANNIVERSARY OF NUCLEAR TEST-BAN-TREATY

• The Secretary-General met in Vienna today with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz and spoke to reporters afterwards.
• On 27 April, the Secretary-General will be chairing the Chief Executives Board (CEB), which brings together the heads of the UN system.
• He will also participate on April 27 in an event marking the 20th anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBTO)

U.N. CONCERNED BY WORSENING HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AROUND ALEPPO, SYRIA

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has received reports of intensified fighting by all parties to the conflict in Aleppo city and surrounding areas in recent days, including reports of airstrikes, shelling, and heavy clashes, causing many civilian casualties and injuries. Civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and mosques, has also reportedly been affected.
• We remain extremely concerned at the unfolding situation on Aleppo and its grave impact on civilians, as well as humanitarian delivery to the area, and continue to monitor the situation closely.
• We call on all parties to the conflict to take all measures to protect civilians, as required under international humanitarian law, in order to safeguard the lives of all civilians living in Aleppo city.
• Meanwhile, yesterday, an inter-agency humanitarian convoy delivered food, nutrition, health, education, and other supplies to 122,500 people in Al-Rastan in northern rural Homs Governorate. The Government of Syria removed some psychotropic medicines from the planned World Health Organization (WHO) supplies, and scissors and anaesthetic medicines from UNICEF midwifery kits.

IRAQ: U.N. REPRESENTATIVE URGES END OF FIGHTING NEAR KIRKUK

• Ján Kubiš, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, has urged an immediate end to the fighting taking place in Tuz Khurmato, 60 kilometres southeast of Kirkuk. He strongly urged continued efforts to defuse tensions.
• Mr. Kubiš expressed his utmost concern that the fighting is endangering the lives of the civilian population and could hinder the fight against Da’esh.
• He expressed his disappointed that a truce was violated soon after it was reached, saying, “This is not the time for such futile fighting. Nothing can justify this violence.”
• The Special Representative expressed strong support for ongoing efforts to bring an end to the fighting, saying the parties should work on restoring stability to the area and focus on how to defeat the terrorists.

30^th ANNIVERSARY OF CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER OBSERVED AT U.N.

• In a message to mark the 30^th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, the Secretary-General emphasized that the disaster had grave humanitarian, environmental, social and economic consequences and that its effects are still being felt in the region and around the world.
• The Secretary-General commended the Governments of Belarus, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine for their joint work to alleviate the consequences of the catastrophe and stressed that the Chernobyl disaster brought the international community together to support the enormous efforts of local, regional and national authorities.
• The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukia Amano said that the agency made a key contribution in remediation of affected cities and farmland around Chernobyl, monitoring of human exposure to radiation, and dissemination of information.
• The assistance of IAEA to Ukraine and Belarus, the two countries most heavily affected by the Chernobyl disaster, continues today with a regional project on radiological management of abandoned areas, forest management and implementation of environmentally sound remedial technologies.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS ASSASINATION OF SENIOR OFFICIAL IN BURUNDI

• The Spokesman said that the Secretary-General condemned the assassination of Brigadier General Athanase Kararuza, his wife and daughter in Bujumbura today.
• Brigadier General Kararuza had served in senior positions in both the African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA) and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
• The Secretary-General extended his deepest condolences to all affected by this tragic loss.
• The assassination of Brigadier General Kararuza comes in the wake of several instances of politically-motivated assassination attempts in Burundi over recent weeks, including yesterday’s attack on Martin Nivyabandi, Minister of Human Rights, Social Affairs and Gender, as well as those on prominent members of the security forces.
• All such acts of violence serve no purpose other than to worsen the already volatile situation in Burundi.
• The Secretary-General urged that a rigorous and prompt investigation of these events is undertaken.
• The Secretary-General underlined that a political process is the only way for Burundians to put their country back on the path of national reconciliation and peace.
• He called on all political leaders, including those in exile, to firmly renounce the use of violence in pursuit of political agendas and commit to an inclusive and genuine dialogue.
• The United Nations will continue to provide its full support and assistance to all efforts aimed at promoting a peaceful settlement in Burundi.

HAITI: SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR COMPLETION OF 2015 ELECTIONS

• The Spokesman said that the Secretary-General noted with deep concern that the agreed-upon date of 24 April for the holding of elections in Haiti has not been met and that no alternate electoral calendar has been announced.
• The Secretary-General reiterated his strong support for the completion, without further delay, of the 2015 elections and calls on all Haitian actors to ensure the prompt return to constitutional order, as the country can ill afford a period of prolonged transitional governance while facing major socio-economic and humanitarian challenges.
• The Secretary-General noted the intended establishment of a commission to evaluate and verify the elections held in 2015. He stresses the need to conclude the process with the required urgency.
• The Secretary-General reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to extend its full support to the Haitian people in the fulfilment of their democratic aspirations.

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE DEPLORES CONFIRMATION OF DEATH SENTENCE IN MAURITANIA

• The Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that it deplored the confirmation of the death sentence for apostasy against a Mauritanian blogger, Mohammad Ould M’Kaitir, by the appellate court on 21 April. 
• He had been convicted in the first instance by the criminal court in Nouadhibou in December 2014 for an article he had published online. 
• OHCHR said that under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Mauritania has become a State party in 2004, the death penalty, if not abolished, can only be applied for the most serious crimes. 
• The Office expressed hope that the Supreme Court, which had been seized with the case, would overturn the death sentence against Mr Ould M’Kaitir.

MEXICO: EFFORTS OF GOVERNMENT ON ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE CASE COMMENDED, FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION URGED

• In Geneva, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) welcomed the willingness expressed by the President of Mexico and the Attorney-General’s Office to take into serious consideration the recommendations of the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (IGIE) working on the case of the enforced disappearance in Iguala, Mexico, of 43 students, and the killing of six others in 2014. 
• However, the Office expressed concern about the many challenges and obstacles reported by the experts that may have prevented certain lines of inquiries from being further explored, including regarding the roles and responsibilities of the military and other official authorities. 
• The Office called on the Government to ensure effective follow-up to the investigation report and to tackle the broader structural challenges it has exposed. 

U.N. SHOCKED BY KILLINGS IN BANGLADESH

• In response to questions about the recent killings of human rights activists in Bangladesh, the Spokesman said that the UN in the country is shocked by another series of brutal murders against people expressing alternative views.
• The UN is concerned that intolerance-related violence is increasing in Bangladesh – just two days ago we heard about the horrific killing of Professor Rezaul Karim Siddiquee from the University of Rajshahi.
• In another recent incident, two activists were killed.
• The UN has called on these crimes be addressed through effective and prompt investigations by the law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice.

W.H.O. ALERTS TRAVELLERS TO ANGOLA ON REQUIREMENT FOR YELLOW FEVER VACCINATION

• As efforts continue to bring an outbreak of yellow fever in Angola under control, the World Health Organization (WHO) is reminding all travellers to the country that they are required to receive the yellow fever vaccination and to have a valid certificate of vaccination.
• Since the outbreak in Angola began in December 2015, close to 2,000 suspected cases and 258 deaths of yellow fever have been reported, mostly in the capital, Luanda.
• WHO does not recommend any restriction of travel and trade to Angola, as vaccination and measures to avoid mosquito bites are sufficient for the prevention of the disease.
• A large-scale vaccination campaign was launched in February 2016 and has so far reached almost 7 million people.