HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC, SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
THURSDAY, 16 JUNE 2016
SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES HAITI TO RETURN TO CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER
· In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General expressed deep concern over the continuing political uncertainty in Haiti. The Secretary-General noted that the prevailing situation is further compounding the numerous political and socio-economic challenges facing Haiti. Continued political uncertainty and further delays in completing the electoral process have the potential to adversely affect stability in Haiti, as well as international support to the country.
· The Secretary-General called on the National Assembly to urgently take a decision and determine a viable arrangement for provisional governance that can ensure the completion of the electoral process and a return to full constitutional order without further delays. He urged all stakeholders to act responsibly in the interest of their country and people, including by refraining from any incitement or resort to violence.
ACTIONS AGAINST BAHRAINI OPPOSITION UNDERMINES REFORM: SECRETARY-GENERAL
· In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General expressed concern about recent actions of the Bahraini authorities seemingly aimed at restricting the country’s political opposition. These include the dissolution of Al Wefaq, the largest opposition political grouping; the re-arrest of human rights defender Nabil Rajab, founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights; and the lengthening of the sentence of Sheikh Ali Salman, of Al Wefaq.
· The Secretary-General is also dismayed about reports that suggest that human rights defenders and activists in Bahrain have been intimidated and even stripped of their citizenship for peacefully carrying out activities to promote human rights, as well as for legitimately exercising their rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association.
· The Secretary-General is concerned that the current actions against the opposition may undermine the reforms undertaken by His Majesty King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa and lessen the prospect of an inclusive national dialogue in the interest of all people of the Kingdom.
· The Secretary-General is convinced that the effective implementation of the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, the Universal Periodic Review and the national human rights institution would allow for an improvement of the human rights situation in the country and go a long way towards addressing the concerns and grievances of its citizens.
U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL “CONCERNED” WITH PRESSURES ON CIVIL SOCIETY
· The Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia today. In his remarks, he said that our shared challenge is to translate the promises of recent landmark agreements, including Agenda 2030 and the Paris agreement on Climate Change, into tangible gains for people.
· The Secretary-General said that Russia has tremendous scientific potential to develop technologies for mitigating the adverse effects of climate change and urged the country to continue to diversify its economy away from the energy sector and to reduce reliance on fossil fuel exports.
· The Secretary-General added that he was deeply concerned about the escalating pressures being faced by civil society, near and far. When civil society can play its full role, all of society benefits, he stressed. He added that Russian civil society can play an active role in both the design of reforms and their implementation.
SECRETARY-GENERAL OFFERS GUINEA U.N. HELP
· The Secretary-General met with Alpha Condé, the President of the Republic of Guinea. The Secretary-General encouraged the Government of Guinea to accelerate progress towards the consolidation of peace and stability in the country, and stressed the readiness of the United Nations to accompany national stakeholders in the implementation of the agreement of 20 August 2015.
RUSSIAN MINISTER AND U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL DISCUSS SYRIA
· The Secretary-General met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with whom he exchanged views on the situation in Syria. The Secretary-General emphasized that the coming weeks were crucial in advancing a political process through intra-Syrian talks on the basis of his Special Envoy's “Mediator's summary”, particularly in view of the shared sense of urgency given the August deadline set by the ISSG co-chairs.
· Both agreed it was important to ensure a conducive environment for these talks by urgently addressing the situation on the ground.
· The Secretary-General was also awarded the Order of Friendship by President Putin.
SOME HUMANITARIAN AID GETTING THROUGH IN SYRIA: U.N. REPORTS
· An inter-agency humanitarian convoy is delivering humanitarian assistance to about 37,500 residents in the besieged neighbourhood of Al Waer in Homs, Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. A second convoy is planned in the coming days, pending Government approval.
· The two convoys combined will provide food, medicine, health, nutrition, water and sanitation, and emergency supplies for about 75,000 people. The last inter-agency convoy to Al Waer was on 3 March.
· Also today, a UN and Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy delivered food, health, nutrition, water and sanitation, other basic supplies and agricultural assistance for 50,000 people in Afrin city, Kafr Janneh, Rajou, Yakhour, all in Aleppo Governorate.
· Since the beginning of 2016, more than 844,000 people in hard-to-reach and besieged areas have received a range of humanitarian assistance through UN inter-agency convoys.
DA’ESH COMMITTING GENOCIDE AGAINST YAZIDIS: COMMISSION REPORT
· Da’esh is committing genocide against Yazidis, according to a report issued today by the independent international Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic. The report by the Commission of Inquiry also determined that Da’esh’s abuse of Yazidis amounts to crimes against humanity and war crimes. Paulo Pinheiro, Chair of the Commission, said that genocide has occurred and is ongoing.
· The report says that Da’esh sought – and continues to seek – to destroy the Yazidis in multiple ways, including through killings; sexual slavery, enslavement, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment and forcible transfer; forced conversion of adults and the transfer of Yazidi children from their own families, among other steps. Thousands of women and girls, some as young as nine, have been sold in slave markets, or souk sabaya.
· The Commission urged international recognition of the genocide, and stated that more must be done to assure the protection of this religious minority in the Middle East, and the funding of care, including psycho-social and financial support, for victims of this genocide.
U.N. INVESTIGATION INTO SEXUAL EXPLOITATION ALLEGATIONS CONTINUE IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
· In reference to the ongoing investigations being conducted by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on the allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in the Kemo prefecture, in the Central African Republic (CAR), being done jointly with Burundi and Gabon, OIOS reports that 90 out of the 106 complainants have been interviewed by the joint teams.
· Witnesses are also being interviewed in order to corroborate the testimonies. The interview process is expected to be finalized in the coming few weeks. OIOS will need the time to review their findings and identify any additional resources that may be necessary to complete the investigation.
· These allegations date back to 2014 and 2015 and there is a lack of medical, judicial, and other physical evidence, which means that the work of the investigators relies primarily on the testimonies of victims and witnesses.
NEW ATTACKS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
· The UN Mission in the Central African Republic, (MINUSCA), reported that an unspecified number of ex-Seleka members attacked Ngaoundaye in Ouham-Pende prefecture yesterday, resulting in looting, displacement of civilian population and the burning of houses. In response, MINUSCA peacekeepers have been deployed to the town, including to the local church, where 100 to 200 civilians have sought refuge.
· In Bangui, tensions are subsiding following recent protests triggered by the killing of a taxi driver over the weekend. The Mission continues to conduct patrols in sensitive areas of the capital.
ARRIVAL OF NEW CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC DISPLACED PERSONS
· The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that since 12 June, more than 1,300 Central Africans, including nearly 900 children - most of them unaccompanied - have arrived in two villages on the border between the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Chad.
· A joint assessment by UN agencies and local authorities have identified that priority humanitarian needs include food, shelter, basic household items, health care, psychosocial support and protection. Humanitarian partners have expressed concern that displacement figures could further increase as fighting reportedly continues.
YEMEN ECONOMY ON VERGE OF COLLAPSE: U.N. OFFICIAL
· Jamie McGoldrick, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, told reporters today in Sana’a that the scale and intensity of the humanitarian situation in Yemen is bleak and by many measures it is continuing to get worse. He said that it is no exaggeration to say the economy is on the verge of total collapse.
· More than 13 million Yemenis are in need of immediate life-saving humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, people are dying of preventable illnesses because of the limited availability of even the most basic medical supplies. Nearly 3 million people have fled their homes since the conflict escalated, most of whom – about 2.8 million – are displaced within Yemen.
· The United Nations has directly assisted 3.6 million people in Yemen so far this year, through the end of April, including with food and health assistance. But some areas are difficult to reach for security reasons, and the parties to the conflict need to grant unfettered humanitarian access.
U.N. OFFICIAL TO REVIEW HUMANITARIAN WORK IN FALLUJAH
· The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr Ala Alwan, arrived in Baghdad today to review first hand WHO’s response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Fallujah city, where more than 42,000 Iraqis have been displaced since last month.
· Tens of thousands of besieged and displaced men, women, children and older people face major health risks, as they lack adequate access to health services.
CELEBRITIES URGE SOLIDARITY WITH REFUGEES
· The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today launched a celebrity-fuelled campaign that asks people of all over the world to sign a petition to ask their governments to act on behalf of the world’s forcibly displaced.
· Some 60 celebrities, including Cate Blanchet, Helen Mirren, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Baaba Maal, Benedict Cumberbatch, and our own Ban Ki-moon appear in a video on YouTube, asking people to sign a petition that will be presented here in, UN HQ, in September during the high level meeting on refugees and migrants.
· Specifically, the petition asks all governments to make sure that every refugee child has an education, every refugee family has somewhere safe to live and that every refugee can work or learn skills.
MALI PEACE PROGRESS COULD CAPSIZE: U.N. REPRESENTATIVE
· The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, briefed the Security Council this morning.
· Stressing that there is no alternative to peace in Mali, he warned that the peace progress risks capsizing with the slow implementation of the peace agreement.
· The Special Representative underscored the need to strengthen the capacity of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) so that it can rise to its ability to protect civilians and its staff.
· He also highlighted the important role of regional organizations and a strengthened Malian security force which, he said, are critical to address to flow of terrorists in the region.
U.N. FOOD AGENCY URGES SUPPORT FOR SMALLHOLDER FARMS
· The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today launched a new publication calling on governments, development partners, civil society and the private sector to support the efforts of forest and farm producer organizations.
· Launched at the European Development Days in Brussel, the publication stresses that such organizations – which represent the interest of smallholder famers - are critical in helping the world meet its growing demand for food, as well as to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
HUNGER KILLS EIGHT PERSONS IN NIGERIA: U.N. REPORT
· The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that in Nigeria report that at least eight people have died on arrival or on their way to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State due to complications arising from long-term hunger.
· Between 13 and 15 June over 1,500 people, including 400 children, arrived in Maiduguri from the Bama camp. The majority of the children under five were suffering from severe malnutrition.
· Bama camp is hosting an estimated 28,000 people - 15,000 of whom are children - and high levels of malnutrition are widespread. Health partners are providing medical support.
NEW U.N. FUNDS FOR BURUNDI
· The UN Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) has just transferred close to $1 million to the Office of UN Special Adviser Jamal Benomar to support the peaceful resolution of conflict in Burundi.
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