HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
FRIDAY, 4 NOVEMBER 2016
 
AS CLIMATE AGREEMENT ENTERS INTO FORCE, CHALLENGE IS TO SUSTAIN MOMENTUM, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL

• On the occasion of the entry into force of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Secretary-General spoke to the press this morning, saying that today history was made in humankind’s efforts to combat climate change.
• At a time of record heat, he said, Member States embraced this new global agreement in record time.
• The Secretary-General noted that our challenge is to sustain the momentum that has propelled the Agreement into force.
• He marked the entry into force by meeting with civil society representatives, thanking them for their contributions and to hear their ideas on how to put the Paris Agreement into action.
• Calling the entry into force an emotional moment for him, the Secretary-General said that civil society showed the climate challenge stakes and the solutions, mobilizing hundreds of millions of people for the cause.
• He stressed the need to transition to a low-emissions and climate-resilient future, asking each and every one of them to keep up the fight by holding governments accountable and to press for action.

• The Secretary-General will travel to Switzerland on Sunday evening to open intensive discussions on Monday morning between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders.
• The talks will take place in Mont Pèlerin and will focus on territory, the first time the leaders will negotiate on the issue directly.
• The Secretary-General has been closely following the Cyprus negotiations throughout his tenure, and he looks forward to lending his personal support to the work of the two leaders as they enter this crucial phase of negotiations.
• He will return to New York late on Monday evening.

• On 2-3 November, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar was part of a delegation which took part in a Government-led mission to Rakhine State.
• The delegation visited villages, which they had selected, which were in areas affected by security operations in the wake of violence on 9 October. It met with state and township officials, community leaders and local villagers.
• Community representatives raised their concerns over shortages of food, shelter and medical care. The villagers reported serious human rights abuses during the security operations and also told the delegation of the need for authorities to avoid targeting civilians.
• The delegation saw that, in some villages, a number of houses had been burnt.
• The UN Resident Coordinator condemned the attacks against the security forces and the subsequent violence, urging security forces to respect the rule of law as they seek those responsible for the attacks. She stressed the need for an independent, credible and transparent investigation of both the incident as well as allegations of human rights violations.
• She also pressed for access to assess and address the humanitarian needs of the affected population, and was assured by the Government that international humanitarian assistance in place before 9 October could resume.

• The joint tripartite Mechanism coordinated by the UN Mission, with the Government and FARC-EP, held its first press conference today in Bogotá. It will begin to verify and monitor the ceasefire and cessation of hostilities on 7 November.
• General Javier Pérez Aquino, head of the UN Mission’s international observers, stressed that the parties’ commitment to maintain the ceasefire and coordination around the Mechanism’s activities are a boost for the peace process.
• He also highlighted the importance of the Security Council – and the international community’s – support towards peace in Colombia and thanked countries from Latin American and the Caribbean, as well as Norway, for sending women and men observers to the UN Mission in the country.

• Today marks one month since Hurricane Matthew made devastating landfall in Haiti.
• Since then, the World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed food assistance to almost 400,000 people as part of its continuing support to the Government’s recovery efforts. Reports of widespread losses of crops (up to 100 per cent in some areas of Grande-Anse), livestock and seeds have increased the urgency, as local markets run out of food and prices of imported goods rise.
• As for UNICEF, they estimate that nearly 600,000 children remain in need of humanitarian assistance, stalked by disease, hunger and malnutrition. UNICEF and its partners are reaching 100,000 people with safe water per day, and are organising distributions of water purification tablets and hygiene kits. 
• The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO-WHO) stressed the need to restore and rebuild health services at various levels after Hurricane Matthew, from cholera treatment centers to community health centers and major hospitals. In the South Department, 28% of health facilities sustained severe damage and 8% are closed, while in Grand’Anse, 43% of health facilities were severely damaged and 7% are closed. 
• A vaccination campaign against cholera is planned to start 8 November, targeting 820,000 people.
• The $120 million Flash Appeal is still only 34% funded. It is essential that Member States step up their funding to enable aid agencies to reach and assist people who are in desperate need of aid.

• The Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) today said it has received reports that Da’esh has continued to forcibly transfer civilians over the past few days in Iraq. On Tuesday, the Office was told that trucks full of abducted civilians – reportedly some 1,600 people – were taken from Hamam al-Alil to Tal Afar city. Some of these families were told that they may be transported to Syria. The Human Rights Office is very concerned that Da’esh intends to use these families to shield themselves from air strikes.
• There are also credible reports that 180 people were killed on Wednesday in Kokjali town in eastern Mosul, and possibly up to another 200 people were killed in Mosul city. The Office is trying to verify the details of these alleged killings.
• The Office also has reports that Da’esh militants are holding captive nearly 400 women from Kurdish, Yezidi or Shi’a Muslim communities in Tal Afar.
• Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has opened a new camp in Hasansham to house newly-displaced Iraqi families fleeing the military offensive in Mosul. Some 3,000 people were received at the camp today and all families are being allocated a tent and receiving assistance. The camp will be able to house almost 11,000 people.

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said today that they are deeply concerned about the well-being of James Gatdet Dak, the Spokesperson of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in Opposition (SPLA-IO), who was returned to South Sudan from Kenya on 2 November. Mr Dak had previously been granted refugee status by the Kenyan authorities.
• UNHCR said that Mr. Dak’s forced return is a violation of the principle of non-refoulement, which is the cornerstone of international refugee law. The agency also regrets that its interventions with the Kenyan authorities to stop Mr. Dak’s forced return were not successful. UNHCR urges the Government of South Sudan to ensure that Mr. Dak is treated in accordance with human rights law and standards.
• UNHCR also said today that South Sudan’s conflict continues to generate huge volumes of displacement. Data for October shows that on average 3,500 people fled to neighbouring countries each day. Nine out of ten are women and children. UNHCR, national authorities and other humanitarian actors are racing to create safe and humane conditions for new arrivals.
• Providing immediate, life-saving assistance, including food, water and shelter, remains UNHCR’s key priority. But severe underfunding is hampering the agency’s efforts on the ground.
• The World Food Programme (WFP) said today that they are leading a convoy into the town of Yei, bringing in 38 trucks transporting one month of food rations, as well as water, sanitation, child protection items from UNICEF and shelter items from UNHCR.  The UN has not been able to reach the town for several months. WFP said that malnutrition is above emergency levels in seven of the ten states and the threat of famine is real.

• The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO-WHO) also awarded yesterday the Malaria Champions award to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Suriname for drastically reducing malaria cases and deaths in the last 15 years.
• Costa Rica achieved a 100% decrease in malaria cases since 2000, and El Salvador reached a reduction of 98.9%, while Suriname has virtually eliminated malaria in the inland villages which previously had the highest rates of transmission of the Americas.
• Today Kyrgyzstan received the official World Health Organization (WHO) certification of malaria elimination. Globally, a total of 32 countries and territories have received this certification, including 19 countries in the European Region.

• The 11th Annual United Nations Police week starts on Monday and runs from 7 to 11 November in Conference Room 9. Heads of police components from UN peace operations will gather in New York. They will brief the Security Council and the special committee on peacekeeping operations and discuss goals and challenges related to police with UN officials. The Secretary-General will deliver closing remarks on 11 November.