HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
TUESDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2016
 
AHEAD OF WORLD AIDS DAY, SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES NEED TO SUPPORT YOUNG, VULNERABLE TO CHANGE COURSE OF EPIDEMIC

• The Secretary-General has released a message ahead of World AIDS Day, which will be observed this Thursday, 1 December.
• In the message, he notes that 35 years since the emergence of AIDS, the international community can look back with some pride – but also look to the future with resolve as it tries to reach its goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
• The number of people with access to life-saving medicines has doubled over the past five years, now topping more than 18-million.  However, supporting young, vulnerable and marginalized people will be critical for changing the course of the AIDS epidemic.

• The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, says that he is extremely concerned about the fate of civilians as a result of the deeply alarming and chilling situation unfolding in Aleppo city.  He said that the intensity of attacks on eastern Aleppo neighbourhoods over the past few days has forced thousands of civilians to flee to other parts of the city. The latest reports indicate that more than 20,000 people have been displaced, many into uncertain and precarious situations. It is likely that thousands more will have no choice but to flee should fighting continue to spread and intensify over the coming days.
• The Syrian Arab Red Crescent and local NGO partners have initiated a response to those displaced. The UN is also present on the ground with prepositioned supplies to complement the on-going response and ready to provide immediate assistance and medical evacuations for civilians inside eastern Aleppo.
• Mr. O’ Brien asks all parties to the conflict to restore basic humanity in Syria. He calls on them to lift sieges, ensure that they do not target civilians and civilian infrastructure, and that they allow humanitarian organizations safe and unimpeded access to bring life-saving help to those displaced or under siege.
• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights calls on all parties to the conflict to adhere to and respect international humanitarian law. Pro-Government and Kurdish forces must ensure that civilians fleeing the fighting are afforded every protection and are not subjected to acts of retribution due to their perceived support or affiliation to opposition groups. It calls on armed opposition groups to adhere to their obligation to allow civilians who wish to flee areas under their control to do so.
• Yesterday, inter-agency convoys delivered humanitarian assistance for 60,000 people in the besieged towns of Madaya, Zabadani, Foah and Kafraya. UN, Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent teams crossed the conflict lines with food, nutrition and health supplies for people in the besieged towns who were last reached on 25 September 2016.
• The UN continues to call for safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access to all in need in Syria particularly those in hard-to-reaches and besieged areas.

• In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General said he is deeply concerned over renewed violence last week in the Central African Republic. Two armed groups, both factions of the ex-Séléka - the Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique (FPRC) and the Union pour la paix en Centrafrique (UPC) - have clashed in Bria, Haute Kotto prefecture, with dozens reportedly killed and wounded and over 11,000 persons displaced.  Many of the victims are reportedly civilians. A large number appear to have been targeted based on their ethnicity.
• The Secretary-General recalled that the recent Brussels conference on CAR underlined the willingness of the international community to support the country on its path towards recovery and stability.  For this to happen it is important that the right circumstances prevail.  Accordingly, he calls for the armed groups to immediately stop the violence and genuinely commit to ongoing efforts to address the root causes of the conflict including through the implementation of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme recently approved in Bangui.
• The Secretary-General hopes that the extraordinary summit meeting of Heads of State of the Economic Community of Central African States, expected to be held in Libreville on 30 November, will reinforce the efforts undertaken by the Government of the CAR and President Touadéra to consolidate peace and place the country on a path of recovery and stability.

• Today is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, spoke at a special meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People this morning, and he said that sadly, in many ways the last 10 years can be described as a lost decade for Israeli-Palestinian peace-making. If the stalemate continues or deepens, he warned, the two-state solution may well slip out of reach.
• The Deputy Secretary-General said that the Secretary-General will leave office with a profound sense of sadness, since he did not see an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  The Secretary-General has visited the region 11 times, including during times of war, to see the situation first hand, help negotiate ceasefires and push the peace process forward. The Secretary-General will cover this issue and his persistent efforts at peacemaking in a special report to the Security Council later next month.
• This evening, the Committee and the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine will hold the opening of this year's exhibit, "Palestinian Embroidery: Threads of Continuity, Identity and Empowerment", in the Visitors Lobby of the General Assembly, where it will be on view for the public until 28 December.

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights continues to receive reports of serious breaches of international human rights and international humanitarian law by Da’esh in and around Mosul in Iraq. Da’esh has been installing rocket launchers and placing snipers on the rooftops of civilian houses. Those who refuse to allow their houses to be used in this way are threatened or killed.
• The Human Rights Office is also deeply worried about the fate of hundreds of people who have reportedly being abducted by Da’esh and moved to unknown locations. Da’esh is also continuing to abduct and forcibly move civilians, and to kill those it suspects of leaking information to the Iraqi Security Forces. Reports suggest that on 25 November, the group publicly shot to death 27 civilians in Muhandiseen Park in northern Mosul city.

• The High Commissioner for Human Rights is alarmed by reports of serious human rights violations during security operations since attacks were carried out early last month on three border guard police posts in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State.
• These reports include allegations of extrajudicial killings, mass destruction of civilian infrastructure, arbitrary arrests, sexual violence, and hate speech.
• The Government needs to condemn such inflammatory and potentially very dangerous rhetoric no matter who is responsible, adding that, failing this, there is a real risk that it could exacerbate the current spiral of violence.
• The High Commissioner also unequivocally condemns the reported use of violence by armed individuals in northern Rakhine State, and recognizes that this is not something the authorities can ignore. However, it is essential that the Government ensures that its attempts to restore security are firmly grounded in international human rights laws and standards, and that this is recognized by the affected population.

• The UN Refugee Agency expressed concern that a protest at Bulgaria’s largest reception centre has prompted calls for asylum-seekers to be expelled on national security grounds.
• Tensions escalated in the past week at Harmanli, Bulgaria’s largest reception centre, after access was limited to the already over-crowded site.  Asylum-seekers protested the decision, leading to more than 300 arrests.
• UNHCR is urging the Bulgarian Government to decongest the reception centre and improve living conditions there. The Refugee Agency adds that establishing a constructive dialogue with the asylum-seekers is of utmost importance.

• The Secretary-General paid tribute today to former Under-Secretary-General Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, Jr., calling him the dean of all UN staff.
• Speaking at memorial service for Ambassador Reed this morning, the Secretary-General said that their friendship spanned nearly three decades.
• He heralded Ambassador Reed’s work in the UN Arts Committee to make the Headquarters complex, not just an interesting place to visit, but also a beautiful sight to behold.
• The Secretary-General said that the United Nations family is fortunate to have had such a wonderful supporter, giving thanks for his life of global service.
• Ambassador Reed’s long and distinguished service to the United Nations encompassed four Secretaries-General and many roles, complementing a career in the private sector and foreign service of the United States.