Noon briefing of 31 May 2017

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 31 MAY 2017

AFGHANISTAN: U.N. CHIEF CONDEMNS ATTACK IN KABUL

• The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist attack in the city's diplomatic district in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. The Secretary-General expressed his abhorrence at this act and underlined the need to reinforce the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
• Indiscriminate attacks against civilians are grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and can never be justified. Those responsible for today’s attack must be brought to justice.
• The Secretary-General expresses his deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured. He reaffirms the solidarity of the United Nations with the people and the Government of Afghanistan.

• The Secretary-General will leave New York this evening to participate in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
• Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, on Thursday, 1 June, he will make opening remarks at the Forum.
• He is also scheduled to meet with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and other leaders attending the Forum.
• The Secretary-General is expected back in New York on Saturday, 3 June.

• This morning, the Secretary-General congratulated Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák on his election as General Assembly President, and thanked the outgoing President Mr. Peter Thompson for his leadership over the past year.

• Yesterday, the Secretary-General gave a speech at the NYU Stern School of Business on mobilizing the world on climate action.
• The Secretary-General called on world leaders to get on board the sustainability train or get left behind, and said it is “absolutely essential that the world implements the Paris Agreement and that we fulfil that duty with increased ambition.”
• He added that if any government doubts the global will and need for this accord, that is a reason for all others to unite and stay the course.
• The Secretary-General also laid out his five-point plan to mobilize climate action which consists of:

1. Intensifying political engagement to limit temperature rise to well below 2 degrees
2. Rallying UN support to help nations meet climate and sustainable development goals
3. Engaging with governments to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy
4. Working with countries to support the implementation of their national climate action plans and
5. Encouraging new partnerships to meet the climate challenge

• In addition, he announced that he will convene a climate summit in 2019 to take stock on the Paris Agreement implementation.

• At the end of his mission to the Central African Republic, Andrew Gilmour, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, said that while much progress has been made in the country, there are still deep tensions and some fear a sudden relapse. He said this is a time for leadership, strengthened partnerships, and a coordinated approach that puts Central Africans' 'Human Rights Up Front'. He added that warning signs are flashing and must not be ignored. Armed groups coalesce into confusing alliances and continue their atrocious attacks against civilians. He warned that the deep frustration and exasperation of the population over the slow progress in arresting those responsible for crimes and in restoring State authority have become serious risk factors.
• Meanwhile, our colleagues at the UN Mission report that seven peacekeepers were wounded yesterday, when suspected anti-Balaka ambushed a patrol north of Mobaye in Basse-Kotto prefecture. One peacekeeper is seriously wounded, but in a stable condition. The Mission condemns the attack and reiterates its determination to implement its mandate around the country, including the protection of civilians. The Mission also reports that the situation in Haute-Kotto prefecture remains tense with reports of clashes between anti-Balaka and fighters allied to the FPRC [Popular Front for the Central African Renaissance] yesterday north of Bria.

• Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien briefed the Security Council on Syria yesterday afternoon, and he told the Council that the agreement reached in Astana simply has to succeed. We owe it to the 2.6 million people that we estimate to be in the four de-escalation areas covered by the agreement. Mr. O’Brien said that the United Nations stands ready to sit with all parties involved to make it a workable agreement.
• He added that we need to see a change in access to the increasingly dire situation in northeastern Syria. Rather than restrictions, he asserted, we need an opening of space to respond. His remarks are available online.
• Yesterday, over 200,000 students, including those from Idleb and Raqqa, sat for secondary education national exams in Syria. UN agencies are providing relief supplies such as mattresses, blankets, food, transportation, hygiene kits and preparatory classes.
• The UN welcomes facilitating students’ movement to sit for national exams, and reiterates that freedom of movement is a basic human right and must be ensured for all civilians, wherever they are, by all parties to the conflict in Syria.

• In the past 72 hours, the number of suspected cases of cholera in Yemen has risen by 10,000 to a total of more than 65,000, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
• In just one month, more than 500 people have died, including over 100 children. UNICEF cautions that these numbers are only for verified cases and that the actual figures are expected to be much higher.
• To respond to the outbreak, UNICEF has sent in three planes carrying more than 40 tonnes of supplies, including medicine and IV fluids to treat more than 50,000 people, but needs continue to increase.
• Together with its partners, UNICEF is working around the clock by supporting oral rehydration centers and diarrhea treatment centres, as well as by providing chlorinated drinking water and disinfecting wells and water reservoirs.
• UNICEF’s Representative in Yemen Dr. Meritxell Relaño warned that the situation in Yemen is teetering on the verge of disaster, and that the biggest victims of this man-made tragedy are Yemen’s most vulnerable population – its children.

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has issued its 2016 report for the occupied Palestinian territory today, which underscores that occupation policies and practices remain the key cause of humanitarian needs there. The internal Palestinian political divide is also a serious contributing factor, the report adds.
• The new report observes that, in 2016, Palestinian fatalities from conflict-related violence in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel declined by 37 per cent compared with 2015 (107 vs. 169), while the decline in Israeli fatalities was 48 per cent. Palestinian injuries declined by about 80 per cent compared with 2015 (3,247 vs 15,477), with the vast majority recorded in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The full report can be found online.

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is working with authorities and partners on the ground in Bangladesh to deliver emergency supplies to the many hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees in the wake of Cyclone Mora.
• UNHCR had pre-positioned staff prior to the cyclone and had prepared schools and community facilities so that people who needed to be evacuated could be sheltered there.
• Most of the refugees’ homes have been damaged or destroyed, and many of them have lost their food rations, fuel and cooking tools.
• UNHCR is providing plastic sheeting for shelter, while the World Food Programme (WFP) is distributing high-energy biscuits.

• In response to questions, the United Nations in Cambodia is not involved in organizing or observing the 2017 communal elections. The National Election Committee (NEC) of Cambodia is fully in charge of this process. We encourage the authorities to ensure that the elections are credible, inclusive, peaceful and free from intimidation, with wide participation of Cambodian voters.

• The UN Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT) is co-hosting the 4th International User Group Meeting (IUGM4) for goAML at UN Headquarters on 31 May – 1 June together with the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Netherlands.
• goAML is a software application used by Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of Member States to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism developed by the Enterprise Application Centre in Vienna. goAML is part of the “goPortfolio” family of software products for Member States intended to help strengthen their capacity to fight organized crime.
• Member States are invited to attend an open briefing on “the United Nations Digital Agenda and combatting money laundering and the financing of terrorism” today at 5:00 pm in Conference Room 7. In addition, everyone is invited to visit the goPortfolio showcase in the Vienna Café in the first basement of the General Assembly building.

• At 12.30 p.m., the President of the General Assembly, Peter Thomson will be joined by the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Wu Hongbo, to brief ahead of the Ocean Conference.
• At 1:00 p.m., there will be a briefing by Ambassador Sacha Llorentty, the Permanent Representative of Bolivia and President of the Security Council for the month of June.