HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 17 JULY 2017
 
GLOBAL PROBLEMS REQUIRE GLOBAL ANSWERS: SECRETARY-GENERAL

• This morning, the Secretary-General presented the findings of the progress report on the Sustainable Development Goals.
• He stressed that problems today are more global, which means there is no way any country can solve them by itself and we need global answers. He added that the Agenda 2030 is an agenda aiming at a fair globalisation that can help create conditions for people to trust again not only in political systems but also in multilateral forms of governance and in international organisations like the UN.
• The Secretary-General said that to achieve the SDGs the United Nations will also need to change. He pointed to the 38 ideas he put forward earlier this month as a path to enhance the UN system’s effectiveness, leadership and accountability. Some of these changes include: having more cohesive teams on the ground by strengthening the role and accountability of Resident Coordinators and UN country teams, improving guidance and oversight by Member States over system-wide results and improving gender parity in the Organization.

• On the third anniversary of the MH17 tragedy, the Secretary-General’s thoughts are with the families of the victims.
• The Secretary-General takes note of recent developments related to investigation efforts and calls upon all States to cooperate fully with efforts to establish accountability in line with UN Security Council resolution 2166 (2014).

• In a statement issued on Friday evening, the Secretary-General said that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was a major achievement in the area of nuclear non-proliferation. He expressed confidence that the JCPOA is the best way to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme and realise the great aspiration of the Iranian people.
• Two years on, the Secretary-General said he is encouraged by the continued implementation of the Plan. He commended the Islamic Republic of Iran for implementing its nuclear-related commitments, as verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency. He also welcomed the recent recommitment by the JCPOA participants, in Vienna, on 25 April, to the full and effective implementation of the Plan.

• The Security Council met on Iraq today.
• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Ján Kubiš, noted how the operation to liberate Mosul was marked by an exceptional effort to save and protect civilians.
• Da’esh, on the other hand, he said showed absolute disregard for human lives and for civilization.
• Mr. Kubiš cautioned that the historic liberation of Mosul should not conceal the fact that the road ahead is extremely challenging, with several territories still under Da’esh control.
• He stressed that Da’esh’s ultimate defeat can only be secured by addressing the grievances, needs and aspirations of the Iraqi people.

• The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, will begin a visit to Sudan, South Sudan and Abyei tonight which will include visits to our three peacekeeping operations in the region: UNAMID, UNISFA and UNMISS.
• In Sudan, Mr. Lacroix will meet with Government officials, UNAMID personnel and Country Team representatives to discuss the reconfiguration of the UN Mission. In addition to El Fasher, he is expected to visit Golo, Central Darfur, where UNAMID will be establishing a new team site.
• Mr. Lacroix will then proceed to Abyei where he will meet with UN personnel and community representatives to discuss the status of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mission and the situation in Abyei.
• He will then head to Juba, South Sudan, where he will advocate for a country-wide cessation of hostilities, the importance of an inclusive political solution towards ending the current conflict and greater cooperation with the UN Mission and humanitarian actors. Mr. Lacroix is also expected to visit Malakal and Bentiu, where UNMISS is protecting over 145,000 civilians in Protection of Civilian sites.

• The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, arrived in the Central African Republic yesterday. His visit takes place as the country faces a worrying upsurge of violence resulting in forced displacements and a 40% increase of internally displaced people since September 2016, as well as a staggering rise in humanitarian need. Mr. O’Brien will meet with people affected by recent violence. He was in Bangassou today.
• During the visit, he is scheduled to meet with local and national authorities as well as humanitarian actors and partners to discuss the increase in humanitarian needs and how principled and effective humanitarian assistance can be delivered in such a volatile environment.
• Mr. O’Brien recalled that the Central African Republic is going through an acute protection crisis that requires attention and support from the international community to build on recent gains, reduce violence and pave the way for recovery and development.

• The UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today released its mid-year report saying that extreme harm to civilians continues as suicide attacks have worsened in the country.
• A total of 1,662 civilian deaths were confirmed between 1 January and 30 June – an increase of two per cent on the same period last year. The reports highlights that 40 per cent of all civilian casualties during this period were killed or wounded by anti-government forces using improvised explosive devices (IEDs), such as suicide bombs and pressure-plate devices.
• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, said that the human cost of this terrible conflict in Afghanistan – loss of life, destruction and immense suffering – is far too high, adding that the continued use of indiscriminate, disproportionate and illegal improvised explosive devices is particularly appalling and must immediately stop.

• The UN and the humanitarian community remain deeply concerned for the safety and protection of tens of thousands of men, women and children trapped in Raqqa city in Syria. Heavy fighting continues to affect civilians, causing thousands to displace and scores of deaths and injuries. Conditions inside the city are reported to be extremely dire, with limited access to food, water and basic services for the 30,000 to 50,000 people who remain trapped in the city.
• Meanwhile, on Saturday, a UN/Syrian Arab Red Crescent inter-agency humanitarian convoy delivered assistance to 89,000 men, women and children in the hard-to-reach areas of Al-Houla (in rural Homs) and Harbinafseh (in rural Hama). Select medical equipment and medicines were not allowed to be loaded or reduced in quantity. The area was last reached on 13 April 2017.
• The UN continues to call for safe, unimpeded and sustained access to all people in need across the country, particularly the more than 4.5 million men, women and children in hard-to-reach and besieged areas.

• The UN and the government of Somalia have launched a programme to train over 350 judicial officers to assist in the rebuilding of the country’s justice sector.
• The programme will cover priority areas, including: court management and leadership; civil and criminal trial procedures; general principles of the Somali criminal law; and rights of the accused and the victims. The judicial officers will also learn procedures and guidance for crime investigations; legal and administrative procedures; ethics, and practical legal skills.

• UNICEF and the World Health Organization announced today that 1 in 10 infants worldwide did not receive any vaccinations in 2016.
• This means that these infants missed the first dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine, putting them at serious risk of these potentially fatal diseases.
• Additionally, an estimated 6.6 million infants who did receive their first dose did not complete the full series.
• Since 2010, the percentage of children who received their full course of routine immunizations has stalled at 86%, with no significant changes in any countries or regions during the past year.
• This falls short of the global immunization coverage target of 90%.