HIGHLIGHTS OF THE U.N. SYSTEM
MONDAY, 11 JUNE 2018
 
 
SECRETARY-GENERAL’S PRESS ENCOUNTER ON THE DPRK-US SUMMIT
 

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for your presence.
 
I usually come before you to express deep concerns about unfolding developments and trends around the world.
 
Today, a bit of good news.
 
I want to address a promising development for global peace and security.
 
The world is closely watching what will take place in Singapore in a few hours’ time.
 
I commend the leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States for pursuing a diplomatic solution.
 
I also thank all those who contributed to creating the conditions for this key moment.
 
The two leaders are seeking to break out of the dangerous cycle that created so much concern last year.
 
Peace and verifiable denuclearization must remain the clear and shared goal.
 
As I wrote to both leaders last month, the road ahead will require cooperation, compromise and a common cause.
 
There will be inevitable ups and downs, moments of disagreement and tough negotiations.
 
Relevant parts of the United Nations system stand ready to support this process in any way, including verification if requested by the key parties. They are the protagonists.
 
The International Atomic Energy Agency has a mandate to apply safeguards on all nuclear material in peaceful use, including all material removed from military programmes.
 
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty Organization could also play an important role in monitoring the DPRK’s announced moratorium on nuclear explosive tests.
 
The Security Council has consistently underlined its desire for a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation, as well as urging further work to reduce tensions.
 
I particularly welcome the trust-building and momentum on the inter-Korean track, as evidenced by the recent Panmunjom Declaration.
 
Going forward, I urge attention to the humanitarian situation in the DPRK, where we are seeking
$111 million to meet the immediate needs of six million of the most vulnerable people.
 
The people of the DPRK need our generosity and help.
 
It is also important that diplomatic processes pave the way for progress on human rights issues, from family reunions to engagement with international mechanisms.
 
In closing, I hope all parties will seize this opportunity to support a peaceful, prosperous, secure, and verifiably denuclearized Korean Peninsula.
 
Let us build on this positive momentum for the people of the Korean Peninsula and the wider world.
 
Thank you very much.

 
 
BURUNDIAN PEACEKEEPER KILLED IN BAMBARI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

• The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) condemns two attacks on Sunday against UN peacekeepers and national army forces.
• On June 10, a convoy was attacked by armed members of the Mouvement pour l’Unité et la Paix en Centrafrique (UPC) between Grimari and Bangassou.
• In the afternoon of the same day, a patrol of Burundian peacekeepers was attacked in Bambari. One peacekeeper was killed and another seriously injured.
• The Mission expresses its sincere condolences to the family of the peacekeeper and to the Government of Burundi.
• It recalls that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes and pledges to do everything in its power to support the national authorities in identifying perpetrators and bringing them to justice.

• In response to the news of a rescur ship stranded in the Mediterranean with hundredes of migants aborad, the Secretary-General told he is extremely concerned with the fact that the space for refugee protection in Europe might be shrinking, and he appealed to European countries to manage their own borders in full respect for international refugee law. 
• The UN Refugee Agency also appealed to concerned governments to allow the immediate disembarkation of the hundreds of people stranded since Saturday aboard the Aquarius rescue ship.
• Some 629 people are currently aboard the Aquarius, among them over 100 children. The vessel is in waters off Malta and Italy. Thus far no country has accepted to allow them to disembark.
• UNHCR said the principle of rescue at sea must not be put into doubt through incidents like this and that other governments must act to support countries dealing with sea arrivals.
• Italy has seen some 13,706 sea arrivals so far in 2018, a significant decrease from recent years. 

• The United Nations remains concerned about the situation of civilians in Derna amid reports of fierce clashes. The Libyan National Army (LNA) is now reportedly in control of most areas of the eastern coastal city.
• Since 6 June, more than 8,000 people have been displaced to surrounding areas, bringing the total number of displaced since mid-May to almost 11,000 people. Another 800 families have been displaced within the city. The majority of those displaced are staying in private accommodation, with others able to find shelter in schools and host communities.
• Humanitarian needs are rapidly increasing, with severe shortages of medicine and medical supplies, food, water, fuel and cooking gas reported. Water supply for the city remains cut off, leading people to rely on water stored in tanks and commercial vendors. 
• The United Nations reminds all parties to the conflict of their responsibilities to protect civilians, allow safe and unhindered passage for those wishing to leave the city, and to immediately provide safe, sustained and unfettered access for humanitarian supplies.

• Ms. Christine Schraner Burgener, who was appointed by the Secretary-General on 26 April as his Special Envoy on Myanmar, will be undertaking the first visit to Myanmar in her new capacity beginning on 12 June. 
• Pursuant to her General Assembly mandate, the Special Envoy’s consultations with a range of interlocutors including Myanmar authorities, ethnic armed organizations, civil society organizations, religious leaders and members of the diplomatic community will cover Rakhine state, peace process, democratization and human right issues.  Following her visit to Myanmar, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General plans to visit countries in the region including Bangladesh.
• Right after she took up her new assignment on 16 May, the Special Envoy visited New York and Geneva for introductory consultations with the Secretary-General, other senior officials of the United Nations as well as with interested Member States and INGOs.

• The Special Envoy on Yemen, Martin Griffiths, together with the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, briefed the Security Council in closed consultations this morning on the situation concerning Hodeidah.
• The fighting across the country is putting many civilians at immediate risk and threatens long-term humanitarian consequences. The Secretary-General reminds all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law concerning the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure during armed conflict.

• The United Nations is deeply concerned for the safety and protection of more than 2.5 million civilians in Idleb Governorate, following a recent escalation of air attacks in the area. 
• UN humanitarian agencies reported on Monday that at least 63 women, children and men reportedly lost their lives and scores more were in injured in airstrikes over the last week.  
• On Sunday, at least 17 people were reportedly killed following multiple airstrikes in Idleb, including 11 people in the town of Teftanaz, where a local pediatrics hospital was also heavily damaged and is now inoperable.  
• On Sunday, a statement was issued in which the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern about the airstrikes that reportedly targeted the village of Zardana in northern rural Idlib on the night of 7 to 8 June, killing dozens including children. He called for a full investigation into the attacks, especially allegations that there was also a second strike targeting first responders, to establish accountability.
• The Secretary-General recalled that Idlib is part of the de-escalation agreement reached in Astana and calls on its guarantors to uphold their commitments.
• He underscored the precarious plight of the estimated 2.3 million people in Idlib governorate, 60% of whom are civilians displaced by the conflict from other areas, most recently from Eastern Ghouta. He called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urges all stakeholders to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

• On Saturday, a statement was issued in which the Secretary-General welcomed the announcement by the Taliban of a three-day partial ceasefire during the Eid al-Fitr holiday. This follows the recent announcement by the Government of Afghanistan that it will begin a seven-day ceasefire during the upcoming holiday.
• The Secretary-General strongly believes that there is no military solution to this conflict and that only a political settlement can bring an end to the suffering in Afghanistan.
• The Secretary-General urged all parties concerned to seize this opportunity and embrace an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. The United Nations is committed to supporting the people and Government of Afghanistan in this important endeavor.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) today certified Paraguay as having eliminated malaria, the first country in the Americas to be granted this status since Cuba in 1973.
• From 1950 to 2011, Paraguay systematically developed policies and programmes to control and eliminate malaria, a significant public health challenge for a country that reported more than 80,000 cases of the disease in the 1940s. As a result, Paraguay registered its last case of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in 1995, and P. vivax malaria in 2011.
• In 2016, WHO identified Paraguay as one of 21 countries with the potential to eliminate malaria by 2020. Through the “E-2020 initiative,” WHO is supporting these countries as they scale up activities to become malaria-free. Other E-2020 countries in the Americas include Belize, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico and Suriname.  
• Between 1960 and 1973, seven countries and territories from the Americas were certified malaria-free: Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and the northern part of Venezuela.
• In the Region of the Americas, malaria cases declined by 62%, and malaria-related deaths decreased by 61% between 2000 and 2015.
• However, the rise of malaria cases reported in several countries in 2016 and 2017 show that major challenges remain, including the diagnosis, treatment, and investigation of malaria cases, particularly in remote areas. 

• On Saturday, the Secretary-General travelled to La Malbaie, in Canada, to attend the Summit of the G7.
• In the afternoon, he participated in an outreach session on “Healthy, productive and resilient oceans and seas, coasts and communities” with leaders of the G7, several other countries and international organizations. He warned leaders that with some 8 million tons of plastic waste entering the oceans each year, unless we change course, plastic could outweigh all the fish in the oceans by 2050. The Secretary-General said we are in a battle and we are losing on every front. Coastal communities are in jeopardy, the oceans are being swamped by a tide of pollution, marine life is in decline, and climate change is having an increasingly powerful impact, he said.
• The Secretary-General also said that we have a battle plan. Our guide is the Sustainable Development Goals, and our legal framework is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. However, he warned that initiatives and declarations are worth nothing unless we accept that we face a global emergency. The Secretary-General therefore told world leaders their leadership is needed now, more than ever. If we don’t protect our seas and oceans, and if we don’t win the battle against climate change, all the assumptions on which we base our policy-making will be worthless, he said.
• The Secretary-General then held bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, as well as with the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, and the Prime Minister of Viet Nam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
• The Secretary-General returned to New York Saturday evening.