Noon briefing of 2 April 2019

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

TUESDAY, 02 APRIL 2019

EGYPT
In Cairo, the Secretary-General today met with the Grand Imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque, Professor Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb, earlier today. He took the opportunity to reiterate his respect for Islam and his solidarity with the Muslim community around the world, particularly in light of the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Secretary-General stressed that “in this time of difficulties and divisions, we must stand together and protect each other.”
He also commended the Grand Imam’s call for Muslims in the Middle East to protect Christian communities, as well as the initiatives taken by Al-Azhar to promote the true face of Islam and counter violent extremism.
Later today, he will meet with the Foreign Minister of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry. And tomorrow, he is expected to meet with President el-Sisi of Egypt.
On a related note, the Secretary-General, in a video message today, said that the world must stand together to protect all religious sites against rising anti-Muslim hatred, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, racism and hate speech. He said we must counter those who seek to demonise and divide, and we must defend freedom of religion and belief.

CYCLONE IDAI
This morning, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, addressed a Special Session convened by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President on the response to Cyclone Idai.
The Deputy Secretary-General said that three weeks since Cyclone Idai struck Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, the needs remain profound, and she flagged the continued risks of more floods, spread of diseases and the destruction of livelihoods as well as lives lost.
The Deputy Secretary-General paid tribute to the local, national and international responders who have been on the scene from the earliest moments of the crisis. She called on Member States to fund the $392 million response for the three countries for the next three months; just $46 million has been recorded so far.
She reiterated the commitment of the UN to supporting those in the affected countries to rebuild their homes and communities.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock, also addressed the special session; he too stressed the need for more funding to the response.

CYCLONE IDAI MOZAMBIQUE
On the ground, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that it is capitalizing on receding floodwaters in Mozambique and now aims to reach 1.2 million people this week with food assistance now that roads are opening up in the worst-affected provinces. The agency has provided food assistance to 350,000 victims in Mozambique. And WFP adds that at least 500,000 hectares of crops – primarily maize – were washed away ahead of the main April–May harvest.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says more than 1,000 cases of cholera, including one fatality, have been reported in Mozambique, according to the Ministry of Health. Over 90 percent of the cases were reported in Beira.
Nearly 900,000 doses of the cholera vaccine, procured by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), arrived in Beira today. An Oral Cholera vaccination campaign is scheduled to begin tomorrow and training for medical personnel is underway.
WHO says it has deployed experts, including epidemiologists, logisticians and disease-prevention experts, to build a 40-strong team that will help restore primary care services destroyed by the cyclone.

GLOBAL HUNGER
A new report launched jointly today by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the European Union, finds that around 113 million people in 53 countries experienced acute food insecurity in 2018, that’s down slightly from 124 million in 2017.
According to the report, nearly two-thirds of those facing acute hunger are in just 8 countries, and those are: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Climate and natural disasters pushed another 29 million people into acute food insecurity last year.
In a message on the launch of the report, the Secretary-General said the report highlights the plight of millions of people who must fight every day against severe hunger and malnutrition, and points the way towards solutions that can rebuild lives and livelihoods in communities around the world.
The Secretary-General stressed that determined action is needed to uphold last year’s UN Security Council condemnation on the use of starvation as a weapon of war.

SOMALIA CERF ALLOCATION
The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) yesterday released a combined US$45.7 million to scale up life-saving assistance in Somalia, where more than 4.2 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance this year alone, including 900,000 acutely malnourished children.
Overall, 4.9 million Somalis are estimated to be food insecure following poor seasonal rains, the lingering effects of the 2016/2017 drought, as well as conflict, displacement and evictions.

GAZA
Nickolay Mladenov, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, today said in a statement that the UN and its partners have mobilized nearly $45 million that will allow for the creation of approximately 20,000 temporary jobs in Gaza this year. He added that improved electricity supply has positively affected the delivery of basic services and the operations of water and wastewater facilities.
Mr. Mladenov said that significant progress on the lifting of the closures and advancing intra-Palestinian reconciliation remains essential. He called on all Palestinian factions to engage in earnest with Egypt on reconciliation efforts.
He also welcomed Israel’s decision to increase the fishing zone to 15 nautical miles in certain places and urged substantial improvements of the movement and access for goods and people, including between Gaza and the West Bank.
The Special Coordinator reiterated that ultimately, only one sustainable political solution will reverse the current negative trajectory and restore hope to Gaza’s long-suffering population. His statement was issued a day after he himself visited Gaza.

DIGITAL COOPERATION
Today, in Finland, members of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation and those of the Global Tech Panel convened by the European Union’s High Representative, Federica Mogherini, met together for the first time. The meeting took place at the invitation of Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The two Panels focused their discussions on global governance in the digital age, and how societies can prepare for challenges and opportunities ahead, including those emerging from artificial intelligence and data. They also looked at practical ways to leverage digital technologies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
As a reminder, the Secretary-General established the High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation to make recommendations on how to strengthen international cooperation in the digital age, with the aim to realize the potential of digital technologies while safeguarding against risks and unintended consequences.

SECURITY COUNCIL
Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, and International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Director-General, Yukiya Amano, this morning briefed the Security Council on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Ms. Nakamitsu told the Council that the NPT is widely acknowledged as the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation of nuclear disarmament. She said the NPT has proven remarkably durable but added that that durability should not be taken for granted.
Ms. Nakamitsu warned that the disarmament success of the post-Cold War era has come to a halt. In its place, she said, there is dangerous rhetoric about the utility of nuclear weapons and an increased reliance on these weapons in security doctrines.
She said that 2020 is the fiftieth anniversary of the NPT’s entry into force; it presents a golden opportunity to make the practical gains that will ensure the Treaty’s continuing viability. A strong, political level re-affirmation by all of the Treaty will be important.

CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICT
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Virginia Gamba, today unveils a new initiative entitled ‘ACT to Protect Children Affected by Conflict’ to generate greater awareness and action to improve the protection of children affected by armed conflict.
Over the next three years, the campaign will seek to strengthen collaboration between the UN, civil society and the international community to support action designed to end and prevent grave violations committed against children in times of conflict.
In his message of support to the campaign, the Secretary-General said it aimed to raise worldwide awareness, to assist children in need and prevent them from becoming victims in the first place. Crucially, the Secretary-General said that this initiative will offer children an opportunity to raise their voices.

SENIOR PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENT
Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Nicholas Koumjian of the United States of America as Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar.
Mr. Koumjian will be the first Head of the Mechanism, which was established, as you will recall, by the Human Rights Council in September 2018, and welcomed by the General Assembly in December of last year.
Mr. Koumjian brings to this position over 35 years of experience as Prosecutor, including 20 years of experience in the field of international criminal justice.

HONOUR ROLL
Today, thanks to Palau for paying its regular budget dues in full, the Honour Roll reached 80 countries.