Secrétaire général

Noon briefing of 29 November 2017

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2017

U.N., AFRICAN UNION AND EUROPEAN UNION SET UP JOINT TASK FORCE TO PROTECT REFUGEES, MIGRANTS
  • The Secretary-General is in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, for the 5th African Union-European Union summit. This morning, he met with the Presidents of Côte d’Ivoire, Angola, and Rwanda.
  • He then attended a trilateral meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat; the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker; and EU High Representative/Vice President Federica Mogherini. They agreed to put in place a joint EU-AU-UN Task Force to save and protect lives of migrants and refugees along the routes and in particular inside Libya, accelerating the assisted voluntary returns to countries of origin, and the resettlement of those in need of international protection.
  • The Secretary-General also addressed the opening ceremony of the summit, saying that young people are the driving force of our societies and that we need to listen to them and put them at the centre of our development plans. While responding to their aspirations is essential for development, he added, it is also key to preserve peace and security.
  • Noting that the common Africa-EU strategy was adopted ten years ago, the Secretary-General said it is time to strengthen the ties between the two continents. Recent atrocious images of migrants being sold in Libya are a reminder of the urgency to act, he added.
  • The Secretary-General said there is a need to change the relationship with Africa and establish a new cooperation platform that recognizes the huge potential of the continent.
  • The Secretary-General departs Abidjan this evening to return to New York.
SECRETARY-GENERAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST MOST RECENT BALLISTIC MISSILE LAUNCH BY D.P.R. KOREA
  • In a statement issued yesterday evening, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the launch of yet another ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). This is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions and shows complete disregard for the united view of the international community.
  • The Secretary-General urges the DPRK to desist from taking any further destabilising steps. The Secretary-General reaffirms his commitment to working with all parties to reduce tensions.
  • This afternoon, the Security Council will hold a meeting on the DPRK.
SYRIA: U.N.-BACKED GENEVA TALKS CONTINUE; U.N. RELIEF CHIEF TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL OF DIRE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION
  • The Geneva talks are continuing today with the Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, having a series of meetings this morning, including with the delegation of the Government of Syria.
  • Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock briefed the Security Council on Syria this morning, saying that, after seven years of conflict there, some 13.1 million people need humanitarian aid and protection, with 5.6 million people in acute need. In terms of displacement, more than 6,500 people have been displaced on average every day of the first nine months of this year, while 2,500 people have been returning daily.
  • Mr. Lowcock expressed worry about the food situation in eastern Ghouta, where only 100,000 out of an estimated 400,000 people have received food assistance this year. The available evidence suggests that severe acute malnutrition among children in that area has increased five-fold in the past ten months.
  • He added that as needs remain high, it’s important to preserve all means of humanitarian access, including cross-border and cross-line operations. Mr. Lowcock told the Council that he plans to visit Syria in early January to assess the situation and discuss how we can improve assistance to those in need.
YEMEN: DESPITE RESUMPTION OF U.N AID FLIGHTS, SUPPLIES INSUFFICIENT TO PREVENT HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE – U.N.
  • UN humanitarian flights to Yemen resumed on 25 November.
  • One humanitarian vessel arrived in Saleef on Monday, carrying 25,00 metric tons of wheat.
  • Two commercial vessels carrying food have arrived in Hodaidah, carrying a total of 35,020 metric tons of wheat and wheat flour.
  • Three vessels carrying a nearly 65,000 metric tons of food have been cleared by the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) and are awaiting permission from the Saudi-led Coalition to enter Hodaidah port.
  • While some food has started to reach Yemen, it is not sufficient to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.
  • In Yemen, the cost of diesel as doubled, while the price of petrol has risen by more than 70 per cent and cooking gas by 18 per cent.
  • It is critical that fuel reaches all Yemeni ports immediately – fuel is essential to operate generators for hospitals and water pumps, as well as to deliver drinking water and food.
SOUTH SUDAN: U.N. ENVOY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST KILLING OF DOZENS OF PEOPLE IN JONGLEI REGION
  • The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan, David Shearer, condemned the killing of around 45 people in an attack against a Dinka village yesterday, in the Jonglei region. Some 60 women and children were also abducted.
  • The Murle and Dinka communities in Jonglei have been engaged in long-standing inter-ethnic violence, which has operated outside the wider political conflict that has affected South Sudan since 2013.
  • Mr. Shearer urged the leaders of both communities to put an end to the cycle of revenge killings and work to bring the perpetrators of all attacks to account. The dead included humanitarian workers.
  • Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has successfully sent a first convoy to deliver food assistance from Sudan to the north-western South Sudanese city of Aweil in Bahr El-Ghazal region.
  • This is the third overland route to open between the two countries since 2014 and WFP plans to send enough food down this new route in 2018 to feed 1.7 million people for 10 months.
  • WFP has assisted a total of 4.6 million people in South Sudan so far this year with 208,000 metric tons of food and $24.5 million in cash.
LIBYA: U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY WELCOMES CREATION OF FACILITY FOR THOSE IN NEED OF PROTECTION
  • The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today welcomed the decision by Libyan authorities to set up a transit and departure facility in Tripoli for people in need of international protection. The initiative, which is supported by the Italian government, will facilitate the transfer of thousands of vulnerable refugees to third countries.
  • UNHCR said it will work with authorities to provide speedy solutions in third countries especially for unaccompanied children and women at risk. Solutions include resettlement, family reunification, evacuation to UNHCR-run emergency facilities in other countries, and voluntary returns.
ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIANS, SECRETARY-GENERAL REITERATES COMMITMENT TO TWO-STATE SOLUTION
  • Today is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, and, in a message to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General says that he remains convinced that the two-state solution recognized by that resolution is the only premise for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The resolution of this conflict would also create momentum for greater stability throughout the region.
  • He says that the recent positive developments on intra-Palestinian unity should be harnessed by all to move the process in the right direction.
  • The Secretary-General reiterates his readiness to work with all stakeholders, including the Middle East Quartet and countries in the region, to support a serious political process, drawing on all relevant UN resolutions, international law and agreements, that will realize a two-state solution, end half a century of occupation and resolve all final status issues.
PROGRESS IN CONTROLING MALARIA STALLS AFTER PERIOD OF UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS, NEW WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REPORT FINDS
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) issued its World malaria report 2017 today, which warns that after unprecedented global success in malaria control, progress has stalled.
  • There were an estimated 5 million more malaria cases in 2016 than in 201, and malaria deaths stood at around 445,000, a similar number to the previous year.
  • This means that the world is not on track to reach the global malaria targets, aiming at a 40% reduction in case incidence and mortality rates by 2020.
  • A major problem is insufficient funding at both domestic and international levels, resulting in major gaps in coverage of insecticide-treated nets, medicines, and other life-saving tools.
  • An estimated $2.7 billion was invested in malaria control and elimination efforts globally in 2016, well below the $6.5 billion required in annual investment.
  • In 2016, governments of endemic countries provided $800 million, representing 31 per cent of total funding.
  • The United States was the largest international funder of malaria control programmes, providing $1 billion, followed by other major donors, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan.
NEW U.N.-BACKED DATABASE HELPS COUNTRIES MANAGE ANIMAL GENES
  • The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has a new database to help countries better monitor, survey and effectively manage their animal genetic resources, allowing for early warning of the threat of extinction.
  • The Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) is the most complete source of global information on animal genetic diversity to date.
  • It is the result of three decades of collecting national data from 182 countries. Currently, it contains data on almost 9,000 breeds of livestock and poultry, including breed characteristics, information on distribution and demographics, and more than 4,000 images.
  • The biodiversity of around 40 animal species that have been domesticated for use in agriculture and food production is vital to food security and sustainable rural development.
  • Many locally adapted breeds, some of which are threatened with extinction, have characteristics that make them resilient to climatic stress, diseases and parasites.

Transcript

United Nations humanitarian flights to Yemen resumed on 25 November, with two commercial vessels having arrived in Hodaidah carrying 35,020 metric tons of wheat and flour.  Three vessels carrying nearly 65,000 metric tons of food have been cleared by the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism and are awaiting permission from the Saudi Arabia-led coalition to enter the port.

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