Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Good afternoon.  Welcome to all those who are watching on the webcast and apologies for being late.

** Ukraine

The Secretary-General this morning spoke to Petro Poroschenko, the President-elect of Ukraine.  The Secretary-General congratulated Mr. Poroschenko on having received a strong mandate from the people, who expect him to move quickly to steer the country away from political, economic and social instability and towards security, greater prosperity and genuine democratic governance.  The Secretary-General said that he was encouraged by Mr. Poroschenko’s commitment to de-escalation and dialogue, which will be critical within Ukraine, as well as with its neighbours.  That readout will be online shortly.

**Security Council

The Security Council met morning to hear briefings from the chairs of its subsidiary bodies in an open meeting.  Then, at 3 this afternoon, the Council will hold an open meeting on Ukraine.  Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman is expected to brief the Council.  After that, the Security Council is expected to hold closed consultations on Mali.

**South Sudan

Yesterday afternoon, the Security Council adopted resolution 2155 (2014) on South Sudan, which reprioritizes the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) towards the protection of civilians, human rights monitoring and support for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.  The resolution also increases the Mission’s troop strength to 12,500, as requested in his last report on South Sudan.

In a statement issued afterwards, the Secretary-General welcomed the adoption of the resolution.  He underlined the importance of this new mandate to peace and security in South Sudan.  And he reiterated that every effort be made by potential contributors to deploy all troops, police and enablers to the Mission, as soon as possible.

The Secretary-General reminds the parties of their primary responsibilities to protect civilians from violence and end impunity.  He urges the parties to implement the Agreements signed by both parties without further delay, show the political will necessary to advance the political process and provide their full cooperation to the UN Mission as it carries out its mandate.

Also from South Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, says that the number of cholera cases in the country is approaching 800, with nearly 30 people having died as of yesterday, mostly in the capital, Juba.  The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are appealing for $26 million to respond to cholera until the end of this year.  Toby Lanzer, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, said that limited supplies of cholera vaccines and water purification tablets are complicating prevention of the disease, as well as the response to it.  Some 200,000 people who have been displaced have been vaccinated orally.

Also on South Sudan, more than 90,000 people are seeking shelter in the UN Mission’s protection sites.  A new site — capable of hosting 13,000 people — was inaugurated in the capital, Juba, today.

**Sanitation

Also earlier today, the Deputy Secretary-General this morning participated in the launch of a Call to Action on Sanitation.  He highlighted the challenged of open defecation, which 1 billion people are forced to do every day.

Mr. Eliasson said that if the practice of open defecation could be ended, we would see a direct reduction of 36 per cent in death due to diarrhoea for children under 5, with the consequences of improved sanitation reaching even farther.  And that, in turn, would help attain the Millennium Development Goals and we know that the goal related to sanitation is one that needs to make the most progress.  We have his remarks posted online and the video of the launch is also available on the UN WebTV page.

** Syria

Turning to Syria, by the end of 2013, total economic losses in Syria resulting from the war amounted to $144 billion, which equals 276 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010.  That’s according to the latest quarterly report on the socio-economic situation in Syria, done by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Syrian Centre for Policy Research.

The report says that damaged capital stock (amounting to $65 billion) accounted for 45 per cent of the total economic losses.  Also, agriculture and government services accounted for half of GDP in 2013.  The report adds that 54 per cent of the labour force is unemployed and 75 per cent of Syrians now live in poverty.  That report is available online.

Also related to Syria, a few hours ago, the Secretary-General spoke by phone to the Director–General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ahmet Üzümcü, to express his solidarity following the attack on the OPCW fact-finding team in Syria.  The Secretary-General condemned these attacks and voiced his relief that no one was seriously injured in the attack.  He told the Director-General that the UN would continue to support the vital work of the OPCW in Syria.

** Central African Republic

From the Central African Republic (CAR), our colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report that some 8,000 displaced people are sheltering at churches, in a school and at a MISCA [International Stabilization Mission] military base in Bambari, after clashes over the past week between ex-Seleka elements and the French Sangaris forces.

In the past two days, the situation has been relatively calm and a UN team was able to visit displacement sites.  Water, health and sanitation are priority concerns.  In one site, there are only 10 toilets for up to 5,000 people and with almost daily rains, the displaced are exposed to malaria and water-borne diseases.  The humanitarian response will require chlorination of wells, construction of latrines and hygiene information support.

And just a quick note that yesterday in the CAR, UN-Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka issued a joint press statement following a three-day visit to the Central African Republic with the Special Envoy of the African Union for Women, Peace and Security, Bineta Diop, as well as the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) Special Representative for the CAR.  In that statement, they said that extremely high rates of violence against women continue to pose a serious threat to health, development and peace in the country.  That statement is available online.

** Haiti

From Haiti, our colleagues report that the high-level committee for the elimination of cholera in Haiti, a joint effort of the Government of Haiti and the United Nations, met for the first time yesterday in Port-au-Prince.

Participants included Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the country, Sandra Honoré, as well as the Special Coordinator for the cholera response, Pedro Medrano, and other Government and UN officials.  They discussed the current efforts against cholera in Haiti, from operational strategies to sensitization campaigns.

According to the latest figures from April of this year, concerted Haitian and international efforts have succeeded in significantly reducing the toll of the epidemic.  The number of cases has been reduced by 75 per cent in the first trimester of 2014 compared to the same period last year, and fatality rates are below the 1 per cent target set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, cholera in Haiti is still an emergency as the structural issues enabling cholera, acute diarrhoea or other waterborne diseases persist, with weak water, sanitation and health systems.  Haiti has fallen further behind the rest of the region in sanitation coverage since 1990, with the most excluded population in rural areas.  More than a third of the population (38 per cent, to be exact) lacks safe access to water.

** Pakistan

On Pakistan, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, strongly condemned yesterday’s killing of a pregnant 25-year-old woman who was stoned to death by her family as she approached a Pakistani court in Lahore.  Ms. Pillay said that she is deeply shocked by the death of Farzana Parveen, who was brutally murdered by members of her own family simply because she married a man of her own choice.

The High Commissioner said that every year, hundreds of women are killed in Pakistan as punishment for marrying men their families have not chosen or for refusing arranged marriages.  She urged the Pakistani Government to take urgent and strong measures to end these so-called “honour killings” and other forms of violence against women.  She added that the fact that Ms. Parveen was killed on her way to court shows a serious failure by the State to provide security for someone who was obviously at risk.  There is more information on this online.

**Special Tribunal for Lebanon

Yesterday the Secretary-General met with M. François Roux, the Head of the Defence Office of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.  The Secretary-General noted the vital role of the Defence Office in ensuring that the proceedings before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon are fair and credible.  The Secretary-General highlighted the importance of the work of the Special Tribunal in tackling impunity for the crimes within its jurisdiction.  He expressed his hope that the proceedings would move smoothly and expeditiously.

**Food and Agriculture Organization

And a story from FAO caught our eye today.  The Food and Agriculture Organization launched today a new identification guide series on deep-sea sharks, aimed at helping fishers improve reporting on by catch.  Although they are not usually targeted, sharks and certain groups of sponges and cold-water corals can be impacted by boats trawling for fish at depths of between 200 and 2,000 metres.

In most cases, their survival rate after being released back into the sea is very low.  And if you are interested in sharks, go to the FAO’s website.

**Peacekeepers Day

Tomorrow is International Day of UN Peacekeepers.  Several events are planned for that day, including at 10 a.m., a solemn wreath-laying ceremony in honour of all fallen peacekeepers at the Peacekeepers Memorial in the North Lawn, with the participation of the Secretary-General.  Following that, 106 military, police and civilian personnel who lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations in 2013 will be awarded posthumously the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal.  And at noon, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, and the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Ameerah Haq, will be my guests.

I am done, over to you.  Yes, sir?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Talking about just this meeting, with Mr. François Roux.  Did the Secretary-General convey to him any concerns regarding the chasing of journalists for publishing the material which was already published?

Spokesman:  I think the Secretary-General conveyed what I said in the readout.

Question:  Another question regarding the elections in Egypt:  Do you have any opinion regarding the low turnout in the elections, turnout in the elections?

Spokesman:  Obviously we are watching the elections.  They’re still ongoing but we don’t have any particular comment at this point.  Yes, ma’am?

Question:  Steph, does the Secretary-General have any plan to meet Mr. Poroschenko any time in the near future?

Spokesman:  Nothing in the near future.  Obviously, like all Heads of State and Government, we would hope to see him here in September, but there are no immediate plans for them to meet.  Matthew, and then Masood?

Question:  Sure, I wanted to ask you, there was this speech by US President [Barack] Obama today at West Point, and a lot of the focus in the speech and also after the speech has been on… on the US move to begin providing military assistance through the US military to the armed Syrian Opposition, vetted Opposition.  So I wanted to know; one, there’s a… there was a… there’s been an… an… a programme by Frontline, quoting armed Opposition people saying that they were trained in Qatar by the US CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] which basically said in the speech afterwards that there’s a move in Congress is to provide more open support through the US Department of Defence.  And I wanted to know, I’ve heard… if you can just… what is the Secretary-General’s position on… on… a major P5 country saying we want to provide military support to the Armed Military Opposition in Syria?

Spokesman:  I don’t have any specific comment on the speech.  There’s a lot in the speech; we’re obviously looking at it, a lot of interesting things in there.  But as far as Secretary-General’s position, his long-standing position has been that there is no military solution to this conflict and he has called on all parties involved in the conflict or those who have an influence to stop the flow of arms.  Masood?

Question:  First of all, Stéphane, do you think it’s a good idea… does the Secretary-General think it’s a good idea for the United States to offer such aid to these militants or these rebel groups?

Spokesman:  Masood, with respect, I think I just answered the question.

Question:  No, I was just…

Spokesman:  I mean, the Secretary-General’s position has been clear on that issue.

Question:  Okay, and can you also comment on this India–Pakistan relationship which is now seeing a little bit of a thaw.  Does he have any opinion on that as… as of yet?

Spokesman:  We’re always for thaws.

Question:  Huh?

Spokesman:  We are always for thaws.  We are always welcome countries that have had issues with each other engaging in a positive and constructive dialogue.  Oleg, sorry, and then Evelyn.  Go ahead.

Question:  On the telephone conversation of Ban Ki-moon and Poroschenko, did Ban Ki-moon say anything about the operation in the eastern part of the country, because there are reports coming of use of shell bullets, bombardments of civil areas and also attacks on convoys carrying injured?

Spokesman:  I think, you know, the readout said that Secretary-General said he was encouraged by Mr. Poroschenko’s commitment to de-escalation and dialogue which will be critical within Ukraine and with its neighbours and he hopes that Mr. Poroschenko, who is only the President-elect, would steer his country towards a path of peace and stability.  As for the violence in the east, I think we talked about this yesterday, and the Secretary-General has expressed the opinion that the State’s authority should be brought back to the east through peaceful means.

Question:  Steph, does the Secretary-General’s condemnation of increasing weapons in Syria apply to the heavy weapons that Russia is giving [Bashar al] Assad?

Spokesman:  The Secretary-General’s position applies across the board to all countries that have an influence or direct involvement in the conflict in Syria, and it has been his long-standing position stated before today’s speech and it will remain his position.

Correspondent:  Yes, Stéphane…

Spokesman:  Let me go… let me go to people who haven’t asked and then we’ll do the second round.  Yes, sir?

Question:  Thanks, on the Security Council action yesterday regarding south Sudan, the troop surge, 5,000 extra troops:  do you have any details on that, the timetable for actually deploying them?  There’s been delays.  Also, there’s been reports that 2,500 of the new troops would be from IGAD [Intergovernmental Authority for Development] countries from East Africa, Ethiopian-commanded but part of UNMISS [United Nations Mission in South Sudan].  Can you give us any specifics on that?

Spokesman:  No, I… obviously, we are now looking at the operationalization of the resolution.  We’ll be talking to our partners, included troop-contributing countries, police-contributing countries and others to see how these things can be mobilized quickly.  There are a lot of discussions going on, and once we are ready to announce something, we will.

Question:  Just a quick follow-up on the… the comment on Ukraine yesterday.  So the SG thinks that the restoration of the State facilities should be done exclusively, you know, by peaceful means.  But does that mean that the SG thinks that the military operation by the Ukrainian Government should be stopped soon?

Spokesman:  I think you can draw your own conclusions.  I think what I said on the SG’s behalf yesterday was fairly clear.  Yes, ma’am?

Question:  There were reports over the weekend that the Jobar Synagogue in Damascus had been destroyed.  Does the…?

Spokesman:  That the what, sorry?

Question:  The Jobar Synagogue, one of the oldest sites in Judaism, was destroyed in Damascus.  Does the Secretary-General have any comment on that?

Spokesman:  I personally had not seen those reports but the issue of the destruction of cultural institutions is something that the Secretary-General in conjunction with the Head of UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] and Mr. [Lakhdar] Brahimi has clearly denounced.  The destruction of a country’s past and its history limits its ability to rebuild its future; and Syria has an amazing cultural heritage in which many religions have been represented, and the destruction of that past is something that we’ve condemned.  [He later noted that Irina Bokova, the Director General of UNESCO, said:  “The destruction of the oldest synagogue in Syria is a new blow against its religious and cultural heritage, which has already suffered tremendous damage.  All layers of Syria’s rich culture, including religious heritage, must be protected.”]  Yes Nizar?  We’ll start round two.

Question:  Today, the Syrians came out in diaspora, in large lorries… rallies, sorry, voting for the President.  I’m sure that you have seen these reports on televisions and others.  What do you think about these elections, which is taking place in Jordan, in Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East?

Spokesman:  We’ve seen, I mean, I’ve seen the reports; as you’ve said, I’ve seen them on television.  The Secretary-General’s position on the elections and the timing of the election has not changed.  He’s previously stated it and it has not changed.  Matthew?

Question:  Sure, I wanted to ask you.  There were… there’s been footage today of France destroying this camp of perspective immigrants in Calais, bulldozing the houses where 800 people had been sheltered and I wondered, doesn’t… is there anyone in the UN system that’s looking at that?  Is there any comment on that?  Is that an appropriate action?

Spokesman:  The treatment of migrants in Europe is something the Secretary-General has spoken out about and has spoken to officials about, and he has repeatedly called for them to be treated with dignity and respect of their full rights.

Question:  But, I mean, like… on an… on an incident like this, what does UNH… who… who sort of in the UN system… who… is there any response to that?  What…?

Spokesman:  You’ve asked the question; I mean, you know, obviously we’ll check with our colleagues at UNHCR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] and the Human Rights, but I’ve told you what the Secretary-General’s position is.  Yes, Nizar?

Question:  Yeah, regarding the expulsion of the dead from Bedouin village in Palestine.  The Israelis authorities are expelling, even digging out the graves and they want to throw away the bodies.  What’s the position?  I asked this question yesterday, you said…

Spokesman:  Yes, I don’t have anything on that today.  Matthew?

Question:  Sure I wanted to… I know that often the UN says it won’t talk about security, but they seem to have confirmed that the UN facilities in Nairobi, that there’s been a change, obviously given… given events there, but a change in which it seems like no visitors or official business only, and I just wondered is there… one, what… what can you say about that and two, how does it relate to this whole kind of… we the… is it temporary thing?  Is it something that the UN is going to try to find a way to remain open to people, other than its own staff in that building?  What’s… what’s the plan?

Spokesman:  I haven’t seen any of those reports but I’ll check.  Thank you.

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For information media • not an official record