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.  Apologies for being late, though not that late.

**Ebola

Starting with a wrap-up on Ebola, this afternoon, the Secretary-General will ask the General Assembly for its support in the fight against Ebola.  As you know, yesterday he confirmed that the response to Ebola would require 1 billion dollars over the next six months.  He also announced the establishment of a UN emergency health mission, combining the World Health Organization’s strategic perspective with a very strong logistics and operational capacity.  This international mission, to be known as the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, (UNMEER), will have five priorities:  stopping the outbreak, treating the infected, ensuring essential services, preserving stability and preventing further outbreaks.  We will share more details about the UN Mission as soon as possible. And we should have a fact sheet available in my office shortly, if not already.

In his speech to the Security Council, the Secretary-General also stressed that the disease is destroying health systems in affected countries and that more people are now dying in Liberia from treatable ailments and common medical conditions than from Ebola itself.  To date, 318 healthcare workers are known to have developed the disease, and almost half of whom have died as a result.  And these are health workers.  The gravity of this situation is compounded by the fact that even before the current crisis, Liberia had just 51 medical doctors to serve a population of 3.7 million people, and that Sierra Leone had one of the lowest number of health workers per capita in the world.

Next Thursday, 25 September, the Secretary-General is convening a high-level meeting on Ebola that will bring together global leaders to take stock of where we are in the fight against the virus.  And for the record, with 134 co-sponsors, the resolution that was adopted yesterday by the Security Council had the highest number ever of co-sponsors in the Council’s history.

** Mali

Turning to Mali, following the attack yesterday in the Kidal Region which killed five Chadian peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Mission in the country, MINUSMA, and injured three others when their vehicle was hit by an explosive device, just to let you know that the wounded peacekeepers have been evacuated by helicopter and are now at the UN Mission’s Chinese hospital in Gao.  And as you saw, the Secretary-General expressed his outrage in a statement we issued early this morning.  He also called on the armed groups meeting in Algiers to take immediate action on their declaration to collaborate with MINUSMA to prevent these attacks.  And he said that these continued assaults against the United Nations must cease immediately.  The latest attack brings the total number of peacekeepers killed in incidents by explosive devices in Mali to 21 and 84 wounded peacekeepers since the beginning of the mission on 1 July 2013.  The total number of peacekeepers killed to 31 and of those gravely wounded to 106 in that Mission.  And the Security Council also issued a press statement this morning condemning this attack.

** Fiji

And yesterday, as you saw, we also issued a statement after the briefing welcoming the peaceful conduct of the parliamentary elections in Fiji on 17 September, in which the Secretary-General commended the people of Fiji for exercising their constitutional right to vote.

**Security Council

Back here, the Security Council is currently meeting on Ukraine, discussing the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight 17.  Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman told the Council the ceasefire in southeastern Ukraine is holding so far and has contributed to a marked de-escalation on the ground.  But, he said, the conditions are still not conducive for investigators to have full and unfettered access to the site.  Mr. Feltman said that the Secretary-General once again calls on all those with influence on the situation to exert it immediately, so as to create a positive security environment for investigators.  He added that winter will soon arrive in Ukraine, and will make access to that site even more difficult.  That meeting on Ukraine is to be followed by a meeting on the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).  In the afternoon, the Security Council will be holding a ministerial meeting on Iraq chaired by the US Secretary of State.  As you know, the US presides over the Council this month.  John Kerry will preside over this debate.  The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Nickolay Mladenov, as well as the new Iraqi Foreign Minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, are also scheduled to brief Council members.

** Iraq

Also on Iraq, our humanitarian colleagues say that the Iraqi Ministry of Health, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has successfully concluded a mass polio immunization campaign on Thursday, immunizing millions of children across the country.  The five-day campaign was conducted between 14 and 18 September and is part of an ongoing national response, at a time when the number of children displaced by conflict continues to increase.  Also a new report released on Thursday by a consortium of UN agencies, NGOs and media development organizations highlights the importance of access to information for Iraqi communities and their ability to cope with the humanitarian crisis in Iraq.  The report follows a rapid assessment of information and communication needs carried out in northern Iraq in August.  Its findings reveal that displaced Iraqis often have only limited access to information regarding the provision of and access to basic services.  The report also calls on aid agencies to strengthen their information-sharing and their ability to listen to those affected.

** Yemen

From Yemen, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General, Jamal Benomar, reiterated the need to cease all violent acts immediately in the country and expressed hope that the relevant parties would exercise restraint and act in a manner that achieves the highest national interests of Yemen.  We have his full statement in my office.

** Syria

In today’s Geneva press briefing, the World Health Organization (WHO) provided further details about an incident during a recent measles vaccination campaign in Syria.  Information collected by a three-member WHO team indicated that human error was behind the deaths of 15 children during a vaccination campaign in Idlib, in northern Syria, on 16 September.  A diluent that was to be used with the measles vaccine had been kept in a fridge with a muscle relaxant — Atracurium — which was normally used for anaesthesia.  WHO says that the biggest challenge now is to continue the investigation.  The Measles Task Force on the ground, the NGO running the campaign, had immediately suspended the vaccination campaign, but it remains important to continue immunization as soon as possible and rebuild trust with the community.

** Mediterranean

The High Commissioner for Human Rights today urged Egypt and other North African States, as well as European countries, to bring to justice those smugglers who allegedly deliberately sank a boat causing the deaths of between 300 and 500 refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean last week.  Calling this a truly horrendous incident, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein stressed that it was crucial to bring to an end the prevailing impunity surrounding such crimes.  He urged States to do more to address the root causes driving people to make such dangerous journeys.  The High Commissioner said that all the countries in the Mediterranean must make a concerted effort to clamp down on the smugglers who are exploiting one of the most vulnerable groups on the planet and endangering their lives, purely for financial gain.  More information on the website of the High Commissioner.

** Bahrain

Also from the Human Rights Office, today they issued a statement welcoming the conditional release of Bahraini human rights defender Maryam Al-Khawaja, who had been in detention since her arrest at Manama airport on 30 August.  The Office will be closely watching the results of the judicial hearing on her case, which is scheduled to take place at the High Court of Bahrain on 1 October.  The Human Rights Office is concerned that Ms. Al-Khawaja's detention was related to her work to promote human rights in Bahrain through the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, of which she is co-director.  The UN Human Rights Office has been in touch with the authorities to raise its concerns on the case, and on other cases where individuals may have been detained for the peaceful exercise of their rights.

**Secretary-General Activities

This weekend will be busier than usual for the Secretary-General.  I would just like to flag a couple of events he is going to attend.  Tomorrow afternoon, at 5 pm, he will be here at Headquarters for an event of the HeForShe campaign with British Actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson.  Over the next twelve months, the HeForShe campaign intends to mobilize 1 billion men against inequalities faced by women and girls around the world.  The campaign’s premise is that gender inequality is not a women’s issue but an issue that affects everyone, and that achieving equality will benefit both men and women.  And as the Secretary-General himself told you earlier this week, he will take part in the People’s Climate March this Sunday.  He will link arms with those marching for climate action, standing with them on the right side of this key issue for our common future.

**Press Conferences Today

Following my briefing, we will welcome back Jean Victor Nkolo, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly.  And then immediately following that, there will be a briefing by Santiago Villalpando, Chief of the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs, and Masa Nagai, Deputy Director of the Division of Environmental Law and Conventions of UNEP.  They will brief on the 2014 Treaty Event and the highlighted Minamata Convention on Mercury.  Tomorrow night, the buildings of United Nations Headquarters will serve as the screen for an event entitled "Illuminations: Protecting Our Planet".

In support of the Secretary-General's Climate Summit, large-scale images of planet Earth and its inhabitants will be projected on to the facades of the Secretariat and General Assembly buildings about 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.  And you can watch that from the comfort of 1st Avenue.  No surprise to you that next week will be very busy.  We have a Week Ahead which is quite lengthy.  Just to show you how busy you will be:

On Monday, we have a number of press conferences taking place here.  At 10 a.m., there will be a press briefing by Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), on the latest report on the state of the region’s indigenous peoples.  That’s connected of course to the Indigenous Peoples Summit that’s taking place here.  At noon, the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Babatunde Osotimehin will be here as my guest.  He’ll be here to discuss the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).  And at 1 p.m., there will be a press conference on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.  That will be held by Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, along with Ivan  Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, and Aili Keskitalo, the President of the Sami Parliament, will brief on that topic.

At 2 p.m., there will be a press conference by the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin.  At 2:45 p.m., in S-237, there will be a press conference by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.  At 3 p.m., in Conference Room 1, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on Palestine meeting.  And at 6 p.m., there will be a related press briefing on that topic here by the Norwegian Government.

**Questions and Answers

Spokesman: Prepare your questions.  Not for me, but for next week.  All right, Mr. Lee.

Question:  Sure.  Thanks, Stéphane.  I wanted to ask about the Golan Heights and UNDOF.  It’s, uh, it seems that the Philippines have actually already started flying their troops back and they say that by, very shortly, their full contingent will be pulled out of the mission.  And the Irish Defense Minister has said there are serious questions about rotating in more troops.  So what’s the plan?  I mean, in terms of, are other countries being asked to fill in for these?  Is it on hiatus?  And just, I know that you said yesterday there would be no new briefings this week and I see one Monday.

Spokesman: Sorry, it is my mistake.  I was taking dreams for reality.  So we will brief on Monday.  We will not brief on Tuesday because, as you will see in the week ahead, the Secretary-General will give a press conference related to climate change between 11:30-12:00 in Conference Room 4.  And on Wednesday, we will not be doing a press briefing because of the opening of the GA.  If anybody has any questions, they can come into my office and they can e-mail them.  But I think there is enough going on that I can take a step out for that one day.

Question:  What about Golan?

Spokesman:  Sorry.  You did have a question.  I expect, I've seen the reports.  I expect an update from DPKO very shortly on the numbers.

[The Spokesman later clarified that on 18 September, 244 members of the Philippine contingent departed for Manila.  In terms of replacements, in view of recent developments on the ground, UNDOF and DPKO, in the coming weeks, will be working to consider how the Force will be configured to ensure that UNDOF continues to use its best efforts to implement its mandate.  As of 18 September, UNDOF comprised 1,027 troops, including from Fiji (445), India (191), Nepal (155), Ireland (134), the Philippines (100) and the Netherlands (2).]

Question: And is there any status of the investigation of either the order to surrender?  You said once they were released there would be some kind of an inquiry.  Where does that stand?

Spokesman: You know, I think the situation remains quite intense on the Golan and we need to get kind of past the current events and then after vetting, an investigation will be conducted.  Masood?

Question: I know this has been an often-asked question.  When, either United States or France tried to attack inside Syria, besides the fact that they have got permission from Iraqi Government to attack ISIS inside Iraq, that’s okay, but what about Syria?  Will that require a Security Council resolution?  I know you have been asked that again and again.  So now, what does the Secretary-General think?  Does it require a Security Council resolution?  Because the Russians think so.

Spokesman: I think what the Secretary-General has said is that he would hope there is a broad coalition.  This is an issue that cannot be dealt with by one Member State, and that it would be conducted within the broad perimeters of international law.  What is also critical is that whatever operation may take place, and we have not seen anything yet so I don't want to speculate, but whatever military action is taken needs to be in full respect of international humanitarian law and have a focus on the protection of civilians.  Mr. Klein?

Question: Yes, on Mali, given the alarmingly increasing rate of deaths of peacekeepers in the Mali operation, is any thought being given to sort of replicating in Mali the model that is now being used in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, enhanced force use of drones for surveillance, so that perhaps such incidents can be reduced if not eliminated?

Spokesman: You know, the mission has enhanced surveillance capacity in terms of non-, unmanned aerial aircraft.  What...you know, the focus is obviously on protecting. We need to protect our peacekeepers, but there also needs to be a renewed effort on the political front, as I mentioned, in the talks in Algiers, and a commitment from the opposition groups to work and support the UN mission.  I would not want to compare the situation in Mali with the situation in the DRC.  I think they are two separate conditions on the ground, militarily, and will need to be dealt with in different ways.  Mr. Carpenter?

Question: Hi, if the deaths of the Syrian children from the vaccinations was caused by human error, what is the United Nations going to do to take responsibility for this human error?

Spokesman:  Right.  I think, as I mentioned, the World Health Organization is continuing the investigation into this very tragic...into this very tragic incident.  The lab and whether the mix-up...sorry.  What I'm saying is that what the World Health Organization knows at this point is that the exact person or group responsible for the lab is not yet known.  But the campaign on the ground was carried out by an NGO called the Measles Task Force of Syria.  What happens in these vaccination campaigns, which are critical, and I think, what is also, I think, rather amazing is they are often done in conflict areas in times of war.  The World Health Organization, UNICEF, uses a lot of local NGOs who have the access and the know-how to communities.  So this happens, happened in one of the NGOs, one of its partner NGOs.  The World Health Organization said they will continue to look at this, at this tragic incident.  But they need to now focus on rebuilding the trust of the community so the campaign can go on.  Yes, ma'am?

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane.  Do you know when Mr. De Mistura will be here and if he is going to brief us on Syria?

Spokesman: He will be here next week.  Let me see what his schedule is.  The young lady right there, you have been very patient.

Question: Could you please give us some more information about the SG's plan for the People's Climate March?  Will he be marching the whole route or making a statement?

Spokesman: He will march part of the route. You should be in touch with the march organizers to...in order to get the press access.  We are not...it's not an access we control, but he will be marching part of the route and he will be joined with...by Mayor Bill De Blasio of New York City.  Iftikhar?  Your microphone, please, sir.

Question:  On Wednesday, Jan Kubiš, the UN envoy of Afghanistan, gave two days to the two presidential candidates to form a unity comment.  Two days have passed but you have not given any news about the progress or wasn't today the day for the announcement of UN elected results of the election?

Spokesman: I haven’t received an update from our colleagues in Afghanistan.  But we will call them after the briefing to see if there is anything for them to add.  Yes, ma'am.  Your microphone, please. There you go.

Question: Sorry.  Are you going to be releasing a more detailed schedule of the press briefings that are going to go on during the Climate Summit?

Spokesman: Yes.  There will be more press briefings than you can ever imagine.  And it will be...if you go to my office, right down the hall, they will be a week ahead with not only the press briefings but all the other events that will be taking place.

Question: Great.

Spokesman: Mr. Lee?

Question: Sure.  I want to ask about the Ebola mission.  But first just one thing on Staffan de Mistura.  He seems to show up on the DSG schedule today, so I don't mean to... maybe is that accurate?  Is he in town?

Spokesman: You obviously are more careful.  He may very well be in town. I frankly…

Question: No, no.

Spokesman: I know.

Question: Is he going to be based in Geneva or Brussels?  Where is he going to be based?

Spokesman: His base is in Geneva.

Question: Okay. Can I ask about Ebola?  I just wanted to know.  I understand the Secretary-General is going to speak.  But can you confirm that the base of this will be in Accra, Ghana, and can you just give a little more, in the GA, when will the Secretary-General be seeking the funding for this mission?

Spokesman:  I think, as he mentioned, as he mentioned in, I think, in his Security Council speech or in the letters that were sent to the GA President, we will be submitting a more detailed funding requirement to the GA very soon.  The base will be in the region.  As soon as we can announce something, we will.  Masood?

Question: Given the fact that Saudi Arabia has agreed...has said that it will provide like $500 million to rebuild Gaza, but has Israel agreed to allow all these shipments to come in because it has a stranglehold on all the crossings?

Spokesman: Masood, as you will have seen last week, or earlier this week, I can't even remember now, Robert Serry was here and he briefed the Security Council on the agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority to ensure the transit of goods, especially reconstruction goods, into Gaza.  And we very much hope that that agreement will stand and will be facilitated by all parties so we can get down to the work of rebuilding Gaza with the generous donations from a number of Member States.  Yes, sir.  Excuse me, if you don't mind, Sylviane has been very patient.

Question: No, no, that is fine. 

Spokesman: Go ahead.

Question: On the climate change, do you know if Mr. Michael Bloomberg will be here?  Is he invited?

Spokesman: Yes, he will be here.

Question: And another thing:  Can we have some figures on the financing of this Summit and since it started?

Spokesman: The financing of? 

Question: Of climate change. 

Spokesman: You mean the financing of climate action or the cost of the Summit?

Question: The cost of the climate action since the beginning of its inception.

Spokesman: Okay. We’ll see what we can get for you.

Question: Because I heard like $500 billion and then we need figure it out.

Spokesman: Yes, sir.

Question: The newly appointed SRSG to Libya, Mr. Bernardino Leon, had made a tour to Libya very recently and have brought some important points to Secretary Council.  Will there be any further actions taken soon?

Spokesman: I think Mr. Leon will continue his work and try to return to Libya as soon as possible.  And as we get updates from the mission, we will share them with you.  Go ahead.

Question: Any reaction to the referendum results in Scotland?  Thank you.

Spokesman: Yes, of course.  We have seen, we have taken note of the results of the referendum in Scotland, and also, the statements by the United Kingdom authorities and political leaders following the announcement of the results, are a testament to the strong democratic traditions in the United Kingdom.  All discussions on the level and nature of the allocation of powers within the United Kingdom remain a matter for the United Kingdom.  Ann?

Question:  Yes, with the World Conference on Monday… [inaudible] Tartars in Ukraine who are expected to attend?

Spokesman: We will get you an update of...from our colleagues who do the secretariat for the indigenous people on how you can contact them, too.  Matthew, and then we have to leave it to Jean Victor.

Question: I just want to ask:  Now, yesterday was the House, now the Senate, so that makes it a law, has passed this legislation in the US to not only train but also arm and equip moderate rebels in Syria.  And I'm wondering, since, you know, you seem to say that the Secretary-General believes that more weapons in Syria, even vetted, even trained, is not the solution, is this something he intends to raise to President Obama?  What can you say now that the law has passed, will be signed?

Spokesman: I think the Secretary-General's position is unchanged.  Obviously, as Syria no doubt will be on the agenda for the bilateral meeting.  Jean Victor, all yours, and then I will come back as soon as Jean Victor is done with the legal office.

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For information media • not an official record