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.
**Noon Briefing Guest Today
In a short while, we will have a briefing on Sustainable Development Financing with a number of speakers and I’ll introduce them when they arrive.
**Poverty Eradication Day
Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and in his message, the Secretary-General calls on the world to recommit to act together against extreme poverty. He notes that despite reaching the Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) target of halving the number of people living in poverty ahead of time, some 2.4 billion people still live on less than $2 a day. He warns that entrenched poverty and prejudice can undermine the fabric of societies and lead to instability. And at 1:15 p.m., the Secretary-General will speak at the commemoration of this Day which will take place in Conference Room 2.
**Ebola
On Ebola, you just heard quite an extensive briefing from our colleague from UNICEF, Sarah Crowe, on her recent visit to Liberia and the role of social mobilization in fighting the epidemic.
And from Sierra Leone, the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners report today the beginning of a food distribution in the outskirts of the capital of Freetown to 265,000 people.
It is the biggest one-off food distribution in the country since the start of the Ebola outbreak and will mobilize over 700 aid workers in just one day to distribute over 800 metric tons of food — and that includes rice, pulses, vegetable oil and salt — meeting the needs of families’ for about 30 days.
The aim of the distribution is to stabilize quarantined families by giving them enough to eat so that they do not have to leave their homes to look for food. Before today’s distribution, in the suburb of Waterloo, WFP and its partners had provided food assistance to more than 300,000 Ebola-impacted people across Sierra Leone. And given the rate of infections, WFP is scaling up to reach 600,000 people impacted by the crisis.
**Syria
Turning to Syria, the UN Special Representative for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met today in Beirut with the head of Lebanon’s Future Parliamentary Bloc, Fouad Siniora. He told reporters afterwards that they discussed the situation in Lebanon and how it has been influenced by the conflict in Syria. Mr. de Mistura emphasized the UN’s concern about the stability of Lebanon and the urgency to move ahead with the political process in Syria.
Meanwhile, UN Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos is scheduled to visit Turkey later this month, from the 18th to the 20th of October. She is expected to meet senior Turkish officials, local authorities, humanitarian partners and refugees, in Ankara and Gaziantep. The visit will focus on how the UN’s humanitarian agencies can support the Government of Turkey in providing assistance to thousands of civilians who have fled the violence in Syria.
**Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations
An update from our colleagues in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, is currently in Algiers for the peace talks on Mali. He will encourage the parties to negotiate in a spirit of compromise so they can reach a comprehensive peace agreement.
As you know, such agreement is in the cornerstone of peace, stability and security in Mali.
Mr. Ladsous will also encourage all parties to respect the ceasefire on the ground, and urge armed groups to collaborate with the UN Mission there, otherwise known as MINUSMA, in the prevention of terrorist attacks in line with their commitments already agreed to on 16 September.
**South Sudan
The UN Mission, meanwhile in South Sudan, and the World Food Programme are condemning the abduction of their staff in Malakal. On 10 October, three individual contractors employed by UNMISS, who were working at the airfield in Malakal, were seized by an unidentified armed group of 15 to 20 men in uniformed and civilian clothes. They were driven away in a pick-up truck. The following day, in the morning, one of the three workers was released and a second was also released later that afternoon. The third person is still missing.
And on 16 October, a staff member of the World Food Programme (WFP) was similarly seized by a group of armed men at the same airfield while he was in the process of boarding a UN flight. The staff member is still missing.
UNMISS and the World Food Programme are actively engaging with authorities in Juba, as well as in Upper Nile State, as well as the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and militia groups in Malakal, in an effort to secure the release of the two abducted individuals. There is still a lot of lack of clarity on the identity of the abductors.
The Mission urges the national and state authorities, and the SPLA militia commanders on the ground, to redouble their efforts to locate and free the abducted individuals.
In the meantime, the Mission has taken additional measures to enhance the security of its personnel and will continue to engage all relevant actors to secure their release.
**Central African Republic
And from the Central African Republic, the Humanitarian Coordinator and the Representative of the World Health Organization called last night on armed groups to respect the safety and integrity of medical facilities in the country’s capital, in Bangui.
More than 159 wounded people have been received in medical facilities since the violence flared up in Bangui a week ago and more than 3,000 people have been displaced since 14 October, including many children. This is in addition to the estimate of 6,500 newly displaced. There are currently almost 410,000 internally displaced people in the Central African Republic.
**Democratic Republic of Congo
And from the DRC, the Head of the UN Mission in that country, Martin Kobler, condemned the recent attacks against the population in North Kivu.
He met today with the families of the 20 people killed in Beni overnight between October 15th and 16th. This extremely violent attack followed the death of several civilians in Oicha just a week ago. Both attacks were allegedly committed by elements of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group. Mr. Kobler reiterated the common determination of MONUSCO and the Congolese forces to neutralize all armed groups in Eastern DRC, including the ADF.
**Yemen
And from Yemen, our colleagues at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today report a sharp increase this year in the number of migrants and asylum seekers who have died in attempts to go to Yemen, mainly from the Horn of Africa. More people have died in 2014 than in the last three years combined.
The latest tragic incident was earlier this month, when 64 migrants and three crew members died when their vessel was sailing from Somalia, and sank in the Gulf of Aden.
The Refugee Agency continues to offer support to the Government of Yemen in strengthening its capacity for search and rescue at sea, safe disembarkation and proper identification, as well as initial reception and referral mechanisms for vulnerable people.
**Maldives
And our colleagues from the Human Rights office (OHCHR) have expressed deep concern over the case initiated by the Supreme Court of the Maldives against five members of the Human Rights Commission of that country.
The members are facing serious criminal charges following the Commission’s submission to the second Universal Periodic Review of the Maldives in the UN Human Rights Council.
OHCHR calls on the Government to firmly defend the independence of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, in line with the commitments made during the first Review of the Maldives in 2011.
And more information is on the UN’s website.
**Noon Briefing Guest Monday
And Monday, Zainab Hawa Bangura, the Special Representative for the Secretary-General [on] Sexual Violence in Conflict. And she will brief you on her recent trip to South Sudan. Masood?
**Questions and Answers
Question: The former Secretary-General Kofi Annan today chided the international community for being late in responding to Ebola crisis because it was in Africa. Does the Secretary-General have anything to say about this?
Spokesman: I think if you’ve been paying attention to what the Secretary-General has been saying and others that work, report to him — whether it’s Dr. Nabarro, Anthony Banbury and others — we have been clamouring for more assistance, for more funding, for more in kind aid, and we do not think that the response has been at the level where it should be. Thank you. Matthew?
Question: Sure. Thanks. I wanted to ask the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo said it’s throwing Scott Campbell, the human rights UN person in the country, out of the country. And Laurence [inaudible] has been quoted saying this has taken place. What’s the reaction to that? And if you can confirm that Mr. Koenders is leaving MINUSMA in Mali. Earlier this week it wasn’t confirmed. Now it seems the king is saying it’s happening. What are the plans for the UN to replace him?
Spokesman: My understanding is that he’s left and obviously a recruitment process will get under way. On the issue of Scott Campbell, we’ve seen the reports. None of these reports have been confirmed to us, and we certainly hope they will not. If those reports are confirmed and officially confirmed to us, it would be an extremely worrying development and one that we would, of course, reject, and we’re also disappointed by obviously the content of these reports. I think it’s important that the human rights component of the Mission be able to do its work. It’s an important part of the mandate of the Mission. And MONUSCO is committed to continuing to work with the Government to uphold the rule of law and the fight against impunity. Mr. Carpenter?
Question: Hi, Stéphane. There are reports that the Nigerian Government signed a ceasefire with Boko Haram to get an agreement to get the girls held captive released. Does the Secretary-General have a comment on this?
Spokesman: We’re again aware of these reports. We’ve seen the media reports. We’re checking on them to see if we can confirm them officially. And we would obviously welcome a respite and an eventual end to the violence and, of course, first and foremost, the release of the girls, which we’ve repeatedly called for, but we’re checking on those. Mr. Iftikhar Ali.
Question: Stéphane, earlier this week, observers from UNMOGIP did visit the Line of Control and you have seen the photographs of this observer inspecting the ceasefire line. Have they submitted a report to the Secretary-General?
Spokesman: I have not seen such a report but I will ask my colleagues in the Peacekeeping Department to check. Mr. Lee?
Question: I want to ask about Madagascar and then something in the building. On Madagascar, you read the statement yesterday calling on Mr. Ravalomanana…
Spokesman: Ravalomanana.
Question: I’m going to call him the former President. To calling basically expressing concern about his statements that the Government might not be legitimate. I have two questions. Some say when Andry Rajoelina — easier to say — supported the current President in November 2003 and then campaigned for him that that violated the SADC road map and is exactly why the Government’s not legitimate. Two, do you have any comment on Mr. R being arrested and still detained by the Government and his family not being allowed to go to the capital? And 3, just in general, is it… if this is an internal dispute among political figures in Madagascar, is it… what’s the UN’s thinking of sort of condemning a statement that in fact has some basis in fact that the Government has a questionable legitimacy?
Spokesman: I think that’s, that’s your interpretation. The UN is working in support of the SADC efforts and that’s why we felt there was a need to speak out. On the others, I don’t have any other, anything else to share with you but if I do, I will.
Question: Does the UN understand he’s been arrested?
Spokesman: I will find [overlapping talk]
Question: …condemning his speech.
Spokesman: Mr. Carpenter.
Question: Hi, Stéphane. I noticed this morning DPI sent out the human rights report published by DPRK along with a letter they sent to the Secretary-General on 15 September. I was wondering what is the Secretary-General’s response to this DPRK human rights report?
Spokesman: I don’t have anything on that, but I will check. Masood.
Question: Do you have any comments on the tensions between Iran and Pakistan now being expressed openly by Iran which is now saying that too many insurgents coming from Pakistan into Iran?
Spokesman: I have not seen anything of these reports between Iran and Pakistan but I’m happy to look at them.
Question: Okay.
Spokesman: Matthew and then we’ll go to our guests.
Question: This is the inside the building question. Yesterday during the voting in the General Assembly for the Security Council seats… not to… whatever, I was told to leave the photographer’s booth and was told this is… the idea is this is only for wire services. And I wanted to know, I asked, how does the UN define wire services if they’re going to stop people from actually covering something in the middle of a meeting and it doesn’t seem there is a definition. I wanted to know… I also wanted to add in looking… there were other booths but there was no chairs, there was no translation, there was no sound. What’s being done by whether it’s media accreditation or the Capital Master Plan to make sure the people can cover…
Spokesman: Sure. I think our colleagues in MALU try to ensure as wide coverage as possible for image. As to what is a wire photographer, I mean, I will use the same definition given by Supreme Court Justice about something else: I know one when I see one. So I don’t think you may meet the requirement of a wire photographer.
Question: The seat sat empty and was given to UN photo actually. I wanted to know whether Media Accreditation are here to serve the actual journalists who are here to cover the UN or the UN’s own parallel media service?
Spokesman: I think Media Accreditation does a best job possible given difficult circumstances.
Question: No, I agree. If you can come up with a definition other than…
Spokesman: I’d love to have more rules. Sara, and you will have the last word. Yes, ma’am.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Unfortunately, I’m going to follow up to Matthew’s question, because I, too, would like a definition because…
Spokesman: You know, I’d love to spend a lot of time discussing definitions of wire photography and discussing broader journalism questions but I think you should talk to Isabelle and I’m happy to introduce to you Isabelle. We can have a discussion. Thank you. I’ll be right back.