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.
As promised, we will start the briefing with Dr. David Nabarro. He has a limited amount of time today, but he will be in New York on a more regular basis, and we will try to get him down here on a more regular basis.
Happy Halloween to all of you! I am trying to pretend to be a Spokesman today. We’ll see how that works.
**Independent Panel on Peace Operations
I will start off with an announcement on the appointment by the Secretary‑General of an independent panel on peace operations, and I will read out a statement in the words of the Secretary-General:
The world is changing and UN peace operations must change with it if they are to remain an indispensable and effective tool in promoting international peace and security.
That is why I am announcing today the establishment of a High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations. I have appointed Mr. José Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste to chair the panel, which will draw together individuals with a wide range of experience and expertise.
The Panel will make a comprehensive assessment of the state of UN peace operations today, and the emerging needs of the future. It will consider a broad range of issues facing peace operations, including the changing nature of conflict, evolving mandates, good offices and peacebuilding challenges, managerial and administrative arrangements, planning, partnerships, human rights and protection of civilians, uniformed capabilities for peacekeeping operations and performance.
The last major external review of peace operations was undertaken in 2000 and led by Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi. In addition, this will be the first such panel to examine both peacekeeping operations and special political missions.
As we approach the 15-year anniversary of the Brahimi report, we must acknowledge that peace operations today are increasingly called on to confront politically complex and challenging conflicts, often in volatile security environments where operations are directly targeted. We must take stock of evolving expectations and consider how the Organization can most effectively advance peace, assist countries caught in conflict and ensure that our peacekeeping operations and special political missions remain strong and effective in a changing global context.
The Panel will work closely with the main UN Departments concerned, as well as with Member States and the UN system as a whole. The Panel’s recommendations to me will be available for consideration by the General Assembly at its 2015 General Debate.”
That’s the end of his statement. We will put that statement online and I will give you a quick rundown of the members of this panel. As I mentioned, the Chair will be José Ramos-Horta. Other members of the panel are Jean Arnault of France, Abhijit Guha of India, Ameerah Haq of Bangladesh, Andrew Hughes of Australia, Alexander Ilitchev of Russia, Hilde F. Johnson of Norway, Bruce Jones of Canada, Youssef Mahmoud of Tunisia, Ian Martin of the United Kingdom, Henrietta Joy Abena Nyarko Mensa-Bonsu of Ghana, B. Lynn Pascoe of the United States, Floriano Peixoto Vieira Neto of Brazil and Wang Xuexian of China. Biographies for all these people are available in my office.
**Burkina Faso
Moving on to the situation in Burkina Faso, the Secretary‑General continues to follow the situation in that country with great concern. He notes the resignation of President Blaise Compaoré today.
Mohammed ibn Chambas, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative for West Africa, has arrived this morning in Burkina’s capital, Ouagadogou, as part of a joint mission which also includes the President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs.
He is expected to meet with all political stakeholders, as well as religious and traditional leaders.
The Secretary-General urges all parties to exercise calm and restraint and to use dialogue to solve the current crisis.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General is in Kenya today, where he met with the Secretary General of the Kenya Red Cross. He also held discussions with the Director-General of the UN Office in Nairobi and other senior UN officials in the country.
The Secretary-General visited the Ushahidi/i-Hub offices in Nairobi, which is an incubator for young Kenyan technology innovators. He commended their creativity and noted that their ideas have been exported internationally.
This weekend, he will travel to Copenhagen, where on Sunday he will participate in the launch of the latest Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
**South Sudan
From South Sudan, our colleagues there report that peacekeepers from the UN Mission in that country (UNMISS) extracted 30 civilians from the Rubkona airstrip yesterday, and brought them to the protection of civilians site in the UN compound. Civilian casualties so far from the week’s fighting include one dead and eight wounded.
In a statement we issued yesterday afternoon, the Secretary‑General strongly condemned the resumption of hostilities between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and Opposition forces in Bentiu and Rubkona in Unity State.
He called upon President Salva Kiir and Dr. Riek Machar to cease immediately all military operations and reminds them of their obligation to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General reminded all parties of the inviolability of all UN premises, including the Mission’s Protection of Civilians sites, where the Mission is currently protecting some 100,000 displaced civilians countrywide, 49,000 of them in Bentiu alone. The full statement is online.
**Nigeria-Cameroon
From Geneva, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said today that it is very concerned about growing insecurity in the border areas between Cameroon and Nigeria, where thousands of Nigerian refugees fleeing attacks have sought refuge in recent weeks.
The Agency says that Nigerian insurgents have launched repeated cross-border attacks, hindering efforts to relocate refugees.
It says that Cameroonian civilians are living in a state of terror due to frequent attacks, a situation that has been aggravated by the fact that the insurgents from Nigeria have reportedly started targeting civilians in Cameroon. Nigerian refugees, who fled previous attacks by the insurgents in north-eastern Nigeria, are asking to be moved away from the border area as quickly as possible.
Despite that insecurity, the Agency continues to work with local authorities to expedite the transfer of the refugees. Security permitting, further transfers will continue this week. More information is available from UNHCR.
**Niger
Also from UNHCR, they confirmed this morning in Geneva an attack against the National Guard post responsible for providing security in the Mangaize refugee camp in Niger, which hosts some 6,000 Malian refugees and is located about 40 kilometres from the border. More details on UNHCR website as well.
**Somalia
From Somalia, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns today that poor rains followed by floods are likely to worsen the food crisis in that country.
Close to 260,000 people died in the 2010-2012 famine in Eastern Africa, more than half of those children under the age of five. The FAO says that many current food security indicators across Somalia resemble or are worse than those seen in that pre-famine period.
It estimates that more than one million people are now in urgent need of assistance, a rise of 20 per cent in just six months, while another two million people are experiencing threats to their food security.
The FAO is appealing for, urgently appeals for $49 million to stave off disaster in the country. More is available online.
**Iraq
From Iraq, our humanitarian colleagues report that some 1.26 million internally displaced people (IDPs) throughout Iraq need shelter and basic supplies. Of that number, an estimated 600,000 people need immediate help to deal with the winter, particularly in the north.
UN agencies and their partners urgently require approximately $172 million to help the most vulnerable IDPs, to get shelter, food and core relief items and health services.
The FAO says that, through funding from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in partnership with non-governmental organizations, it will start distributing 3,000 metric tons of wheat seeds and 3,000 metric tons of fertilizers in conflict-affected areas of Iraq next week. This will benefit more than 15,500 farming families in Nineveh, Erbil and Dohuk Governorates in Iraq.
**Libya
From Libya, our humanitarian colleagues at OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] also say that the lack of access to the conflict-affected areas in Libya remains a major challenge for national and international humanitarian organizations, and is hampering the delivery of vital aid to the affected communities.
Working through local partners, UN agencies have been able to deliver food to some 65,000 people, as well as basic household items to hundreds of vulnerable migrants and displaced families.
UN agencies are preparing to scale up humanitarian assistance in the coming weeks. However, the humanitarian appeal for Libya is in dire need of funds.
**Singapore
A couple of more notes: The Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) today said it is disappointed by this week’s ruling by Singapore’s Supreme Court to uphold a law criminalizing consensual same-sex relations between men.
The Office said that using criminal law to prosecute individuals for engaging in consensual same-sex conduct violates a host of human rights guaranteed by international law, including the right to privacy and the right to freedom from discrimination.
It added that while this law is rarely invoked in Singapore, it nonetheless codifies discrimination and contributes to societal stigma against individuals who are gay.
The Office said that it regrets the courts have missed this important opportunity to strike down this law.
**Press Conferences
On Monday, 10:30 a.m., there’s a briefing here by Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev of Ukraine on the current situation in eastern Ukraine.
And then at noon, we will have Dr. Peter Salama, UNICEF’s Global Ebola Emergency Coordinator. Dr. Salama has just returned from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and he will speak to you about his mission there and UNICEF’s response.
**Questions and Answers
Spokesman: Mr. Lauria, welcome back.
Question: Thank you. I'll wait for you to return.
Spokesman: Getting some water. Go ahead.
Question: We've now seen in the last 15 months three elected presidents being driven from office by popular protests — in Egypt, Ukraine, and now Burkina Faso. I was wondering if the Secretary‑General has any thoughts about this, whether this is legitimate way to change a Government rather than waiting for the next election.
Spokesman: I think it's… you raise a very important issue, one I think that we've been looking at. I think the important thing at this point in Burkina Faso is to appeal for calm, and to avoid violence. On the broader issue, it speaks to the need and just beyond the three examples, not… the three examples you mentioned, but it goes to the need of strong governance and for institutions in which people can have faith and confidence in. Mr. Lee?
Question: I have some other stuff but follow-up on that. I guess I wonder — the UN seems to in peace processes work pretty closely with Burkina Faso. So I wonder when, if you can maybe say, when the President began to talk about changing term limits and going beyond his current 27 years of rule, did anyone in the UN system say, maybe it's a bad idea, maybe it's time… maybe your Government is too strong, maybe it's time for somebody else? Or was it hands off? What was the view of that?
Spokesman: I think it's… first of all, I doubt that there were any consultations by the President and the UN on what his decisions were, what the parliament's decision was going to be, you know, so I think we're trying to imagine conversations that were not had.
Question: I guess what I'm saying is, the UN has actively asked the Burkina authorities to play a role in a variety of regional conflicts; it seems like there are kind of discussions, and also by making that request, they're saying that this 27-year person is a…
Spokesman: I think, you know, Burkina Faso has a role to play in the regional… in keeping regional peace. I think every country in any region has that role to play. Stef?
Question: What's Mr. Chambas doing there?
Spokesman: He was sent by the Secretary‑General. He'll be meeting with key stakeholders. He arrived this morning. Obviously, the situation is changing at a very rapid clip, and he will be talking with key stakeholders. Stefano?
Question: Thank you. Yes, as a follow-up on this because, still, when a president, even if he's elected several times, is in power more than a quarter of a century, shouldn't it be… you know, the UN and Secretary‑General, they been supporting, let's say, General Assembly resolution on death penalty, let's say, so shouldn't also be, he should have when democracy start to behave in a way that doesn't look any more like a democracy, shouldn't it be like a resolution of the UN this kind of…
Spokesman: That's a discussion, I think, that Member States would need to have if you're looking for a resolution. I would just reiterate, I think, the need for good governance and for strong institutions which people can have faith in. Yes, sir?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. You noticed the fifteenth anniversary of Brahimi Report in announcing this latest review. This new report — does it mean the recommendations in the Brahimi report were met or they're outdated?
Spokesman: Well, I think clearly, if you look around and you do a compare and contrast with the peacekeeping world that Mr. Brahimi and his team looked at 15 years ago and the one we currently live in, things have evolved. Conflicts have evolved. Technology has evolved. The state of the availability of peacekeeping troops has changed. I think the… you know, without trying to paint a broad brush, but clearly the world has changed tremendously. We're facing different kinds of conflicts than we were 15 years ago. We're seeing an increased rise in non-state actors in conflict. I think it's a time… I think any institution or concept that doesn't critically self-assess or gets assessed from the outside on a regular basis can't meet the needs it was designed to meet.
Question: One follow-up. Will the report include any assessments of the particular mission, of how they did their job, did their meet their goal?
Spokesman: It will… my sense is that it will not be a mission-by-mission analysis. This will be very much a taking stock in a forward-leaning report. We expect to have the panelists here hopefully early… if I remember what I've seen, let me just put it broadly, within the first two weeks of November, and we'll ask Mr. Horta to come talk to you. And I think, I don't want to prejudge the way he's going to handle it. Obviously, he has a lot of experience in different levels, and the Secretary‑General will entrust him to lead that panel. George?
Question: You mentioned that there are tensions on the border between Nigeria and Cameroon. And if I remember my geography correctly, and I think I do, that's eastern and south… the water from eastern and southeastern Nigeria. Am I to understand that there is an insurgency abroad in Nigeria, somewhere other than Boko Haram, which is in the northeast?
Spokesman: If I picture my geography as well, we have been reporting issues of cross-border raids by Boko Haram and other elements, armed insurgents. So it's been cross-border raids into Cameroon. It's also been the push because of the situation in certain areas where Boko Haram's presence is forcing a mass movement of population. So that's what we're dealing with.
Question: So you think it is Boko Haram then, rather than another side?
Spokesman: A lot is due to Boko Haram and other issues dealing with instability in that area. Yes, ma'am?
Question: You said their review of peacekeeping will not really be a mission-to-mission review. But will the issues, the broad range of issues you mentioned, include things like safety and security of peacekeepers and accountability of UN commanders? These are issues that the Philippines has raised after UNDOF [United Nations Disengagement Observer Force] and requested to be included in the review.
Spokesman: I think, at the risk of reading again the long list, which is one of the longest sentences I've ever read out here, but it will consider broad range of issues facing peace operations, including the changing nature of conflict, evolving mandates, good offices, and peacebuilding management challenges, administrative arrangements, planning and partnerships, human rights and protection of civilians, uniform capabilities for peacekeeping operations and performance. I think the issues that you raise in your question to me are covered in the paragraph I just read. Yes?
Question: Stéphane, I have two questions for Burkina Faso. The first question, for several years as well as Hosni Mubarak, Blaise Compaoré was considered a guarantor of stability in the region and a peacemaker. And now he is just known as a dictator. So what's the position of the United Nations? The second question — there is many similarity between Tunisia and Burkina Faso. Two small countries with homogenous demography, so can the United Nations expect for a new West African Spring, as well as the Arab Spring?
Spokesman: You're asking me to act as a political commentator rather than a spokesman. What I can tell is, as we've all seen, the situation in Burkina Faso is changing rapidly, hour by hour. It changed from the time Mr. Chambas was dispatched to the time he arrived and changed in last few hours. I think the critical thing right now is to ensure some sort of calm to avoid any violence and to ensure that all the major stakeholders are talking to each other with the best interests of the country at heart. Let's get through this phase, and then we can talk about the next phase. Anna, then Nizar? Sorry. And then Erol.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. My question is about Syria and Iraq. It's been reported by United Nations that more than 4,000 Yazidi women and girls are still missing. We know that they have been kidnapped, tortured, raped, all these horrible things. What kind of exact steps are being taken to alleviate their situation or recover these people? This is the first topic. And the second one is about foreign fighters within the ranks of ISIS and other terroristic organizations. It's been reported by UN again that there are more than 15,000 foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq alone. So what's being done to stop this process, this influx of foreign fighters, and to reverse it, if possible? Thank you.
Spokesman: I think a few things. First of all, the report you quote, I saw the article in The Guardian and other places. My understanding is it's from an advanced or leaked copy of a report of experts from a sanctions committee on the Security Council, so we have to wait for that to come out to actually see it and comment on it. The issue of foreign fighters is an increasingly important one. We've seen the devastating impact that it has. Obviously, it is up to Member States to deal with those issues at the border and also to deal with all the broader issues that come with it.
On the issue of the Yazidi women, it's something we have raised the alarm on since the beginning. Obviously we don't have the military capability to go out and search for them. We have appealed for those who are holding them to release them, to remind them that they are accountable, that there are violations of international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and we call again on all those who may have some information and some way of releasing these very vulnerable populations to do so. Nizar?
Question: Yesterday, Mr. [Staffan] de Mistura spoke about this freeze zone. It sounded like freezing history zones. He spoke about Aleppo as potential candidates for that. And because… and he spoke about that. Everyone except ISIS and Al‑Nusra is acceptable to be party to such a zone. When he was here, there are many, as Anna was saying and everybody else knows, that there are thousands of foreign fighters whose allegiance is only to themselves.
Spokesman: Nizar, please grab a question mark.
Question: Yes. This is the point. How can the United Nations really envisage such a zone? And who is… we know that there is a Syrian Government and there are other… thousands of groups.
Spokesman: I mean, listen, I hope you had an opportunity to talk to Mr. de Mistura yesterday. This was an idea that has been floated, put out by him. I think we have seen over the last three years of the conflict the results, the toll on the civilians. Mr. de Mistura is trying to put some bold proposals out there that may at least initiate some lull in the fighting so that aid can get through and some peace, even temporary or localized, that can be built on. I'm not going to speculate as to what the reaction is of the different parties. I think Mr. de Mistura spoke about it yesterday. And we'll leave it at that, and we'll see what happens.
Question: How different would that be from the reconciliation which is orchestrated by the Government itself?
Spokesman: I think we all need to start somewhere. Erol?
Question: Thanks, Stéphane. In regard to the peacekeeping review, how far back in history, or within the institutional memory, rather, the panel that was just appointed by the Secretary‑General will be able or would like to go, whether that would include the lessons from Rwanda and Srebrenica, number one. And number two, how the concept of R2P, responsibility to protect, and rights up first [sic] would match their review or would be put in the context?
Spokesman: This will be a forward-leaning report, but obviously building on the work that's been done before, looking back at how things have been handled, but it is really a review, I think, as the Secretary‑General said, the world has changed and UN peace operations must change with it. Now, obviously to plan for the future, you have to know the past. I think the tragic events in Srebrenica and in Rwanda have been very, shall we say, been looked at and examined through our own UN reports, through outside-UN reports, lessons have been learned from it. I think when the Secretary‑General talked about rights… Human Rights Up Front, about the open gates policy as we're seeing in South Sudan where we're now protecting more than 100,000 civilians, those actions and those decisions were made by people on the ground with the full understanding of how the UN may have failed civilians in the past. But, again, we will bring the panelists out to you. If you look at the biographies of all the panelists, I think they bring with them a wealth of experience from the inside, from the outside. And I think it's going to be a great panel. But I don't want to jump in front of them, in front of their work. Carla?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Does the Secretary‑General or anybody else here have anything to say about the fact that Ukrainian President [Petro] Poroshenko has eliminated the day of celebration of 28 October, celebrating the liberation of Ukraine from the Nazis, and instead, he substituted 14 October as the day of celebration of the establishment of Stepan Bandera's OUN, which was pro-Nazi? Also, the OUN, together with the German Gestapo, had two documented assassination attempts against Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Who… in fact…
Spokesman: The short answer to your question is, no, I don't. I haven't seen those reports. I have no particular comment. I think what… I'd just reiterate what we've been saying in the past few weeks, which is the need for all parties to recommit themselves to what they signed on to in Minsk. Mr. Lauria?
Question: Stéphane, did the prosecutor of the ICC [International Criminal Court] communicate with the Secretary‑General before his meeting with President [Uhuru] Kenyatta?
Spokesman: I'm not aware of any communication. Matthew and then Ivan?
Question: On the panel, I'm looking at that long sentence of topics, and there's one word I don't see in it, which is the word drones or even technology. I'm asking because just this morning in the Fourth Committee, Ecuador said that the use of drones should be subject to C34 Committee review, which apparently didn't take place. I wanted to know what's the… one, will this include that? But maybe it's included in one of the words. You can…
Spokesman: I think you're getting a little too granular before the panel gets its work done. To me, when we talk about a changing world, it obviously not only means the environment in which we're working but also the technology that's available to us. So I can see that being plugged into a number of words in that list, including changing nature of the conflict, mandates, managerial, administrative arrangements, planning…
Question: Sure.
Spokesman: Again, I'm not going to tell you that they will look at how unarmed vehicles are being used, what sort of cars people should have, but this is going to be a holistic look forward.
Question: The reason I'm asking the question is that, based on what Ecuador and what some other Member States have said, they feel that it's up to the Member States to approve some of these things, not a panel named by the Secretary‑General. That no matter how esteemed these individuals may be, it's still basically Ban Ki—moon’s appointees reviewing Ban Ki—moon’s performance. So I wanted to know…
Spokesman: I think what we're… the last line is that the panel will present its findings to the General Assembly, to the Member States.
Question: And Miss Haq being on it, does it mean she's leaving DFS [Department of Field Support], or she can be at the same time on DFS and reviewing DFS?
Spokesman: My understanding is she'll be leaving. Nizar and then Ivan and then we'll call it a day.
Question: In the last couple of days, a big massacre took place in Ramadi, in Anbar province near Iraq. And there was the coalition, I mean, trying to help in many areas against ISIS. The whole tribe was left to be slaughtered, totally obliterated and hundreds of their men were beheaded or were assassinated. How does United Nations view that — the failure to send any help to these people?
Spokesman: I think Mr. [Nickolay] Mladenov made some comments on it, which I can forward to you. Obviously, every… we have called for action against these groups, Da’esh and others, and that action be taken within the strict confines of international law to ensure the protection of civilians.
Question: A senior Egyptian politician today accused Qatar of still training ISIS in camps in Qatar.
Spokesman: We've spoken about that issue. I haven't seen those particular comments. Ivan, and then you'll have the last word unless you don't want it.
Question: I’m still Oleg.
Spokesman: I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Question: Stéphane, I want to ask you about two recent developments in the Ukraine. The first is, maybe you have heard the authorities of Donetsk Republic said that there were some 400 women missing after the Ukrainian troops were in Kramatorsk City. And the second is there is a developing story about Russian actor who went to Donetsk and there are videos of him wearing a protective helmet, ballistic helmet with the press insignia. So this raised some issues around the world. Does the Secretary‑General have anything to say about it?
Spokesman: I haven't seen those images. As far as… I haven't heard about these reports of women being kidnapped. Obviously if they were true, we would call for their immediate release. And I think it's important that anyone… any parties work towards the restoring of stability in eastern Ukraine to ensure the fundamental protection of civilians and of human rights. Have a wonderful Halloween. Ivan, put your Igor costume back on.