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 Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Secretary-General in Australia
The Secretary‑General is on his way back from Australia, where he attended the Group of 20 Summit in Brisbane over the weekend. During the Summit, the Secretary‑General attended sessions on strengthening growth and job creation in the global economy, on trade and on how the international community can best scale up its response to Ebola.
In a press conference he held on Saturday morning, the Secretary‑General highlighted the need for global action in three critical areas: promoting inclusive growth and decent jobs, meeting the climate challenge and providing financing for sustainable development.
The Secretary‑General said that the international community needed to intensify its effort to halt the spread of Ebola. And he emphasized the amazing work of the front-line health workers, whom he called extraordinary people who are giving all for others. The full transcript is online.
**Ebola
On Ebola, the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) today mourns the passing of Marcel Rudasingwa, Assistant Secretary‑General and the Mission's Emergency Crisis Manager in Guinea. A Rwandan national, Mr. Rudasingwa passed away suddenly from natural causes. The Head of the UN Mission, Anthony Banbury, said that in just a short space of time, Mr. Rudasingwa played a pivotal role in the Organization's and the international community's response to the Ebola crisis in Guinea. Our thoughts are with Mr. Rudasingwa’s family at this time.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, authorities have declared the end of a separate Ebola outbreak in Equatorial Province. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Moustapha Soumaré, praised the national authorities for their rapid and coordinated response, despite enormous logistical challenges, and paid tribute to the bravery of aid teams, in particular to the eight health workers who died in the early days of the outbreak.
Still on Ebola, the World Bank launched today a new campaign called “11 Against Ebola” with football players from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona’s Neymar Jr., Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Bayern Munich’s Philipp Lahm are among the players who share 11 simple health messages selected with the help of doctors and health experts using the slogan “Together, we can beat Ebola” and the hashtag #wecanbeatebola. We have more in a press release from the World Bank.
**Security Council
Assistant Secretary‑General for Political Affairs, Jens Toyberg‑Frandzen briefed the Security Council this morning on the Middle East and said that the Secretary‑General is alarmed by the escalation of tensions in Jerusalem. Clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli security forces in many parts of East Jerusalem and the West Bank have been taking place on an almost daily basis. Of particular concern are attacks against religious sites, given how such violence can resonate regionally and beyond.
Mr. Toyberg‑Frandzen noted that the Secretary‑General has expressed his deep concern about the upsurge in violence and calls on all sides to do everything possible to avoid further exacerbating an already tense environment. Preventing a further escalation of tensions makes it essential that all sides demonstrate responsible leadership, avoid taking provocative unilateral actions and refrain from inciting their supporters through inflammatory rhetoric.
Mr. Toyberg‑Frandzen said that while some signs of progress have started to emerge, the overall situation in Gaza remains volatile. These efforts notwithstanding, the reconstruction of Gaza is doomed to fail without a long-term ceasefire between Israelis and Palestinians.
He added, discussing Syria, that Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and his team will begin work on the modalities of the proposed freeze in Aleppo. We have his briefing notes available in our office.
**Iraq
A UN convoy comprising three vehicles was hit by at least one explosion yesterday morning. According to the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), no UN personnel were killed or injured in the incident but one of the vehicles sustained serious damage. The Secretary‑General’s Special Representative, Nickolay Mladenov, said that the incident will not deter the UN from continuing its work in support of Iraq and its people.
Mr. Mladenov and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein, will brief the Security Council on Iraq tomorrow morning. They are expected to speak at the stakeout after the meeting.
**South Sudan
In South Sudan, the UN Mission in the country, UNMISS, reports that the situation at the Malakal protection of civilians site was tense over the weekend after a series of clashes between Nuer and Shilluk internally displaced persons that resulted in injuries to civilians.
Three UNMISS peacekeepers were also injured when they intervened to contain the situation. The Mission continues to protect more than 17,000 people in Malakal, with some 102,000 internally displaced persons seeking shelter in UNMISS sites across the country.
**Somalia
Yesterday, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, met with Somali political leaders, including the President, Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Parliament. Together with representatives from the European Union, Denmark, Sweden and Italy, Mr. Kay urged the leaders to find a solution that would allow the Federal Government to implement the Vision 2016 plan for Somalia’s political transformation in a timely manner.
This meeting comes ahead of the first Ministerial-level High-level Partnership Forum in Copenhagen, which will start on the 19th of November. Under-Secretary‑General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, and Special Representative Nicholas Kay are expected to attend the Forum.
**General Assembly on Human Rights Council
The President of the Human Rights Council, Baudelaire Ndong Ella of Gabon, briefed the General Assembly this morning on the Council’s activities. He said that this last year had been challenging and that the world needs today, more than ever, strong institutions like the Council to promote and protect human rights. He stressed the need to guarantee that participants to the Council’s work and reporting are never retaliated against. He also highlighted the growing need for resources to fund the Council’s additional activities. His full statement is available in our office.
**Drowning
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued today its first "Global report on drowning: preventing a leading killer". It reveals that drowning claims the lives of 372,000 people each year and is among the 10 leading causes of death for children and young people in every region.
The report calls for substantial increase of efforts and resources to prevent drowning and outlines several actions to be taken by both national policymakers and local communities.
It also draws attention to the need to make drowning prevention an integral part of a number of current debates, such as climate change which leads to increased flooding; mass migrations, including of asylum seekers travelling by boat; and issues such as rural development and water and sanitation.
**Press Conferences
Tomorrow’s noon briefing guest will be Richard Kollodge, Editor of the UN Population Fund’s report on “the State of World Population 2014”.
And today at 1 p.m. at the Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium, there will be a conversation with Edward Mortimer, former Chief Speechwriter and Director of Communications. And you are all invited to that.
Anything for me? Yes?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thanks, Farhan. I wanted to ask again about the UNAMID's [African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur] stated attempts to investigate the rapes in Thabit. It's reported that the Government of Sudan has now barred them from re-entering to try to do a second investigation. There are also reports that in the first one, the Rapid Support Force of the Sudanese Government actually filmed the interviews that were taken by UNAMID with people, which tends to make it seem unlikely that they would have said if rapes occurred. Can you confirm that they were blocked again? What is the UN's plan to re-enter and actually conduct this needed second investigation?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, I can confirm that a UNAMID convoy was blocked yesterday. We do expect to have potentially a statement later this afternoon about this matter. What I can add is that the African Union-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur, UNAMID, has submitted a clearance request to access Thabit by road and by air and shall proceed to Thabit immediately as soon as access is granted. Like I said, we may have something more to say on this in a statement down the line. Yes?
Question: Do you acknowledge that it's unlikely that after nine days… if they go there, what conclusions will they draw?
Deputy Spokesman: We are continuing to press for unfettered access. And like I said, we may have something more to say on that. Yes?
[The following statement was issued later:
The Secretary‑General is deeply troubled about persistent allegations of mass rape in Thabit, North Darfur. The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) visited Thabit on 9 November. However, the heavy presence of military and police in Thabit made a conclusive investigation difficult. UNAMID has since then attempted to gain further access to shed light on what happened. The Secretary‑General is concerned that after intense consultations with the Government in Khartoum and with local authorities in Darfur, UNAMID was yesterday denied access to Thabit. Only a full investigation by UNAMID will help shed light over these serious allegations. The Secretary‑General therefore urges the Government of Sudan to grant UNAMID unfettered access, without further delay, to Thabit and its population so that these reports can be verified.]
Question: Farhan, is the Secretary‑General concerned that the situation in the occupied West Bank, following this Israeli action in Al Quds? Will that, I mean, it is quite possible it can erupt into a bigger uprising and that could disturb this whole peace process if there is any. Has the Secretary‑General assessed that, that it can become a bigger driving force for another flare-up in the Middle East?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, there was a very sober assessment in today's Security Council open meeting on the Middle East by Jens Toyberg‑Frandzen, the Assistant Secretary‑General for Political Affairs. And he did talk about our particular concerns about the violence taking place in Jerusalem, including at the holy sites. As I said just now, preventing a further escalation of tensions makes it essential that all sides demonstrate responsible leadership, avoid taking provocative unilateral actions and refrain from inciting their supporters through inflammatory rhetoric.
Question: So these are the only elements, how to…?
Deputy Spokesman: There's more. There's a full statement by Mr. Toyberg‑Frandzen that's available in our office that you can look at. Yeah? Hold on. Let's see whether there are other questions, then we can get back to you. Oleg?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Now, is half a year since the Malaysian Boeing… right, it’s not actually, four months since the Malaysian Boeing was shot… crashed over Ukraine, and there still has not been ideas how this happened, there are no results of the investigation. What's the current stance of Ban Ki‑moon towards this issue? There are also reports that there were some letters from the human rights activists to try to push for the investigation, to push for accountability for this process. What's the current stance of Ban Ki‑moon on this?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, on that, as you're aware, there have been efforts by different authorities to investigate the matter. The Secretary‑General has made very clear the need for such investigations to be conducted without any hindrance from any of the parties on the ground. And we have pushed for that. We believe it's essential that you get to the bottom of what happened to flight MH‑17. You've seen what the Secretary‑General had to say about that and his condemnation of the downing of the plane. So it's important to have full access. And we're hopeful that investigations will be allowed to proceed and come to their own conclusions. As you know, we have also had our own Human Rights Monitoring mission. And you've seen what they had to say about this particular incident, on the follow-up to that. Yes?
Question: I wanted to ask on Ebola if you can confirm that the UN Mission in Mali, MINUSMA, cancelled its contract with the Pasteur Clinic to keep the peacekeepers that contract Ebola, due to that clinic not recognizing and allowing to leave an Ebola patient who spread the disease?
Deputy Spokesman: We'll check up on that for you. Matthew?
Question: Hi. Regarding the Assistant Secretary‑General in Guinea who passed away, I was wondering if you know who is currently taking over his role as Assistant Secretary‑General and whether or not there are candidates who are set to replace him?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we just learned, as you know, of his death today. So we'll immediately try to find a replacement, but of course that process is only just now getting underway. But as you know, there are any number of people who have been trying to contribute to our efforts to deal with Ebola, and we hope that we can rely upon that. Anna?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I wanted to ask about yet another American, Peter Kassig, who has been murdered by ISIS and a tape was disseminated showing… grizzly tape showing the whole thing. But why this time is different is because lots of people challenged the authenticity of the tape, because before, you know, succumbing to death, he adopted Islam and he changed even his name to Abdul‑Rahman. So many people doesn't think that it's reasonable for them to kill their own brother, there is no logic in that. What do you think about this? Does UN have a comment on this situation? Or what's being done about this? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we of course deplore the death of Mr. Kassig, but not just of him but of all of the people who have been killed. As you know, yes, you mentioned that he was a convert to Islam; but as you know, they've been killing many, many Muslims with whom they disagree, both in Iraq and in Syria and wider afield. As you know, there were many Syrians who were beheaded, including, I would imagine, many lifelong Muslims. So this is a group who have not been faithful to the tenets of Islam in any way, and we hardly expect that to be the case. This is one of the many reasons we've asked for international solidarity to confront this group and stop their further atrocities. Yes, Erol?
Question: Follow-up, if I may. Do we know for sure that although they call themselves "Islamic State" of Levant or Iraq, that they are Muslims, indeed?
Deputy Spokesman: It's not my question… it's not my authority to talk about anyone's faith or lack of faith. What I am able to say is that if you judge them by their actions, their actions have been horrific. Yes?
Question: Just a little follow-up, I want to say, if you let me, thank you. Yes, of course they… lots of Muslims like the same Syrians or whatever, but what I was saying is, wouldn’t they want to make an example case of this, because this was not just a regular Muslim; this was an American citizen, a Christian, who became Muslim so wouldn’t they want to make an example?
Deputy Spokesman: I’m sorry. I don't speak for the group and can't explain, or for that matter understand, their logic. Yes?
Question: Following the G20 summit, it seems that United Nations is being undermined by the international community; it is losing its central role in the international affairs. Secretary‑General doesn't have the same moral authority, it seems, to speak on Ebola and so forth, because the other international partners, like United States, Europe, everybody is taking over. Now, Secretary‑General… in 2009, Secretary‑General got a commitment from the international community to give $1 trillion to help the underdeveloped countries. We don't know what has happened. Was there any such commitment made this time?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, you see the commitments that were made at the Group of 20. And as you can see, the leaders gathered there made important commitments, including to many of the key goals and objectives that are shared by the Secretary‑General. There were announcements of contributions, for example, to the Green Climate Fund, which helps deal with climate change, which as you know the Secretary‑General believes is a major existential threat to us all. There were efforts to promote pro-growth economic policies, which is in line with many of the things we have been talking about, including in terms of the Millennium Development Goals and other sustainable development objectives.
So we continue to be a part of that. And of course there were also commitments; a lot of the leaders talked about their commitments on Ebola, and we're trying to get them to move forward on those. That was one of the key things that the Secretary‑General was pushing during his time there. So I believe he still has a very central role to play, precisely in dealing with key Member States in trying to get these goals achieved.
Question: But this has not been manifested immediately after this G20 Summit which just concluded. I mean, Secretary‑General and United Nations were literally side-lined and not part of the whole process.
Deputy Spokesman: The Group of 20 is a separate group. But the fact is: Not only were we not side-lined, but the Secretary‑General was invited to participate. He was part and parcel of the efforts to reach agreements on various key goals. And this just shows how a major grouping of key Member States is trying its best to advance the aims of the United Nations system. Yes?
Question: I'll ask about peacekeeping and also something about Sri Lanka. On peacekeeping, Under-Secretary‑General [Hervé] Ladsous was interviewed earlier this month, and the resulting story says that "Mr. Ladsous seeks to expand signal intelligence using high tech communications such as telephone eavesdropping," unquote. And I wanted to know: Is it the case that UN peacekeeping uses eavesdropping? And if so, under what authority or mandate? And how is it consistent with the General Assembly pending resolution on privacy in the digital age?
Deputy Spokesman: We're trying to expand our abilities to deal with the sort of threats that the UN faces, including in its peacekeeping. As you know, we're also doing a peacekeeping review, which hopefully will address some of these issues. I don't have anything at this stage to report on signals intelligence, though.
Question: I guess what I'm saying, since this is a published report and you said last week that unlike the World Health Organisation that blacklists media, that you simply seek corrections. Is this the case? This is reporting that it's currently eavesdropping on telephones. I want to know under what legal authority?
Deputy Spokesman: I think that's a characterization of something that is not precisely what he said. That's your characterization of it.
Question: Okay, I'll be clear. Does MINUSMA in Mali use surveillance and intercepted… communications intercepted by the Dutch Intelligence Service that serves the mission? And if so, under what legal authority?
Deputy Spokesman: I believe MINUSMA is working… I believe one of your colleagues asked about a fusion cell there. I believe the fusion cell does try to get enhanced information, including from collaboration with Member States.
Question: But can the UN intercept or use intercepted communications; and if so, under what legal authority?
Deputy Spokesman: We're not talking about the UN doing any such intercept.
Question: Using. If the Dutch intercepts…?
Deputy Spokesman: Different Member States share information with the United Nations related to our peacekeeping objectives.
Question: Are there any limitations on what the UN accepts and uses?
Deputy Spokesman: That's a theoretical question. At this stage, what I can say is different Member States can sometimes try to help with UN peacekeeping by providing additional information to us, and we use that as needed. And with that, okay, Sri Lanka?
Question: Sure, I wanted to ask, the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, GL Peiris, has announced today that he met with Subinay Nandy, the Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, to complain about the Human Rights Council inquiry. He made a variety of complaints. What I wanted to ask you about is in the reporting on it, it says that as part of that inquiry, they complained that all information to the panel should go in by 30 October; and under Government complaints, they have now said that they've closed that e-mail account that took in complaints. My question is: One, can that be confirmed? But the reason I'm asking you is, given this Rights Up Front announced by the Secretary‑General, it seems inconsistent to set up a channel to receive human rights complaints and then say not just that you're past the deadline, but we'll look at it through another way, but we'll actually close down the channel to receive the information. Is that in fact the case? And what did Mr. Nandy, as the representative of Secretary‑General in Sri Lanka, hear from the Government today?
Deputy Spokesman: You're talking about the Government's own efforts, not our efforts?
Question: I'm talking about the Human Rights Council having set up an e‑mail account to receive complaints for its human rights, its Panel of Inquiry in War Crimes in 2009, and now having said publicly that they are closing down that account so nothing can be submitted over it. How is that consistent with Rights Up Front? And what did Mr. Nandy say in response to Sri Lanka today?
Deputy Spokesman: We have to check with the Human Rights Council, as to whether that's accurate. Erol?
Question: Sorry. Missed it. Did Secretary‑General meet with President [Vladimir] Putin in that meeting in Australia? Did we have any readout, if so?
Deputy Spokesman: I don't think there was a separate individual meeting with President Putin. Evelyn?
Question: Yes. In Australia, the Australians are very adamant in blaming the separatists backed by Russia for the plane crash in the Ukraine. Was this a discussion at all with the SG? Because I know they mentioned it right before he came.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, you've seen the various readouts. We issued a few readouts over the weekend of his meetings. I just refer you to the texts of those. Have a good day. Bye.