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 and the happiest of Fridays to you.

**Secretary-General Travels

The Secretary-General is in Panama today where he will address the opening session of the seventh Summit of the Americas this afternoon.  We will, of course, issue these remarks, as well as readouts of his various bilateral meetings with Heads of ‎States and others of the region.  And you will have seen that we already issued a [readout] of his meeting with the Secretary-General [H.E. Mr. José Miguel Insulza] and the Secretary-General-elect [H.E. Mr. Luis Almagro] of the Organization of American States.

**United Nations Crime Congress

This Sunday, the UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice starts in Doha, in Qatar.  As we already announced, the Secretary-General will be there on Sunday to deliver an opening address at the Congress.  He will also hold a news conference.  Both events and many other activities during the eight-day Congress will be webcast.

This year’s Congress will have a strong focus on integrating crime prevention and criminal justice into the wider work of the United Nations.  In particular, it will highlight the effects of crime on sustainable development.  The Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is in the lead on this event.  The Department of Public Information has a team in Doha that will help the media there and also if you are interested in getting more information, there is lots of it on the internet.

**Deputy Secretary-General Travels

The Deputy Secretary-General today continued his visit to China, where he gave a lecture at Renmin University and participated in a round-table discussion by the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.  Tomorrow, he will travel to the Republic of Korea, where he will represent the Secretary-General at the opening ceremony of the seventh World Water Forum in Daegu, [Republic of] Korea.

**Yemen

And regarding the situation in Yemen, Johannes van der Klaauw, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, said today that the humanitarian situation in the country is getting worse by the hour.  Conflict is now impacting 15 out of the 22 governorates in the country.  He called on all the parties for an immediate humanitarian pause in this conflict so that humanitarian organizations and personnel can safely deliver assistance to the most vulnerable Yemeni people, and to facilitate humanitarian staff and supplies to reach the country by air and by sea.

Meanwhile, a first airlift of urgent medical and other supplies from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) arrived, and was unloaded earlier today at Sana’a International Airport.  More airlifts are being planned.  The 16 tons of medical equipment and water supplies that have landed will be made available to organizations working on the ground in Yemen.  The cargo of medical supplies will help up to 80,000 people, as well as provide micronutrients for up to 20,000 children.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), violence killed 643 people and injured 2,226 between 19 March and 6 April.  As heavy clashes were reported in Aden over the last 24 hours, including in residential areas, local partners report that health workers and volunteers in Aden — including staff of a Yemeni non-governmental organization — have been abducted by parties to the conflict and taken to unspecified locations.  Their status is unknown, and concerns are mounting for their well-being.  Meanwhile, initial World Food Programme (WFP) estimates project that 12 million people are now food insecure in Yemen — a 13 per cent increase since the end of 2014.

**Central African Republic

And this morning, colleagues report that between 300 to 400 protestors attacked a base of the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), in Kaga-Bandoro, about 350 kilometers north of the capital Bangui.  Peacekeepers tried to contain the protestors, some of whom were armed with knives and who tried to enter the camp and set it on fire.  Peacekeepers fired warning shots.  The Mission deplores the death of one protestor.  Several were injured and have been admitted to the Mission’s hospital.

The Mission deeply regrets these incidents and will carry out an investigation immediately.  Today’s incident marks the second attack in one week against the Mission, which has always been on good terms with the people of the area. The Mission reaffirms its comment to help resolve communal tensions in the area.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

And from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the [UN] Joint Human Rights Office in that country last month received serious allegations regarding the presence of a mass grave holding 421 bodies in Maluku commune, in Kinshasa Province.  The Office has since been working closely with the authorities in recent weeks, including by supporting the judicial investigation into these allegations.  It is also conducting its own independent human rights investigation, including by carrying out site visits and interviewing witnesses and family members of victims.  The Office will continue to support the Government and urge it to ensure that the judicial investigation is promptly completed in a transparent, credible and independent manner.

**Burundi

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, will start a three-day visit to Burundi this Sunday.  He is expected to meet with the President, as well as a number of top officials.  He will also visit the Humura Centre for victims of domestic violence in Gitega.  The High Commissioner is expected to take part in a round table discussion on human rights and elections in Burundi next Wednesday. And I believe that will be in Bujumbura.

**Afghanistan

And from Afghanistan, the UN [Assistance] Mission in the country (UNAMA) has condemned the killing of at least 18 civilians over the last 24 hours in three separate incidents, including Thursday’s armed attack on the Prosecutor’s Office in Mazar-e-Sharif.  The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Nicholas Haysom, said these incidents once again highlight the tragic reality that Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of reckless violence.  And just for your information, the next UNAMA civilian casualties report is scheduled to be released on 12 April, which I believe is Sunday, if my calculations are correct.

**Israel

And another human rights note from Geneva:  the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is concerned at the continuing and increasing use of administrative detention by Israeli authorities against Palestinians.  Administrative detainees are held without charge or trial, often on the basis of secret evidence, for periods of up to six months, which are extendable indefinitely. Detainees are also often transferred to prisons inside Israel in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.  And more information available on the High Commissioner’s website.

**Vanuatu

Nearly one month after Cyclone Pam, the humanitarian response led by the Government of Vanuatu urgently needs funding to continue basic relief efforts in areas such as food, safe drinking water and shelter.  The cyclone, as you know, destroyed more than 90 per cent of crops, leaving a population that relies heavily on subsistence agriculture without a source of income and the possibility of long-term food insecurity.

Some 110,000 people have no access to safe drinking water, and in some communities all sanitation facilities were destroyed. Approximately 6,000 people are still living in makeshift or temporary shelters in the most affected provinces of Tafea and Shefa.  The Humanitarian Coordinator, Osnat Lubrani, congratulated the Government and people of Vanuatu for their tremendous efforts to overcome the devastating impact of the cyclone, but said that there is no need for complacency.  And she called for continued support to the relief efforts.  So far, just to give you an indication, only 36 per cent of funds have been pledged for the $30 million flash appeal that was launched on 24 March.

**Economic and Social Council

And our colleagues at [the Economic and Social Council] have asked us to announce that they, along with the Government of the Republic of Korea, are co-hosting the Development Cooperation Forum High-level symposium in Incheon.  At the opening ceremony yesterday, which took place earlier this week, the President of the Economic and Social Council, Martin Sajdik, stressed that the unique path forward is taking shape, with the crafting of a transformative, unified and universal post-2015 development agenda, focused on poverty eradication and sustainable development.

Also attending the event was Wu Hongbo, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, who said that the post-2015 era is poised to elevate the importance of development cooperation, as an integrating force for sustainable development, for engaging all stakeholders and for ensuring no one is left behind.

**Honour Roll

Lastly we say danke schön to Germany which become the seventy-first Member State to pay its regular budget dues in full.  Edie.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane.  Two questions.  First, on the protests in the Central African Republic, could you tell us what sparked these protests and specifically why the UN peacekeeping base was targeted?  And secondly, on the Vanuatu appeal, I’m not sure I understood the figures.  You said 36 per cent of the… how much was pledged?

Spokesman:  Only 36 per cent… basically the appeal… if I understand what is written, 36 per cent of the $30 million flash appeal has only been pledged.  On the Central African Republic, I’ll try to get you a little bit more details.  We don’t know obviously what sparks these demonstrations, but I will see if I can get you something else.  Nizar.

Question:  On Yemen, are we going to have any briefing with Mr. [Jamal] Benomar in any way since he is in New York?  Also, the bombardment seems targeting even water stations and the Yemenis were out in the street in hundreds and thousands today in Sana’a and elsewhere protesting these aerial bombardments, which are wanton in many different [inaudible].  People are fleeing to the desert.  They have no water.  The humanitarian crisis is getting worse and worse.  Yesterday, Secretary‑General did not call for ceasefire.  Is there any…?

Spokesman:  Well, I think, you know what we would like to see is an immediate cessation of the hostilities and a return to the peaceful negotiations.  I mean, one, we obviously need to return to negotiations and we’d like to see a cessation of hostilities to ensure humanitarian access for all those who need it.  I think as you stated in your question, the dire humanitarian situation of the Yemeni people, all Yemeni people is getting worse by the hour, which is a message Mr. Van der Klaauw also underscored from Geneva.

Question:  The evacuations… the evacuation is only centred to Djibouti these days.  Those are managing to flee the fighting are only… they have only access to a poor area which is Djibouti.  Are there any talks with the neighbouring countries in the region to receive refugees so that they can have some kind of safe…?

Spokesman:  Obviously, I think Member States have a responsibility under international law to welcome… to welcome refugees.  I know different countries are taking different means, but to try to evacuate their nationals obviously any evacuation is very challenging especially now as air bombardments and the fighting continues.  I’ll come back to you, Nizar.  Matthew.

Question:  Sure.  Thanks a lot.  Some other stuff but two follow‑ups on [the Central African Republic], it’s reported that… 400 protestors don’t turn up for nothing… basically, they were protesting the UN not protecting them from ethnic-fuelled [inaudible] attacks.  I wanted, one… when you asked them to sort of say yes or no to that, but also, does this statement that was put out saying that they fired in the air and they deplored the death of a protester, is the idea that the bullet came back down and killed the protesters?

Spokesman:  That’s why we’re looking… the mission has launched an investigation…

Question:  Unlike the Haiti report, will this report be made public?

Spokesman:  As soon as we have conclusions, we will share those with you.

Question:  Can I ask about Yemen?

Spokesman:  You may ask about Yemen.

Question:  The… yesterday’s… the UN staff unions, with the plural, I guess, because the one in New York, it’s unclear who the union is, but… basically raised questions about the UN not making any move whatsoever to either evacuate or offer protection to national…  national staff members inside Yemen.  I wanted to know if you’ve evacuated your international staff.  I mean, I… I think Farhan said it’s not the policy to ever evacuate national staff.  But, if it’s unsafe for… the safely level doesn’t matter what your passport is.  So, what’s the UN’s thinking in terms of…?

Spokesman:  I think we’re obviously… our national staff is continuing to work inasmuch as they can to help deliver humanitarian aid, which is critical, and I think we honour their bravery in doing so in very challenging circumstances.  We are in touch with them, whether it’s through the Secretariat or through the heads of agencies, to ensure that they’re as safe as possible.  And we’re doing that on a daily basis.  And if we have anything more to say on that, we’ll…

Question:  Does Ban Ki‑moon join this call by the humanitarian resident coordinator for humanitarian pause?  Is that…?

Spokesman:  I think I just… I just said we obviously were urging for cessation of hostilities.  I think that…  I think that covers it fairly broadly.

Question:  Have you conveyed that to the Saudi coalition?

Spokesman:  I think that… this is a message that will be passed along to… in the Secretary‑General and his contacts and obviously the ones our humanitarian partners are having.  Mr. Carpenter.

Question:  Yesterday, the Secretary‑General said he’s in communication with Member States regarding Yemen and the [inaudible] base in Yarmouk.  Can you tell us which Member States he’s in communication with?

Spokesman:  I think, you know, he’s had conversations with senior Qatari officials.  He will meet them again on sidelines of the Crime Congress in Doha.  Various representatives of the UN are obviously in close conversations with the Government in Damascus.  Mr. [Staffan] de Mistura’s envoy… deputy, Mr. [Ramzy Ezzeldin] Ramzy, has been sent to Damascus.  He’s on his way there currently as we speak.  And there are contacts going on at various levels.

Question:  Is the Secretary‑General in contact with Iran over…?

Spokesman:  As I said, contacts are being had at various levels with a number of parties.  Yes, and then… go ahead.

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane.  How does the UN justify the irony of Iran being elected to the Commission of Crime Prevention when their usual way of dealing with crime and recidivism is to execute people and jail them for dancing?

Spokesman:  I will… without judging the premise of your question and not commenting on whether anything happens here as ironic or not, the election of Member States to these bodies is a decision by Member States themselves.  Abdel Hamid and then we’ll go to the back.

Question:  Thank you, I just want to ask about an update on the situation in Yarmouk refugee camp and on the construction of Gaza if you have any update.

Spokesman:  No, on Yarmouk we talked to our UNRWA [UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] colleagues this morning.  There is no update.  I think the situation on the ground continues to be dire for the 18,000 people who are basically being held hostage in the camp.

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane.  How concerned is Secretary‑General with Iranian warships being sent close to Yemen?

Spokesman:  Well, I think, as the Secretary‑General answered that question yesterday, we would urge all parties concerned to focus on de‑escalation rather than the contrary and encourage all to return to the talks that were Yemen‑led and brokered by Benomar.  Go and then Oleg.

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane, on Yemen, you said that there were more than 600 victims, right?  In the last 2…

Spokesman:  I did.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 643 were killed and 2,226 between 19 March and 6 April.

Question:  Okay.  So, can you break down this number?  How many of them civilians or Houthis militant?  And also how many of them were a victim of the bombardment or the victims of the fighting on the ground?

Spokesman:  I’m not sure we have that breakdown.  They, obviously, get those numbers from health facilities in Yemen.  But, we… I don’t think it would be a stretch to say as in all of these conflicts the brunt of the violence and the killings are… is carried by civilians.

Correspondent:  The total including the…

Spokesman:  That’s the total we have from WHO.  I will see if we’re able to get a breakdown from them.  Oleg.

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane.  Today, the spokesperson on the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said… announced, like, a new round of talks or discussions in the UN on the issue of peacekeepers, and he was also… already… also talking about the possibility of sending an assessment mission by the UN to Ukraine to study this issue.  Can you confirm that anything…?

Spokesman:  I’m not able to confirm it.  I think our stand on peacekeeping mission continues to be the same, which is it’s the purview of the Security Council.

Question:  May I ask a follow‑up?

Spokesman:  Yes, you may.

Correspondent:  There are no consultations within the security areas right now on this issue.

Spokesman:  I’m not aware.  Okay.  That’s…  I can’t talk about what I may not be aware of.

Question:  Has Oman or Saudi Arabia reported any refugees fleeing across their borders from Yemen?

Spokesman:  You and I can check with UNHCR [United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees].  I don’t have any information on to that.

Question:  I have another question regarding ISIS [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham] or Da’esh.  The Americans reported they killed a senior mastermind of biological warfare in ISIS.  And there were symptoms on some of ISIS fighter that they have been infected with a serious disease as a result of experimentation with biological warfare material.  How concerned is the United Nations about this news and are there any safeguards to prevent them from…?

Spokesman:  I haven’t… I mean, I’ve seen these reports like you have.  I don’t really have anything to… anything to add to it, but we can see if our colleagues have… throughout the system have anything to say.  But, I’ve just seen those press reports.

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane.  On 26 April, there will be a centennial commemoration of the Armenian genocide.  Israel and the United States don’t recognize it as a genocide.  Does the United Nations recognize it as such?  And if yes, is there a commemoration coming on the… this particular day?

Spokesman:  You would have to ask the Armenian Permanent Mission to the United Nations if there are any plans to commemorate anything here.  I know there… obviously, there are plans around the world.  And on the… your first question, I don’t have any language for you on that.

Question:  You don’t have…?

Spokesman:  I don’t… I’m not able to answer that question at this point.  Yes, sir, go ahead.

Correspondent:  We witnessed the highest diplomatic meeting between the United States and Cuba.  [The Secretary-General] is in Panama.

Question:  No doubt that he’s going to be meeting with both of them.  What was the Secretary‑General’s facilitation or work or help to ease… to ease those communications between two countries?

Spokesman:  I think, you know, at the time of the announcement of the initial talks, we issued a statement.  Obviously, the Secretary‑General welcomed the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States.  And obviously, we are… we would be happy to support anything that would help and continue in that regard.

Question:  Sorry.  Was he helpful, Secretary‑General…?

Spokesman:  I would refer you back to what we’ve already said at the time of the announcement.  Oleg and then Matthew.

Question:  Since we touched topic of the weapons of mass destruction, there was a statement today made by the head of Ukrainian Security Council.  He didn’t exclude the possibility of the creation of a dirty bomb, saying the main point is the effectiveness of the weapon.  What is the reaction…?

Spokesman:  I haven’t seen… I have not seen that statement.  Obviously, in general terms, we would encourage anyone involved in the current crisis in Ukraine to stick to language that would lead to de‑escalation rather than the other way around.  Mr. Lee.

Question:  Okay.  I’m assuming that you’ve seen this letter from nine whistle-blowers including Mr. [James] Wasserstrom, [inaudible] and others calling on the… saying to the Secretary‑General current protections are totally either unimplemented or unsatisfactory and calling for the release of this report that was done by Judge [Louise] Otis some time ago.  Remember, he was… it was said that he’d commissioned an outside report by a Canadian jurist and it hasn’t been released or he doesn’t think it’s been released.  What’s the response that?  And can it be released now?

Spokesman:  I’ll check.  I’m not aware of any Judge Otis report.  We obviously recognize and value the whistle-blower protection.  They have been… I think it comes… it’s a bedrock of accountability and being able to address serious wrongdoing of the organization.  There have been protections put in place since 2005, which was in accordance with best practice at the time.  We obviously conduct any serious review of any allegations having to do with whistle-blower protection.  And I would say that we’re obviously looking to actively strengthen the protection against retaliation specifically by reforming the policy so that it enhances how the UN encourages the reporting of misconduct and protects whistle-blowers from retaliation and facilitates retaliation prevention.

Question:  What do you think of their… their proposal of external arbitration?  These are nine individuals who have all apparently had a pretty…

Spokesman:  Obviously, I’m not going to go into the details of the individual cases that were brought up, but I think the point is that we’re always looking and we are… we’re actively currently working on strengthening the protection.  Obviously, any proposal would be looked at seriously.  Nizar.

Question:  [Inaudible] speak about the authorities raised to the ground, 96 villages close to the Yemeni border.  The inhabitants of these towns and villages are mainly Zaidi Yemenis.  How does the United Nations view such an action against the minorities living in the south?

Spokesman:  I had not…

Question:  Where about the…?

Spokesman:  I have not seen these reports.  We will look into that.  Oleg and then Matthew.

Question:  In the end of the inter‑Syrian dialogue in Moscow, it seems they adopted some sort of joint statement or declaration or document.  Is the UN going to study this document?

Spokesman:  Yes, no, definitely, I think we were very happy to participate in the dialogue in Moscow.  Mr. de Mistura was represented, and I think, as I said a couple of days ago, we welcome any… anything that would help bolster the political dialogue as the case was in Moscow.

Question:  Particularly with the document…

Spokesman:  No, of course.  We were there.  We will go home with the document and take… and take a look at it.  All right, Matthew.  And then that’s the last question for the week.

Question:  Okay.  All right.  There’s two of them.  So, one’s just factual that you may look into.  They’re all factual, but this is a fact that I believe should have been reported from here.  There are reports that the FDLR [Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda] killed 10 Congolese soldiers as that fighting continues, and also the UN’s own Radio Okapi says, in Lubero, people are now living in fear and panic of an FDLR resurgence and counterattack.  So, I’m wondering, is MONUSCO [United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo], which said it would be monitoring these things, are these things both true?  If so…

Spokesman:  We will ask the Mission.

Question:  Where does it stand in terms of the UN protecting civil… at a minimum protecting civilians…?

Spokesman:  I can’t give you details on particular case.  Obviously, the protection of civilian mandate continues.

Question:  This might be the appropriate last one.  I was wanting to ask this yesterday, but apparently, in the Haiti cholera case or one of the Haiti cholera cases, the second circuit sent a notice from the case to this building and it was… it’s now in the pacer system sort of formally, the federal court of the United States saying that the mail was described as undeliverable to Ban Ki‑moon.  And I’m wondering, so… I know how the mail comes in here.  It’s… so what happened?  Did it go upstairs and was decided not to open an envelope from a court that’s directed to Ban Ki‑moon and Mr. [Edmond] Mulet?  How does it…?

Spokesman:  I… the inner workings of the mail system inside this building are unknown to me.  And our position vis‑à‑vis this federal case is unchanged.

Correspondent:  Is… if… make that argument, but to sort of pretend that you didn’t get mail that arrived…

Spokesman:  That’s… that’s what I have for you.  Go, I will give you the last word, because why not?  What else do I have to do?

Question:  Thank you very much, Stéphane.  Regarding Iran, the supreme leader mentioned a couple days ago that, regarding this final agreement with P5+1 which is supposed to come on this coming June, the whole international sanction should be suspended on that day.  Does it mean technically that the Security Council has to hold a conference to vote on a new resolution to neutralize the previous resolution?

Spokesman:  Well, obviously, you know, we very much hope a final agreement will be reached by the deadline between all the parties.  We welcome the interim framework agreement.  As to the mechanics of it, you know, international sanctions are voted in and would have to be voted out by the Security Council.  And then, obviously, there are other level of sanctions having to do with Iran, which are more at the national level.  Thank you.  Have a great weekend.