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.
In a short while, we will be joined by John Ging, Director of Operations for OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs], who will brief on his recent trip to Chad and Niger.
**Second World War
This morning, the Secretary-General joined the President of the General Assembly and other officials this morning to plant a tree of peace and unity to mark the seventieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the founding of the UN. He said that in establishing the UN, the founders planted the seeds of an organization they hoped would lead the human family out of horror and into a better future. He added that there is much distance still to travel until the seeds sown seven decades ago blossom into lives of dignity and peace for all. The Secretary-General called on everyone to remember those who had died and re-dedicate themselves to the founding aims and ideals of the organization. The full remarks are in my office.
**Syria
On Syria, as you will have seen, the Special Envoy for Syria for the Secretary-General, Staffan de Mistura, spoke to reporters in Geneva earlier today to discuss the start of a series of consultations with Syrian and other parties with a view to ‘operationalizing’ the Geneva communiqué. He made clear that the consultations taking place in Geneva are not a conference, and what will happen over the coming weeks is not Geneva III. Instead, he said, these are closed, low-key, separate, structured discussions with the parties, to consult on the current crisis in Syria, the road ahead and the final destination of a Syria at peace with itself.
He said that the first meetings are starting today, for an initial period of five to six weeks. But, he added that there is no cut-off date. Rather, this is a rolling process which will be expanded, as necessary, with additional players and actors to be consulted as it continues. Mr. de Mistura said that at this stage, more than 40 Syrian groups, in addition to the Government of Syria, will participate, along with about 20 regional and international actors, including the neighbouring countries and the five permanent members of the Security Council. He declared his intention to get as broad a spectrum of views as possible. And he affirmed that, as challenging as the process may be, we do not have the luxury not to try. The transcript is available in my office and the press conference is available online on the web, as well.
**Yarmouk
Also on Syria — UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund] this week participated in two cross-line inter-agency missions to provide humanitarian assistance to families recently displaced from Yarmouk Camp. Most of the families were displaced to three locations about 10 kilometres south of Damascus. This is the first time UNICEF has been able to get access to this area for the past two years.
After crossing five checkpoints, UNICEF was able to deliver three trucks with baby diaper kits, kits for newborns and kits of clothes for children. In its first mission earlier in the day, UNICEF delivered kits to treat 3,000 cases of diarrhoea, midwifery kits, as well as boxes of high-energy biscuits. According to UNICEF staff on the convoys, it is estimated that some 50,000 people live in the three locations that were visited, in addition to about 2,500 Palestinian refugee families who fled Yarmouk.
**Yemen
From Geneva, the High Commissioner for Human Rights says that the conflict in Yemen has now taken at least 646 civilian lives, including 50 women and 131 children. In addition, more than 1,300 civilians have been injured. There has also been severe destruction of civilian infrastructure, including houses, in many districts.
In recent days, the human rights office has documented the destruction of a number of civilian houses, reportedly belonging to individuals affiliated with the Houthis, by airstrikes. It expressed particular concern about airstrikes which hit a military field hospital in Damnat Khadeer District, 40 kilometres north of Taiz. UN human rights field monitors were denied access to the site, so it has been difficult to verify the death toll and establish who the victims were.
Meanwhile, the human rights office reiterates that all suspected violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law during the conflict should be investigated, and that the intentional targeting of civilians not taking direct part in the hostilities should be immediately stopped.
**Nepal
An update from our colleagues at OCHA from Nepal: they say that more than 7,300 people have died and more than 14,000 have been injured in the earthquake in Nepal, according to Government figures. While search-and-rescue teams are preparing to leave Nepal, the next phase of aid delivery to people in urgent need is scaling up. Logistical hubs are being set up in five more districts, in addition to hubs in other areas that are already operational, to support humanitarian deliveries.
Since 29 April, aid agencies have distributed 52,000 tarpaulins in 29 earthquake-affected districts, and more than 230,000 more are en route to Nepal. The distribution of more than 2,000 tons of food has also begun across 15 districts. Meanwhile, UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] said that alongside humanitarian relief, reconstruction needed to start in Nepal.
UNDP will lead the early recovery work and start with rapid structural assessment of public buildings to identify which structures are safe and which ones need repair and retrofitting. The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, says that temporary field hospitals have been established in five locations in Kathmandu and another five outside of the capital region.
**Nigeria
Just an update on Nigeria and the women and girls that have been recently released: although a large number of girls and women rescued from Boko Haram in Nigeria have been found to be pregnant, we do not know yet the total number of pregnant girls among those rescued. The screening is still ongoing. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has reported finding 214 visibly pregnant women and girls who are in the IDP [internally displaced persons] camps in Borno. They are currently receiving support from UNFPA as part of its humanitarian response programme in the north-east of Nigeria.
Late in April, 22 girls in the IDP camp were provided with psychosocial counselling by UNFPA; 15 of them were pregnant. UNFPA cannot confirm that all of these women were rescued from Boko Haram. Some of these women and girls were already pregnant in the IDP camps and others joined from the forests. The psychosocial counselling and screening is ongoing.
**Central African Republic
As we told you yesterday, the Bangui Forum started in the Central African Republic and today, armed groups signed an agreement pledging to release all children associated with armed groups or armed forces and to stop the recruitment of children. UNICEF described the signature of the agreement as a major step forward. It estimates 6,000 to 10,000 children are being held by various armed factions in the country.
**Sudan
From Sudan, the humanitarian community has launched the 2015 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan today, developed in consultation with the Government of Sudan. The projected humanitarian needs remain high, with a total of 5.4 million people needing some form of humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian organizations in Sudan seek over $1 billion to fund projects delivered by 112 humanitarian partners to meet the needs of the people.
**Serbia
A note from the High Commission for Human Rights, who today expressed concern over the continued and increasing pressure by Serbian authorities, including members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, on Ombudsman Saša Janković. A renewed campaign of personal attacks against Mr. Janković appears to have unfolded over the past three weeks, particularly by a number of media outlets close to the ruling Serbian Progressive Party. More information on their website.
**Honduras
Also, a human rights note: yesterday, there was a signature in Geneva of an agreement between the Government of Honduras and the [United Nations] High Commissioner [for Human Rights’] Office (OHCHR) to open an office in Honduras. The country office, established at the request of Honduras, will be charged with monitoring and reporting publicly on the human rights situation. It will help to build the capacity of State institutions and civil society for the promotion and the protection of human rights, as well as conduct public advocacy on human rights issues. You may recall that the opening of this office was one of the main topics during the Secretary-General’s recent visit to Honduras.
**Cyprus
Yesterday, in Cyprus, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, met with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Mustafa Akinci. Speaking to reporters afterwards, he said that there is a new spirit of optimism and trust that the process can lead to a real settlement. This morning, Mr. Eide met with the Greek Cypriot leader, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, and on 11 May, he will meet jointly with the two leaders.
**Disaster Risk Reduction
Just to flag that Margareta Wahlström, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, is in Bahrain today to take part in the Second Session of the Arab High Level Forum on Sustainable Development. While the absolute number of disasters worldwide has almost doubled since 1980, the average number of disaster events has almost tripled during the same period in the Arab region. Global records on disaster losses indicate that between 1980 and 2008, the Arab region's economy has endured losses estimated at $20 billion.
**Mental Health
I would also like to flag a new guide issued today by the World Health Organization and the UN refugee agency on mental health in humanitarian emergencies. Worldwide, close to 80 million people are currently affected by humanitarian emergencies arising from natural disasters and armed conflict. WHO estimates that 5 to 10 per cent of these people suffer from a mental health condition, such as depression, as a result of the emergency. People with mental health disorders rarely have access to specialized health workers and the guide issued today is meant to help non-specialist health workers better identify, assess and manage mental health needs.
**Press Conferences
Tomorrow, press conference, 11:30 a.m., by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs on forest and food security. And then at noon, I will be joined by Mr. [Yukio] Takasu, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, who will brief you on the financial situation of the Organization — that is, the United Nations. And right after that, there will be a briefing by Francesco Rocca, President of the Italian Red Cross and Vice-President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), who will have met the Secretary-General.
**Events
Tomorrow, a couple of events to flag: you are all invited to attend a ceremony to commemorate the return of the Peace Bell to the Japanese Garden tomorrow morning from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. As you will have known, it had been moved temporarily to the East River esplanade. It is now back home. And the Oleg Lundstrem Jazz Orchestra will be performing in the General Assembly Hall, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. I believe that maybe it is sponsored by the Russian Federation. If you want tickets, go see your friends at MALU [Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit].
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. On Yemen, the Saudi monarch announced today that he is going to set up and aid committee for Yemen. I wonder whether you have any response to that. Also, I wonder whether the UN is going to be present at the 17 May conference for the Yemeni parties in Riyadh. Thank you.
Spokesman: The Special [Envoy] on Yemen will be travelling to the region. He will keep us updated on his various stops, and I think it's a little early to lay out his forward‑looking agenda. Obviously, on the humanitarian centre, the active involvement of Saudi Arabia is appreciated, and obviously, as in all humanitarian crises, the coordination of humanitarian delivery is to be done by the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator. We're trying to get a little bit more details on what the Saudi offer entails. Maybe John Ging will have more information, because I had asked, but right now we're just kind of waiting to get a little bit more details. Nizar and then…
Question: Follow‑up on that: Has there been any easing on the blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia on Yemen?
Spokesman: Not… I'm not aware of an increased flow of aid into Yemen.
Question: And how was the situation developing since yesterday? Is there… are you receiving any reports about reports about many fatalities happening there?
Spokesman: No updates that I've received beyond what I've just shared with you.
Question: Yes. Stéphane, have you been able to… has the United Nations been able to confirm use of cluster bombs by the Saudis in the airstrikes campaign?
Spokesman: No, I think I addressed that yesterday. We've seen reports. Not been able to… there's nothing new on that for now.
Question: And also the Nigerian girls who were impregnated by these maybe… perhaps by the so‑called Boko Haram, has it been determined that… have they been raped or anything?
Spokesman: Obviously, these women and these girls that have been rescued from Boko Haram by the Nigerian authorities have gone under… one can only… can't even imagine the sort of trauma they've had to live through. They're being screened by UNFPA specialists and trying to be given the care, both psychological and medical care, that they need. But, obviously, it's a slow process. They've gone through a huge trauma, and we need to help them inasmuch as possible. Matthew and then this way and then Abdel Hamid?
Question: Sure. Great. I wanted to ask about Burundi and Central African Republic. On Burundi, there's obviously been continued protest and use of live fire. There's a court ruling by a court, whose Vice-President of the court fled the country amid death threats. So, I wanted to know if the UN is, in fact, following this, what do they think of ruling by judges under threat of death? What do they think of the closing down of the internet in Burundi? And did the Secretary‑General raise these topics to Mr.… to President [Yoweri] Museveni yesterday?
Spokesman: Okay. On… we're obviously very much aware of the situation in Burundi, including the reports that one of the Vice-Presidents of the constitutional court fled. We think that these… the allegations that he made are very serious and merit further investigation. Obviously, we've taken note of the decision rendered by the court following the ruling. It's even more important for all parties to reject violence, exercise maximum restraint, and avoid using inflammatory language and work towards a dialogue. I think, as I had mentioned to you yesterday, Said Djinnit, the Secretary‑General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, is taking part in the dialogue organized by the Ministry of the Interior with the support of the UN Electoral [Observer] Mission [in Burundi] (MENUB), and that's going on today and tomorrow in an effort to defuse tension and seek common ground and create conditions for the holding of peaceful, inclusive and credible elections. Again, we urge all stakeholders to seize the opportunity provided by the dialogue. And obviously, there also needs to be a full investigation of the violence we've seen the last couple of days, including the deaths.
Correspondent: And on the Museveni question, I mean, they put out a readout, so…
Spokesman: We'll see if we can get you a readout.
Question: My question was on Burundi, as well. You say you've noted the ruling. Is it going to respect the ruling? I mean, it’s in contrast to what it stipulates in the Arusha Accords. What's the way forward here?
Spokesman: I think the… you know, it is not up for us to accept or not to accept the ruling. We've obviously taken note. We've seen what's happened with one of the Vice-Presidents, who has fled the country. As I said, these are very serious allegations that need to be investigated. I think there is still… there obviously is time to… this is a critical time for the parties to get together through the efforts of Mr. Djinnit to try to defuse the situations and to ensure that the elections will go forward in as peaceful way as possible. Abdel Hamid?
Correspondent: Thank you, Stéphane. [Inaudible].
Spokesman: Your microphone, sir, please. Thank you.
Question: The Permanent Observer [Mission] of Palestine distributed a letter to the Security Council about the increased number of Palestinian children targeted, killed and injured by Israeli forces and all based on OCHA reports, including, like, 9 years old and 7 years old and two 17‑year‑olds were shot and killed recently. So, the increased number of targeting Palestinian children, why they… the [Secretary-General] does not voice his concern about the loss of life of Palestinian children?
Spokesman: I think the Secretary‑General has repeatedly voiced his concern on the situation, whether it's through statements, whether it's through the periodic reports to the Security Council or by statements through his Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. We, obviously… any violence against children, wherever it occurs, is deeply, deeply troubling. Sir and then…
Question: Stéphane, has there been any pause in the Saudi bombing of Sana'a airport, as appealed by the United Nations yesterday… to allow critical repairs…?
Spokesman: I understand. We're not aware of any humanitarian pause that has occurred. At least I'm not aware of it from here.
Correspondent: Very small detail, if I may.
Question: The meeting that is being held, I think you said tomorrow, between the UN mediator and the two separate leaders, where is that meeting being held?
Spokesman: In Bujumbura. Which… you're talking about Cyprus or Burundi?
Correspondent: Yes, Cyprus.
Spokesman: It will be held in Cyprus.
Correspondent: Somewhere in the no‑man's‑land between…
Spokesman: Yeah, it will be hosted by… I'll get you the logistic details. My assumption is it will be hosted by the UN. Mr. Abbadi. You've been patient.
Question: Thank you. My question is about the killing of journalist in the conflict areas. The President of the Security Council said that the Council would take up this question. Mr. Ban Ki‑moon is known to be a strong defender of freedom of the press of expression. Will he be inclined to go before the Council and demonstrate the link between the killing of journalists and some aspect of international peace and security, in the sense that depriving the international community of the information necessary to understand the conflict area has a bearing on international peace and security?
Spokesman: Well, I think we've… as I said, we've condemned the attack of journalists, especially pointing out the importance in conflict zones for journalists to be able to report, as you mentioned. I will check the exact date of the… of the open session, and if… and I'm sure there will be Secretariat participation. Whether it's in the person of the Secretary‑General or some other person, I will check for you. Oleg and in the back?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. And thank you for announcing the visit of Ban Ki‑moon to Moscow yesterday. Everybody was really waiting for it. Since he's going to be visiting Kyiv and Moscow, are there any messages he's going to convey to President [Petro] Poroshenko and then President [Vladimir] Putin? Any possible mediation role? Thank you.
Spokesman: Well, first of all, I think we have to wait for the meetings to happen. I think the message to both… in both capitals will be the same, will be for everyone involved for the parties on the ground, those who have influence on the parties… on the parties to implement the packages agreed to in Minsk and to go forward with a political solution. I think we see… we've just seen the worsening, you know, week by week, of the humanitarian situation. We flag it here every day. And I think we have to keep in mind the needs of the people. They need access to fresh food and water, very basic elements, and we need to see a halt to the fighting. Yes, in the back?
Question: Majed from Rudel Media Network. Last week ISIS [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham]… there was reports that ISIS executed 300 Yazidis, another mass killing in Mosul area north of Iraq. Is there any… does the United Nations… I know it's hard to get access to this area, but is there any documentation or reports from the UN Envoy in Iraq about that?
Spokesman: Sure. I mean, I think we're in touch with our colleagues at the UN [Assistance] Mission in Iraq. They're obviously very, very concerned about these reports of fresh violence against a minority group that has already been targeted and has suffered… already suffered tremendously in this current round of violence. As you mentioned, we are unable to actually verify the veracity of those reports through our own channels, but our colleagues will continue to monitor the situation. And, in fact, I have an answer to the OCHA question on Saudi Arabia. I can't remember who raised it. We do have staff liaising with the Saudi authorities on de-confliction in Riyadh, but there is no OCHA office, as such. We're aware of the media reports of the Saudi announcement, but we are seeking further information as to any official overture regarding aid coordination, which is sort of what I've already said. Round two?
Question: And last. On Syria, there have been several allegations in the past few weeks about the use of chlorine gas in Syria. So, my question is whether the [Secretary-General] is going to do anything regarding those allegations. Thank you.
Spokesman: I will see what we have from the OPCW [Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons] on that. Nizar?
Question: Yeah. I have two questions, one on Syria and the negotiations in Geneva and the other one on Kuwait. The first one is, you mentioned that Mr. de Mistura mentioned that Al‑Nusra and Da’esh, also Al‑Qaida, are not represented in these discussions. However, Mr. Khaled Khoja here said in a briefing recently that they are in alliance with Al‑Nusra in two specific areas, which is Idlib and in Daraa. So, obviously, they… because they are in alliance, the coalition represents Al‑Nusra in this case. How does the United Nations deal with that?
Spokesman: I think, first of all, if I may correct the premise of your question, these are not negotiations. These are series of one‑on‑one discussions between the Envoy and various parties. I'm not aware of what the person you quoted actually said. Obviously, these extremist violent groups are not a part of the conversation, but I think, if you look broadly, there are a lot of people going to be invited to participate in these discussions, and some of them have more or less influence on some of the more violent extremist groups.
Question: So, would you expect that the coalition will speak for these armed groups…?
Spokesman: I'm not expecting that any… I'm not speaking specifically. I think it is clear and it is… it is not a secret that various parties outside of this conflict have influence on one or more of these armed groups and we've always called for anyone who has influence to exercise that influence positively and lead to political negotiations.
Question: On Kuwait, a Member of Parliament, Mr. Dashti, is facing trial in Kuwait for voicing his concerns about human rights in Bahrain. And he is supposed to be…?
Spokesman: I will… I'm unaware of the report. I will check. Sir?
Question: Yes. This is… Stéphane, does the United Nations have any idea at all how many…?
Spokesman: You have to put your microphone closer to your mouth, sir.
Question: Sure. How many parties are participating in this Geneva process?
Spokesman: I think we do have an idea. I would encourage you to look at the transcript from Mr. de Mistura.
Correspondent: It doesn't make clear, two parties, four parties…
Spokesman: I think there's more than… more than two. Mr. Lee?
Question: Thanks a lot. I wanted to ask, you had the readout on Central African Republic and child soldiers. I wanted to return to the… because I still don't fully understand whether the current MINUSCA [United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic] peacekeeping Mission… its relationship to the French forces. Like, you were saying that there's no relationship, or at least as I understood you, and I wanted to know, don't they coordinate some operations?
Spokesman: I didn’t say that. What we've always said is that there's absolutely… there's no line authority and there is no responsibility over the troops. They are not under the command and control of the UN.
Question: But, is the relationship similar to that between, say, MONUSCO [United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo] and the Congolese army when they sometimes coordinate and sometimes don't, based on the human rights due diligence policy?
Spokesman: No, I think every relationship… every relationship is different.
Question: But, does the human rights due diligence policy apply between MINUSCA and the French forces in [the Central African Republic]?
Spokesman: The human rights due diligence policy applies across the board in peacekeeping. [He later added that the human rights due diligence policy applies for UN support to non-UN forces. In the case of the Central African Republic, during the period of the allegations contained in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights report, MINUSCA did not provide support to Operation Sangaris. MINUSCA has a working relationship with the French operation, which does not fall under the human rights due diligence policy framework.]
Question: So, can peacekeeping or Mr. [Hervé] Ladsous or somebody explain how in the nine months that the UN system has been aware of alleged child rapes by the French forces that human rights due diligence policy was not invoked or how it was invoked and applied?
Spokesman: Well, I think a lot of these issues are being looked at through the OIOS [Office of Internal Oversight Services]. Mr. Klein, and then we'll go to the last question.
Correspondent: I haven't heard anything of late about the FDLR [Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda] and the… any progress if… being achieved in coordinating between the UN peacekeeping and the Congolese Government…
Spokesman: I have not received anything. I will ask our DPKO [Department of Peacekeeping Operations] colleagues if there's an update. Evelyn, and then we'll go to the back. [He later said that the UN Mission, MONUSCO, is still in discussions on this with the Congolese Government under the Strategic Dialogue initiative.]
Question: Thanks, Steph. Do you have any more details of how UNFPA is helping the released and often pregnant kidnapped girls in Nigeria?
Spokesman: I mean, beyond what I said, you'd have to talk to UNFPA, but it's obviously a lot of psychosocial counselling, screening. It's basically both medical and psychological support to help these young… these women and these girls, who have gone through an unspeakable trauma.
Question: Yes. I have another question about the ISIS atrocities in Iraq. There are… [non-governmental organization] international groups, including local governments in Iraq, are calling that the people, the ISIS commanders and others, the Shia militia commanders that committed those atrocities in Iraq to be tried by International Criminal Court. Do you have any comment about that?
Spokesman: Anyone who commits a crime against humanity, who commits a crime on the scale that we've seen in Iraq committed by Da’esh and other groups, needs to be held accountable and needs to face justice. I will go get Mr. Ging for you. Thank you.