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 Eri Kaneko, Associate Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Good afternoon, and welcome to the noon briefing.
At 12:15, we will be joined by Ms. Diane Corner, the [Special Representative a.i. and Head a.i.] of the UN Mission in the Central African Republic, or MINUSCA. And she will brief you via videoconference from Bangui.
**Security Council
Speaking to the Security Council this morning on security sector reform, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, stressed that a comprehensive response to conflict-related sexual violence must include proactive and purposeful engagement with the security sector.
She added that this is particularly important in settings where security services may have been involved in the commission of sexual violence.
Assistant Secretary-General Izumi Nakamitsu from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) highlighted the need to pay more attention to advancing gender equality and security for women, especially given that this year marks the [15]-year anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security.
Also speaking to the Council, Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions, Mr. Dmitry Titov, emphasized that well-trained, well-supported and service-oriented police and military professionals are a country’s best defence against violence and instability.
Their full remarks are available in our office.
**Yemen
The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, yesterday briefed the Security Council on his recent mission to Yemen. He said that the scale of human suffering is almost incomprehensible and that he was shocked by what he saw.
He added that the civilian population is bearing the brunt of the conflict, with four out of five Yemenis requiring humanitarian assistance and nearly 1.5 million people internally displaced. More than 1,000 children have been killed or injured and the number of young people recruited or used as fighters is increasing, Mr. O’Brien said.
He said that humanitarian assistance alone cannot meet all the needs of an entire country with a population of 26 million people. This is why airports and seaports need to remain open and be used for both commercial imports and humanitarian supplies — without restrictions.
He also said that disregard for human life by all parties continues, with attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure having a disproportionate impact on the lives of ordinary people in Yemen.
He noted that reports of air strikes and other shelling in and around the Hudaydah port earlier this week damaged the main lifelines for the import of basic goods such as food, medicines and fuel, and said these attacks are in clear contravention of international humanitarian law and that they are unacceptable.
**Calais
From Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, welcomed today’s joint Franco-British declaration on the situation in Calais and the associated action plan.
He said that he appreciates that the two Governments have taken a common approach to address the complex situation in Calais.
Mr. Guterres welcomed the plan’s humanitarian and protection elements. He also stressed that to be effective in cracking down on smugglers and traffickers, the number of legal avenues for people in need of protection to come to Europe must be increased.
The High Commissioner said that many of those in Calais are likely to be in need of international protection, having come from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and Syria.
He said that Calais remains only a symptom of broader refugee and migration movements, and that the UN refugee agency hopes for robust action to be taken in implementing the European Agenda on Migration and in establishing effective forms of international cooperation, including with countries of origin, first asylum and transit.
**Sri Lanka
And I have a readout of a telephone conversation the Secretary-General had yesterday with the President of Sri Lanka.
The Secretary-General had a phone conversation with the President of Sri Lanka, President Sirisena, yesterday, 19 August.
The Secretary-General congratulated the people of Sri Lanka on the peaceful and inclusive parliamentary elections held on 17 August and expressed appreciation for the work of the Election Commissioner.
The Secretary-General encouraged the President to lay the foundation for long-lasting peace, and he offered the UN’s unwavering support to the President, the Prime Minister-designate and the new Government in advancing this goal. He wished him well with his legislative agenda and looked forward to meeting him at the seventieth session of the General Assembly in September.
**Yarmouk
Our colleagues at the UN Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, tell us that the number of typhoid cases that it has treated in the displaced population from the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus has nearly doubled.
On Tuesday, UNRWA’s medical teams in the neighbouring district of Yalda saw six cases, while yesterday, it was five, bringing to 11 the number of confirmed typhoid cases.
Given the conditions in Yarmouk, UNRWA fears there will be more cases. UNRWA has not had access to the Yarmouk camp since 28 March, and it is concerned about the state of public health among the civilian population.
UNRWA once again calls for full humanitarian access, noting that without it, it is inevitable that there will be continued and widespread human suffering.
**Afghanistan
And on Afghanistan, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that birth registration in Afghanistan’s northern region has grown with support from a UN project designed to help to protect the rights of children.
The nationwide UN project has helped to bring birth registration facilities closer to families. UNICEF adds that the number of parents registering their children in the region has increased 50 per cent in 2014 compared to recent years, and is projected to reach 80 per cent in urban and 60 per cent in rural areas by 2019.
More information is available on the website of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s (UNAMA).
**South Sudan
And Matthew, in response to your questions this week, the UN Mission in South Sudan is aware of reports of fighting in Upper Nile State between warring parties but is not in a position to confirm.
And also the Mission does not have reports of fighting in Imatong in Eastern Equatoria.
**Questions and Answers
So that’s it from us. We have a couple of minutes before our guest joins us from Bangui. Go ahead. Yes.
Question: Regarding the escalating tensions along the border of North and South Korea, the UN Command called for a meeting with North Korea. Has that meeting occurred yet? And, if so, what was the outcome?
Associate Spokesperson: We’re not aware of any meeting taking place by the UN Command. As you know, the name UN Command does not necessarily imply the involvement of the Secretariat per se.
But what we can say, on the exchange of artillery fire that we saw reports of today, is that we are closely following the developments with serious concern, and we will revert as the situation evolves.
Matthew.
Question: I guess, I understand, I mean, that was the readout of the Secretary‑General’s call with Mr. Sirisena of Sri Lanka… Did the issue of accountability and this pending Human Rights Council report, which there’s been a lot of discussion of it, did this come up? And can you in some way… it was said in the Sri Lankan press that Mr. Sirisena said he’s going to take some advice given to him by the Secretary‑General. There’s an article to that effect. And I wanted to know, what does the Secretary‑General think should happen in terms of accountability for alleged war crimes in 2009?
Associate Spokesperson: So I don’t have anything beyond what I just gave you in the readout. But on the report, you know, let’s wait and see what the report says in September. We’ll take it from there.
Question: Okay. And can I ask you one… I just wanted… you’d… this… this… this readout from UNMISS, I guess I wanted to ask and it’s not to say “gotcha”, but I’m aware that they send sitreps to people inside the country, and they said that they are closing, you know, that travel on the Juba‑Nimule Road is restricted and they, they… following attacks in Pageri on 18 August, host country security forces have advised there are still military operations in the Pageri town. So it seems like, I guess I just want to ask you, does UNMISS have two different forms of reporting, one through this office, and two, to NGOs and other partners on the ground there or…
Associate Spokesperson: I hear your question. I hear your question, but I don’t work at UNMISS. These are the responses we’ve received from the Mission so that’s the best we can, but we’ll check.
Question: Okay.
Associate Spokesperson: Thanks. Please.
Question: Thank you. Yesterday, I asked the Spokesperson’s Office about this, I contacted… about Iraq the Deputy Special Representative of the UN participated in the negotiation for… to extend the term of the Iraqi‑Kurdistan region’s presidency. Do you have any updates about that?
Associate Spokesperson: I don’t have any updates—
[inaudible]
Associate Spokesperson: No, I don’t have any further updates.
Correspondent: Oh.
Associate Spokesperson: Please.
Question: Hello. Thank you. The day before yesterday, the UN issued a press release about record casualties and, in Afghanistan and widening conflict. It describes the situation, very critical situation there, but does not say how the United Nations is going to meet the situation. Do you have any details on how the United Nations is going to meet the situation resulting from record casualties and widening conflict?
Associate Spokesperson: You know, the… we have… as you’re aware… we have a mission in Afghanistan, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), and it is working there, and it’s consulting with its various partners, be it the Government, be it civil society, you know, different partners on the ground, to address this issue, you know, and we will continue our consultations and provide the support that is required.
Luke.
Question: Thanks. On the European migrant situation, I’m sure you’ve seen reports from Slovakia that the Government there says that they will only take in Muslim refugee seekers… or, rather, Christians instead of Muslims, their argument being that, as a predominantly Christian nation, these refugee seekers who are Muslim will not feel at home. Is the UN concerned that if that argument is allowed, that logic stands, that, you know, every other country in Europe potentially could make a similar case?
Associate Spokesperson: First of all, we obviously welcome the fact that Slovakia is opening its doors to refugees from Syria, but we would… we would say also that there is no distinction between refugees in need, regardless of what their religion is. People in need are people in need, and we would encourage countries as much as possible to… to take in the… to take in as many refugees as possible. I mean, there are more than 4 million refugees from Syria at this point, and regardless of their religion, if they’re in need, they’re in need.
Michelle.
Question: Thanks, Eri. Just on South Sudan, given the developments this week, has the Secretary‑General tried to speak to President Salva Kiir? And does the UN have any comment on these reports today that a journalist has been shot dead in Juba?
Associate Spokesperson: My understanding is I don’t believe the Secretary‑General has had any conversations with President Salva Kiir. As you know, the Deputy Secretary‑General was in Addis Ababa earlier this week and attended the talks there. And just on the reports of the killing of the journalist, the UN is, of course, concerned by the report, and we call on local authorities to investigate this swiftly.
Go ahead.
Question: Sure. President Nkurunziza in Burundi was sworn in today. I wanted to know if anyone from the UN system attended.
Associate Spokesperson: I believe somebody from the country team in Burundi did attend.
Question: And does that mean, has there been any letter from the Secretary‑General to Mr. Nkurunziza about his re‑election or, is he viewed as, past August 26th, as the legitimate leader of the country?
Associate Spokesperson: As you know, the Secretary‑General has spoken to President Nkurunziza as recently as the 6th of August, and you’ll have seen the readout. He encouraged President Nkurunziza to continue engaging in political dialogue and in the Ugandan‑led facilitation.
Question: Okay. And I’ve seen these reports that the Secretary‑General’s… maybe I’ve missed it actually. Maybe you’ve announced it, but, that he’s going to Nigeria and he’ll be there on Sunday. Can you confirm that?
Associate Spokesperson: We haven’t made any announcements yet. We’ll let you know.
Question: Would it be a one‑country trip? How about that?
Associate Spokesperson: We’ll let you know.
[laughter]
Please.
Question: We hear similar allegations in Mali concerning peacekeepers and sexual abuse. Can you comment on that? Do you have any information about that?
Associate Spokesperson: As of this moment, I don’t have any information on that. But, as you would know, you know, as the Secretary‑General said last week, you know, any allegations spurs in him shame and anger, and we would hope that we would obviously respect the rights of the victims, and we will definitely look into this.
Question: So no cases, no numbers?
Associate Spokesperson: As of right now, I don’t have anything, but if we have anything, we’ll definitely let you know.
Question: And my second question would be, has there been any approach from the German Government towards the UN to ask for support because of the refugees coming to Germany?
Associate Spokesperson: Not that I’m aware of, but we can check with the refugee agency and let you know about that.