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.
**Secretary-General Travel
The Secretary-General will travel to Abuja, Nigeria, over the weekend. During his visit, he will meet with President Buhari and other Federal and State government officials. He will also meet with leaders from human rights, religious, civil society and business communities. The Secretary-General is expected to discuss development, climate change, human rights and countering violent extremism while he is in Nigeria. He will also mark the anniversary of the 26 August 2011 attack on the UN House in Abuja.
The Secretary-General will then travel to Paris, France, where he will address the annual gathering of French Ambassadors from around the world on the issue of climate change — that’s ahead of COP 21 which will take place in Paris in December. He will also meet with President François Hollande, as well as the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of Finance.
The Secretary-General will be back in New York on Wednesday evening.
**Darfur
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says that serious human rights violations and abuses that occurred in Darfur in 2014 have largely gone uninvestigated and unpunished.
The report by the Office, based on information provided by the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), released cases of human rights violations and reveals widespread impunity. Of the 411 cases documented by the Mission of alleged violations and abuses of the right to physical integrity by all parties to the conflict, very few were investigated or resulted in arrests. Of these, 127 involved the use of sexual violence. These 411 cases are illustrative of a much broader pattern of violence, the report states.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights says that the report paints a very grim picture of the systemic failure, or outright refusal, by the authorities to take human rights violations seriously.
The High Commissioner urged the Government of Sudan and the armed opposition groups to take the findings of this report very seriously and to prioritize the fight against impunity.
There is a press release with more information.
**Yemen
Just a quick update on the activities of the Secretary-General’s Envoy for Yemen.
Ismael Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived yesterday in Riyadh for talks with the Government of Yemen regarding their response to proposals from the Houthis and the General People’s Congress.
He expects to wrap up those conversations on Saturday and return to Muscat, where he is set to meet again with both the General People’s Congress and the Houthis.
**Guinea
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, welcomed today the signature of a political agreement in Guinea. He congratulated all involved for their shared determination to move towards inclusive, credible and peaceful elections in the country.
Presidential elections in Guinea are planned on 11 October.
The UN system and its regional and international partners also issued a press release in which they say that this agreement shows that the Guinean political actors have the resources to permanently stop the cycle of political instability in the country.
And those documents are available in our office.
**United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — South Sudan
The Director[-General] of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, called today for an investigation into the killing of newspaper journalist Peter Moi Julius in Juba on 19 August.
She condemned the killing of the journalist, saying that citizens rely on the media to make informed choices, which is why journalists must be able to practise their profession in safe conditions.
And her full statement is available online.
**Kosovo
The Security Council heard this morning a briefing by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the UN Mission in Kosovo, Mr. Farid Zarif.
Mr. Zarif commended the step taken by the Kosovo institutions on the 3rd of this month, when the Assembly of Kosovo passed the requisite constitutional amendment and the laws on the establishment of the Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office.
He said this stood as a sign of Kosovo’s increasing determination to meet its fundamental obligations and commitments.
He also said that respect, protection and preservation of the Serbian Orthodox cultural heritage in Kosovo are fundamental duties that test the responsibility of Kosovo’s governing institutions.
As you know, Mr. Zarif will be replaced by Zahir Tanin of Afghanistan as Special Representative of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).
For his last briefing in this capacity, Mr. Zarif said he was departing with strong confidence in the leadership he had observed from each side, as well as from the people.
And his full remarks are in our office.
**Somalia
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Peter de Clercq, has concluded an assessment mission to towns in Somalia’s Gedo and Bay regions, visiting families in need of humanitarian assistance. With an improvement in the security situation, these areas are now easier for humanitarians to access.
He said he was particularly concerned about displaced people affected by military operations in two towns in these regions. Only limited humanitarian assistance has been provided for many years, and many hospitals have been looted or burnt. Moreover, this year’s El Niño phenomenon looms gravely over the fragile country, potentially affecting over 900,000 people, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), including in areas that are still hard to access.
Mr. de Clercq also met with local authorities and aid partners to discuss ways to improve humanitarian assistance. There are currently more than 14 humanitarian organizations in the towns, and more are expected to start providing assistance, as the security situation improves.
**Belize
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, welcomed today Belize’s landmark decision to join the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, the second accession by a Caribbean Community member state after Jamaica and setting a strong example for the region.
The 1961 Convention, which with Belize will now have 64 States parties, provides concrete and detailed safeguards that States parties must implement through their nationality legislation to prevent and reduce statelessness.
At least 10 million people worldwide are currently stateless and a child is born stateless every 10 minutes. Without a nationality, they are often denied basic rights and services normally afforded to citizens, such as access to health care and education.
**Global Youth Forum
Today was the opening of the Global Forum on Youth, Peace and Security, hosted by the Kingdom of Jordan in Amman under the patronage of the Crown Prince. The Forum is organized in partnership with the UN system, represented by the UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development and civil society partners, and has 500 participants from over 100 countries.
In his message to the Forum, the Secretary-General stressed the importance of supporting youth to “build peace, foster reconciliation and achieve democratic governance”.
The Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi, said this is timely because the world has realized that there is no peace without development, and there is no development without peace; and there is neither peace nor development without investing in youth.
The Forum will continue tomorrow and is expected to adopt the Amman Youth Declaration.
**Iraq
Majeed, yesterday you had asked about a meeting in which the UN took part in Iraq and here is what we can say:
The UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) has relayed the Secretary-General’s hope that whatever solution the parties agree to will further peace, stability and unity in Iraq, and will be in the best interest of all Iraqis.
**Press Conference Today
And just a reminder that at 4 p.m. today, Ambassador An Myong Hun, the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Mission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, will hold a press conference in this room on the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
And that’s it for me.
Before I forget, as we typically do the last week of August, we won’t hold briefings next week but we will update our highlights page and should the need arise, we’ll visit this.
So any questions?
**Questions and Answers
Associate Spokesperson: Kamoshida-san.
Question: Thank you. Does Secretary‑General have any updated comment on the situation in the Korean Peninsula?
Associate Spokesperson: The Secretary‑General has closely followed the reports of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. He is deeply concerned by this recent development. He urges the parties to refrain from taking any further actions… sorry, any further measures that might increase tensions. He also calls on the parties to engage in dialogue to reduce tensions and to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Majeed.
Question: Thank you. Thank you about update about Iraq. And my question here is, has… does that mean Secretary‑General has been updated about the details of those negotiations, those crucial negotiations?
Associate Spokesperson: Yes, he’s aware of the negotiations.
Question: And will the UN continue to participate in those negotiations along US and UK?
Associate Spokesperson: You know, the UN Mission is not a party to the negotiations, but, of course, we will continue to follow them.
Question: Okay. [inaudible] it’s about Slovakia, European country announced that it will only accept Christians as migrants. I guess…
Associate Spokesperson: We addressed this yesterday, actually.
Correspondent: Uh-hmm.
Associate Spokesperson: And basically, you know, of course, we thank Slovakia for opening its doors and taking in Syrian refugees. As you know, there are more than 4 million Syrian refugees. Of course, we would say that there’s no distinction between Syrians of any… of any creed, and we would hope that all countries would consider taking in refugees regardless of their religion. Thanks.
Question: [inaudible].
Associate Spokesperson: Okay. Go ahead.
Question: Thank you, Eri. And just to use this opportunity to say I didn’t see you beyond that point, but you’re very helpful beyond that point when we are asking you something in the press.
But, in Macedonia, there is a huge migrant crisis. Is the Secretary‑General aware of that? The closest office is in Pristina, 100 kilometres north of Skopje. What does Secretary-General and United Nations have to say so far the biggest crisis? Police and military are using—
Associate Spokesperson: Of course, yes, thank you, Erol. Of course, he’s aware of the situation. He’s been updated on it. What he would say is what he’s been saying for quite some time now, which is that we need to address both sides, you know, the reception side and the conditions there as, of course, as the UN refugee agency has been highlighting, but as well to address the root causes of why people are leaving in the first place. And he’s long stressed the importance of the need for human dignity, and he would, of course, accept, hope that that applies in the case of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as well.
Carole’s had her hand up. Sorry. Thanks for being patient. I’ll get back to you.
Question: On the Secretary‑General’s visit to Nigeria, there are reports that he’s going to meet with the “Bring Back Our Girls” campaign organizers. Do you know anything about that and why perhaps he might want to reach out to them?
Associate Spokesperson: I don’t have any confirmation as to whether and who he’ll be meeting. But, of course, you know, he has, since the very beginning of the time we found out about this horrible situation, expressed his concerns about the safety of these girls and the need for them to be returned to their homes safely, as well as the rights of girls for an education. So I hope and I know those are the messages that he will emphasize when he’s in Nigeria.
Nizar.
Question: Yeah. I have three questions, one about Macedonia. The military have used fire weapons against the immigrants, number one. Another one about Yemen, then about Syria. So would you like to take them one after another?
Associate Spokesperson: Tell me Yemen and Syria.
Question: On Macedonia, the army is using, are using firearms against the immigrants. What’s the position on the use of arms?
Associate Spokesperson: I mean, we’ve seen these reports, and obviously, they’re very… they’re a source of great concern for the Secretary‑General. And, you know, like I said earlier, we would hope that the authorities are able to deal with the situation peacefully and treat the migrants and the refugees with the respect that they deserve.
Question: In Taiz in Yemen, there were aerial bombardments by the Saudi-led coalition, which devastated the whole area. More than 60 people, including children were killed and 80 injured. Do you have any position on that?
Associate Spokesperson: Of course, we’ve seen the reports, and the numbers are staggeringly high. What we would say, of course, is that the Secretary‑General’s long stressed that any further militarization of the conflict will not yield in anything helpful to move the political dialogue forward, and we would urge both sides to resume their dialogue under the auspices of what the Special Envoy is trying to coordinate.
Correspondent: Bombardment of residential areas from the air.
Associate Spokesperson: Of course. And, you know—
Correspondent: Something—
Associate Spokesperson: Right. And, you know, the Secretary‑General would say that indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas is a violation of human… of international law, and we would urge an investigation if that was the case.
Question: On Syria, in the Golan, there were, there’s rising tension there. Five people were killed. Are there any reports from the UNDOF [United Nations Disengagement Observer Force] there telling what’s happening?
Associate Spokesperson: We’ve checked, and we hope to have something a little bit later for you today on this.
[The Associate Spokesperson later said that the Secretary-General is deeply concerned over the serious violations of the Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria.
Reportedly, rockets were fired yesterday across the ceasefire line into northern Israel, landing in the vicinity of Qiryat Shmona, in response to which the Israel Defense Forces fired across the ceasefire line, with projectiles impacting in the vicinity of Syrian Arab Armed Forces positions near Al Baath and Khan Arnabeh. UNDOF immediately liaised with the Israel Defense Forces and the Syrian Arab Armed Forces to de-escalate the situation, which is currently quiet.
The Secretary-General condemns all violations of the Disengagement of Forces Agreement and calls on all concerned to refrain from any action that jeopardizes the ceasefire between Israel and Syria and undermines the stability of the area. The Secretary-General calls on all involved to exercise maximum restraint to prevent any further escalation in an already tense regional environment.]
Please.
Question: Can you… does the Secretary‑General have any comments on this recent, I mean, spiralling of violence between India and Pakistan at the border? And he has issued a statement, but there were talks that were being held now in jeopardy. Does he have anything to say about that?
Associate Spokesperson: I think his message would still stand. He would, you know, he is, of course, seriously concerned about the reports, especially casualties inflicted upon civilians, and he would urge both Governments, again, to exercise maximum restraint and to take steps to ensure the protection of civilians. He’s welcomed the upcoming talks later this month, and he would hope any talks that are supposed to be occurring now would continue as they were supposed to.
Question: Okay. Since then has he said anything—
Associate Spokesperson: No, no, he has not. Like I said, the message we had still stands. Yoshita.
Correspondent: The talks really seem to be in jeopardy because Pakistan wants to meet the Kashimiri separatists when they’re in India and they’re obviously saying no, so the talks really seem to be hanging on a thin thread, and it’s unlikely that they will go through.
Associate Spokesperson: He would urge both sides to keep the best interests of the civilians in mind, and, you know, whatever would ensure their safety is paramount. And so in that vein, he would urge them both to return to dialogue, both sides to return to dialogue, in the interests of their people.
Matthew.
Question: Sure. [inaudible] South Sudan and also sexual abuse by UN peacekeeping. In South Sudan, the… the… the… the… virtually all media there, the Union of Journalists in South Sudan and the Association for Media Development in South Sudan, have agreed to a media blackout in mourning and as a protest of the murder of the journalist Peter Julius Moi. They’re saying that UNMISS’ Radio Miraya is going to keep broadcasting. Is that the case? Is Miraya part of sort of the media of South, what’s the position of the UN on this?
Associate Spokesperson: I’m not aware, but I will look into that.
Question: Okay. And I wanted to, since you were the moderator yesterday, I wanted to ask you this. First, you know, there were several of them, that’s why I’m asking, inconsistencies between what Ms. Corner said and the response to question sheet that went out. Some incidents that didn’t appear, for example, she—
Associate Spokesperson: No, we’ve seen, and I asked the very same question. And what our colleagues at DPKO tell us is that the incidents are the same. Nothing… there are no… it’s the same number of incidents listed, sorry. The sheet that we originally gave you, I think, had something like nine or something, but that didn’t include the incidents that we’ve told you about that took place in PK5 and in Bambari this month, as well as a previous incident in 2014, but the rest are all the same.
Question: But the reason, and I just, I guess maybe you can ask them this again, the problem was that the sheet, as handed out on the 19th, said the incident from December was still, an investigation is still ongoing and then she said it’s closed. So did it get closed in one day or… and the other one was she described an incident in March, but it didn’t seem to be any listed in March on the sheet. This is why I have these concerns.
Associate Spokesperson: My understanding is that is the latest information that we have and that is—
Question: So what she said supersedes the 19—
Associate Spokesperson: What she said supersedes the 19th.
Question: Was there a rape in March or there wasn’t a rape in March? That’s the problem I have.
Associate Spokesperson: We’re going to go with her sheet yesterday.
[laughter]
Question: And the more substantive part of it is I hadn’t realized it until she said it as part of a response yesterday but that there’s 10 days for a Member State to say that they’re going to do something, and then the UN gives them six months to name a national investigative officer. So I’ve heard UN officials say that, even after four months after the Thabit rapes in Darfur, that this was too much time to find any evidence. So I wonder, how do you square those two? Does the UN think it’s reasonable to give a country six months to even begin investigating an alleged rape? And, if so, what… maybe is that one of the reasons nobody has ever been convicted…
Associate Spokesperson: I think…
[inaudible]
Associate Spokesperson: Well, first of all, that’s not true. People have been, I think dozens of people actually have been convicted in their national courts. I don’t have the exact number. But what she mentioned yesterday was that, you know, even if… even in that time where we’re waiting to hear back from Governments, whether it be to… whether to get their initial response or whether they import… appoint a national investigator, I believe what she said is they do their best to preserve the evidence, because initially they do look into every case to ensure, well, to look into the credibility of these cases. So she did say… I’m just looking at what she said yesterday.
[The Associate Spokesperson later clarified that there is a six-month timeline for completing investigations, subject to extenuating circumstances.]
Correspondent: Sure.
Associate Spokesperson: But that they do do their best to, uh, act quickly and preserve the evidence which provides the basis for conviction and punishment to perpetrators.
Let me get back to you, let me get back to you. Go ahead.
Question: I just… following the release of this Palestinian man who was illegally detained by Israel, by the Israeli court, can you get a number of exactly how many Palestinians are illegally detained by Israel? I remember about a year, year or two ago, there used to be a figure. Now you’re stuck. Can you please—
Associate Spokesperson: Yeah, I haven’t seen one either. We’ll check with our colleagues in the region to see if they have anything. You know, regarding administrative detention, the position of the Secretary‑General still stands. Anybody held in administrative detention either should be released or face due process. That still stands.
Go ahead.
Question: I have some other questions, but I just… I guess what I wanted to ask about this is what is the UN’s rationale for giving six months between a State saying, yes, we will investigate and even naming a national investigative person, an official? Why does that take six months? Because it seems almost inevitable whatever you’ve said about preserving evidence, that people move away. People are displaced. In CAR, six months later, you’re probably not going to… some of the witnesses are not going to be there. What’s the purpose of the six months?
Associate Spokesperson: I hear your question. That’s a policy, that’s a UN policy, but as I’m sure you’ve seen in the Secretary‑General’s address to the Security Council last week, he himself has said that he would like to improve these mechanisms. So let’s see what happens.
Question: Okay. There’s a report of a letter from the Palestinian Bar Association to the Secretary‑General about a, you know, hunger striker still in detention. I wanted to know, one, can you confirm that that’s received? And two, there was a letter that Vannina confirmed receipt of, but I wanted to ask, from the interns, from the two associations of interns, it was a separate letter. She said it was printed out for the Secretary‑General, so that was two days ago. What’s his response? Is he going to meet with these groups of unpaid interns who say that the way it’s organized prevents lower-income people from doing—
Associate Spokesperson: On the first letter, I would need to check. Sorry, this is the first I’m hearing about it. And on the interns, you know, he meets interns, all of the interns, every year, so it’s not to say that he doesn’t meet them. And he’s definitely aware of their concerns. And the… any sort of payment of interns is ultimately a decision of the General Assembly. So we’ll have to see if they take any actions on that. But he’s definitely aware.
Does anybody else have any questions?
Question: I have one other question, but I want to know, they obviously know that, but it came up in this room before. If he believes that it’s a problem that the UN system is less than accessible to other than the most affluent people that work in those internships, there’re obviously issues that he raise to the General Assembly such as the one as [inaudible]. I guess I’m just wondering if what you say means if response to this letter there’s no intent to meet with them.
Associate Spokesperson: No, I don’t think you can extrapolate that at all. But let’s see what happens. At this point, we don’t have any plans, but that doesn’t mean that that’s not going to change.
Masood.
Question: I just wanted to ask you, on the Palestinian question, about this Palestinian man who is now considered to be almost braindead because he was on hunger strike, who is going to pay the compensation for him?
Associate Spokesperson: I don’t think that’s a question for the United Nations. I don’t think that’s something—
Question: United Nations Secretary‑General going to talk with authorities which detained him illegally, will they be held responsible? Are they culpable?
Associate Spokesperson: That’s a question that… that’s outside the jurisdiction of the United Nations.
Yep, okay, one more.
Question: This is related to that question, and it’s something that either maybe you’ll have or can get. Le Temps in Switzerland has written, that at the same time of this issue of non-payment of interns that want to come from the developing world there’s a proposal to give substantial raises to the highest, D-1 and above. Is that true? And how does the Secretary‑General explain that—
Associate Spokesperson: We’ve seen the same reports, and I don’t… I don’t… we don’t have any confirmation of what’s going to happen to these salaries. So we’ll… let’s see what happens.
Question: But does he support increased payment of top officials—
Associate Spokesperson: That’s a matter for the General Assembly, so that’s outside of our purview. But we’re aware. Okay.
Evelyn.
Question: The situation in Yemen, which Nizar brought up before, is it time for some really strong statements about the bombing from the air? I realize both, neither side gives a damn about civilians, but the bombing seems to cause a lot more damage to civilians. They’re not barrel bombs but some other munitions that are flying out of the air force, and I just, I know what the Secretary‑General said, but I just wonder if it’s time, despite the backing of major countries, for the Saudi air strike to have something a bit stronger.
Associate Spokesperson: And, I mean, you may recall that recently, the UN humanitarian, Emergency Relief Coordinator, sorry, Stephen O’Brien was just in Yemen, and he saw for himself first-hand what happened. And I’m sure you’ve read what he said. But, also, you know, he expressed a lot of concern and said that, ultimately, the… the… the largest toll of this violence is being, civilians are bearing the largest brunt of these attacks.
And we’ve spoken out repeatedly against the use of indiscriminate bombing against civilians and a need for a cessation of all hostilities to ensure that civilians are no longer placed in harm’s way.
Edie.
Question: Thank you, Eri. The Islamic State extremist group today demolished a monastery in central Syria that was 1,500 years old. A couple of days ago, they beheaded the former curator of Palmyra, who was 83 years old. Does the Secretary‑General have any comment on these, basically, horrible acts?
Associate Spokesperson: You may recall, ooh, a couple of months ago, perhaps, when there was another equally horrible spate of destruction of cultural antiquities in Syria, the Secretary‑General spoke out against this and explained sort of his shock and anguish over such actions. And he is, of course, aware of the killings of not just the antiquities director in Palmyra, but I believe there was another Syrian gentleman who was also killed in a bombing. And at the time, earlier this week, the Director-General of UNESCO spoke out against this and said it was unacceptable.
Masood.
Question: On this statement by Mr. Stephen O’Brien of OCHA, he said that, as far as the commitments to giving money for help in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has owed $274 million and has still not come through with it since April. Now, what does the Secretary‑General… Secretary‑General has very good relationship with Saudi Arabia. Can he tell them or prevail upon them to pay that money which they committed and have not delivered?
Associate Spokesperson: You know, we’re very grateful to the… for the generosity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and discussions are ongoing about those funds.
Matthew.
Question: I want to ask about Umoja and then Burundi.
Associate Spokesperson: Okay.
Question: Earlier this week, I’d asked you about the Umoja chief Mr. Baumann leaving immediately. What was the explanation of that?
Associate Spokesperson: My understanding is he has not yet left yet, but we’re still checking, and we’ll need to get back to you on that.
Question: Okay. And on Burundi, it’s… it’s… the… you know, it’s… tomorrow is the funeral of the general that was assassinated. Many people are saying it could be a very dangerous time, given the youth wing of the ruling party, etc. Is it true that the UN has told its personnel in Burundi not to go downtown tomorrow? And, two, where does it stand on the envoy that was said to be imminent some 10 days ago?
Associate Spokesperson: On security arrangements, as you know, we can’t talk about that, but on any potential envoy from the UN side, we remain in close contact with the Burundian authorities, Security Council members, as well as regional and subregional organizations to ensure that the best possible support will be provided to the political dialogue process in Burundi.
Anybody else? Okay. Let’s have a great weekend. And barring any major event, we will see you the week after next. Thank you.