Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Good afternoon, everybody.
**Refugees
The Secretary-General spoke by telephone this morning with David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
This has been part of a series of calls he has made to European leaders in recent days, in which the Secretary-General has stressed the individual and collective responsibility of European States to respond responsibly and humanely to the arrival of refugees and migrants in Europe.
As we said in our statement yesterday, the Secretary-General has assured European leaders of the United Nations readiness, through its agencies, in particular UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees], to continue supporting their efforts to develop a response that is effective, feasible and in line with universal human rights and humanitarian standards, including the right to claim asylum.
In a separate development, the Secretary-General welcomes the initiative by the International Olympic Committee to make $2 million available to National Olympic Committees for programmes focused on refugees. As you may know, the International Olympic Committee already works with a number of UN agencies, notably the UN refugee agency.
The Secretary-General has repeatedly underscored the great work done by civil society organizations in bringing help and support to refugees throughout the world, including through the support to the activities of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy.
**Culture of Peace
Earlier today, the Secretary-General spoke at the General Assembly High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace. He said that the meeting is about confronting the very hard truths in our world where people are suffering and dying from violence and atrocity crimes.
He urged all those with influence to rise above their narrow interests and work for the greater good of our world. In this globalized world, we cannot turn our eyes away from or close our eyes to the suffering, he added. Stressing that we cannot build a culture of peace without an active campaign against division and injustice, he said that it is time to invest in young people as peacebuilders. He added that the vast majority of the world’s 1.8 billion young people yearn for peace, security and development. His full remarks are available in our office and online.
**Middle East
Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said that the decision announced today to postpone the meeting of the Palestine National Council shows leadership and wisdom. He said that the postponement would give adequate time for consultation with all factions in preparation of a regular session, which should strengthen unity and chart the way forward.
Mr. Mladenov urged all Palestinian leaders and factions to seize this opportunity to take constructive steps towards achieving genuine Palestinian unity on the basis of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) principles, and to strengthen PLO as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
**Yemen
Our humanitarian colleagues inform us that the incidence of global acute malnutrition in Yemen’s Aden governorate reached critical levels in August. It now stands at 19.2 per cent, compared with 10.3 per cent in 2014. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the non-governmental organization Field Medical Foundation have set up mobile nutrition centres to diagnose and treat children in Aden, Lahj and Hadramout governorates. The clinics will help around 23,000 children, as well as mothers and pregnant women.
Despite the security situation, humanitarian response continues in several areas. In Aden, UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund] is providing over 650,000 litres of water per week for 13,500 people who have been forced from their homes in the city.
**South Sudan
On South Sudan, the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF are intensifying their efforts to reverse the dire malnutrition situation in the country. The two agencies launched today an enhanced joint nutrition response plan to assist over 2 million people — children, pregnant women and new mothers — for the treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition until May 2016. The joint nutrition response plan covers all states in South Sudan. It will look to engage more local and Government partners, and improve their capacity to treat malnutrition. There’s more information online.
**Children
Child mortality rates have plummeted to less than half of what they were in 1990, according to a new report released today by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Under-five deaths have dropped from 12.7 million per year in 1990 to 5.9 million in 2015. This is the first year the figure has gone below the 6 million mark. Although the global progress has been substantial, 16,000 children under 5 still die every day and the drop is not enough to meet the Millennium Development Goal of a two-thirds reduction between 1990 and 2015.
The report notes that the biggest challenge remains in the period at or around birth. A massive 45 per cent of under-five deaths occur in the neonatal period, which is during the first 28 days of life. The full report is available online.
I would also like to flag another report from UNICEF, A Promise Renewed: 2015 Progress Report, which says that, since 2000, the lives of 48 million children under the age of 5 have been saved. The report states that an additional 38 million lives could be saved by 2030 if progress accelerates further, in line with the sustainable development goals that world leaders are set to approve later this month. And that report is also available on UNICEF’s website.
**Honour Roll
And for the honour roll, we would like to thank Greece for paying its dues in full, becoming the 116th Member State to do so.
**Press Conferences
For press conferences — tomorrow at 10:30 a.m., there will be a briefing here sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Canada to release a new report by Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, entitled Vulnerable Schools [Students], Unsafe Schools: Attacks and Military Use of Schools in the Central African Republic.
And then at around noon, Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education will be joining the Noon Briefing by telephone to brief on ways to help Syrian refugee children.
That’s it from me. Yes, Joe?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Yes. Relating to the refugee crisis, I know that Mr. [Peter] Sutherland and other UN officials have said that religion should not be a criterion in determining whether an individual should be provided with refugee status and granted asylum. Yet, the 1951 Convention on Refugees specifically states in the definition of refugees that it would include individuals with well‑founded fears of persecution based on religion and other factors. So I'd like to ask how the comments of UN officials, including that of Mr. Sutherland and others, could be reconciled with the fact that, in the Convention on Refugees itself, persecution based on religion is part of the definition of refugees. Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: But, Joe, that is in agreement with our policy. That's not in contradiction to it. What that passage in the Refugee Convention itself is saying is that, if people fear persecution because of religion or race, they… their refugee status needs to be recognized. It's not a question of… that allows you to discriminate on the basis of it. It's the opposite.
Question: Well, let me follow up on that. In other words, are you saying that if an individual seeking asylum is asked specifically his or her religion and preference is given to a persecuted Christian, you know, in terms of part of the quota that that country can take, are you saying now that that would be permissible in your view?
Deputy Spokesman: If people believe that their religious beliefs are themselves placing them at risk in a country, that should entitle them for protection in other countries. What the Secretary‑General, Peter Sutherland and others have been saying is you cannot and should not use religion or race as an excuse to keep people out, as a way of denying people entry into a country. And, of course, the Refugee Convention itself suggests that many times people's religious beliefs are, in fact, a factor that might compel them to flee and that should be recognized as such.
Question: Well, it's just… again, just a question of priorities, because assuming there's not an infinite capacity of any one country to take in all of the migrants, if persecuted Christians, for example, are given priority because they're the ones that are fleeing beheadings, mass rapes, deportations, etcetera, and killings, and they're given preference over, let's say, a Muslim who's escaping for other reasons from Syria or Iraq, what is the UN's position on that kind of prioritization?
Deputy Spokesman: It's clear that countries have their own policies. They may have their own priorities. And we are aware that no country has an infinity capacity, as you've suggested, which is why we call for countries… more countries to be willing to accept the challenges and the responsibilities associated with having a large number of refugees, because this should be seen as an international problem, not a problem for just a few countries or any particular region. But at the same time, any country's policy should be in a non-discriminatory fashion, and that is something that we have tried to press upon all of the countries dealing with this. The more fair and more equitable the sharing of the responsibilities of the world's refugees are, the easier it should be to handle this, which is why we want and the Secretary‑General has encouraged more countries to be involved. But at the same time, that shouldn't be seen as an excuse to deny any religion, any race, any set of beliefs or people with any set of beliefs from entering your country or having protection there. Yes? Yes, you had your hand up?
Question: Yes. Last week, Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu said that Israel, being a very small country that lacks demographic depth, he made it clear that they would not accept refugees. Kind of in follow‑up to… in the spirit of Joe's question, does the UN have a position on that? What do you say to this country that says we just don't have room and we don't have the demographic depth to accept refugees? And I have a follow‑up.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we are appreciative of the fact that some countries will be smaller than other countries. At the same time, what we're trying to suggest is that the countries that have taken on the tasks of dealing with such a large population of refugees, for example Lebanon and Turkey, are themselves facing enormous strains from this. At this stage in Lebanon, there's one refugee being taken care of for every five Lebanese. And that's a sort of challenge that any country would be hard‑put to deal with. So we're trying to get more equitable sharing of all of the responsibilities. At the same time, yes, of course, every country has its own policies, has its own challenges to face, but we do want there to be a greater sense of compassion and generosity given. Remember, these are people whose entire lives have been uprooted, often times as in the case of the Syrian refugees by years and years of conflict that the world has unfortunately done too little to deal with. And at the very least, we have to make sure that these people who have faced a tremendous amount of fear, tremendous amount of risk can find some safety and some protection somewhere.
Question: My follow‑up is, Mr. Sutherland has been on the record very clearly over the years saying that he believes that there should be open borders and free access and free movement of people for economic migrants as well. Doesn't that sort of maybe present a conflict of interest or undermine his credibility as a… as an advocate for refugees of war? If he basically feels everybody should be let in all the time anywhere all the time, is he not the best guy…? [Cross talk]
Deputy Spokesman: Remember, Peter Sutherland is… his position is as an adviser dealing with global migration. His portfolio, in order, is not constrained simply to the question of refugees. But we are facing in Europe a challenge posed primarily by a very large number of refugees, but also by other migrants. But we want all of them to be treated fairly and with dignity. Yes, Linda?
Question: Following up on this issue, in terms of who is a refugee, it seems to be that those who were fleeing wars primarily and are subject to… or they believe they will be subject to persecution. We know that there are dozens, if not… I mean, the Security Council, for example, has 15 or so peacekeeping operations with countries that are in war. So this… I guess… does this beg the question of could people in all these countries at war possibly view themselves as refugees and go to other countries?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, anyone who's displaced because of conflict or because of fear that they will be killed or persecuted because of their identity has a legitimate right to claim asylum. And certainly, a large number of people have been made refugees by the sort of conflicts that have also required UN peacekeeping. But in many of these cases, as you know, there are different situations that apply. For example, in South Sudan, you've seen how the UN mission on the ground itself has taken on the task of providing protection for well over 100,000 displaced people for more than a year and a half now. And we try, wherever we're based, to protect people. That in itself is one way that you can help try to help… to resolve and protect people within a country.
Question: So a follow‑up on that. Theoretically, if people are involved in countries where there are wars and we know there are tens of millions of people living in countries where war is a fact of life, according to the UN or according to the 1951 Convention, would that mean that they would legitimately have the right to just, you know, leave their country and possibly… you know, countries could be largely emptied out with… you know, with refugees wanting to go anywhere they'd like?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, this is one of the reasons why, as Staffan de Mistura made clear earlier this year… this week, you want to make sure that a crisis is handled, like the crisis in Syria, before it spins out of control. Otherwise, you can have a situation where, as you've seen, you've had a flow of refugees from Syria over the past four years and now that flow has increased sharply in recent months. At some point, people reach a breaking point. A lot of people in a lot of conflict areas around the world and throughout history have struggled to keep their families together, to keep their lives together, even in the hardest conditions. But sometimes you get to breaking point and people flee en masse. And one of the things we're trying to do is make sure that you have a real political process that takes over so that you can halt fighting so that people aren't forced into these sorts of situations, which uproot lives that have been… that have been based in a certain area for generations. Yes?
Question: Sure. I want… I mean… I want to ask about South Sudan, but on refugees, I'd wanted… yesterday, I'd asked about Denmark's nominee. I guess what I want to say is it seems like the closing for the nominations to be… to replace Mr. [Antonio] Guterres as Head of UNHCR closes on 14 September and the nominations go to the Secretariat. Without… If you won't say who candidates are, can you give some sense of how many candidates have come forward or some way… there's a move for kind of transparency and it seems… even in the selection of the Secretary‑General and it seems like with the refugee issue so front and centre, what can you say about how the process will go and what place the policies of the countries that nominate people may have in it, and the actual views of the person selected on these… obviously, there's a variety of views on who's a migrant, who's a refugee, what countries in the Gulf should do. What can you say about this?
Deputy Spokesman: Certainly, it's clear that whoever would be the High Commissioner for Refugees needs to have a good record of caring on these issues and of dealing with the situations of refugees. And that's something that would be a priority for the Secretary‑General as he determines a successor to António Guterres. At this stage, of course, Mr. Guterres is the High Commissioner for Refugees, and he continues to do an admirable job during this period of challenge, and we'll have to have the selection process play out in the normal way, and we'll make an announcement in due course.
Question: But just… I mean, as… just as an example, today it was reported that Denmark has stopped trains coming from Germany because of the possible inclusion of refugees or asylum seekers. So… the Danish Government said publicly that they had nominated their formal… former Prime Minister, whose record on refugees was criticized by UNHCR when she was Prime Minister. I know you're not deciding who will get it, but given what you…?
Deputy Spokesman: And the world is a better a place that I'm not.
Question: Well, who knows? I guess what I want to say is you've said that Governments and people's records will be considered. What do you think of this case?
Deputy Spokesman: I wouldn't comment specifically on any nominee or any potential candidate. At this stage, we're not even giving out any names of candidates. The process will go out. Obviously, what is crucial is that whoever is in charge of that portfolio has a track record of understanding and caring for refugees. And that's as much as we'll have to say on that.
Correspondent: I appreciate it.
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, Oleg? Oh. And then Olga after.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. On the statement you issued yesterday on Iraq, you were mentioning these casualties among this Iraqi… Turkish security forces. But I didn't see anything mentioning that the Turkey is convening an armed operation in a neighbouring State. What's the Secretary‑General has got to say about that?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, as you've seen from the statement itself, the Secretary‑General did say that he was gravely concerned by the increase in violence, and he called for an immediate de‑escalation of tension and hostilities. And, of course, we also went on to say that he continues to monitor the situation closely, including its possible impact in the region. And that's where we stand on that. Olga?
Question: Thanks, Farhan. Tell us, please, does Secretary‑General follow the statements from different members of the US Congress and US Senate about the Iranian nuclear deal? Is he aware that possibly maybe, like, it’s blocked or whatever?
Deputy Spokesman: He is aware of the discussions that have gone on. Of course that is a domestic process, and we wouldn't have any comment on the process before the US Congress while it considers its decision, but you are obviously aware of the Secretary‑General's support for the deal that was reached by the six countries and Iran, and his hope that it will be implemented and followed by all parties.
Question: Is it possible that, during the GA, the Secretary‑General will meet with President [Barack] Obama and also will discuss the nuclear deal… Iranian nuclear deal issue?
Deputy Spokesman: It is, indeed, possible. Yes?
Question: I wanted to ask about South Sudan and also Yemen. On South Sudan, your office did send some confirmation or, I guess, of… that UNMISS [United Nations Mission in South Sudan] is aware of fighting around Malakal. And I've seen a SitRep [Situation Report] since, which says… which names towns around it, Lelo and others. I just wanted to know how… have you gotten more information? Because there are at least allegations of… pretty serious allegations, including of chemical weapons, including of Ugandan planes either rented or leased by the Government doing some aerial bombing. What's the status in and around Malakal? What's the UN doing both to protect people and to see what's happening?
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah, on that, what I can say is that the UN Mission in South Sudan did report the sound of heavy mortar and gunfire from the south of Malakal town on Monday. The Mission also reported shelling towards the south later in the evening, on Monday evening, followed by small arms fire coming from the West Bank of the Nile River towards Malakal. And then a few days earlier, on Friday, a patrol from the Mission, from UNMISS, deployed to Malakal and found the town deserted and devoid of civilians. So that's where we stand on that. I don't have any confirmation about the… any reports on chemical weapons.
Question: Okay. And on Yemen, I just… I understand that… I saw the statement by the Envoy that he… you know, that leaks may be distorting. But I wanted to ask just a factual question, which is that there are reports, and some are confirming, that there were meetings in Muscat by the US, UK, EU [European Union] ambassador to Yemen, the Houthis and Saudi intelligence that took place in August, 27th and 28th. And I wanted to know, it seems that the UN's Envoy wasn't present. Was this by choice? Was he not invited? Was he unaware? What's his role in these talks that are taking place between the parties that I've named in Muscat?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I wouldn't have any confirmation about any of the meetings that do not involve Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Special Envoy. He has been present in Muscat as well as in Riyadh in recent days and has used his time in those two cities to talk to many of the key players representing the Government of Yemen, Ansar Allah and the General People's Congress, and so he is continuing with his efforts to get the parties to talk to each other and to get a halt to the fighting. And beyond that, I wouldn't have any details on any meetings that take place outside of his purview. Yes, Oleg?
Question: Thank you again. Farhan, what's the status of the working groups announced by Staffan de Mistura? Is there any preparation work done for the start of their work, when it's going to happen? And also I understand that the Special Envoy on Syria is going to be here this month, and will he take part in any sort of side events during the GA week and so? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Yes. Mr. de Mistura will be here in New York towards the end of the month. We expect at that point that he can talk to various parties, including the Security Council, about where we stand and he may at some point then announce when the working groups will start. I do not expect the working groups will be operating until he has had that opportunity. And so it may be later on that he will announce that. As for any side events, as you know, we have lots and lots of side events during the end of this month when all the world leaders are here, and we may have something on that, but at this stage, many of these various events are still being arranged.
Question: Will he be available to meet with the press at that point, or can you… your office try to arrange for a press briefing?
Deputy Spokesman: We will certainly try to arrange it. And as you well know, he is very willing to meet with the press when he can. Yes?
Question: One quick follow‑up on that. Do you know if Staffan de Mistura had any consultations with the Syrian Government on these working groups yet or no?
Deputy Spokesman: He's consulted widely with all the various parties. And so he's been making progress but we don't have an announcement to make on… yet on when it will start. Like I said, that will await after he's come here and consulted with the Member States towards the end of this month. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. A little bit of distraction from the political affairs into legal affairs. Yesterday, in a North African country Member State, there was a widely published story that there is an organization called United Nations Arts that's nominating that Head of State into a Nobel Prize. And it was celebrated at many levels, including Government and ministers and other cabinet members. Obviously, looking at the letter that's been published that it's not a United Nations organization and it's registered to a residential address in the state of New Jersey, here in the United States. My question is, what are the safeguards, legal safeguards, that United Nations use to protect its copyright for its logos, name, brand name, etcetera, since there is sort of an international crookery operations taking place, utilizing the name of the Organization?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes. We take very seriously any misuse or fraudulent use of the UN name and UN logo. Our legal department will take any such abuse of the name or logo up with the relevant authorities. Normally, what we do is push for a cease and desist order so that any further communications by that party cannot go out if it is found to be misusing the UN name or logo. So that is how we would handle a situation such as the one you've described. Yes?
Question: Yes. Speaking of side events, Stéphane [Dujarric] yesterday mentioned that there will be a side event on the… on 30 September on the refugee crisis. Will the US be taking part in that?
Deputy Spokesman: It's not for me to comment or confirm different Governments' participation. You'd have to take that up with the US Mission.
Question: And a follow‑up. I'm wondering if the UN policy on migrants and refugees, there might be some conflict between the two. The Special Rapporteur's report from 15 June says that migration is a longstanding part of the human condition and in the globalized and conflict world in which we live, it's inevitable. You spoke earlier quite eloquently about the need to stop the conflicts which uproot people from places where they have lived for generations. Yet we have in the person of Mr. Sutherland and in this report here saying that economic forces rather than military forces are pushing migration and we should accept that as inevitable. So on one hand, we want to stop military action, which uproots people, but we blithely accept globalization, economic neoliberal policies which uproot people.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, it's not necessarily the case that we accept one push factor from migration and not the other. As you will see later this month, when the Member States deal with the sustainable development goals, part what we're trying to do is create a world where conditions across the globe are more equal and more fair, precisely in part to avoid that sort of situation where people cannot live in their own societies. Whether it's because they cannot feed themselves, whether they cannot feel safe in their homes, whatever the cause is, we want a world in which people can live basically anywhere safely, securely and fairly. Yes?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask about Colombia and also about Sudan. I want… did you have a meet… any kind of a readout of the Secretary‑General's meeting yesterday with the Foreign Minister of Colombia on the tensions with Venezuela? And can you confirm that the Secretary‑General will be meeting with the Foreign Minister of Venezuela later in the week on the same topic?
Deputy Spokesman: I cannot confirm that meeting until that happens so… but, of course, you can watch this space and we'll be able to provide details of any further meeting. We don't have a readout of that, but, yes, I do believe that one of the topics that was brought up was the relationship between Colombia and Venezuela.
Question: And did the Secretary‑General… I mean, in having these meetings, I understood he spoke with President [Nicolas] Maduro while he was in China on this topic. Does he see some role for the UN in this dispute?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, as we've said in the past, if both countries are willing to have a UN role for this, we would be willing to provide that. But ultimately, it depends on what the countries themselves want.
Question: And on Sudan, the press inside Sudan is carrying a lot of the coverage of President [Omar al] Bashir saying that he's going to end, you know, by force if necessary or by force certainly all rebellions within Sudan in 2016. This is viewed as a kind of a… an end of the discussion process and the beginning of a purely military process. Is… is the… the joint Special Representative aware of it? Is there any response by the UN to this statement by the President?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we would take seriously any threats to continue or to exacerbate the conflicts on the ground in Sudan. You… you've seen the efforts we've made on the ground diplomatically and through our peacekeeping and humanitarian offices to deal with the situation, and we do not want to see any further deterioration of a conflict which, as you know, has been running for many, many years already. Yes, Dulcie?
Question: Yeah. I see that Saudi Arabia has begun… if I'm reading this chart correctly, has begun to make good on its pledges to Yemen.
Deputy Spokesman: Yes.
Question: So it looks like the outstanding monies are due to UNICEF primarily. Does that mean that it's working on the MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] with UNICEF or what does that mean? And… and back to António Guterres. What was his explanation for stepping down? Thanks.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, as you know, Mr. Guterres has been on the job for more than a decade. In fact, his last extension was… took him from the summer when his current… his previous term was set to expire up to the end of the year. After that, I believe he is not opting to continue on, as is his right. But he's doing an excellent job in a time of great need, and we appreciate that he's still here and still working so hard and so assiduously on this.
Regarding Saudi Arabia, yes, you're right. As Stéphane pointed out about a week ago, a number of UN bodies, agencies, funds and programmes have worked out Memoranda of Understanding with Saudi Arabia, so the money is coming in, and we expect to see that proceed further. Have a good afternoon.