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.
**Slovakia
The Secretary-General today is in Slovakia. He received an honorary degree from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, and he spoke there about how the current migration and refugee challenges in Europe demand resolve and generosity. He said that Slovakia can understand these challenges from the viewpoint of its large diaspora, where some who left faced hateful discrimination in their new lands. The Secretary-General said that people fleeing political oppression, grinding poverty and raging conflict need more than passive tolerance; they need protection and support. They also deserve lasting solutions. That is why, he said, we are working to resolve these conflicts.
The Secretary-General added that yesterday, he visited Slovakia’s Tatra Mountains, and he noted that global warming has played a role in the destruction of the forests there.
He also spoke to students at [Comenius] University’s International Relations Institute, telling them how the United Nations is bringing countries together to address transnational threats based on common values. A country may have the strongest army in the world, he said, but that would never keep Ebola virus out.
We have the full transcript of his remarks in my office.
**Yemen
The Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, concluded a three-day visit to Riyadh today, where he met with Yemen’s President [Abdrabuh Mansour] Mansour Hadi and Vice President Khaled [Mahfoudh Abdullah] Bahah. He also met with key Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef Bin Abdelaziz Al Saud, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Minister for Foreign Affairs Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir. The Special Envoy further met representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council and representatives of the diplomatic community in Riyadh.
The Special Envoy welcomes the statement by the officials of the Government of Yemen in which they expressed their willingness to participate in peace talks. In the coming weeks, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed will be working with Government representatives, the Houthis and their allies to complete preparations for the talks, which will help ensure that the negotiations lead to concrete benefits for the Yemeni people and the foundation for sustainable peace.
The Special Envoy will be in New York this week to brief the Security Council on the latest updates and hold bilateral meetings with relevant parties.
**Syria
From Syria, yesterday, 31 aid trucks carrying medical and humanitarian supplies for 29,500 people reached Fouah and Kafraya in Syria’s Idlib Governorate, and Zabadani and Madaya in Rural Damascus Governorate.
This is a joint UN, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Syrian Arab Red Crescent operation under the framework of the Zabadani, Fouah and Kafraya ceasefire agreement reached in Istanbul on 22 September, with the facilitation of the Office of the UN Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura.
Yesterday’s mission was critical as it allowed aid organizations to reach thousands of people in these besieged locations with urgently needed assistance. Negotiations continue with the aim of delivering further humanitarian and medical supplies.
The United Nations and its partners look forward to the implementation of the remaining points covered under the agreement, including the urgent evacuation of critically wounded people. The UN calls on all the parties to facilitate these lifesaving humanitarian actions.
**Lebanon
Today, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag, visited the north Lebanon area of Akkar. She met with authorities in the area to discuss political and socioeconomic challenges and the impact of the Syria crisis. She also had the opportunity to meet with Syrian refugee families. There is a press release from her office available online.
**Libya
Today, representatives from 40 countries, UN agencies and international organizations met in London to discuss effective ways to support a new Libyan Government of National Accord.
At the meeting, organized by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UK Government, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for the country, Ali [H.] Al-Za’tari, reiterated the UN’s calls for the Libyan parties to endorse the political agreement.
As you know, the Security Council also issued a press statement on Libya last Friday, stressing that the political agreement offers a real [prospect] for resolving the country’s political, security, and institutional crises.
**Central African Republic
On the Central African Republic, the UN Mission there, MINUSCA [United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic], reports that seven UN police were ambushed and detained illegally by alleged anti-Balaka elements last evening near Boali in Ombella Mpoko. All UN police were freed the same night.
In a separate incident yesterday, a MINUSCA position in Damara, also in Ombella Mpoko prefecture, was fired upon by three unknown armed men. Peacekeepers returned fire, killing one assailant and seizing a number of weapons. Two of the assailants managed to escape.
The Mission strongly condemns attacks against its peacekeepers and calls for swift action to bring the perpetrators in both crimes to justice. The Mission underlines that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute a war crime and reminds all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law.
And just to add on the same subject that the Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O’Brien, will be travelling to the Central African Republic starting tomorrow until 23 October. He will take stock of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, deepened by the recent violence.
During his visit, he hopes to meet displaced people in Bangui and in Dekoa in Kémo province. He is also expected to meet President Catherine Samba-Panza and other senior officials and representatives of the humanitarian community to discuss challenges in delivering assistance and ways of improving response to those affected by the crisis.
On 23 October, O'Brien is scheduled to travel to Cameroon, where he will meet senior Government officials and the humanitarian community to raise awareness of the humanitarian situation and discuss ways to better support those affected by the crises in the Central African Republic and Nigeria.
**Afghanistan
Turning to Afghanistan, humanitarian partners have reported calm conditions and restoration of some services within Kunduz city centre. Water and electricity have been restored in most parts of the city, including in Kunduz Regional Hospital, which is now operational.
Although some displaced families are returning to the city, security concerns remain. Most displaced families urgently require food, water and shelter, as well as health care, sanitation support and protection.
Aid organizations need additional funding to replenish emergency stocks. The 2015 Humanitarian Response Plan is only 49 per cent funded so far. More information is available online.
**Philippines
A note from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) regarding Typhoon Koppu, which made landfall in the Philippines yesterday and is slow-moving and is expected to continue bringing intense rainfall along its path.
The Government of the Philippines has reported three deaths and five injuries so far, while more than 100,000 people have been evacuated.
The UN is working with the Government to carry out rapid needs assessments to better understand the humanitarian impact of the Typhoon.
For her part, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, praised the Philippines today for its successful efforts to reduce mortality and the numbers of people impacted by the latest typhoon.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is also on high alert and has prepositioned supplies for about 12,000 families, including water purification tablets, medicines and school supplies.
**Food Insecurity
The FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] and the World Food Programme (WFP) are expanding their operations in response to growing food insecurity as a result of poor harvests across much of Southern Africa. Latest estimates from the Southern African Development Community warn that there could be an estimated 27.4 million food-insecure people in the region during the next six months.
WFP, FAO and other partners are also monitoring the El Niño weather phenomenon, which could significantly impact Southern Africa following a poor agricultural season. More information from FAO and WFP.
**Road Traffic
Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its Global status report on road safety 2015, which reveals that some 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.
That number is stabilizing even though the number of motor vehicles worldwide has increased rapidly, as has the global population. The report is available online.
**Appointment
The Secretary-General is announcing the appointment of Waldemar Vrey of South Africa as his Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). He will focus on political issues and rule of law.
Mr. Vrey succeeds Mark Kroeker of the United States of America, whose appointment ended this past September. The Secretary-General is of course grateful to Mr. Kroeker for his service.
Mr. Vrey is currently Director for the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Group in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOA). If you are interested, his bio is in my office.
**Press Conferences
As soon as you are done with me, I will be joined by Ms. Cristina Gallach, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information. She will brief you on activities planned around UN Day later this week. And I think she will have some show and tell.
Tomorrow at 10:30 AM, in this room, there will be a press conference on the launch of the World’s Women Report. Speakers will be Lenni Montiel, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic [Development], Keiko Osaki Tomita, Chief of the Demographic and Social Statistics Branch, and Francesca Grum, Chief of the Social and Housing Statistics Section, all in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
1.15 p.m.: Press Conference by Juan Ernesto Mendez, Special Rapporteur on torture; Claudio Grossman, Chair of the Committee against Torture; and Malcolm Evans, Chair of the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture.
**Questions and Answers
Sir and then sir?
Question: Thanks, Stéphane. Two questions. While the SG was in Slovakia, has he raised the issue of the Slovak Government calling for only accepting Musl… non-Muslims, only Christians, and a kind of, you know, discriminatory approach, as some UN officials have said? Has this specifically been raised in his discussions with Slovak authorities? And, also, is there any update on the food rations in Sudan for UNAMID [United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur]? Have they been released?
Spokesman: They have not been released. The food… the 190 containers have not been released, but the process of clearance is underway. We're working with the Sudanese authorities, and our colleagues on the ground are working on the situation, and they have… the things are… I would say the process is moving in the right direction. But there's still imports to Sudan, wherever they… yeah. They haven't left where they were. But the process is underway.
Of course, the issue of refugees and migrants was in the… part of the discussions of the Secretary-General in his meeting with Slovak authorities. I think the Secretary-General's message, whether it was today in Bratislava or in Rome on Saturday, was one of the need for compassion, for nondiscrimination, for treating people fleeing war, persecution, hardship to be treated with respect and dignity. And I think the Secretary-General's message has been strong and consistent with all the parties he has met. Mr. Lee, then Mr. Avni? And then Masood.
Question: Sure. Some questions about the ongoing Ng Lap Seng case including his release on bail, but I wanted to ask first about what you said on Yemen, two things. One, did the envoy while in Yemen [sic] have any comment on the deployment of Sudanese ground troops to Aden, and does he know whether these are the same troops that are charged with human rights violations in Blue Nile, etc.?
Spokesman: We, of course, have no way of knowing which troops may be deployed. But what is clear is that the focus should be on finding a political solution and not increasing the military units that are in Yemen.
Question: And this… about this letter, it's… heard on Friday and now I've seen reports of a letter that the Secretary-General wrote to President Hadi, apparently stating that the Houthis have agreed in its entirety to the Security Council resolution. And I wanted to know, is that… what can you say about this letter? It's now been reported in various places… Who drafted it? What does it say? Will you release it? And is it true?
Spokesman: I have nothing to say on that reported letter. Mr. Avni?
Question: Yeah, on Friday, during the Security Council special session, both Russia and Spain asked for a report that was prepared at the Secretary-General… at the Secretariat, regarding the protection forces, the history of protection forces, and they wanted it to be circulated among Council members. Is there a process for such circulation? What are the…
Spokesman: There is always a process for circulation. But we… one of the things we do best is circulate.
Question: Could you detail that process for us?
Spokesman: There is, in fact, a historical document. It is not a report. And obviously, if the Member States request it, it will be circulated. And I'll have an update for you short… on that a little bit later.
Question: And will it be made public, as well?
Spokesman: It's interesting how sometimes things that are circulated to Security Council have a way of making themselves public. Masood?
Question: Yes, sir, on the situation in occupied Jerusalem and Israel, which is spiraling out of control, has the Secretary-General been able to talk to the Israeli Prime Minister at all?
Spokesman: No, there's not been any direct contact so far between the Secretary-General and the Prime Minister. But as I've said often here, his representative on the ground, Mr. [Nickolay] Mladenov, has been in regular touch with both Israeli and Palestinian Authorities with the same message of de‑escalating the violence and getting the political discussions back on track.
Question: Yeah, I… and if I may, can I ask you a question about this situation in Kashmir, where Srinagar has been shut down after the killing of a boy over there and the ensuing fight?
Spokesman: You may, but I don't have any information for you on… I have no information to share on that, but I will ask my colleagues who may know to see what I can tell you.
Question: Thank you.
Spokesman: Yes?
Question: I have a follow-up question regarding the occupied Palestinian territories. You are talking about two different things. The one thing is the forces that the French required in al-Aqsa and the other one is the… or suggested to send international forces, and other one is the Palestinian request that is being discussed in the Secretariat. Am I correct? Or…
Spokesman: I really have nothing to say on what the French may be… may have said. I think what we're talking about is Member States requesting a historical document that has been prepared by the Secretariat that focuses on…
Question: Protection of the Palestinian people? [Cross talk]
Spokesman: That’s what we’re talking about. That's what I'm talking about at least.
Correspondent: Okay. Thank you.
Spokesman: Stefano?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. About the Secretary-General's visit in Europe and yesterday meeting refugees in Italy, he insisted that the crisis is not a crisis on numbers. So because in Europe many politicians be saying exactly the contrary, why… there is a specific number that, let's say, after the number becomes a crisis of numbers?
Spokesman: I think… you know, I think what the Secretary-General has been saying and what also the High Commissioner for Refugees has been saying for quite some time now is, I think, seeing the population of Europe and the numbers of refugees and migrants that we are talking about, that there should be the capacity to deal with this, and it is really a crisis of compassion. When you look at the responsibility that other countries in other parts of the world are handling, whether it's Lebanon, where, as you know, 25 per cent of its population now, 25 per cent of its population, are made of up of Syrian refugees. You look at countries like Kenya, which have been hosting hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees for generations, unfortunately. There are a lot of the countries in the developing world, in Africa and other places, that are caring and that have… are hosting hundreds and hundreds of thousands of refugees. So the Secretary-General, as he said, understands the political and sometimes economic issues that this arrival of refugees and migrants shows and the challenges that they raise. But he is saying that it is possible to deal with the situation in a in a compassionate way. I think the Secretary-General was extremely moved by his visit to the Sant’ Egidio Centre in Rome, from the stories that we heard of young men and women making a perilous journeys across the Mediterranean. And I think as he's repeatedly said, he was very thankful for the compassion that the Italian Government and the Italian people have shown in dealing with this current crisis. Linda?
Question: Stéphane, apropos of the refugees, you just said that lots of countries are hosting refugees. How do you define… I mean…
Spokesman: Or have… maybe hosting was… you're right… have large numbers of refugees on their soil. Whether in camps or whether in host communities, whether it's Jord… you know, a lot of the… in fact, if I'm not mistaken, the vast majority of Syrian refugees in Lebanon are living with host communities. Same thing in Jordan. We're seeing that also in Cameroon, where a lot of Nigerians have fled Boko Haram or are host… are in… either in communities or in camps. And these countries are… have very limited financial resources. UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) is also underfunded in many of its operations. And what the Secretary-General… the Secretary-General's message is one of showing compassion and being able to do an effort to take care of these people who are fleeing war or fleeing persecution and other hardships.
Question: I'm sorry, Stéphane, just to follow up quickly, when you say taking care of people, I mean, are countries required to allow refugees to be integrated into society…?
Spokesman: The 1951… there's a 1951 Convention on Refugees, which was developed, in fact, because of the refugees that were in Europe after the Second World War. It was designed with the focus on Europe. And countries have a responsibility to offer protection to those who qualify as refugees. And if they are migrants, there should be processes through which their claims… their requests for migration is handled, and they need… it needs to be handled humanely and with their… respect for their dignity. Mr. Lee, round two, and then Masood.
Question: Okay. I wanted to ask, first, I was… two related questions on this, but the first one is just whether there's any comment from the Secretariat on the release on bail of David Ng Lap Seng on $50 million bail that the individual alleged to have poured money into the UN. What do you think of it?
Spokesman: No. The justice system in this country is going its course, and there's nothing for me to comment on.
Question: I wanted to ask about a particular event and you'll see… it was sponsored by the Global Sustainability Foundation (GSF), which is one of the two named to be looked at by OIOS [Office of Internal oversight Services]. My question was, it took place very… relatively recently, 30 June, in the UN lobby. The Secretary-General was there. Mr. Sam Kutesa was there. Sheri Yan, also charged, was there, and I wanted to know not… I assume that the audit will find out how this came about and what the… what was the Secretary-General's understanding in going to that event? What the event was about… [Cross talk]
Spokesman: The Secretary-General was invited by the President of the General Assembly, as he's often invited to do, and he accepted the invitation from the President of the General Assembly.
Question: Right. And you… and it's since been said at this ITU (International Telecommunications Union) event, if I ended up getting the video, Mr. Kutesa traveled to China with GSF after… between these two events. I guess my question is, can you say even pending the audit, what steps have been taken for the Secretary-General to when invited to events to… to take a look at them and in some way vet them before…
Spokesman: Well, we obviously vet events to the best of our ability, but, you know, I think every… if there is… we vet events to the best of our ability. I don't know what more I can say to that.
Question: And just one more on this.
Spokesman: Of course.
Question: Okay. Thanks. The… the… the… it turns out the GSF was actually only formed in… pretty recently, in 2014, and there's video of the founding of the organization in the fourth floor delegate's dining room, and the Secretary-General's spouse is there. Mr. [Vijay] Nambiar is there. So this seems to be different. This is not a Sam Kutesa event to which these people attended, invited. This was the formation of an organization that's now in wild disrepute, and I wanted to know, what do you say about that?
Spokesman: I don't have all the details of the event that you're looking at, and I'm sure the audit will take a look at it. Mr. Avni and then we'll move to the… Masood and then we'll move to the Under-Secretary-General.
Question: Just a follow-up on that. Given all that has transpired since the arrest of [John] Ashe and all that and questions like that where the… you say the Secretary-General vets all events that he goes to or tries to vet, shouldn't there be more UN oversight over the office of PGA [President of the General Assembly] because it is so… such a part of the UN, including…
Spokesman: I don't know what you mean by UN oversight.
Question: I mean shouldn't it, for instance, be looked at by OIOS, which it hasn't been? Shouldn't it be…?
Spokesman: I think, first of all, the President of the General Assembly is responsible to the Member States who've elected him. So we would hope the General Assembly does take a look at how its President behaves. OIOS, as you know, reports to both the General Assembly and the Secretary-General, and I think, as the [Controller] explained to you, the official… the monies that are in official UN accounts are audited both internally and externally. So there is oversight in that sense. Obviously, the Secretary-General would expect every… anyone who is associated with the United Nations to behave with the most ethical standards. But, as you know, the President of the General Assembly is not a staff member of the United Nations. He remains representative of his… he is elected by the Member States, and the Secretary-General has no say as to who is elected.
Question: Right. But that's my point. My point is that, because of the symbiosis between the GA President and the Secretary-General, doesn't the Secretary-General think that there should be some kind of Secretariat ability to… to… to… at least assure that, as you said, the inspects will happen… [Cross talk]
Spokesman: Well, I think there is a… There is an, in a sense, oversight through the accounts, but this is an organization of 193 very sovereign Member States. They choose their President, and he is responsible to that body.
Evelyn, then Masood, then we'll go to Christina.
Question: To follow up on Benny's question, isn't it time that someone in the Secretariat, whether it is the Secretary-General or someone else, or the current GA President make an appeal, even if it fails, than this is ruining the reputation of the UN?
Spokesman: I don't think anyone needs to make an appeal. We know… I mean, I know it is having a negative impact on the brand, so to speak, and that's why it's important that anyone who associated with the United Nations behaves in the most ethical and honorable manner. Yes, sir?
Question: Stéphane, do you have any report on the status of Mr. Staffan de Mistura's mission on Syria? And also, can you tell… any reaction to U.S. Secretary of State's proposal to have multiparty talks on Syria again?
Spokesman: I haven't seen any comments by Mr. [John] Kerry. Mr. de Mistura is continuing his efforts on the operationalizing of the Geneva Communiqué.
Question: But he has nothing to report back. Is there…
Spokesman: Well, you know, sometimes there's a lot of work that goes on below the water line, and when it's ready to emerge, it shall emerge.
Question: When will you have any reaction on Mr. Kerry's political statement?
Spokesman: Let me look at what he said, and then I will do my best.
Ms. Gallach, you are summoned to the podium.