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.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
The Secretary-General, as you know, is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and he is about to address the fourth Summit of Arab and South American countries, which is opening just about now. In his remarks, the Secretary-General is expected to underline the long history of beneficial contact and exchanges between the two regions, saying that inter-regional cooperation offers a broad scope for mutual learning and sharing of experience as the regions strive to promote peace, development, social inclusion and human rights. He is expected to say that Latin American countries have largely made the transition that so many people across the Arab world yearn to make for themselves. And he will also stress the role of community organizations, civil society groups and human rights organizations in that regard.
On Yemen, the Secretary-General is expected to appeal to all sides to do their utmost to alleviate the humanitarian plight of the people and to avoid civilian casualties. Regarding the new round of peace consultations to be convened by his Special Envoy on Yemen this month, he is expected to say that all sides should lend their political support and engage in good faith.
The Secretary-General will also speak to the roles of the two regions in shaping the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. And he will call on leaders to reach a meaningful agreement in Paris on climate change. And before the opening of the summit, the Secretary-General met with the Foreign Ministers of Brazil and Colombia. He is also scheduled to meet with the King of Saudi Arabia and the Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defence a bit later this evening. And as I mentioned, we expect the Secretary-General to be back in the office at some point tomorrow.
**Security Council
Meantime, back here, Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy for Syria, will, as expected, brief the Security Council this afternoon and he also told me that he will speak to you briefly on the way out after the consultations. He will then be making his way to Vienna in anticipation of the meeting that will be taking place there. Earlier today, the Security Council adopted a resolution on piracy off the coast of Somalia and on the European Union's intention to maintain an EU military operation (EUFOR ALTHEA) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from this month onward.
**Central African Republic
Turning to the Central African Republic, the UN Mission in that country (MINUSCA) reports that the situation in Bambari deteriorated yesterday following the killing of three Muslims by suspected anti-Balaka individuals and the subsequent retaliatory killing of one Christian. The clashes were contained following the deployment of a UN peacekeeping Quick Reaction team and a meeting with community representatives.
Earlier today, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the country, met with the representatives of the Muslim community in Bangui. This follows similar encounters with the Protestant and Catholic community leaders. They discussed the current crisis and Mr. Onanga-Anyanga reaffirmed the UN’s determination to deal with the spoilers in all camps. He called on all Central Africans to work towards reconciliation and social cohesion.
The UN Mission also reports that the National Electoral Authority yesterday announced that the constitutional referendum will take place on 13 December and the first round of presidential and legislative elections will be held on 27 December. A second round of elections, if necessary, will be conducted on 31 January of next year.
**Jamal Benomar
And as you will have seen yesterday, the Secretary-General announced the appointment yesterday of Jamal Benomar of the United Kingdom as his Special Adviser. Mr. Benomar is a veteran UN senior leader who brings to this position a deep understanding of political dialogue processes and international peacebuilding efforts. As you know, he most recently served as the Special Envoy on Yemen, where he facilitated the positive conclusions of the National Dialogue Conference in 2014 and other agreements.
**Yemen
On Yemen, our humanitarian friends report that five people have been killed by Cyclone Megh, which hit Yemen yesterday. Sixteen people, including a number of fishermen, were reported missing and 60 people have been injured. The Tropical Cyclone caused significant damage on Socotra Island, including on roads, communication towers and water pipelines. Over 800 houses have been completely or partially destroyed and an estimated 3,000 families have been displaced — most of whom are sheltering in schools, mosques and a hospital under construction.
Following the impact of Cyclone Chapala on Yemen's mainland, two of the eleven UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and IOM (International Organization for Migration) trucks transporting basic supplies have reached the Al Mukalla area, while the remaining trucks have been delayed due to poor road conditions. Nine UNHCR and World Health Organization trucks, containing household items and other medical supplies, departed Sana’a last night for Shabwa and Al Mukalla. The UN and other health partners are carrying out disease surveillance of potential outbreaks, and UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund] is also providing hygiene kits.
**South Sudan
Turning to South Sudan, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General dealing with sexual violence in conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, today welcomed steps by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLM/SPLA) in Opposition to end conflict-related sexual violence.
The Special Representative commended the 54 senior officers of the SPLM/SPLA in Opposition for signing so-called “undertakings”. By signing, each officer takes individual responsibility, as well as command responsibility for his troops, and publicly declares that they will hold each soldier accountable for sexual violence crimes. Ms. Bangura’s office has more information, if you are interested.
**Niger
And from Niger, the UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] says that the number of Malian refugees in Niger has reached its highest level since conflict erupted in 2012, with thousands of people fleeing eastern Mali in recent weeks. The signing of the Algiers Accord has brought significant steps towards peace in parts of Mali, but it has not stemmed the flow into Niger and this is of concern and an unexpected development that is putting a strain on UNHCR’s operations in Niger.
The number of arrivals in Niger started rising during the year, spiking in October and early November, when an estimated 4,000 Malian refugees crossed to Niger from the sparsely populated eastern parts of Mali. There are now a total number of 54,000 refugees registered in early November, with another 3,000 awaiting registration. And I told you yesterday, John Ging, the Director of Operations for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, will be the guest here in a few minutes to talk about his recent travels to Mali.
**Canada
And UNHCR also today welcomed the announcement by the Government of Canada to take in an additional 25,000 refugees through humanitarian admission programmes by the end of this year. UNHCR will, of course, work with Canadian immigration authorities to help identify vulnerable Syrians, particularly in Lebanon and Jordan, and facilitate their move to Canada.
**Guinea
And the World Food Programme (WFP) said today that it is expanding its school meals programme in Guinea. As schools reopen across the country this week, the programme will allow for more than 240,000 children to receive school meals this academic year. Due to the Ebola outbreak, public schools in Guinea only reopened early this year, and the World Food Programme has helped to encourage families to send their children to school by gradually scaling-up the number of school canteens.
**Ethiopia
And UN agencies and humanitarian partners have warned that the El Niño global climactic event has wreaked havoc on Ethiopia’s summer rains, and has led to further food insecurity, malnutrition and water shortages in affected areas of the country. The number of people requiring emergency food assistance has increased to 8.2 million, but there are fears that this figure will continue to grow.
**United Nations Development Programme
And UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] tells us that on 8 and 9 November, Ministers from countries impacted by the Syria crisis and development and humanitarian practitioners gathered in Jordan with UN Agencies for the Resilience Development Forum, convened by the UNDP and hosted by the Government of Jordan. The objective of the Forum was to build momentum towards a better-integrated response to the Syria crisis. UNDP Administrator Helen Clark and UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres spoke in the opening session, and there is more information available from UNDP.
**Meningitis A
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that an affordable and effective vaccine is helping to bring the meningitis A epidemic in Africa close to elimination. Five years since the introduction of the meningitis A vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa - also known as the “meningitis belt” - only 4 labs confirmed cases in the region in 2013. In 1996, a meningitis A outbreak in the region infected an estimated 250,000 people and killed over 25,000 in just a few months. More information is available from the World Health Organization.
**Pulses
And today, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched the International Year of Pulses. In a message for the day, the Secretary-General said that pulses can contribute significantly in addressing food security, hunger, malnutrition, environmental challenges and human health. He added that the International Year is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the benefits of pulses as the world embarks on efforts to achieve the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For those of you who don’t know, because I didn’t, pulses are things like chickpeas and related food.
**Nepal
And a couple of answers to questions. We had been asked previously about the situation in Nepal. I can say that the Secretary-General indeed reiterates his concern over the obstruction of essential supplies on the Nepal-India border. Acute shortages in fuel supplies continue to impede planned deliveries to earthquake-affected villages in Nepal. Humanitarian organizations urgently require fuel to maintain operations and deliver food, warm clothing and shelter materials to high altitude areas that will soon be cut off by harsh winter weather. The Secretary-General underlines Nepal’s right of free transit, as a landlocked nation as well as for humanitarian reasons, and calls on all sides to lift the obstructions without further delay.
**South-South Cooperation
And I had been asked quite a bit, and I thought I had answered on the nature of the relationship between the UN Office for South-South Cooperation and UNDP, but I will try again. The UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) is an independent entity created by the General Assembly in its Resolution 3251(XXIX), in the 29th session, if I can read my Roman numerals correctly, to support cooperation among developing countries.
The Office is hosted by UNDP and, as is the case with similar entities, follows UNDP rules and regulations, including those pertaining to financial and human resource management. The Office for South-South Cooperation is likewise subject to UNDP’s oversight and due diligence instruments.
UNDP’s Office of Audit and Investigation (OAI) is carrying out a full audit of UNOSSC’s activities. All documentation relevant to the audit will be made available to the Office of Audit and Investigation. All findings of the audit will be acted upon according to established rules and procedures. The results of the audit will be made public once it is complete, in accordance with UNDP’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. While in Saudi Arabia, will the Secretary‑General be also meeting with Saudi leaders about their continuing air campaign in Yemen?
Spokesman: As I mentioned, we expect the Secretary‑General to be meeting with the King, as well as the Deputy Crown Prince. A host of issues will be on the table, but obviously, Yemen, I expect, to be very high on the agenda.
Question: And, also, will the Secretary‑General of the Organization of Islamic Conference have a meeting scheduled?
Spokesman: Not that I'm aware, and I'm not sure he's participating in this particular meeting. Evelyn?
Question: This is also on Saudi Arabia. Is the Secretary‑General going to tell the Saudis not to bomb everything that moves in Yemen? And is he going to talk…
Spokesman: I think the Secretary‑General will make his position clear of the need to end the conflict and end the violence in the country.
Question: Is he going to mention human rights at all, like how they treat women?
Spokesman: I would refer you back to the… in fact, I should have mentioned, the speech the Secretary‑General is about to deliver is available under embargo, and I would urge you to read it. Mr. Lee, Mr. Abbadi, then Majeed, then Mr. Avni.
Question: Sure, I want to ask about Yemen and Burundi. But I want to follow up on this answer you came back with on the Office of South‑South Cooperation. So if they're subject to UNDP's rules and they and you have seen the letter from Teresa Liu requesting $100,000 contributions to be sat next to Heads of State, does this comply with UNDP rules?
Spokesman: I would urge you to send that question to both…
Question: I have.
Spokesman: Well, we'll try to get you an answer.
Question: Right. And also… I wanted to ask you about this document that the Office of South‑South Cooperation and Mr. David Ng and the Prime Minister of Dominica signed, that now is going on 11 days, and I want you to know that the opposition leader in Dominica that requested it as a citizen has now been threatened with litigation for requesting it. So since it's a UN document, I wanted… one, it should be released, but I wanted to know whether your… whether UNDP or this office is subject to pressure from the Government not to release what's a public UN document?
Spokesman: I think you should… first of all, that document, I'm sure, if it exists, and any other document will be subject of the audit, but I would ask you to refer those questions to either UNDP or to the South‑South Cooperation…
Question: Eleven days ago, I sent it to the Spokesman of OSSC, but I wanted to say what's true of the audit on the Secretariat side; you can't use an audit as an excuse not to release documents that have to be public. It's not like in a budget, can you say the UN budget is confidential…?
Spokesman: Documents…
Correspondent: It's a public document.
Spokesman: Some documents are public. Others are not. I can speak for the Secretariat, but I can't speak for the other two…
Question: Are the technology facility agreements signed by this Office of South‑South Cooperation confidential?
Spokesman: I can't speak to that. Mr. Abbadi?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. As you indicated at the Riyadh meeting, the Secretary‑General emphasized the cooperation between regions. Would… does he think that that cooperation will be even more enhanced if that cooperation took place in the perspective of integrated unified regions?
Spokesman: Mr. Abbadi, I can always rely on you to ask me questions that are beyond the scope of my limited scope. I think the Secretary‑General underscores the need for cooperation among regions. I think he's seen… and obviously… I'll leave it at that, Mr. Abbadi. I'm trying not to speak too much on things I don't fully understand. Majeed?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. I want to ask about Syria and upcoming Vienna talks. There's the issue of who should be included in the talks from Syria and who's terrorist and who's not. There's this big debate about this. We heard every parties' almost view, including Iran, United States, Russia. But what about the United Nations? I know Mr. de Mistura tried to keep the neutrality, but what is the GA’s thinking about this? Does he have a specific view of how this issue should be addressed? And my second part of the question is more, like, theoretical term. Is there a definition by the United Nations for who… or a criteria of who should be included as a terrorist, in general, like who terrorist is and who's not?
Spokesman: I think the Secretary‑General routinely condemns terrorist acts when they occur. As to terrorist groups, there are lists kept by the Security Council, groups who are put on that terrorist list. As to who will participate in the talks, I will follow Mr. de Mistura's lead. He's obviously going to Vienna to follow up on the meeting. There are tasks assigned to the UN in Chapter 7 of the previous Vienna Communiqué. We'll be supporting that process in any way we can, but I don't want to get ahead of the process.
Question: To follow up on that… about the GA's view, does he have any opinion about how this process should go about?
Spokesman: You're talking about the SG, not the GA.
Correspondent: Yes, Secretary‑General.
Spokesman: Yes, okay. The Secretary‑General is more than fully supportive of the process that is being led by the Russian and U.S. foreign ministers. We are working very hard in order to try to find a stop to the conflict and the violence in Syria. The contours of how exactly this will happen are still being worked out, but we're… it's based on the Vienna Communiqué, and our tasks are outlined in Article 7. Mr. Avni?
Correspondent: Yeah, hopefully, since I haven't been here couple of days, maybe I miss…
Spokesman: It's not… just because you haven't heard it doesn't mean it hasn't been said.
Question: It does mean that. Tree falls in the forest. There was an incident at… in Western Sahara, MONUSCO [sic], that a lot of people were demonstrating in front of the place and making a lot of noise. Is there… did you say anything about that? Plus, I want to know, while we are at it, because the demonstration was about granting autonomy to Western Sahara, I want to know what's the UN position on the idea of autonomy?
Spokesman: I would refer you back to the statement we released a couple of days ago on the 40th… to mark the 40th anniversary of the conflict, which I think clearly lays out the Secretary‑General's position. That position has not changed in the four days since the statement was released. As for the demonstrations, I will try to find out. I have not seen any… personally seen any of these reports.
Question: Also, separately, on another issue, I saw the statement on Camp Liberty, the attacks there. Is there any follow‑up on that? Is there any… how… how involved is the UN in finding out what actually happened there?
Spokesman: I've not been… no follow‑up's been shared with me. Obviously, there is a Special Envoy of the Secretary‑General who deals with this issue, Jane Holl Lute. We'll see if there's any update from her office. Masood?
Question: Yes, Stéphane. Thank you. Can you tell us that, after this Herculean effort made by the Secretary‑General to somehow bring the Israeli and Palestinian together for a talk, has it paid off? Is there any ray of hope? And the continuing incarceration of Palestinians by Israelis is also calling… is a cause of concern.
Spokesman: I think that's an issue that has been routinely flagged by the Secretary‑General and his other… and his representatives. As for the results of the Secretary‑General's effort, I think, as we all know, this has been a longstanding conflict. The Secretary‑General and other international leaders will keep pushing the parties to sit down, and we very much hope that that will happen. Dulcie?
Question: But what I'm saying… asking is, does the Secretary‑General believe that there is a real hope? Because it doesn't seem, it’s a brick wall.
Spokesman: The Secretary‑General does believe there is a… there is not only a possibility but there is a need for both to reach… to sit down and to reach an agreement of two states living side by side in peace and security. Dulcie?
Question: Yeah, if you could explain Jamal Benomar's new role. It's just a little vague. And then there were two statements that were sent out, one saying he was this new… Ban's new Special Adviser, but it wasn't really clear what his role would be, and now he's in charge of the UN response to Burundi. So does he… is there a… job duties? I mean, what is he going to be focusing on? And also, who is his predecessor? So it gets some context.
Spokesman: It's a Special Adviser role, I think, with multiple portfolios to be at the availability of the Secretary‑General. Obviously, the Burundi file will be one of his main focus, and he will be given other tasks as needed. Mr. Abbadi, then Mr. Lee.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. On the Burundi situation, the deputy… the Russian deputy ambassador said that what is needed is not sanctions but political solution. Does the Secretary‑General agree with this view?
Spokesman: The issue of sanctions is one for the Security Council to decide. As for a political solution, I think that would echo the words of the Secretary‑General, as delivered by Jeff Feltman yesterday. Mr. Lee?
Question: Ask about Yemen and Burundi, but I'm going to do… I'll do Burundi first as a follow‑up to that. Yesterday at the stakeout, Peter Wilson of the UK said that the issue of continued or… or service of Burundian peacekeepers, particularly those involved in the violence in UN peacekeeping, is a big issue, is something that needs to be looked at in the wider context of the response to the events in Burundi right now. Since… I think I've previously asked you about… my understanding is the Under‑Secretary‑General of Peacekeeping waived Burundi not having the right equipment twice in a row in CAR. I wanted you to describe, if you could, what is the process, one, for vetting individuals that come out of the… what you described as a… big violence in Burundi, but also of giving these waivers. Is this something that's done unilaterally by the Secretariat?
Spokesman: I'm not… I can't speak to the waivers because I can't… I don't know if what you say is, in fact, a fact.
Question: Can… can… is the meeting in September…?
Spokesman: As far as… as far as Burundian troops, they continue to serve in the Central African Republic and other missions, if I'm not mistaken. They are rotated through the standard human rights vetting process, which involves the UN, which involves the government, which involves the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and which involves the more… the broader human rights community.
Question: What about the issue of… there have been several complaints by the peacekeepers themselves of not getting paid leaving some in Burundi to say, in fact, this is a way in which the UN is subsidizing the Government and the very activities that Mr. Zeid was condemning yesterday? What steps are taken to ensure that the money reaches the peacekeepers?
Spokesman: Obviously, it is critical whether it's in the case of Burundi if it, in fact, happens or other countries that individual peacekeepers receive the monies that are owed to them.
Question: But Mr. [Hervé] Ladsous right here in September said that he's… that he's not sure whether this money reaches soldiers. So what steps does the UN take, particularly in a case like Burundi, where you're accusing the Government of cracking down on the people, what steps are taken?
Spokesman: As I said, I think it's incumbent on the governments to ensure that their soldiers get paid. Did you have another question?
Question: Yes I do. I wanted to ask you about Yemen. The contractors, what you described as contractors, I guess it's sad, but I wanted you to confirm what the State Department has said, which is that one of them has died, John Hamen. It's also reported that the UN has been somehow involved in trying to get them released. What's the UN statement, given that you flew them in there?
Spokesman: I… we've been informed by the State Department of the death of one of the contractors. And, obviously, we send our deep condolences to his family, to his wife, to his children. The other contractor, as far as I understand, remains in custody, but I have nothing to share with you as to discussions that may be going on.
Question: And one last thing on Yemen. It seems like if the Secretary‑General is in Saudi Arabia and talking about Yemen, is the envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, there or is he in Mauritania?
Spokesman: I don't have a location of the envoy. I don't think he's in Riyadh. Obviously, the Secretary‑General's trip was very quickly arranged, and I don't think the envoy was able to get there. [He later said that Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed was on his way to Riyadh.]
Question: Is it on track for 15 November, the talks?
Spokesman: We will announce… as he said, we will announce a date when we're ready. Dulcie and then Evelyn.
Question: Oh, thanks. I also wanted to ask you about the status of the UN sanitation water fund for Haiti. It was 18 per cent funded as of last month…
Spokesman: I don't have those numbers, but I can find out. I don't have them with me, but I can find out.
Question: Okay. And also, this meeting with the King in Saudi Arabia, is this the first time Ban Ki‑moon has met with the King and the defence minister?
Spokesman: No. He has met him at least twice, if I'm not mistaken. And I was present at one of those meetings, so I know one for sure and I think two, at least. Evelyn and then we'll go to John Ging.
Question: In the Central African Republic, the violence seems to be increasing, according to a report from Reuters. Is it wise to hold elections or… or will the elections make it worse?
Spokesman: The fact the violence is increasing is something we talk about daily from here and from Bujumbura… excuse me, from Bangui. Obviously, it is up to the national authorities to decide whether or not the elections can be held. They have set new dates. We are working very closely with the Government and the internal security forces to try to keep as much calm as possible in the country.
I will get Mr. Ging, and he will be happy to talk to you.