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.
**Violence against Women
Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the launch of UN Women’s civil society-driven 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, which will last until Human Rights Day on 10 December. Speaking at a commemorative event this morning, the Secretary-General said that ending violence against women and girls is a top priority for achieving the UN’s founding mission of peace, development and human rights.
The Secretary-General said that he remains committed to doing everything possible to advance women’s leadership in classrooms, boardrooms and negotiating rooms. He added that he counts on all of us to join him in pressing men to understand that women’s safety and equality are in everyone’s interest. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura, has also issued a message urging everyone to be the voice of those who have been silenced by violence, and to take action against this atrocity. More information on the day is available on UN Women’s website and the Secretary-General’s remarks and message are available on our website.
**Sahel
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Sahel, Hiroute Guebre Sellassie, told the Security Council this morning that security threats continue to be the main preoccupation in the region. She said that the countries of the region, among the poorest and least developed in the world, were increasingly forced to dedicate important percentages of their budgets to address security threats.
She added that if nothing was done to improve access to education, increase employment and integration opportunities for the youth, the Sahel would become a hub of mass migration and of recruitment and training of terrorist groups and individuals. She called on the Security Council to fully use the existing mechanisms and expand their mandates to better monitor, report on and prevent drug trafficking in the region. She also asked the Council to remain engaged in support of the Sahel. And as you know, Ms. Sellassie spoke to you at the stakeout just a few minutes ago.
**Terrorism
I just wanted to draw your attention to a number of statements we issued late yesterday in response to attacks around the world. The Secretary-General condemned the Tuesday attack in Tunis against a bus carrying Presidential Guards, which resulted in many deaths and injuries.
And he also condemned the terrorist attack in North Sinai’s al-Arish City, Egypt, which reportedly killed a number of Government officials, security personnel and civilians. The Secretary-General reiterates his strong belief in the need for a holistic approach to preventing and countering the scourge of terrorism, stressing due regard for international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law.
Also yesterday, the Secretary-General condemned an explosive attack against a convoy of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), which was travelling in the Timbuktu region. That attack resulted in the death of one civilian staff member. We have all those statements available online.
**Balkans
We also issued the following statement attributable to the Spokesman on the situation of refugees and migrants in the Balkan States: The Secretary-General expresses his serious concerns on the recent border restrictions imposed by a number of States in the Balkans. Profiling asylum seekers on the basis of their alleged nationality infringes the human right of all people to seek asylum, irrespective of their nationality and to have their individual cases heard.
The Secretary-General calls on all States in the region to respond effectively to the mounting humanitarian challenges and to ensure that their policies on screening asylum seekers are in line with international refugee and human rights law. He urges European governments to significantly improve their capacities for reception and to speed up implementation of the relocation programmes for refugees. He recalls that collective expulsion and refoulement are strictly prohibited under international law.
The Secretary-General further reiterates his call on all States in the region to respond with compassion, solidarity and shared responsibility, and notes that the current situation highlights the urgent need for coordinated border management.
**Central African Republic
The UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) says that the Quick Reaction Force from the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) has now fully deployed to Bangui. Over the past few days, cargo flights have also brought in equipment for the force. This deployment comes less than a week after the Secretary-General submitted a letter to the Security Council requesting approval for the temporary re-deployment of the Quick Reaction Force to MINUSCA for a period of eight weeks under inter-mission cooperation arrangements.
**Yemen
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, said that he was deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian situation for people living in the central Yemeni city of Taizz. Since September fighting has intensified there, and some 200,000 vulnerable civilians are living under a virtual state of siege, in dire need of drinking water, food, medical treatment and other life-saving assistance and protection. Civilian neighbourhoods, medical facilities and other premises around the city are continually hit by shelling, while checkpoints are preventing people from moving to safer areas and seeking assistance.
Despite repeated attempts by UN agencies and our humanitarian partners to negotiate access and reach people, he said, trucks have remained stuck at checkpoints and only very limited [assistance] has been allowed in. He called the situation unacceptable and called on all parties to work with the United Nations and other neutral and impartial organizations to urgently facilitate the delivery of life-saving assistance and protection to civilians and the safe and unhindered access of humanitarian workers to Taizz City, without further delay.
**Ukraine
The World Food Programme (WFP) today delivered food to non-government controlled areas of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine for the first time since the suspension of humanitarian activities four months ago. A 12-truck convoy reached Luhansk earlier this week, carrying enough WFP food supplies to feed more than 7,000 people for one month. More convoys bringing food to Luhansk are planned, with the next one scheduled to arrive later this week.
The World Food Programme did not have access into non-government controlled areas since the end of July 2015. The agency is seeking to provide food assistance to more than 100,000 people affected by the conflict in non-government controlled areas in both Luhansk and Donetsk regions by the end of 2015.
**Climate Change
On climate, a five-year analysis released today by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that the global average surface temperature in 2015 is likely to be the warmest on record and to reach the symbolic and significant milestone of 1° Celsius above the pre-industrial era. This is due to a combination of a strong El Niño weather pattern and human-induced global warming, according to the Organization.
The years 2011-2015 have been the warmest five-year period on record, with many extreme weather events - especially heatwaves. The World Meteorological Organization issued its provisional statement on the status of the climate in 2015, and an additional five-year analysis for 2011-2015, to inform negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference, starting in Paris next Monday. More details are available on its website.
**Pesticides
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) released today updated guidelines for countries on pesticide legislation and labelling. Some thirty years after FAO first launched its International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides, the Agencies say that pesticide legislation formulated in the 1980s and 1990s needs a health check-up to ensure that countries are effectively protecting people and the environment. Globally, the use of pesticides has continued to grow: industry data suggest that the size of the global pesticide market has doubled over the past 15 years and currently exceeds $50 billion in annual sales.
**Noon Briefing Guest
In a short while, I will be joined by Kyung-wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). She will brief you on her recent trip to Ethiopia.
**Briefings
And before we turn to questions, let me wish you all a happy Thanksgiving holiday. UN Headquarters will be closed tomorrow. And on Friday, we will not hold a noon briefing, although we’ll update our web pages to reflect the latest events. The noon briefing will resume on Monday. With that, any questions? Yes, Joe.
**Questions and Answers
Question: I'd like to know whether it's projected that there will be any surpluses in any of the peacekeeping missions this year and, if so, how would that… how would such surpluses be handled? Would the monies be transferred to other more urgent peacekeeping missions or to other UN initiatives or are such surpluses returned to Member States?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, it's a little bit theoretical at this stage to see whether or not we'll have any such surplus by the end of the year. For all our accounts, whether regular budget or peacekeeping, we provide Member States the updated amounts of what we've used and what's left and then it's up to the Member States to accept how any money would be redistributed down the line.
Question: Well, it's not exactly theoretical because I saw a report of a letter from the NGO [non-governmental organization] to the Secretary‑General stating at least to their information that there was a $37 million surplus in one of the peacekeeping missions and they want… they were asking that it be applied to eradicate AIDS initiative… to eradicate AIDS rather than return to Member States. That's why I'm asking you the question. And if that's true… and I'd like you to see if you could confirm that, and if it's true and moneys are returned to the Member States, are they returned a portion to the percentages of the budget donated or contributed by the individual Member States or…? I'd like to get some clarification.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, first of all, yes, it is theoretical, because we're not at the end of the year, and ultimately we'll have to see what the expenses are. We'll calculate for all of the missions and keep our budget information updated and provide that information back to the Member States. And of course, we'll remain in dialogue with them and we'll see how it can be handled, in case there is any either shortfall or surplus. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. You said that the COP-21 [twenty-first Conference of Parties] starts on Monday, which is quite interesting because there are reports coming that the beginning of the conference is going to be on the 29th, on Sunday. Can you confirm that? And what… why was the decision taken? Was it because of some threats or what? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: The… this is just the information I have. As you know, we had announced earlier that the Secretary‑General over the weekend will first be heading to Malta for the Commonwealth Summit. From there, he will head to Paris for the start of the Conference of Parties, and this is the information we have on that. Ultimately, of courses, the arrangements are being taken in accordance with, as you know, the French authorities. Yes?
Question: Thanks. I want to follow up about the Balkans, issue of asylum seekers being turned away on account of their nationality. I’m sort of briefing up on the ‘51 [1951] Convention, sounds like the UN has two options, mainly when these sorts of alleged violations to the Conventions come up: Either notify the state authorities directly or take the issue to the public, which it sounds like has been done this week. Beyond that, are there any other options or intervention on the part of the Secretariat or the SG? Or are you sort of at the end of what you can do?
Deputy Spokesman: Not precisely. As you know, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been in touch with the respective governments in the Balkan states. They've raised their concerns and have been, as you've been saying, taking it up with the authorities on the ground. But, as you know, the situation remains one of concern, and you'll have seen what the Secretary‑General has had to say. Having said that, I do expect our colleagues in the UN Refugee Agency will continue to follow up and make sure that the basic rights and basic dignity of all the refugees are respected.
Correspondent: It sounds like you're appealing now to public decency, trying…
Deputy Spokesman: That's part [of] what we're doing. As you know, UNHCR also deals with the governments themselves, but yes. You see what the Secretary‑General is saying, and it's quite a clear appeal for public decency in this case. Yeah?
Question: Sure. I want to just ask you, on South Sudan, some people are saying that fighting's now renewed in all three Equatoria States. I was wondering if you have anything on UNMISS [United Nations Mission in South Sudan] on that. And also this report that a peacekeeper was killed on 23 November; there seems to be some dispute either if there was a death and if so, which country the peacekeeper came from?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding your second question, I do have some details that approximately 10:30 in the morning, local time, on Monday, an Ethiopian military peacekeeper based in the UN Mission in South Sudan's compound in Tomping was admitted to the Rwandan medical clinic after sustaining a gunshot wound. Upon arrival, the peacekeeper was pronounced dead. The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation by the Mission, in conjunction with the troop‑contributing country.
Question: What about the Equatoria? Do you have anything on that?
Deputy Spokesman: We don't have any updates from the UN Mission in South Sudan about fighting in Equatoria state. If there's anything, we'll let you know. Yes, Olga. I got it right, right?
Correspondent: Yes.
Deputy Spokesman: Okay. Excellent.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov asked UN to share information on how ISIS is financed. Do you have any facts, the facts about the oil trade and terrorists or the official culture of trade and traffic?
Deputy Spokesman: As you know, the group known ultimately as ISIS, ISIL or Da’esh is one of the entities put on the list -- what's known as the consolidated list of organizations, entities and individuals affiliated with al‑Qaeda and the Taliban, which was created as a result of resolution 1267. That consolidated list is basically a list of entities under UN sanctions and information on sanctions, how those… whether they're being applied correctly, how they're being implemented is shared with the sanctions committee. And so they have the relevant information at hand about these entities, their business links and others, any sort of information that's relevant to the sanctions they're placed under. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Ms. Sellassie, the Secretary‑General's Special Envoy to the Sahel, just made a statement that if nothing has been done to improve access to education and opportunities for the young in the impoverished areas, that they would become a hub for, quote, high terrorist organizations which would become a threat to peace and security. Now, to what extent is the Security Council… it appears as though the response to the terrorist threats, going back to 9/11, is overwhelmingly military and focuses on the root causes, vulnerabilities of certain subgroups is being just peripherally addressed. Is anything being done to increase concern about that?
Deputy Spokesman: The short answer is yes. Quite a bit is being done. The Secretary‑General, as you know, has repeatedly talked about the need to deal with terrorism in a variety of ways, not simply embracing a military option but dealing with questions of the root causes, the various social, economic, political and other dynamics at play. As you know, one of the key aspects is to find ways to counter violent extremism. We've spoken about that at length and the Secretary‑General is preparing a report which we hope will be available at the early part in the… of the New Year, concerning ways in which to counter violent extremism, so that you have a way of stopping the growth of potential terrorism around the world. Yes, Oleg?
Question: Thanks, Farhan. Overshadowed by yesterday's shooting down of the Russian plane by the Turkey air forces, there was an incident also in Syria close to the border with Turkey, when a group of journalists came under fire that were fired by a TOW missile, which is quite strange. Anything to say about that? Are you aware of this incident? What's your reaction to what happened? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: The basic point is we're concerned about a great number of incidents that have been occurring on the ground. As you know, we talked about the need for all of the actions taken by the various forces to be carried out with extreme care -- in particular so that civilians are protected. And, of course, in line with that, we are always concerned about any of the attacks that strike at members of the media. And along with attacks on civilians, more generally, we want all those to be halted and for countries to take exceptional measures as they carry out the operations that are needed to contain Da’esh. Yeah?
Question: Sure. I want to ask about Susana Malcorra and also about Burundi. On Susana Malcorra, I saw the statement yesterday congratulating her, and it's definitely an interesting move. But I am compelled to ask you this: it seems like… did… can you say whether… whether… while serving as the Chief of Staff, she discussed this position with the Argentine then‑candidate/now‑President, and if so, how does this impact, for example, working on things like Venezuela/Guyana or other things that she worked on in which the incoming President has a… has a pronounced view? Was there… did she get an opinion from the Ethics Office? Do you think that… is that the way this is supposed to work after Bernardino León's job search?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding that, you'll have seen the Secretary‑General's statement, which reflects his views and his tremendous respect for the work done by Susana Malcorra and the integrity with which she has carried out her work. Ms. Malcorra, as you're well aware is… carries out her work in line with the UN Charter, including Article 100, and would not take any action to violate the spirit of the Charter. Having said that, at this stage now, the clear thing is that she will shortly end her functions as the Chef de Cabinet. Having ended that, then she will take up her post as foreign minister of Argentina.
Question: I guess what I'm saying is after the Bernardino León thing, it was said it was going to be discussed at the CEB [Chief Executives Board], that even the appearance of impropriety should be avoided. So I’m not saying… I'm just asking, did she seek an ethics ruling whether she would still work on the Venezuela/Guyana file if the government she was going to work for has said Venezuela should be thrown out of Mercosur or stuff like that?
Deputy Spokesman: First of all, this is someone… President‑elect [Mauricio] Macri was only elected on Sunday as you're well aware. We made this announcement yesterday. In other words, two days later, which is Tuesday. And having made this announcement, she will now set aside her duties as Chef de Cabinet, and then she will take up her job.
Correspondent: Are you saying…
Deputy Spokesman: Please let me finish.
Correspondent: Okay.
Deputy Spokesman: Working at the United Nations does not preclude the possibility that you can take jobs, and as you're aware, the Secretary‑General, in his own statement, thanked President‑elect Macri for recognizing the value of UN experience and of the United Nations in general.
Question: When was she contacted? That was my… That's the factual question I'm asking.
Deputy Spokesman: Like I said, this is an election that only happened three days ago. Yeah?
Question: Actually, somewhat of a follow‑up there. The task force that she was heading, looking into the allegations of relationships between Ng Seng and various UN groups and departments, including the UNDP [United Nations Development Programme], she was in charge of a task force looking at all of the ramifications of this issue. Is the… her leaving her post going to impact, delay, the findings and results from that task force and Secretariat… is the Secretary‑General actively looking to immediately replace her so that there won't be any such delay? And do you have any… any information on the status so far of that task force? What's… what's going on with it?
Deputy Spokesman: The status of the task force is unchanged. Its work will continue. Of course, at this point, we will move expeditiously to find a replacement for Ms. Malcorra as Chef de Cabinet. And the report will come out through the Chef de Cabinet’s office regardless.
Question: What’s the anticipated time frame? Because it’s almost, you know, getting two months.
Deputy Spokesman: The task force is taking as much time as it needs to complete its work. Hopefully…
Question: They haven’t been given a deadline?
Deputy Spokesman: They have as much time as needed to do the work. We're hoping that it will be done expeditiously. But that will be unaffected by Ms. Malcorra's status. Yes?
Question: A follow‑up. Ms. Malcorra is leaving on 10 December. Do you expect that her replacement of Chef de Cabinet will be made before 10 December? And, secondly, there's a Palestinian artist who's been sentenced to death by Saudi Arabia for apostasy. I wondered whether the Secretary‑General had any comment on that.
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, regarding the question of the death penalty, as you know, the Secretary‑General has always made known his concerns about the application of capital punishment in all circumstances, and we do so again in this case. We would, once more, as in this case, encourage the country involved not to carry out the death penalty. As you know, [for] even the countries that formally have the death penalty on the books, we have urged a moratorium in its application. Regarding your first question, of course, we're… we only just announced Ms. Malcorra's departure yesterday, but we're proceeding expeditiously to find a replacement. Yes?
Question: Sure. Thanks a lot. I just have a Burundi question, but since we're on this reform I wanted to ask you this one thing. For some weeks I've asked the office of South‑South Cooperation for a copy of an agreement they signed, Teresa Liu and the UN with Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, and they still haven't provided it, but now it's said the ambassador here, Vince Henderson, has read… or read out what purports to be the agreement on the radio in Dominica. So I'm wondering if a Member State has in fact… I mean, it's not given out in writing but what… I'm asking you, I guess. I don't understand. I thought, like, if the UN signs a document and I think UNDP says that it has a public information policy, what is the policy on just releasing a document that was signed in public that now the Member State itself has read on the radio? What's the problem?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I've been in touch with the office of South‑South Cooperation's Spokesperson. He's well aware of your quest. I know that… I know from him that he has responded to you directly on a number of cases. And he's following up on others as he gets the information.
Correspondent: Okay. On Burundi, I wanted to ask you, the Government there has… has… is seeking to extradite a journalist, Antoine Kaburahe of Iwacu, a pretty well‑known independent media there, from Belgium. And they're saying he's a coup plotter. This is one of the few independent medias there. I'm wondering if the Secretariat or Mr. [Jamal] Benomar or anyone is aware of this and what they think of this attempt to extradite this journalist back, presumably to be punished.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, certainly, we would be concerned about any actions taken that would constrain freedom of the press and freedom of expression. On a related topic, by the way, regarding freedom of the media, I would draw your attention to a press release that has just been issued by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, who today deplored the decision by the Burundian authorities to suspend 10 nongovernmental organizations, including several organizations working on peace and human rights issues, and he also mentioned that… his concerns about how none of the five media outlets that were suspended last June pending an investigation have yet been able to resume their activities. So the full press release is out as a document. And with that, let me get our guest, Kyung‑wha Kang. Hold on one moment, please.