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, everyone.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
This morning, the Secretary-General opened the high-level session of the twenty-first Conference of the Parties (COP21) [to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] just outside of Paris. He told the ministers and negotiators representing 196 parties that their task was to translate this historic call for action into a durable, dynamic, credible and fair climate agreement. He noted the building public pressure, from local leaders to religious organizations, as well as the business community and civil society, saying that we all have a moral and political duty to heed those voices.
A short while later, the Secretary-General told reporters that he felt there was strong momentum at the climate change talks and that he was encouraged at the progress reached so far, and he added that he had full confidence in COP21 President Laurent Fabius and the 14 co-facilitators. However, he said, there were less than four days of negotiations left with some tough issues remaining. He warned that a political moment like this may not come again and urged all those gathered in Paris not to squander it.
Later in the day, the Secretary-General attended a gathering in Paris of business leaders organized by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. He commended leaders from the business community, who are adopting forward-looking strategies and calling for ambitious policies that will help achieve a low-emissions, climate-resilient future.
Yesterday, the Secretary-General visited the Bataclan, the site of the main terrorist attack in Paris on the evening of 13 November. Joined by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the Secretary-General laid a wreath in front of the theatre and observed a moment of silence. He and the Mayor then travelled a short distance to the Bonne Bière Café, one of the four restaurants attacked on 13 November, and said that he, too, was a Parisian. He added that life had to return to normal but that Paris now stands as a symbol of resistance to terror.
And we have all of his various remarks posted online.
**Humanitarian Affairs
Today in Geneva, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, launched a record $20.1 billion humanitarian appeal to help nearly 90 million of the world’s most vulnerable and marginalized people in 2016. The amount called for by Stephen O’Brien for the Global Humanitarian Overview 2016 is five times the amount appealed for a decade ago.
He told reporters that human suffering has reached levels not seen since the Second World War, with more than 125 million people needing humanitarian assistance to survive in 2016.
Mr. O’Brien urged the international community to respond generously again to the call for funding.
Conflicts in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen will remain among the greatest drivers of prolonged humanitarian needs in 2016, fuelling new displacement within countries and across borders. And you can read more about the appeal online.
**Yemen
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Yemen, will convene a series of face-to-face consultations among the Yemenis in Switzerland on 15 December. These consultations seek to establish a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and secure improvements to the humanitarian situation and a return to a peaceful and orderly political transition.
The Government of Yemen, the Houthis and other relevant parties have agreed to participate in the talks, which will be chaired by the Special Envoy and attended by eight negotiators and four advisers for each delegation. The aim is to develop a plan for the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, including Security Council resolution 2216, which will bring the country back to a peaceful and orderly transition based on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative and the outcomes of the national dialogue.
Speaking in Geneva, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that only a political solution will end the crisis in Yemen. He called upon the parties to engage in good faith in search of a durable political solution for Yemen which meets the legitimate aspirations of the Yemeni people for peace, stability and prosperity. He also urged all parties to respect a full cessation of hostilities, effective 15 December, in order to create a conducive environment for the talks and to give Yemenis respite from the violence of recent months.
**Syria
The Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Kyung-wha Kang, today called for greater protection and assistance for Syrians caught up in the country’s four-year conflict, following a five-day visit to Jordan and Turkey. During her visit, the Assistant Secretary-General talked with Syrian refugee families in Jordan and Turkey.
Ms. Kang expressed appreciation for the generosity and hospitality of the Turkish and Jordanian authorities and their people while urging them to keep the borders open for families fleeing the conflict.
She expressed concern over the fate of refugees stranded at the border between Jordan and Syria, but conveyed the hope that a swift solution can be found as winter approaches through the close collaboration forged between the Jordanian Government and the United Nations.
In Turkey, Ms. Kang spoke with aid organizations that had temporarily suspended operations due to airstrikes along routes where relief operations are ongoing. Airstrikes are taking place where civilian infrastructure has already been severely damaged. In particular, health facilities have been routinely hit by aerial bombing. And we have a press release with more details.
**Libya
Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, emphasized in remarks over the weekend that the Libyan Political Agreement is the basis to end the conflict in the country. He said that it has been negotiated for over a year and facilitated by the United Nations. It enjoys the support of the majorities of both the House of Representatives and the General National Congress.
Mr. Kobler urges all Libyans to support this agreement, adding that it opens the way to unite the country, fight the scourge of terrorism and address the deteriorating economic situation in Libya.
The UN Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, has added that the forthcoming Rome conference, co-chaired by Italy, the United States and the United Nations, is an opportunity to demonstrate the determination of the international community on the way forward on the basis of the Libyan Political Agreement.
**Ukraine
A new survey by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has found that the conflict in eastern Ukraine is forcing some 230,000 farming families to skip meals, migrate to find work, borrow to pay for necessities, kill livestock for lack of feed and plant less due to lack of seeds and fertilizer.
The conflict has sparked skyrocketing prices for food, fuel, transport, seed, fertilizer, feed and other supplies for small-scale, family-run farms in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
FAO has distributed seeds and feed to some farm households and now aims to scale up operations to reach more families and allow them to continue production. And you can read more about this on FAO’s website.
**Press Conferences
Today, after I’m done here, I will be joined by Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. He will brief on Human Rights Day, which I believe is on the 10th.
And then tomorrow, the Noon Briefing guest will be the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, who will brief on the new International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime that will be held on 9 December.
And that’s it from me. Are there any questions? Yes, Ali?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Two different questions on two different areas. One on Western Sahara: Is it true that the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General still persona non grata in Western Sahara by the Moroccan authority? And what's the Secretary-General’s reactions and whether the Secretary‑General is going to go ahead in his… in a visit to the Western Sahara? And my other question is on the terror and nuclear threat that was talking about by Mr. [Yukiya] Amano today. Is there anything that you can add from the Secretariat on this issue? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Okay. On your first question, as you know, we provided the details of Christopher Ross’ recent visit to the region, where he visited Algeria, Morocco and Tindouf. The way that he proceeds with his travel, of course, is according to his own discretion, and we have defended and continue to defend his right to travel throughout, including to all of Western Sahara. There are some areas that he didn't visit this time around, but that, again, like I said, is at his discretion, and we will continue to insist upon his freedom to visit those areas.
Regarding your second question concerning Mr. Amano, we don't really have anything to add to his particular remarks today. What's clear is the need to deal with terrorism in all its forms and the need for international unity against terrorism, and we are proceeding with that on, of course, many fronts. I believe even later this month… I think, sometime next week, there will even be a Security Council meeting about the financing of terrorism that will be of interest. Yes?
Question: Great. Some other questions, but I wanted to follow up on the Western Sahara. Given that the Moroccan foreign minister was quoted publicly in EFE and there was a whole Security Council meeting basically about that quote, can you… what does it mean that he didn't try to go? It seems to be kind of a concession that he couldn't go, as many people… some people read it. And I wanted to ask you one separate question. You can answer them both at once. Can you confirm that the Secretary‑General was, in fact, going to visit Western Sahara and had received Moroccan approval in November but, due to his own schedule, did not go?
Deputy Spokesman: First of all, on Christopher Ross, as I explained to Ali just now, we defend his right to visit throughout the territory all the places that are part of his mandate. This is a mandate, mind you, that was given to him by the Security Council, which also has defended his right to conduct his work in accordance with his mandate. In terms of the judgment calls that he makes as he goes about his travels, it's his own decisions as a professional diplomat to determine how to go about his schedule, but he knows, in doing that, that he is free to go where he is… where he intends to, and that we support that. Regarding the Secretary‑General, no, we don't have any plans to visit Western Sahara to announce on his behalf.
Question: And can Christopher Ross speak to the press after his briefing tomorrow? Can you at least ask him for that because there seems to be some confusion.
Deputy Spokesman: We'll certainly check. That's his choice, of course, but we'll check. Yes, Joe?
Question: Last week, the Secretary‑General mentioned at the stakeout that a number of tough, challenging issues for the COP21 conference to result in a meaningful agreement, among which was financing, so I'd like to know whether and to what extent, particularly, the financing remains an issue, beyond the pledge of $120 billion per year starting in 2020 to the climate fund, global climate fund. I mean, can you give us any more details on the sticking points on the financing issue? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, the Secretary‑General did make his own comments on this when he spoke to you last Thursday. And certainly that is one of the key issues. In order to bring countries together in agreement, there has to be assurances that will be sufficient financing so that the developing countries can do all of the basically very costly things that need to happen in order for the limitation of greenhouse gas emissions to actually be implemented. But…
Question: What I'm trying to get at is… is whether the issue is some developing countries are requesting significantly more than $120 billion a year, and, in fact, the head of the… the… the climate fund, the global climate fund, has said as much as $400 billion a year may be needed, partly for dealing with weather disasters, partly to set up a facility for climate refugees and so on. So I'm trying to ask you to be a little bit more granular on what aspect of the financing issue remains an obstacle, since the developed countries have already agreed to mobilize $120 billion a year by 2020. Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah, I understand your point, but, at the same time, while these discussions are proceeding and while this remains one of the key issues being discussed by the parties at the Conference of the Parties, I wouldn't go into fine details about the precise numbers that will be needed. That actually is something that ultimately needs to be worked out. The Secretary‑General is optimistic about the very good, very positive atmosphere at the talks in Paris right now, and so we do believe that there is a willingness among the nations who are gathered to find an agreement on this and the other points of contention. And we hope that they will do so in the coming days. Yes, Edie?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Two follow‑up questions: On the Yemen talks, is there a chance that the Secretary‑General might go to Geneva for the start of the talks to show the added importance of reaching an agreement by the parties? And secondly, on Libya, this Rome conference is, as I recall, later… later this month. Is the expectation that Mr. Kobler would basically use that conference to try and spur an agreement among the parties?
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah, well, on your second question, like I had said just a couple minutes ago, the Support Mission in Libya has said that this Rome conference that will take place later this month will be an opportunity to demonstrate the determination of the international community on the way forward on the basis of the Libyan Political Agreement. So that is clearly what Mr. Kobler is pushing for in terms of expected aims of that particular conference.
Question: Is there a date?
Deputy Spokesman: I think it would be… I think it will be the 15th or 16th of… of December. I forget precisely which of those days. I think it might be the 16th. [He later said it would be 13 December.] Regarding your question about the Geneva talks that we just announced from Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, I don't have any plans to announce from the Secretary‑General for travel at this point. Yes?
Question: Good afternoon, Carlos Guillen with [inaudible] 24. I would like to have, please, your remarks on the elections of Venezuela yesterday, about the process and also on the results that seems to be that the people in Venezuela is changing their minds about what's… what is going on with the country.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, for us, it's always a welcome thing for elections to proceed peacefully and for the results of the… those elections to be respected. I wouldn't have any particular comment on the electoral results, but it's clear that, in this case, the people have spoken, and we expect the election results to be respected by all. Yes, Olga?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Tell me please… to ask please… do you follow… does the Secretary‑General follow the development between Iraq and Turkey because of the Turkey troops now in the territory of Iraq?
Deputy Spokesman: We've seen the media reports. I don't have any comment for you, however. Yes. No, sorry. Evelyn first and then…
Question: I want to ask that too, if you'd gotten any letter from Iraq complaining about Turkey. No?
Deputy Spokesman: At this point, I don't have a letter to confirm. I'll check.
Question: All right. And while I have the mic: Burundi, the New York Times says violence is rising. All Africa says there seems to be a deceptive calm. Do you have an update of how bad or how good it is?
Deputy Spokesman: Not in particular. I mean, you'll have seen the updates we provided last week about the work of the Special Adviser, Jamal Benomar. He's continuing with that work at this stage and is getting together a small office. Meanwhile, of course, the Secretary‑General had reported back to the Security Council on other potential options, and it's for them to consider where to go next. Yes?
Question: On Syria, you mentioned this and other issue, so there is… this… the prospect of the meeting here in New York. Do you have any details regarding this for the International Support Group on Syria? And the other thing, is the Secretary‑General going to attend this Security Council meeting on financing terrorism? What is the format of that?
Deputy Spokesman: The format of that meeting will have to be decided by the Security Council, so I'd ask you to check with the Presidency of the Council for that meeting. If that meeting is scheduled for when the Secretary‑General is around, I'm sure that he would be willing to attend. And, regarding the Syria talks, you heard, of course, what the Secretary‑General had to say on Thursday about his willingness to attend the next round of talks by the International Support Group for Syria. But I don't have a particular date or a venue to announce at this point. Yes?
Question: Sure, I wanted to ask you about South Sudan. The… the… I guess I'm trying to understand… I've… the… the UN seems to be aware of fighting in Western Bahr el Ghazal State and has declared a grey alert, saying its personnel should not travel to four towns there because of fighting between the SPLA [Sudan People’s Liberation Army] and SPLA in Opposition. So, what I'm wondering is, what is… what does the UN perceive of as its role of reporting when ceasefire violations and fighting take place? If they're aware of it to the degree of telling their own personnel not to go to places and naming the date and times of fighting, what is its role in saying the ceasefire is being violated and by whom?
Deputy Spokesman: On that, I have an update from the Mission. The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has received reports that clashes took place between the Sudan People's Liberation Army and opposition forces in Bisselia, Bazia, Farajallah and Bringi in Wau County in Western Bahr el Ghazal on Saturday. Since 5 December, the SPLA has reportedly been conducting military operations in areas of Bazia, Bisselia and Wau. The Mission is concerned by these reports of violations of the ceasefire and continues to urge the full implementation of the peace agreement.
Question: Can I… I just wanted to ask you one thing, and thanks for confirming that. But my question would be, what's the role… in terms of the role of the UN, like, you've confirmed it. You had the statement. Would you have read the statement if it weren't asked? And, if not, why not? Why doesn't the UN Mission say, this fighting is taking place; this is a problem; people are being killed or whatever else?
Deputy Spokesman: I read it if asked, because this is something for which I had some details in case people ask. Regarding the reports, we have been trying to verify reports. For example, you'd asked some… more than a week ago about fighting in Western Equatoria State. There were reports and we took note of those reports, but those were some of the reports that we were not actually able to verify. It depends… it takes time to verify things, but we do patrolling. The Mission goes out to different areas to try to verify reports, and when it has these reports, it reports back to the Security Council and others about any particular violations, as it did in this case. Emoke?
Question: Talking about the humanitarian appeal, in September, there was that side event during the GA [General Assembly] where O'Brien… Mr. O'Brien called for a complete overhaul of the current humanitarian financing system. So, how was that reflected in the current appeal that discussion that happened in September? And when is the report of the high‑level panel on humanitarian financing coming out, or have I missed something?
Deputy Spokesman: We still have a ways to go for… on the panel report. But, yes, part of what we try to do is learn from past experience as we develop the current appeals. At the same time, what's happened is that the amount of humanitarian needs around the world has just grown and has grown fantastically. So, even though we're doing a good job collecting appeals, even though countries have been very generous with contributing money, we have a huge shortfall simply because of the amount of needs. As you know, some of these things are simply the result of crises that have gone on for far too long. If you can imagine, for example, the amount of money that is needed for Syria, Iraq, and their neighbouring countries, that alone is more than half the money in this appeal. So, if those conflicts were resolved, you could face a much dramatically altered environment, but right now, barring that kind of a solution to these crises, we need a huge amount for humanitarian relief, and we'll continue to need more until and unless they get resolved. Yes, Ken?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. President [Barack] Obama made a speech from the Oval Office yesterday. Does the Secretary‑General have anything to say on this?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, not any particular reaction. This is in regard to the recent problems having to do with potential terror attacks in the United States. And, as you know, over the weekend, the Secretary‑General was showing his solidarity with the people of France for the recent terrorist attacks that they've suffered. This is a more generalized problem where there are sometimes random low‑level attacks that do a huge amount of damage to people's lives. Part of what we're trying to do is ensure that people around the world will not live in fear, which is a way of essentially accomplishing terrorists’ tasks for them. And we want the governments of the world and the peoples of the world to be able to respond in a calm and measured way, even to these awful, awful provocations. But, at the same time, what is reassuring is to know how much the nations of the world themselves are taking this threat seriously and are dealing with this in a more and more unified manner, and we hope that continues. Yeah?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask two things. They're kind… one is… has to do with actually people that work in the building. The… the… seems that the people that work… food workers, you could call them, have been given a layoff notice from 21 December into February. And I wanted to know, is this something… although you might say it's the contractor doing it. Is it built into the contract that this is essentially seasonal work, and are the people being laid off four days before Christmas expected to go on unemployment, or what's the expectation?
Deputy Spokesman: The… ultimately, that's a question not for us, but for Culinart, who are the people who hired these workers. Obviously, we want all of the people who are contracted to work for the UN to be given fair labour conditions. But that is an issue ultimately for the contractors themselves to take care of.
Question: But, in design… I guess the Department of Management or whoever does it, in designing the contract, it seems like this… this may be built into the contract and it's a labour practice that many people find is kind of… not… certainly not a best practice.
Deputy Spokesman: If our people who deal with procurement believe that there is problems with the labour records of contracting companies, that, in effect, affects the length of the contract. You know, these are things that are taken into account. But, ultimately, if you want to talk about labour rights, you've got to talk to the contractors themselves.
Question: And I wanted to ask you… I'd asked you, I guess, on Friday about Mr. [Jeffrey] Feltman testifying. You said, ask the US. So I have. It's confirmed and formalized. He will testify on Tuesday. The one thing I wanted to ask you, which I think only the UN can answer, is whether he… whether the condition of his testimony is that he will not take… will he testify under oath, and how does this impinge on UN immunity and previous precedence in this?
Deputy Spokesman: As I understand it, these are for actions that precede his work as an Under‑Secretary‑General and is part of a separate and prior responsibility.
Question: But did he use… did he confer with UNOLA [Office of Legal Affairs]? That's why I was asking on Friday. It seems like, if UNOLA lawyers are involved in responding to the request that he testify, obviously, he's not being… he's being asked to testify about a previous time, but there is a UN hook, and was it negotiated that he will not take the oath before testifying?
Deputy Spokesman: I wouldn't have any comment on the UN side. Like I said, this is something that precedes his period with the UN.
And with that, I would invite Mr. Šimonović to come to the podium.