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.
**Yemen
I have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General concerning Yemen.
The Secretary-General welcomes the start of the Yemen peace talks today in Switzerland under the facilitation of his Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. He believes that peaceful and inclusive dialogue is the only way to end the suffering and rebuild confidence, trust and mutual respect amongst the Yemeni people following months of civil war and thousands of lives lost.
The Secretary-General also welcomes the declaration of cessation of hostilities accompanying the opening of the talks. He urges all parties to adhere to this cessation of hostilities and work towards a permanent and lasting end to the conflict.
The Secretary-General is encouraged by the letter he received yesterday from the Yemeni Women's Pact for Peace and Security. He joins them in expressing the hope that the talks beginning today will result in the end of the military conflict in Yemen and mark the country’s return to the path of sustainable peace. He reiterates the necessity and value of women’s meaningful participation in the peace process, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000) and 2241 (2015).
The Secretary-General urges the parties at the peace talks to engage constructively and in good faith with each other. He calls on them to safeguard the national interest, agree on practical steps that will end the suffering of the Yemeni people and improve their daily lives. He encourages all countries of the region and other United Nations Member States to create a conducive environment for the talks.
Meanwhile, in Switzerland, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, urged the delegations to ensure full respect for the cessation of hostilities, which started today together with the opening of the talks. He said that the cessation of hostilities should mark the end of military violence in Yemen and the transition to progress based on negotiations, dialogue and consensus.
**Climate Change
The Secretary-General spoke to the General Assembly this morning on the outcome of the climate change summit which ended in the French capital over the weekend. He described the Paris Agreement as a triumph for people, the planet, and for multilateralism. For the first time, the Secretary-General said, every country in the world has pledged to curb their emissions, strengthen resilience and act internationally and domestically to address climate change.
He noted that, together, the countries of the world have agreed that, in minimizing risks of climate change, the national interest is best served by pursuing the common good. The Secretary-General said that as a first step in implementing the Paris Agreement, he will convene a high-level signing ceremony in New York on 22 April of next year. His full remarks are in our office and online.
**Security Council
And just to note this morning the Security Council heard a briefing on Darfur by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda. Earlier, the Council extended the mandate of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) until 15 May 2016. It also extended the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) until 31 July 2016 and increased the force levels of the Mission up to a ceiling of 13,000 troops and 2,001 police personnel.
**South Sudan
On the second anniversary of the conflict in South Sudan, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the country, Ellen Margrethe Løj, urged the parties to fully respect the permanent cease fire, and implement the peace agreement in “letter and spirit”. She added that the delay in the implementation of the peace agreement is affecting the people of South Sudan, who have already known terrible suffering in the last two years.
She urged the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) to send their advance team to Juba to participate in the Joint Monitoring Commission and to engage in discussions on the establishment of the transitional security arrangements, including the Joint Integrated Police.
Ms. Løj noted that 1.6 million South Sudanese are internally displaced in South Sudan and over 500,000 have fled to neighbouring countries. Some 185,000 internally displaced persons live in the UN Mission’s Protection of Civilian sites. She added that the UN Mission has recently established forward operating bases in areas where the need is acute, such as Leer County and Mundri, in an effort to try and protect civilians in need, wherever they are.
Also on South Sudan, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned today that the children there remain some of the most vulnerable in the world. Over the past two years of the conflict, 1.65 million people have become internally displaced, and more than 650,000 South Sudanese have sought international protection as refugees in neighbouring countries. UNICEF says that about two-thirds of those who fled are children. The two UN agencies called for all parties to uphold their commitments to the Peace Agreement, so as to allow the almost 1.5 million South Sudanese children to return home and receive an education.
**Central African Republic
On the Central African Republic, the UN Mission there (MINUSCA) reports that voting on the Constitutional referendum was extended yesterday in polling stations in eight locations that faced several challenges on Sunday, including in Bangui and Bria. Amid an increased presence of Mission troops, voting took place in the capital's third and fourth districts, as well as in the Mpoko camp for internally displaced persons, without incident. Preliminary data suggests that, on a nationwide basis, 79 per cent of the country’s foreseen 5,600 polling stations opened Sunday and Monday. Provisional results are due to be published by the National Elections Authority on Friday.
**Burundi
On Burundi, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, says he is deeply alarmed by the latest developments in the country. With the latest series of bloody events, Burundi seems to have taken a new step towards outright civil war and tensions are now at bursting point in Bujumbura, he said. The High Commissioner urges all involved in the current crisis, including political leaders and State authorities at the highest level, to take every step possible to stop this deadly escalation and engage in a meaningful and inclusive dialogue.
**Cuba
Meanwhile, High Commissioner Zeid also says today that he is concerned at the extremely high number of arbitrary arrests and short-term detention of individuals, including human rights defenders and dissidents, in Cuba in recent weeks. The High Commissioner urged the authorities to respect everyone's right to freedom of expression, and to peaceful assembly and association.
**Middle East
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights continues to be gravely concerned at the unrelenting violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Israel. Since the current escalation started at the beginning of October, 21 Israelis and 117 Palestinians have lost their lives, along with two foreign nationals, with thousands more injured. The Human Rights Office notes that, although international attention on the crisis has waned, the level of killings, injuries and arrests has continued, with on average one person dying every day.
The unacceptable wave of stabbings, shootings and car rammings continues to kill and injure Israelis. Meanwhile, the response from Israeli security forces has resulted in alleged attackers, protesters and even bystanders being killed and injured. The Human Rights Office again voices deep concern over reports of excessive use of force by Israeli forces. It adds that all instances of the use of force resulting in death or injury by law enforcement officers should be the subject of prompt, independent and impartial investigations.
**Iraq
Jan Kubiš, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, has taken note of the reports of the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Bashiqa camp. He urges both sides to establish expeditiously a coordinating mechanism so that Iraq can be supported in its fight against Da’esh, based on consultations with and full consent of the Government of Iraq.
Mr. Kubiš is encouraged by repeated reassurances from both sides of their interest to resolve the issue through dialogue and is encouraged to note that such dialogue continues. As you’re aware, the Secretary-General has urged all Member States involved in the fight against Da’esh in Iraq to do so in a manner that is in line with the UN Charter and respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq.
**Syria
The World Food Programme (WFP) has started producing date bars enriched with vitamins and minerals in Syria, as part of its school feeding programme for more than 315,000 vulnerable children. The local production initiative, supported by the European Union, helps keep children in class and invests in their futures while enhancing local food production capacities. Suppliers source ingredients inside the country and employ local people, which ultimately benefits the local economy.
**Information Society
The Secretary-General spoke at the opening of the General Assembly High-level meeting on the Review of the Outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) earlier this morning. Calling information and communication technology (ICT) an engine for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the Secretary-General said that the high-level review is timely -- coming just three months after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda.
He stressed that as we celebrate remarkable achievements in information and communication technology, we must focus on bridging the digital divide, including the gender digital divide. And he called for a strengthened global culture of cybersecurity. The Secretary-General’s remarks are available online. The high-level meeting will continue tomorrow. Journalists interested in covering the event can visit the Digital Media Zone at the Express Bar on the third floor of the General Assembly Building, for more information and interview opportunities.
**Water/Sanitation
As the West and Central Africa conference on financing for water and sanitation is opening today in Dakar, UNICEF stresses that 500 children die every day from lack of safe water and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa. That’s a total of around 180,000 children under 5 years old every year. With a population which has nearly doubled in the last 25 years in the region, access to sanitation only increased by 6 per cent and to water by 20 per cent in the same period, leaving millions behind. The lowest access rates to improved drinking water are in Equatorial Guinea, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There is more on the UNICEF website.
**Agriculture
I also want to flag today that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has designated four traditional farming systems, one in Bangladesh and three in Japan, as "Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems". They join a total of 36 sites of traditional agriculture located in 15 countries in the world, which can offer real solutions for food security, the conservation of natural resources and sustainable rural development. You can find more about this on the FAO website.
**Press Conferences
For the noon briefing, just after this, I will be joined by a guest, Mark Bowden, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan. At 1 p.m., in this room, John Ging, Operations Director at the Office of the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and Afshan Khan, the Director of the Office of Emergency Programmes at the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will brief on their recent visit to Burundi.
And tomorrow, in this room, at 11:30 a.m., the Secretary-General will hold his annual year-end press conference. That will be in place of tomorrow’s noon briefing. Are there any questions for me before I go to our guest? Yes?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Farhan. As you remember, I asked you yesterday about Nigeria. More than 400 or 500 people…
Deputy Spokesman: I don't… can you speak louder into your microphone? I don't think it was picking you up. Try again.
Question: My question about the situation in Nigeria, if you remember, the army killed more than 400 or 500 people, Shia groups in Nigeria. You have any update about that in a statement?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, we're concerned about reports that members of the Shia Muslim minority may have been killed and wounded in Nigeria. Of course, we oppose any attacks on a religious basis against any community and would do so in this case. Yes, Erol?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Two questions: First, in a few words for the readers that are reading about the Paris agreement, beyond the statistics and the numbers and figures that are coming out of the conference, can you say in few words what would be the impact from the Secretary‑General’s perspective to the regions who were heavily hit by the floods and all other environmental hazards during the years in… in… in the context of this agreement? And, number two… can I go or you will go?
Deputy Spokesman: Sure.
Question: And number two, just of these… again, historic letter written that is going to be sent by the Security Council President and the General Assembly President, what is… I know that the Secretary‑General would like to keep a healthy distance regarding the process of choosing the new Secretary‑General, but what is his position on that, just to refresh our stories and our memory on that?
Deputy Spokesman: Okay. Well, for your first question, on climate change, clearly, this is a major step forward, but it is only a step forward. Ultimately, Member States will have to live up to the commitments that they're making. They will actually have to take the concrete actions that are needed to bring global greenhouse gas emissions down, so that we can restrict the rise in global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius and hopefully below 1.5 degrees Celsius. But after many, many years of struggling with these issues, trying to bring the developed and developing worlds together, we have an agreement. It's a strong one, and if countries abide by it, the sort of countries that you are talking about, the small islands, for example, that face the problem of rising water levels, will be able to see some sign, if not of immediate relief, at least of the fact that international solidarity is paying off and that the world is trying to do something collectively to deal with this problem, and so that's a major step forward. Regarding the…
Question: [Inaudible]?
Deputy Spokesman: Hold on, please. Regarding your second question, I believe that Mogens Lykketoft, the President of the General Assembly, will at some point be speaking to you about this very letter that you're referring to. So I'll leave it to him to describe the process of selecting the next Secretary‑General. I think the timing of when he's going to talk to you is being worked out right now. For the Secretary‑General's part, as you know, this is an issue that's in the hands of the Member States, and he recognizes and respects that, but at the same time, the Secretary‑General's always believed that the process of selecting the Secretary‑General of the UN needs to be as transparent as possible, and so he encourages all efforts to increase its transparency.
Question: Is he in favour of a woman for the Secretary‑General?
Deputy Spokesman: He's made it clear in his comments over the years that he believes that the time has come. Again, the choice, the selection, is in the hands of the Member States. But it's only logical to assume that if you're trying to select the best person for Secretary‑General, as you know, it just goes to follow that, at some point, that means that you're selecting a woman. It can't be that every, time it just happens to be that the best person selected is a man. Yes?
Question: Thank you. Thank you, Farhan. I have few comments… questions on the statement issued by the High Commissioner for Human Rights. First, why the number 20 Israeli killed came first before the 120 or so Palestinian killed? Why…
Deputy Spokesman: You’re disputing me about syntax? That's just the word order of a phrase. It doesn't prioritize one over the other. They're in the same sentence, both numbers.
Question: And the second, it mentions that it first started with a stabbing and then Israeli reacted. So this is distortion of facts. It didn't start with a stabbing, it started with occupation and not stabbing, because Palestinians were stabbing. So that is the statement. And the third, does the people who are… is… under occupation have the right to resist their occupier? Do they have that right or not?
Deputy Spokesman: We have discussed the problem of the occupation of the territory many times over the past. As you know, the United Nations is working to make sure that the occupation can be brought to an end. We believe that the way forward to ending the occupation is through negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and that is why we encourage that process. Your other questions really are not questions so much as restatements of the basic facts. But the facts are as I've presented them from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Yes?
Question: Sure. This is a… this is… this is a question about peacekeeping in Mali. I wanted to ask you to either… you know, from the podium or later today, to confirm or deny that the Dutch battalion in MINUSMA [United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Mission in Mali] has equipment that is limited… it limits to NATO Member States, i.e., is not shared with other members of MINUSMA, other contingents, including the largely African contingents that are often getting killed by mines, etc., and can you… I'm asking because at least one TCC [troop-contributing country] says this is the case. And I wanted to know, what is the UN's policy on a portion of a UN peacekeeping mission limiting its equipment not just to itself but to other members of a group like NATO?
Deputy Spokesman: Regarding that, each contingent has… is supposed to be provided and equipped with its own equipment. And part of what we do through the Department of Field Support (DFS) is make sure that all of the contingents have the necessary equipment that they need. I wouldn't comment on the specific arrangements by which each national contingent has its equipment, some of which varies depending upon the national contingent.
Question: But can a contingent choose to share its equipment, which is, in fact, in this case, life‑saving equipment, only with people from its same region? And if so, doesn't this lead to bad blood and division within UN peacekeeping?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we certainly encourage the sharing of equipment as much as possible amongst all of the UN peacekeeping contingents. But contingent‑owned equipment is a complex issue. And each… and it is the contingent that owns equipment.
Question: Then can you confirm that the UN… that UN peacekeeping is now engaged in a procurement exercise to… to try to procure replacement equipment that could be shared equally among the peacekeeping, and why this extraordinary situation was allowed to occur and how long it occurred for? That's what I'm asking.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I would… I'll have to check whether there is any arrangement that's being made, but like I said, the policy of each contingent depends on the nation.
Question: So the drones that were mentioned today on South Sudan, are they just for some contingents, or are they for all contingents? I mean, there is equipment that's used in a peacekeeping mission that's to benefit all of the battalion… all of the contingents, right?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, and drones are a separate question. That has to do with information sharing throughout… for the information needs of the mission as a whole. Yes, please?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. As you may know, by the end of this year, the… more than 3,000 Chinese peacekeepers has been deployed to nine UN operations around the globe. And in September Chinese President Xi [Jinping] made a commitment of 8,000 troops towards UN peacekeeping standby and a pledge of $100 million to the African Union. Could you please make a comment on their -- China's role and contribution to world peace and security? Thank you very much.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we are certainly very pleased that China is stepping up its contributions to UN peacekeeping, and we appreciate the very valuable contributions it's been making. Of course, the work of all countries that provide peacekeepers or help to equip or provide logistical assistance for peacekeepers is valued, and in that respect, we certainly value any country, such as China, that is moving to increase its contributions. Oleg and then you?
Question: Thank you. Saudi Arabia today or yesterday announced the creation of a coalition to fight ISIS, another coalition. So it seems like, instead of heeding to the calls, for example, from Ban Ki‑moon, to create a unified coalition to fight ISIS, we see, like, a trend for separation of efforts. We now have the US‑led coalition. We have Russia fighting ISIS in Syria. We have the Turkish authorities acting in Iraq that says… Baghdad says this is not coordinated with them. Now we have another coalition. Does it help in any way?
Deputy Spokesman: From our standpoint, what the Secretary‑General wants to see is for greater coordination among the various nations and coalitions who are engaged in operations against Da’esh, greater coordination in order that they can do their work more effectively, that none of their work comes at the expense of any other. But also, he wants to make sure that all of their operations are conducted in line with international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Yeah. And… yes, go ahead.
Question: So several coalitions sometimes moved by different political objectives, how is in any way this is helpful?
Deputy Spokesman: What is helpful is the idea of having as much pressure brought against Da’esh as possible, given the nature of this group and the brutalities that they've inflicted on innocent civilians. At the same time, it is good to ensure that any of the efforts to deal with them are coordinated and, like I said, conducted in line with all of the relevant norms and laws. Yes?
Correspondent: Thank you, Farhan. I see you're wide awake after that delightful UNCA [United Nations Correspondents Association] evening last night.
Deputy Spokesman: I leave early. I go to bed.
Question: I saw you. Anyway, not so delightful, the deaths are mounting in… as you noted, in Burundi. And I wonder, before we hear about the humanitarian situation, if UN representatives believe a civil war marked… the chances of a civil war marked by ethnic clashes, ethnic rivalries are increasing?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, that's basically what the High Commissioner for Human Rights has said today. To repeat a line from what he said earlier, with the latest series of bloody events, Burundi seems to have taken a new step toward outright civil war, and tensions are now at a bursting point in Bujumbura. And that's a warning from High Commissioner Zeid. And I think that's a warning that we need to do much more to heed, and hopefully, you'll get some more information at 1 p.m. [Phone ringing] Yeah. Whoever's got the phone on, please turn it off. Iftikhar?
Question: Okay. Thank you, Farhan. Does the Secretary‑General have any thoughts on what is described as closing of books by IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] on Iran's nuclear programme?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding that, the Secretary‑General's views on the question of the IAEA has been known for some time, but just to say… one second… that the Secretary‑General has taken note of the completion by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Islamic Republic of Iran of all activities contained in the July 2015 roadmap. These steps were an important milestone in the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and the Secretary‑General praises the determined efforts by the IAEA to clarify past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran's nuclear programme. Yes?
Question: I have a question concerning a Japanese correspondent in South Korea who has been indicted by defamation law. On Thursday, this Thursday, the final judgment will be delivered to him. So far, prosecutor's office demand one and a half‑year imprisonment. What kind of judgment or what… what does the Secretary‑General hope on this case?
Deputy Spokesman: I don't think we'd have any comment on a domestic court case. We'd need to know more about the details of that particular judgment. Yes?
Question: Sure. Thanks a lot. I guess maybe relatedly, you may have a comment on this, there's been a factory worker in Thailand who was arrested for merely liking on Facebook a post about the King, and he's threatened with a long… lengthy prison sentence for expressing his opinion on social media. And I'm wondering: does the Secretary‑General have any position on the use of these lèse‑majesté laws to censor citizens' speech?
Deputy Spokesman: That's more of an issue for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, but our basic concern is to make sure that there's no legislation that hurts people's ability to use any form of media in order to express the… for the free expression of ideas.
Question: Right, but I think in this case, the idea is it's a criminal… the case in South Korea is a criminal libel case, i.e., that reporting about the President can put you in jail. So is that a law that would restrict reporting?
Deputy Spokesman: We've always had concerns about any laws that would restrict the freedom of expression and of reporting.
Question: Can I ask a Burundi question? I wanted… I guess it's a follow‑up. The White House put out a readout yesterday of President [Barack] Obama speaking to the Secretary‑General about both COP‑21 [Conference of the Parties] and Burundi. Can you… like, I guess, did the call take place? And who… if you don't mind, of the two, who brought up Burundi, President Obama or the Secretary‑General?
Deputy Spokesman: I wouldn't specify which one. Yes, the call did take place, and yes, they did talk about the climate change talks in Paris and about the situation in Burundi. That much I can confirm. Beyond that, I wouldn't have any further details.
Question: And when do you put out readouts and when don't you…
Deputy Spokesman: There's other people…
Question: It's related to the question. When do you put out… if the President of the United States and the Secretary‑General talk, don't you usually put out a readout?
Deputy Spokesman: We do, but we don't have readouts of every phone call, as well you know. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I want to ask about Libya. They're supposed to sign the agreement in near about on the 17th. Can you confirm that? And if you can update us on the… supposed to be a meeting on Syria on the 18th. And I don't know if… maybe I missed that, if you have any update on the talks on Yemen in Switzerland.
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, you did miss it, and we have a lot of information on the talks in Yemen, which I read at the top, but we also have documents in the counter at the Deputy Spokesman's office about the talks that have taken place in Switzerland. But there was also a statement by the Secretary‑General at the top of this briefing, which will also be available for you. Regarding Syria, there's no actual details yet on the date or venue of the next round of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) talks. We'll see, in the next couple of days, whether we can get a confirmation on that. Regarding Libya, we're hopeful that there will be an agreement signed, but the 17th is, as you know, two days away, so let's see what happens. Yes, Oleg first and then Erol, and then let's go to our guest, because he's been waiting.
Question: Thank you. Farhan, there have been deadly terrorist attacks in Homs on Saturday, and I don't believe I've seen any reaction from Ban Ki‑moon. Does he have anything to say? And also, how do you choose which attack to condemn or which not? Because usually you come up pretty fast with the statements condemning such attacks.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, the simple fact of the matter is that with the fighting in Syria, as you know, there's been deadly violence every day, which is why we're trying to bring all of the violence down to a halt. We certainly deplore all of the killings of civilians, including during the attacks in Homs over the past week. Our efforts now, as you know, and particularly the work of Staffan de Mistura, are trying to see whether we can get the parties together for intra‑Syria talks and get a ceasefire going so that all of this, hopefully, can be brought to a halt, because it's been far too long.
Question: Follow‑up?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes.
Question: But in this case, there was a letter from the Syrian authorities asking for condemnation of this. Did you answer it in any way?
Deputy Spokesman: Like I said, we do deplore all of the violence. We condemn any terrorist attacks against civilians, and that's the case in Homs, as elsewhere. Yes, Erol?
Question: Farhan, just to clarify, are we going actually to have that Syria talks by the end of the week here in New York? And in terms of logistics, how many leaders or what kind of level of the leaders we are expecting?
Deputy Spokesman: There's nothing to confirm just yet, but, like I said, like I just told Abdelhamid, we'll see what the next couple days can bring and whether we'll announce something. Now let's get to our guest.
Correspondent: I have a Burundi question.
Deputy Spokesman: No, it's time to go. All right.