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.
**Secretary-General Travels
The Secretary-General is on his way back to New York from Zurich, where he spoke a few hours ago at the Annual Conference of Swiss International Cooperation. He discussed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), saying that the only challenge greater than achieving agreement on the SDGs is carrying them out. And he added that every Government needs to show strong ownership by aligning policies, legislation and resources in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.
He then had a constructive working luncheon meeting with the Foreign Minister and Federal Councilor for Switzerland, Didier Burkhalter, whom he thanked for Switzerland’s very generous support for the renovation of the UN's headquarters in Geneva. Speaking to the press following that meeting, the Secretary-General noted that yesterday, leaders of humanitarian organizations and UN agencies appealed to citizens around the world to urge an end to the carnage in Syria. He said that he strongly echoed their call today, adding that all parties must reach agreement on a ceasefire nationally and a path to peace. His press remarks are posted online.
**Economic and Social Council
Earlier today, the Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, spoke at the commemoration of the seventieth anniversary of the Economic and Social Council. Mr. Eliasson said that the commemoration provides an important opportunity to honour the Council’s past work, and to highlight its vital role across the spectrum of UN activities at this crucial time in history — especially with the historic adoptions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. He added that now, more than ever, we have to focus on dealing with the root causes of conflicts, poverty and neglect of humanity. His full remarks are available online.
**Somalia
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Michael Keating, has condemned, in the strongest possible terms, last night’s attack on a popular Mogadishu restaurant that targeted Somali civilians, killing at least 20 people. Stressing that such outrageous acts must not undermine efforts to restore peace and stability in Somalia, Mr. Keating said the UN and its partners will do everything possible to ensure that Al-Shabaab does not succeed in its desperate attempts to frustrate the hopes of the Somali people. More information is available online.
**Haiti
On Haiti, I would like to flag a statement today by the Special Representative of the Secretary General in Haiti, Sandra Honoré, and other members of “Core Group” — these are Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, the United States, the European Union and the Organization of American States (OAS). They reiterate their continued support for the conclusion of an inclusive and equitable electoral process while supporting efforts aimed at finding a way forward that ensures the democratic renewal of State institutions.
The members of the Core Group also deplore the recent acts of electoral violence and calls on the national authorities, political parties, candidates and supporters, and the electorate in general, to participate in the electoral process with responsibility and restraint, so that the people of Haiti can express their will in a climate free of intimidation and violence.
**Ecuador
The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, is traveling to Quito, Ecuador, on Monday to represent the Secretary-General at the fourth Summit of CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. CELAC is the regional organization that, according to the joint statement by the government of Colombia and the FARC-EP, will provide observers for the UN special political mission to be established by the Security Council. That mission will constitute the international component of a tripartite mechanism to monitor and verify a future agreement on a bilateral and definitive ceasefire and cessation of hostilities and the laying down of arms. Mr. Feltman will return to New York on 28 January.
**South Sudan
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reports that the situation in Yambio, Western Equatoria State, remains calm, but volatile. Last evening, approximately 6,000 people spent the night at the compound of a non-governmental organization adjacent to the Mission's base in Yambio. This morning, many of the civilians began to leave the NGO compound, but then returned later in the day following unconfirmed reports of armed elements heading towards Yambio town. The Mission continued with patrols into Yambio town today to assess the situation and carry out its protection of civilians mandate.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
Our humanitarian colleagues highlight today the deteriorating security in North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kidnapping of aid workers and civilians and attacks on convoys have increased, often forcing organizations to delay the delivery of aid and other essential operations or suspend activities entirely. On 20 January, Médecins sans Frontières announced the closure of one of its medical projects that provided medical humanitarian assistance to close to 200,000 patients in 2015, after one of its convoys was robbed and two staff abducted in December.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and its partners call on Congolese authorities and all relevant parties to do even more to improve the security situation allowing humanitarian organizations to work and save lives. More than 7.5 million people need humanitarian aid across the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
**El Niño
The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners predict a major global increase in health consequences of emergencies this year due to El Niño. According to a new report, severe drought, flooding, heavy rains and temperature rises are all known effects of El Niño that can lead to food insecurity and malnutrition, disease outbreaks, acute water shortages, and disruption of health services. Based on the latest UN figures, the report estimates that 60 million people will be affected by El Niño this year with many suffering health consequences. Thus far, requests for financial support by seven high-risk countries — Ethiopia, Lesotho, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda — facing the health costs of El Niño have reached $76 million.
**Malawi
From Geneva, the Human Rights Office says today that it is concerned by recent developments in Malawi, where the spokesperson of one of the country’s main political parties recently described gay and lesbian people as “worse than dogs” and called for them to be killed. He was subsequently charged, but the State decided he would not be prosecuted. The human rights office said that failure to prosecute this case sends a dangerous message that inciting others to kill gay people is legitimate and will be tolerated by the authorities — in effect encouraging violent threats and attacks on the gay and lesbian community in Malawi. The human rights office urged the Government to meet its responsibilities.
**Holocaust Remembrance
Between 25 and 28 January, the UN will hold a series of events in observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, under the theme “The Holocaust and Human Dignity”. The main event will be the annual Holocaust memorial ceremony held on 27 January in the General Assembly Hall. Other events at UN Headquarters include two exhibit openings, a screening of the acclaimed film “Woman in Gold,” and an NGO briefing. More information is available on the Holocaust Outreach Programme website.
**United Nations Headquarters
The Department of Management is delighted to announce that the renovation of the United Nations Headquarters has received an Honor Award in the High-Performance Buildings category from the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council, which is part of the National Institute of Building Sciences, based in Washington, D.C. The Honor Award is the highest prize the organization bestows in its 2015 Beyond Green High-Performance Building Awards categories. The jury was especially impressed how the Capital Master Plan for the renovation of the UN Headquarters merged the needs for historic preservation, safety, security and accessibility with high standards of sustainability.
**Honour Roll
For the Honour Roll: Canada has paid its regular dues in full, making it the eleventh State on the UN Honour Roll. That is it for me. Any questions? Yes.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Yesterday, I was asking about Burundi, and you'd said that after the meeting you'll have something to say, the meeting with the President. And from some accounts, President Nkurunziza denied the existence of a youth wing of his party, which is something that UN documents have spoken about. I wanted to know, now that the meeting is over, do you have any readout? And also it's said that the Council will have a press conference at the airport as they leave. Is there any UN, either DPI [Department of Public Information] or country team, arrangement to video or audio stream this? And if not, why not?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, first of all, the facilities are difficult… I don't know what kind of facilities we have on the ground, but we certainly would try to get details. If we can get a transcript or otherwise some record of the press conference, we'll try to get that. I don't believe we'll have the ability to have an audio stream. I think, for what it's worth, judging from the time differences, that any press event will probably have happened by now. We do not have any details from the delegation. We've reached out to them to try to get some. Yes.
Question: Farhan, a number of NGOs have accused the United Nations of giving in to demands from the Syrian government in censoring the document that's going to be the basis of this over $3 billion global aid appeal for Syria, and they give specific examples, including deleting references to the word "besieged areas", such as Madaya. What is the UN’s response to this?
Deputy Spokesman: First of all, as you have heard the Secretary-General say, and as you have heard us say from this podium, there are besieged areas, and we have repeatedly referred — and in fact, I am referring to that right now: Madaya, Fouah, Kafraya and other such areas; Zabadani — are besieged areas. The Secretary‑General has clearly talked about the problems of deliberately starving people and has mentioned this as a violation of international law and potentially as a war crime. So, we have not been silent on that, and we will continue not to be silent on that. It's something that the Secretary‑General takes quite seriously. And as for the report, you'll be able to evaluate it when you see it, but I would deny that any side is able to get us to restrict what we have to say, and I think I've proven it by saying it again. Yes.
Question: Also on Syria, today The Financial Times has a report that a high‑level messenger from President Putin asked Mr. Assad late last year to step aside. He angrily refused. The Kremlin is denying the report. Whether that's true or not, what I'm interested in is a kind of Tinker to Evers to Chance. Has the Secretary‑General asked Putin to use his power and good offices to get Mr. Assad to step aside to ease the peace process?
Deputy Spokesman: I don't think I would have any comment on any of the particular conversations about President Assad's fate, which, as we have said repeatedly, remains in the hands of the Syrian people and the Syrian parties, and is something, presumably, that would be discussed at any future talks. By the way, I like the reference to Tinker to Evers to Chance. Nice baseball reference. But, beyond that, the Secretary‑General has spoken repeatedly to the leaders of all of the key countries involved in the process trying to get them to play a helpful role. His main concern is just to make sure that all of them find a way to resolve the situation so that we have the sort of democratic transition that can put an end to the fighting. The specifics of that will ultimately be determined by the parties themselves. Yes.
Correspondent: I wanted to ask you and maybe…
Deputy Spokesman: Sorry. Go, after you, and then you. No, you can go first. Sorry. No, no, no, it's fine.
Question: Okay. So, you may… you may have expected this one to come. Mr. Kompass, who's still in the UN's employ, has given a lengthy interview, and he's read out emails he says he's received from UN staff, and they're pretty troubling. I'll just ask you about one of them. A UN worker wrote to Mr. Kompass saying he considered suicide after feeling “completely neglected by his superiors” when he tries to expose sex abuse in the country he's working in. And it quotes… the article quotes a New York Deputy Spokesman as saying “peacekeeping does not and never will accept a culture of tolerance”. Wanted to know… I mean, so are these e-mails not true what… that Mr. Kompass is reading out? And if it doesn't accept a culture of tolerance, what's happened with the four… just as one example, the four individuals, French, Gabonese, Moroccan and Burundian, named in the recent The Washington Post story about sex with 13‑year‑olds in CAR [Central African Republic]? What is actually taking place with those individuals?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, in that case, we are following up. We are following up with all the cases that have come to our attention of sexual exploitation and abuse, whether it's in the Central African Republic or elsewhere. But, as you know, we've provided regular details about how we've been handling the situation in the Central African Republic. More generally, in terms of the question of whether or not there is any such thing as a culture of tolerance, yes, I'll echo what that particular person said: there isn't such a thing. Staff members have to be able to report concerns in an atmosphere free from intimidation and fear of reprisal. Managers for their part have an obligation to take these accusations seriously in accordance with our established policies. The Secretary‑General has made his points clear about this, that he's determined to address these issues fully and directly, and he will take action against managers who are not living up to their responsibilities. I think he showed that in the Central African Republic with his actions last year.
Question: Could I just… and this is just a factual… I mean, when Ms. Corner was… you know, briefed us, she had a one‑page, you know, single‑spaced thing listing various cases. Is there some way to know what has actually happened in those cases? I mean, that was helpful, but it would be interest… I mean, that was detailed, but since then, we actually haven't heard of any discipline or accountability for the individual… for the cases listed on that sheet.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, of course, the activity continues on all the various cases as we proceed with them and on any new cases where we have concrete evidence to act upon. If we can get Diane Corner or someone else to brief you again, that could help out, because possibly what you would need is to have a briefing on these things periodically, so that you get updates as our own investigations proceed. Yes.
Question: Farhan, we heard what Staffan de Mistura and you all had to say yesterday about the Syria talks, so we know they're delayed from Monday. But, can you tell us whether invitations are going to be sent out either today or over the weekend, and can we expect this meeting to go ahead sometime later next week?
Deputy Spokesman: Where we stand onto this right now is that Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy for Syria, expects to at least roll out the process a bit on Monday. How that happens will become more clear on that date, but Mr. de Mistura does intend to speak to the press in Geneva at 3 p.m. local time on Monday. And then he can give some more details about what will happen next. Yes, Go.
Question: Yes. Thank you. A follow‑up on that same subject. So, there's some report saying that there will be two delegations of… two different delegations from opposition and that talk would be not bilateral, but even trilateral. Do you have any comment on that?
Deputy Spokesman: No, I don't. At this point, arrangements are being worked out. Consultations are still going on. Like I said, Staffan de Mistura himself will talk to the press at 3 p.m. Geneva time next Monday, and he will be able to provide more details about what the arrangements are at that point. Ann.
Question: There was a report issued on investigations into the conditions and circumstances resulting in the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld and of the members of the party accompanying him, which was dated July 2015. Do you expect any more updates on the investigation into the death of Dag Hammarskjöld?
Deputy Spokesman: At this stage, as you know, the General Assembly responded to the latest information with the resolution that they passed late last year. If any further information is supplied by relevant Member States in response to the General Assembly's request, then, of course, we would be able to learn more about what has happened. But, we'll have to see what the response is, first and foremost, to the General Assembly's own wishes. Yes.
Question: This is… maybe you'll have a… I guess an “if asked” about this. There's been an unrest in Tunisia and a nationwide curfew was announced. Given the things the Secretary‑General has said about the country as the kind of success story of the Arab Spring, does the DPA [Department of Political Affairs] or does anyone in the UN… what do they think of these protests? And is any either assistance… or seems like a lot of them are financially based. Is any part of the UN system trying to provide some assistance to forestall a second revolution?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we've been dealing with the Tunisian Government and civil society in the years since the Tunisian revolution. And entities like the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are working with the Tunisian Government to see what can be done to help the country as it continues with its transition. Certainly, the Secretary‑General has made clear our full support for the democratic transition in Tunisia, and you'll have seen the many statements we've issued on this over the past years. And we will continue with that support. Yes.
Question: I have just… one… there's been sort of brewing reports, but now they've been pretty much confirmed that an audio exists of army officials in Côte d'Ivoire providing encouragement and even planning for the attempted coup in Burkina Faso. So this has given rise… there's been an arrest warrant issued for Mr. Soro, an Ivorian official. Given that the UN has a mission in Côte d'Ivoire and given UNOWA [United Nations Office for West Africa], and etc., what does the UN think about this? Is it the case that senior officials of one country tried to bring about a coup in a neighbour?
Deputy Spokesman: We wouldn't have any response until we receive further information, any concrete information about that.
Question: And one last question. This is something… I'd asked Stéphane, I think, on 8 January about the town hall meeting and about flying and travel costs. And he'd said… and I don't… I may have misunderstood. He seemed to say that the Secretary‑General didn't say that he flies commercial, but I've since seen the video of the town hall, and he did say… he said that. He also seemed to say that some of his [Special Representatives of the Secretary-General] have private jets, and he said that some UN planes don't have water in the toilets. I mean, this is on video. So, I wanted to know, which missions have Special Representatives that have… fly on jets, and why is it that UN planes don't have water in the toilets as the Secretary‑General said? I mean, you can look at the tape or…?
Deputy Spokesman: I don't have to look at the tape. I've been on the planes. Why they don't have them is because sometimes what we have at our disposal is regional jets that are donated by member Governments. Sometimes the facilities on those jets are not the best, so instead of water, you have hand sanitizer, and it is what it is. We don't travel in luxury at the UN, and Special Representatives of the Secretary‑General do not have private jets. Sometimes they travel on the planes of UN peacekeeping missions. But, those are hardly private planes. Those are planes that are part of the peacekeeping missions' air assets.
Question: Does UNAMID [African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur] still have a Gulfstream jet?
Deputy Spokesman: I wouldn't know what precise assets UNAMID has. It does have… it has had smaller planes. And sometimes when the Secretary‑General travels, he… if he can use those planes to go to or from a peacekeeping mission, he uses those. So that's not the same thing, of course, as travelling commercially. But, neither does he have his own jet. He never has. Have a good weekend, everyone.