Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Good afternoon.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
I will start off with the Secretary-General, who you know just arrived in Addis Ababa a few hours ago. And he is there to attend the regular meeting of the African Union Summit, which has already gotten under way. He is currently addressing the Peace and Security Council as we speak, and we will be issuing his remarks as soon as he is done.
Upon arrival, the Secretary-General met with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, [Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma]. They discussed UN-AU cooperation and specifically the situations in Burundi, Libya, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan and Somalia.
The Secretary-General also attended a reception ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit, where he announced that he was allocating $100 million dollars for underfunded emergencies in nine countries, including Ethiopia itself, where more than 10 million people need food assistance as a result of severe drought and the worst El Niño effect on record.
On Sunday, the Secretary-General is expected to visit badly impacted areas of Ethiopia to see for himself the human consequences of the crisis and how the leadership of the Government has ensured a swift response.
**Syria
And as previously announced by the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, the Intra-Syrian Talks are starting today in Geneva.
Mr. de Mistura began by meeting a delegation by the Government headed by the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations, Bashar al-Ja’afari. He will continue meetings with other participants in the talks and with representatives of civil society.
And he is scheduled to hold a press briefing late in the afternoon his time, so probably not too far from now, and hopefully that will also be webcast for you to see. And you will be doing that obviously from Geneva. As previously indicated by Mr. de Mistura, these will be proximity talks, meaning that the parties will be meeting with him separately. And we will, of course, keep you informed as much as we can from here.
**Central African Republic
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, said today in Geneva that he is extremely alarmed by continuing allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse of minors in the Central African Republic (CAR) by members of the foreign military forces. These alleged crimes mostly took place in 2014, but only came to light in recent weeks. A joint UN team in the Central African Republic recently interviewed a number of girls who said they had been sexually exploited or abused by foreign soldiers.
Four of the girls said their abusers were attached to contingents operating as part of the European Union operation, or EUFOR. Two of the girls interviewed said they were raped by EUFOR soldiers, and the two other girls said they were paid to have sexual relationships with other EUFOR soldiers. While the nationalities of the soldiers remain unclear, three of the four girls said they believed their abusers were members of the Georgian EUFOR contingent. Four girls were aged between 14 and 16 at the time of the alleged abuse.
UN human rights staff also interviewed a girl and a boy — aged 7 and 9 — when they were allegedly abused in 2014 by French Sangaris troops. All six cases involving non-UN foreign military forces took place in and around the M’Poko camp at the airport that is meant for displaced people — and that of course is in Bangui, the capital.
High Commissioner Zeid last week raised the cases with the European, Georgian and French authorities, as well as with another country on a similar allegation for which additional corroboration is needed. All four authorities have promptly responded to the High Commissioner and stated that they have already begun investigations or referred cases to relevant judicial authorities in their respective countries.
In addition, a number of cases involving United Nations peacekeepers also came to light during the interviews carried out by the joint UN team. And in a few minutes, after our guests, I will be joined by Tony Banbury, the Assistant Secretary-General for Field Support, who will be here to talk to you in more detail about the cases involving United Nations peacekeepers.
**Libya
The World Food Programme (WFP) has started distributing food in eastern Libya for the first time since last June. It will provide assistance over the coming four weeks to nearly 80,000 displaced people in and around Benghazi, which is, as you know, Libya’s second largest city.
**Israel/Palestine
And I know that some of you have asked me earlier about a Palestinian journalist, Mohammed al-Qiq, who has been on hunger strike. And I have the following to say:
Noting the 27 January decision by the Israeli High Court to remand Mohammed al-Qiq in custody under administrative detention, the Secretary-General is concerned about his health condition. As you know, Mr. al-Qiq has been on hunger strike since 25 November of last year in protest against the arbitrary nature of his detention.
The UN on the ground is closely following the overall situation of Palestinian detainees and reiterates its long-standing position that all those detained — Palestinian or Israeli — should be charged or released without delay.
**Appointments
A couple of senior appoints to announce — one you may have already heard from the concerned person.
The Secretary-General is appointing Janos Pasztor of Hungary as his Senior Adviser on Climate Change. In his new role, Mr. Pasztor will support the efforts of the Secretary-General to mobilize world leaders and all sectors of society to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement.
We are also announcing the appointment of a group of ten experts to support the Technology Facilitation Mechanism, which was launched by the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September of last year. The Technology Facilitation Mechanism, TFM, a new acronym today — are always pleased to have new acronyms — is meant to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 10-member group consists of representatives of civil society, the private sector and the scientific community. They will advise the UN Inter-agency Task Team, in particular on preparations for the annual meetings of the multi-stakeholder forum and on support for the development and operationalization of the online platform. The list of all members is available in our office.
**Honour Roll
And just an update on the honour roll today: We thank Australia and Samoa for paying their dues in full, bringing the number of countries who have contributed in full to 21.
**Press Conferences
In a short while, I will be joined by Ahmad Alhendawi, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Youth, and he will be accompanied by Navid Hanif, the Director of the Office of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Support and Coordination in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). They will speak on the upcoming ECOSOC Youth Forum, which starts on Monday, which will focus on the important role of young people in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
And after their brief appearance, as mentioned, I’ll be joined by Tony Banbury from the Department of Field [Support].
On Monday, I will be joined by Guy Rider — the Director General of the International Labour Organization (ILO). He will brief you on the launch of the recently approved Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth.
At 5 p.m., there will be a briefing here by Ambassador Rafael Darío Ramírez Carreño of Venezuela, in his capacity as the President of the Security Council for the month of February. Thank you for paying attention.
**Questions and Answers
Yes? You may get the first question, if you have a question. But otherwise, we'll go to Mr. Klein, whose hand has been raised.
Question: Okay. Earlier this month, the Secretary‑General presented a report of the high‑level panel on humanitarian assistance. In his remarks, he talked about the increasing gulf between resources that were needed and what has actually been provided by the donor community. The report recommends what they called solidarity levies and gave several examples. Does the Secretary‑General support that recommendation for solidarity levies as an innovative source of financing?
Spokesman: I think the report… a lot of the recommendations in the report will be studied, but obviously, I think, we always are looking for innovative ways to finance the biggest issues on our agenda, whether it's humanitarian, development. There have been innovative ways of financing issues on global health, so these are obviously issues we're looking at. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. And I understand that Mr. Banbury is going to come afterwards, but I wanted to ask you. Two days ago, I asked you about new allegations in sexual abuse in the CAR (Central African Republic) by soldiers in the Republic of Congo. And you said: I have nothing to share with you. And I asked you when does the Secretariat, not this High Commissioner, but the Secretariat, when does it decide to make allegations public? And I'm not sure what you said. You said very proactive, very proactive. It seems like, in this case, Mr. Zeid has announced the… the… the alleged abuses by non‑UN soldiers prior to the Secretariat announcing abuses by its own soldiers. So I wanted to know, who decides? Who makes the decision?
Spokesman: It's a mere matter of time difference. The UN is a global organization. We have offices that span different time zones. The point is that the announcement has come on the same day. The High Commissioner's office announced and named the countries that were involved in these latest allegations as part of their investigation. They've come… there's… I just said, it became clear there were also allegations involving UN peacekeepers. Mr. Banbury will be here to give more details, including naming of the contingents that are implicated.
Question: But who decides… I just wanted, this is what I was trying to ask you two days ago. Who is it that decides? Is it Ban Ki‑moon… like, in terms of when to go public, like, is a week okay? Is two months? Because I knew… I was told this three days ago it was coming up; who decides this? [cross talk]
Spokesman: There are a number of steps that have to be taken, including the notification of troop-contributing countries. There's obviously initial investigation on our part. And as soon as we're able to make the announcement, as quickly as possible, we do that.
Question: Who's the "we" is my only question. Is the "we" Mr. Zeid, or is it Ban Ki‑moon?
Spokesman: Well, I think… High Commissioner for Human Rights has… obviously will speak up when he feels he needs to speak up. He's looking into allegations involving non‑UN peacekeepers, Department of Field [Support] and DPKO (Department of Peacekeeping Operations) are looking at ones that involved the United Nations. Majeed?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. About the Geneva talks, we are still not certain if the opposition going to participate or not, but do you know if the opposition delegation are in Geneva now? That's not certain, too. And second question I want to ask, Mr. de Mistura right now is in a meeting with the Syrian delegation, the Government. What is the exact goal of today's meeting? What is he trying to achieve?
Spokesman: The goals are laid out… the agenda are laid out in the relevant Security Council resolution. As we've said and as Mr. de Mistura said, these talks are really a complex undertaking, these proximity talks. There will be lots of ups and downs, but I will let Mr. de Mistura speak for himself, as things are really changing, almost by the minute. Obviously, there may be some delegations that are in Switzerland. Whether or not they actually come to the Palais may be another issue. As I said, I think, to one of your colleagues, we have no way of knowing who's checked into what hotel. Mr. de Mistura will do… is doing his utmost and his team are doing their utmost to get these proximity talks rolling. They have started, as planned, on the 29th.
Question: I wanted to… the question… and the two western diplomats have been quoted, said that talks are complete failure. What's your comment about this?
Spokesman: I think we always enjoy hearing unnamed diplomats declaring failure on the day that things start, and we appreciate their support. [laughter] Abdelhamid?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Mr. Kobler…
Spokesman: Your… there you go.
Question: Mr. Martin Kobler announced today or said in a statement to a magazine, a German magazine, that he's concerned that Libya could become another Syria; something has to be done. Is that a pretext for justification of a military intervention in Libya?
Spokesman: No, I would not say that. I think it is a… yet another reminder to the political leaders in Libya that they need to come together on the basis of a compromise and chart a peaceful way forward for their country. I mean, we've seen it in many different countries where there is a vacuum that allows for the growth of extremist groups. I think the Libyan leaders have a plan before them. They need to act upon it, and I think they need to do it in a spirit of compromise. Ms. Lederer?
Question: Hi, Steph. Is there a possibility that the Secretary‑General might stop in Syria… in Syria [laughs]. Sorry, in Switzerland, to basically try and get the talks moving perhaps in a better, more positive way?
Spokesman: There are no plans at this point. I think we have full confidence in Mr. de Mistura. It's day one. Mr. de Mistura and his team are working extremely hard with the full backing of the Secretary‑General, the full backing, we very much hope, of all the international community, especially the International Support Group for Syria. Obviously, if there is a need for the Secretary‑General to be deployed, to make calls, or for the Deputy Secretary‑General to be deployed and make calls, those are tools in our kit, but obviously, I think the focus needs to be on Mr. de Mistura and his leadership of the talks right now. Mr. Lee?
Question: Ask you… on Burundi, I'm sure that you… you and Mr. [Jamal] Benomar have seen this Amnesty International report with photographs and, in one case, video of what they say are these mass graves. And I wanted to know… I'd asked you yesterday if there's any plan by the UN to preserve such evidence, but now that there's actual… I mean, they've taken photos, but they're not on the ground; they don't have blue passports. What's the UN going to do about it?
Spokesman: Obviously, the High Commissioner for Human Rights is extreme… is very much aware of these reports. I think, on 15 January, the High Commissioner had already flagged the possible existence of at least nine mass graves in Bujumbura and its surroundings, including one in a military camp containing about 100 bodies in total of people allegedly killed, I think, around 11 December of last year. He also said that his office are analysing satellite images in an effort to shed more light on the extremely serious allegations. The High Commissioner made clear then and remains as clear today that we urgently need an independent, thorough, credible and impartial investigation and that the alleged gravesites need to be safeguarded. That's it.
Question: Can I ask… I just… I've seen… and you might find this a strange question, but it's less about the amount than about the process. I've seen… I've seen a solicitation or announcement of a Ban Ki‑moon speaking event in London while he's there. And the hosts are charging money. And it's not a huge amount of money, but I've asked you this before, and I wanted to know, what are the… what are the rules? Do people that… where Ban Ki‑moon goes to an event and they choose to charge money to attend it, do they consult with the Ethics Office? Do you consult with the Ethics Office? Who does it?
Spokesman: We're very well aware of the fact… we're very happy that the UN Association of the U.K. will be hosting the Secretary‑General. They are a small NGO (non-governmental organization). They needed to rent a hall. I think they are charging a minimal price in order to recoup the cost of renting the hall. They've made that fully clear with us, and it's been completely cleared.
Question: Right, but the reason I'm asking, because I agree; the amount is small, and I've spoken to them about it, but what I wanted to know is, what's the process? For example, if Ban Ki‑moon goes to an event and it's a fundraiser and people, say, $6,000 for half a table to be with Ban Ki‑moon, who checks with the Ethics Office or is… you said previously, as long as it's disclosed, it's fine. And I'm wondering, is that true?
Spokesman: I think these things are looked at on a case‑by‑case basis. Yes, Fethi?
Question: Yes, a follow‑up on the indictment or the allegations of sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers, and you mentioned that they're going to be… those who are indicted are going to be tried in the countries of origin. My question is: What code of law you're going to be following? Is it civil law or is it military code of law?
Spokesman: Well, it would be… It depends on the case if it's military. It depends on the justice in each country. But I will let Mr. Banbury answer that question. He'll be here in about 15 minutes.
Correspondent: Okay.
Spokesman: Oleg?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. On Syria talks, there is a lot of concern about the absence of the Kurds in Geneva. They are obviously fighting ISIS, and they are doing this effectively, according to the reports. They're part of the Syrian society. And they are being ignored in these talks because of some external players, obviously. So is the delegation… the… the delegation of the opposition, is it locked down basically? The list is finalized…
Spokesman: I think there will be… as Mr. de Mistura said, this will be a six‑month process. There will be a lot of meetings in these proximity talks with different players. This is just day one. Sylviane?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. It's a follow‑up on that. Do you know how many people have been invited, in the list of the opposition have been invited?
Spokesman: No.
Question: They are from… the list from Cairo and…
Spokesman: I would… those questions should be… will be… if possible, they will be answered by Mr. de Mistura's office.
Question: I have another question.
Spokesman: Yeah.
Question: How many Christians have been… are on the list of this… [cross talk]
Spokesman: Those questions will be answered from Mr. de Mistura's office. It's obviously important that the broadest possible spectrum of Syrian society be represented.
Correspondent: Thank you.
Question: I'm sorry if you talked about this before, because I came late. I have a question about the Zika virus, and do you have information when you first heard about the spread of the virus? And if there's somebody from the WHO (World Health Organization) or any UN organization who's trying, on the field, to collect information…
Spokesman: The World Health Organization and, through its regional arm, PAHO, Pan American Health Organization, is very much in the lead in the Americas. I think, as I probably said earlier this week, they've sent out a number of experts to some of the countries that have been most impacted. Margaret Chan addressed this in Geneva yesterday, and there will be a meeting of the… emergency meeting of the World Health Organization on Monday to decide whether or not to declare it a global health crisis. We're also trying to see if we can get people from WHO to come here and brief you. And I know the Secretary‑General is trying to plan or will be speaking to Dr. Chan very shortly. Yeah, go ahead. Yes. Sorry.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. There's a private initiative to put a UN museum in Copenhagen, and I was wondering… some people feel that the use of the UN name might cause an issue. I was wondering how the Secretary‑General feels about…
Spokesman: I have not heard of it. I will check. Abdelhamid, Majeed, and then we… Matthew, we need to wrap up.
Question: There is an initiative by civil society around the world to establish an airport in Gaza that is to be run by the United Nations that… where the UN can take assistance and humanitarian aid to Gaza without the approval of any country. And this is gaining momentum. Are you aware of that initiative?
Spokesman: I'm not personally aware of it, but I will… I'm happy to look into it.
Correspondent: Okay.
Spokesman: Oleg and then Majeed.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Can you comment on the decision of the Dutch to start… the decision on the Dutch to start airstrikes in Syria against ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham)?
Spokesman: I think, as the Secretary‑General's always said, I think any country involved in the fight against Da’esh and other extreme… and Da’esh, whether it's in Syria or Iraq, needs to ensure that whatever operations are done are done within the full respect of international law, international humanitarian law, and avoid civilian casualties and targeting civilian infrastructure and that that's been his position since the start.
Question: I have a follow‑up, actually, on not letting the Kurds in Syria participate in the talks. You talked about it's a six‑months process, but they will be excluded from that process. That's the point. And the Kurd… the PYD is controlling a very important territory in Northern Syria, and they're fighting ISIS. My point here… my question here is, has the Secretary‑General or Mr. de Mistura tried to talk to the regional powers to let them participate in the talk?
Spokesman: I think I will refer you back to what I said to Sylviane. Mr. de Mistura and the Secretary‑General are very much aware of the need for the broadest possible representation at the talks, and I said, again, this is day one. Matthew, one question. And then we go.
Question: Question and a request. You might not have an answer to the question. It was Sri Lanka. I asked a couple days ago whether there's a DPA (Department of Political Affairs) response to President [Maithripala] Sirisena saying no foreign judges in the war crimes inquiry. Do you have any answer?
Spokesman: Yes, I do.
Correspondent: All right.
Spokesman: What was your…
Question: The question is just a request. They announced that the Syrian Government representative, Mr. Ja'afari, might do a stakeout, but I didn't see any camera go up. Is there going to be a…
Spokesman: In Geneva?
Question: In Geneva, is there going to be a camera on the door for entrance?
Spokesman: I guess you have to take… call my colleagues in Geneva and take a look at the webcast. On Sri Lanka, the Secretary‑General understands that the discussions in Sri Lanka on the transitional justice mechanism, including the judicial component, are ongoing. Broad‑based national consultations are about to kick off, and they will help inform the modalities of the mechanisms. The Secretary‑General also recalls that the Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka, cosponsored by the current Government, affirms the importance of a credible justice process and international participation in the judicial mechanism. He remains hopeful that the Sri Lankan Government stands by its commitments and fully implements the resolution.
I will get our guests. And don't go away.