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.
Let’s get started. Good afternoon, everyone.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
The Secretary-General spoke earlier today at Cambridge University, where he received an honorary doctorate. He said that across the world, there is a strong sense that we are off track and in a deep mess. He said that the challenge facing the international community is to move from a pattern of reaction to a culture of prevention. That, in turn, must mean a heightened focus on preventing violations of human rights. But today, he warned, in many places and in many respects, the human rights compact is under assault or has broken down completely.
The Secretary-General pointed to such recent examples as the deliberate starvation of besieged populations in Syria; the enslavement of women and girls by Da’esh, Boko Haram and other violent extremists; and the many places where Governments are retaliating against human rights defenders and restricting media freedoms. He appealed for shared responsibility and compassion when dealing with mass movements of refugees and migrants.
The Secretary-General called for a strong show of solidarity at tomorrow’s humanitarian conference for Syria taking place in London, where he will speak. He pointed to the need to get Syrian children back in school — with 2 million Syrian children out of school at this time — and to get aid convoys through to people in dire need. The Secretary-General said that there are at least 400,000 people stranded in at least 15 besieged villages in Syria. The full text of his Cambridge speech is online.
Just a few minutes ago, the Secretary-General visited the Headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), based in London.
**Syria
There have been reports of intensified fighting and airstrikes in Aleppo governorate in recent days and UN agencies have received reports of the displacement of thousands of people from towns in the north-east of the area over the past two days.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is extremely concerned at the intensification of fighting and its impact on the civilian population and continues to monitor the situation closely. The UN has also received reports of three humanitarian workers killed in Rural Aleppo in an airstrike earlier today.
We deeply regret this incident and remind once again all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and humanitarian workers.
**Zika Virus
I was asked yesterday about coordination in the UN system in dealing with our response to the Zika virus, and I have some more details today.
Following the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General that microcephaly and other neurological disorders associated with the Zika virus constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, convened a high-level UN system-wide meeting by videoconference yesterday.
Over 20 different UN agencies and departments were represented. Participants discussed how the UN system, under the leadership of WHO, will help affected countries to address the challenges posed by the neurological disorders associated with the Zika virus. They emphasized the need for robust community mobilization, accelerated research and clear and coherent messaging.
The World Health Organization today voiced concern over a report that the Zika virus had been sexually transmitted in the United States and called for further investigation into the mosquito-borne virus linked to birth defects.
The first known case of Zika virus transmission in the United States was reported in Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday by local health officials, who said it likely was contracted through sex and not a mosquito bite.
WHO added that further investigation is needed to understand the conditions and how often or likely sexual transmission is. More information on the Zika virus situation is available on the WHO website.
**Ukraine
Aid organizations today expressed concern over the thousands of civilians — mainly elderly and vulnerable Ukrainian citizens — facing difficulties every day in crossing the so-called “contact” line.
Neal Walker, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, urged the Government to keep checkpoints open, noting that their closure has an immediate impact on people’s lives, directly increasing hardship and humanitarian need. He added that if hostilities increase, civilians may be trapped in unsafe areas, at the mercy of violence, mines and unexploded munitions.
For her part, Barbara Manzi, who heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ukraine, stressed that all parties to the conflict have an obligation under international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of civilians and to facilitate access to humanitarian organizations. You can read more about this online.
**Drugs
The Vienna-based International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has today published a Special Report on the availability of internationally controlled drugs. According to the Report, enough pain relief substances and raw materials are produced to fully cover global demand, yet three out of four people in the world have only limited or no access to pain relief. This is due to various obstacles such as the lack of training and awareness of health care professionals, fear of drug dependence and limited financial resources.
The Availability Report is a supplement to the 2015 Annual Report of the Narcotics Board, which is due to be published on 2 March.
**Honour Roll
And for the honour roll, Estonia becomes the 26th Member State to pay its regular budget dues in full. Thank you, Estonia.
**Questions and Answers
That's it from me. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. With regard to the UN personnel that were killed in the air raid in Aleppo, which agency they come from, and who is responsible for this air raid? Is it the Syrians, the Russians, the US‑led coalition? Who exactly did this air raid?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we've just received these reports. I don't know and I don't believe at this stage that this is UN personnel. I believe these are people who work for a non-governmental organization (NGO). We'll try to figure out which non-governmental organization it is. But you've heard our concerns about this incident.
Question: And the second part is also related to Syria but Geneva talks. Any updates on what's taking place right now and any achievements happen?
Deputy Spokesman: No, Mr. [Staffan] de Mistura's continuing with his efforts. There's some indication that, in the coming hours, he may speak to the press in Geneva. And, of course, our colleagues in Geneva will keep you updated about those developments. Yes, Michele?
Question: Thanks, Farhan. The Syrian Government gave, in principle, approval the other day for aid deliveries to some of the besieged towns. Do you have any update on when those deliveries might go ahead?
Deputy Spokesman: At this stage, no, we don't have an update on when convoys could be moving. They did give some approval for us to go to places including Foah, Kafraya, and Madaya. So we are trying to get to those areas. So that approval was given on the 1st of February — so, two days ago — and based on that approval, we submitted a detailed list of supplies and other details so that we can get some goods going into those towns. Yes?
Question: Sure.
Correspondent: Follow-up on air strikes?
Deputy Spokesman: First him and then you or… is that okay?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask you about the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo). It was said…
Correspondent: It’s not DRC. Can we stay on Syria?
Deputy Spokesman: All right, fine.
Question: I just wanted to know, you mentioned that for air strikes and the obligation to protect civilians, but does UN have a view about carrying out air strikes at a time when we are trying to get peace talks off the ground?
Deputy Spokesman: We have made clear that, once the talks started, we wanted to make sure that the parties on the ground would move towards a ceasefire. That hasn't happened, as you can see, and Staffan de Mistura has underscored the point that what's needed now is for the members of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to work on their respective sides to make sure that they can get a ceasefire going. Obviously, it's extremely difficult to have peace talks going while fighting rages. And so they need to be aware of their responsibilities, as well, to see what can be done to bring the fighting to a halt. Yes?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask you, on the DRC, Under‑Secretary‑General Hervé Ladsous, I guess in Addis, gave an interview to RFI. And he said that one of the two generals, Sikabwe Fall or Bruno Mandevu, had been redeployed at the request, I guess… as the UN had been requesting. And since then, the DRC Government has said that that is inaccurate and false. And so I wanted to know… they said they remain in place in their positions in North Kivu. Given that this has been… was the reason given for not collaborating in the fight against FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), what is the status? Did Mr. Ladsous say that? If he said it, what's the UN's response to the Government saying that it's false?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding the operations, you're aware of what our concerns have been regarding how and when we would cooperate with the Congolese Armed Forces. It's clear that the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sovereign and primary responsibility for the protection of its citizens. At the same time, our Mission on the ground, MONUSCO, stands ready to support the Government in line with its mandate to protect civilians. In this regard, MONUSCO has welcomed the Government's acceptance of the Mission's proposal to resume coordinated offensive operations, which resulted in agreed arrangement for military cooperation on 28 January of this [year]. The UN Mission, MONUSCO, has put out a press release on this, and I would refer you to that for further details.
Question: Yes, but my question… I've seen the press release, and it doesn't answer the simple question, which is, did Mr. Ladsous say that one of the generals was moved out of North Kivu? And if he did, which it's on audio, what did he say to the DRC saying nobody moved, and how is that consistent with the UN‑stated human rights due diligence? It doesn't… the press release doesn't answer that.
Deputy Spokesman: We are continuing to do our due diligence on pressing the Government on the question of the two generals, that is to say, General Sikabwe and General Mandevu.
Question: Did Mr. Ladsous believe that they had moved? Did he say it and does he now retract it?
Deputy Spokesman: We continue to be in touch with the Government and we'll try to make sure that we have a clear position on what the status of these generals are. Yes?
Question: Yeah, Farhan. Thank you. On Yemen, it seems the Saudis have intensified their aerial bombardment to Sana'a. Over 200 sorties… or air strikes were just as of last night. Since they admitted hitting civilians or partially hitting civilians, have you been monitoring the targets they are targeting in Sana'a these days? And how do you describe the humanitarian situation in Yemen?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, the humanitarian situation continues to be one of grave concern. As you know, there are 21 million people in need in Yemen, and so that's basically four fifths of the population. And we continue to seek ways to get aid to the population in need. Regarding the air operations, you've heard what our concerns are, and they continue to be the case. We are concerned at anything that would indicate attacks on heavily civilian areas, heavily populated areas, as well as on humanitarian or medical facilities.
Question: Do you have anyone on the ground in Sana'a who can tell where these air strikes are happening?
Deputy Spokesman: We don't have a peacekeeping mandate in Yemen, if that's what you're talking about. But we do have staff on the ground who do provide valuable information about what's happening on ground.
Question: Can I… another question on Syria, please, yeah.
Deputy Spokesman: Hold… if it's a different subject, let's go to another question. Actually, there's someone who didn't ask before. Yes, you?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Regarding the SG's trip to the IMO in London, will we have a readout on that?
Deputy Spokesman: He met with the Director‑General of the International Maritime Organization just yesterday. His current meeting with the International Maritime Organization is happening, I believe, just this evening. So it's something that's still under way. Certainly, they've talked about issues of mutual relevance including, as you're aware, the issue we discussed yesterday about the information… the note verbale that was received by the International Maritime Organization and two other agencies.
Correspondent: Can I follow up?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes.
Question: Is the UN asking North Korea to not go ahead with the launch?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, certainly, you'll have seen the relevant Security Council resolutions. The Secretary‑General believes that it's important for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to refrain from using ballistic missile technology and to work for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Regarding the use… the launching and use of ballistic missile technology, I just refer you to the relevant Security Council resolutions, which is to say resolution 1718 of 2006, resolution 1874 of 2009, and resolutions 2087 and 2094 of 2013.
Question: Has there been any… has there been a communication to North Korea along those lines?
Deputy Spokesman: At this stage, you've heard what I've had to say on this. You'll have seen, of course, what the Security Council resolutions are and what they entail. And those four Security Council resolutions are, of course, international law. Yeah, Sherwin?
Question: Farhan, I've seen the SG's remarks at Cambridge University calling for solidarity with regard to the donor conference in London tomorrow. What is the United Nations strategy going into this conference, given the chronic underfunding we've seen from previous appeals? And in addition to that, how do you ensure that the pledges that are made at tomorrow's conference are delivered timelessly so that the need can be met on the ground?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we certainly have been pushing the case with Member States, including in the Secretary‑General's own travels around the world, to make sure, at this conference, that you'll have full funding for our target. You're aware that what we're calling for ultimately spans as high as $9 billion, and we know that that's a lot. We know the financial circumstances of our Member States, but at the same time, the needs are great. The Secretary‑General's made it very clear that, if you want to deal with so many of the different problems that have arisen, including problems of the migration of so many Syrian refugees and the burden on the immediate neighbouring countries, we really need to be able to solve the problem. That needs to happen two ways. One is, of course, we need to make sure that the humanitarian efforts are fully funded, but, of course, we also need a solution to the fighting on the ground. And so we're working on those two tracks, both in London tomorrow and in Geneva, and we need to make progress on both. Yes, Evelyn and then Emoke.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. There were reports today of grenade explosions in Burundi. In fact, three of them. Do you have any information on who did it?
Deputy Spokesman: I can't say at this point which parties are responsible for these latest explosions. We're concerned about all the violence that's been there. As you know, our Special Adviser, Jamal Benomar, has… had been in Burundi. He travelled there shortly before the [Security] Council's stay, and he continued to stay there until he went then over the weekend to Addis Ababa, where he participated with the Secretary‑General in talking to African Union leaders concerning the crisis in Burundi. He's now back here in New York, trying to follow up on the work that's been done in recent weeks, but we're continuing to push with the African Union on this.
Question: Follow‑up on Burundi?
Deputy Spokesman: Sorry. Emoke next. Emoke and then you.
Question: Thank you. On Zika, do you know if the Secretary‑General, maybe WHO, are planning to convene Member States to discuss Zika and the spread of that virus?
Deputy Spokesman: Right now they're trying to deal with the situation on ground both with the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). I don't have any big international meeting on Zika to announce at this stage, but that will be a question for… presumably for the World Health Organization to handle. Yes?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask on Burundi. They're… beyond the press reports of the grenade attacks, there's reports from, you know, people there. I wanted to ask you about this, about three followers of Mr. [Agathon] Rwasa's FNL (National Forces of Liberation) being killed in a place in Musaga and two brothers killed and their parents injured in Ruyaga. So it seems like there's… the… the… the violence against perceived or actual opponents of the third term is continuing, and I'm just wondering, where is the… either the… whether it's the Office of Human Rights people, like where… it seems important… like, when is the next time they're going to report on their confirming or denying of these reports of deaths?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, the Human Rights Office is on the ground. They're continuing to gather information about the various violations of human rights. We have been expressing concern in periodic statements, but, yes, they will also do another periodic report on the human rights situation. But for now, they're gathering their information.
Question: Do we know when?
Deputy Spokesman: I don't have a date. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I arrived a little bit late, so you may have already answered this, but there had been discussion of a meeting of the Syria support group on 11 February in Munich. Do you know if that date has been confirmed and whether there'll be any coordination with the Security Council?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, I believe that that is the date that the International Syria Support Group is working towards, that is to say, 11 February in Munich. And we think that that will be an important way of ensuring that the parties of the International Syria Support Group will coordinate their efforts to, again, press upon the parties to make sure that the current momentum can continue and that the unique opportunity that we have to finally move forward in resolving this crisis and halting the fighting is not wasted. Yes?
Question: Yeah, regarding Syria, Nubl and al‑Zahraa has been off the radar of the United Nations for a while. Do you have any idea about this… the… this… these two towns have been under siege for over five years now. Do you have an idea about starvation there? When was the last time food was delivered to these two places?
Deputy Spokesman: We have periodically tried to deliver food to those two towns. As I said at the start of this briefing, there are at least some 400,000 people trapped in at least 15 besieged villages in Syria. We're trying to open up access to all of them. Ultimately, our hope is that the parties themselves, as these talks proceed, as the efforts of the International Syria Support Group continue, we'll move towards easing the stranglehold on those towns.
Question: Regarding Yemen, have you registered any… any starvation cases so far in Yemen?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, you've seen the concerns that we've had. Given the huge number of people in need, there's a lot of concern about malnutrition, and we've provided those figures throughout. I don't have any figures about actual deaths from starvation, but the rate of malnutrition, including of malnutrition among children, has been high, and I would refer you to the periodic briefings we've been giving on that. Yes?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask you, in… in… in South Sudan, obviously, there's fighting going on, but there are now people saying that chemical weapons were used in a place called Mundri. And I wanted to know, I know that UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan) has started holding briefings there. There's a question by a, quote, unidentified journalist saying about the chemical weapons, and the answer was, “Simply refer to the JMAC (Joint Mission Analysis Centre) monitoring and verification teams.” And I wanted to know, how is it that the UN has a near‑billion‑dollar peacekeeping mission there but can't speak about an issue as important as chemical weapons? And what is the state of the UN's knowledge on the reported use of chemical weapons by the Government side in Mundri?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I mean, the basic point is that, at this stage, we don't have a confirmation of the use of chemical weapons. If we do, we would report that. It's a matter of serious concern. We have a peacekeeping mission on the ground. If it can confirm these reports, it will.
Question: So the answer there given only to refer to JMAC actually meant the UN is trying to confirm it, and if it can, it will.
Deputy Spokesman: If we have any solid information to confirm this, of course, we would follow up on that. Yes, you and then you again. It’s both of you.
Question: On Saudi Arabia, the Saudi authorities have sentenced a Palestinian poet to hundreds of lashes or… I don't know whether it's hundreds or thousands. But he has been sentenced… his sentence was mitigated from death sentence to hundreds of lashes. What does the United Nations think about that?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding the… that kind of punishment and the number of lashes that's been accorded, you'll have seen the concerns that we expressed, both through the Secretary‑General and through the High Commissioner for Human Rights, concerning the treatment of the blogger Raif Badawi, who had similarly been sentenced to a very large number of lashes, and our concerns apply the same as in this… as in that case. Yes?
Question: Sure. Thanks. I wanted to ask you again for a list or disclosure of the use of this room by… you know, approved by the Office of the Spokesman. And I'll just say it because yesterday you said that you're in charge of the room; you have the information. Do you have it now?
Deputy Spokesman: We have the information, but we don't have a list. We don't keep a list. We do this case by case.
Question: So can I ask a question?
Deputy Spokesman: The bottom line, Matthew, and this is an important thing, we keep all press briefings in this room open to all press. The meeting that you were trying to crash into on Friday was not a press briefing. It’s an organizational meeting.
Question: My question is this… [cross talk] anything that you exclude people from you're going to say is not a briefing. I have a simple question. One, I think you should disclose the list since it's public…
Deputy Spokesman: There's no such list.
Question: …public resources are being used. But the actual… since you say you have it —
Deputy Spokesman: There's not a list. We have the information. We don't have a list.
Question: Okay. Here's the question. Have you… has the room been lent by your office to any affiliate or fundee of Ng Lap Seng or the Global Sustainability Foundation, both of which are named in the US Attorney's Office indictment?
Deputy Spokesman: No.
Question: You know that to be the case?
Deputy Spokesman: I know that to be the case.
Question: Oh, okay. [laughs]
Deputy Spokesman: I know that to be the case.
Question: Do you… you heard the word “fundee”, and you said no; right?
Deputy Spokesman: I know that it is… it's not a question. No one puts up money to use the room.
Question: That's not what I asked. I said, have you lent the room to a fundee…
Deputy Spokesman: And it was not…
Question: …of Ng Lap Seng or the Global Sustainability Foundation? If you need time to answer it, please e-mail it, but this is the question.
Deputy Spokesman: I don't need any time to answer this. Look, the… some of the ways the room is used is, for example, we talk to college students. That's open to college students, and people who are not, don't go to those.
Question: Who’s on the list?
Deputy Spokesman: It's open to the Model UN. People who are not part of the Model UN don't go. In this case, on Friday, it was open to the Correspondents Association. That was their organizational meeting.
Question: You've heard the question; right?
Deputy Spokesman: I've heard the question. That's my answer.
Have a good afternoon, everyone.