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.
**Climate Change
I will start off with a statement regarding [the adoption of] Proposed Aviation Standards to Limit Carbon Emissions.
The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement today by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) proposing the first binding limits on emissions from the aviation industry.
The proposed rules, which would limit carbon emissions and strengthen the efficiency of all new commercial and business airliners after 2028, build on the strong momentum coming from the Paris Agreement and represent the latest in a series of successful multilateral efforts to reduce the risks of dangerous climate change.
Carbon emissions from aviation are growing rapidly, with the number of flights worldwide expected to double in the next 15 years. The ICAO’s new rules come after years of negotiations and are the first time that Governments have set emissions standards for the aviation industry.
The Secretary-General commends this first step to reduce carbon emissions from air travel and calls for further strengthening of emissions standards as quickly as possible, in line with the scientific imperative for action.
**Humanitarian
This morning, the Secretary-General launched his report called One Humanity: Shared Responsibility ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), which as you know will take place in May of this year in Istanbul, Turkey.
Speaking to Member States, the Secretary-General stressed that the Summit is the moment for us to come together to renew our commitment to humanity, and to the unity and cooperation required to prevent and end crises, and reduce people’s suffering and vulnerability. He added that no one in conflict, no one in chronic poverty and no one living with the risk of natural hazards and rising sea levels must be left behind.
The report provides core responsibilities for action — it urges leaders to assume their responsibility to prevent and end conflicts; calls on States to affirm their responsibility to uphold the norms that safeguard humanity; underscores the need to focus delivering aid to ending need; and calls for more investment in humanity, including enhancing local capacities, reducing risk and building effective and inclusive institutions.
And following the launch, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O’Brien, is expected to be here as my guest, either as soon as I am done with the briefing or a little later. But we will keep you posted.
The SG’s remarks are of course available online and in my office.
**Security Council
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Feltman, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, was briefing the Security Council on the Secretary-General’s recent report providing a strategic-level assessment of the threat posed by Da’esh. It highlights that Da’esh’s emergence has been facilitated by protracted conflicts and instability in Iraq and Syria, as well as the weakening of State institutions and the inability of States to exercise effective control over territory and borders. The report adds that the group’s global expansion strategy may be a reaction to recent territorial losses inflicted by international military efforts.
Mr. Feltman said that, in the context of countering the financing of terrorism, Member States should ensure the timely exchange of information and financial intelligence, implement relevant Security Council resolutions, and strengthen their collaboration with private sector actors to address the threat. Among other steps, he added, Member States should criminalize the travel of foreign terrorist fighters in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions and take measures to strengthen their border-management regimes.
Meanwhile in a separate meeting, the Security Council also adopted a resolution adding 68 correction officers to the UN Mission in the Central African Republic.
**Middle East
From the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, today welcomed the ongoing Palestinian unity talks that are being hosted by Qatar. The United Nations supports all efforts undertaken to advance genuine Palestinian reconciliation on the basis of non-violence, democracy and PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization] principles.
Mr. Mladenov urged all sides to follow up on these discussions in good faith and implement previous agreements, in particular those brokered by Egypt. The formation of a National Unity Government that abides by the PLO programme and the conduct of long-overdue elections are important elements of this process.
The Special Coordinator added that the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza, have suffered enough. They deserve to see the West Bank and Gaza reunited under a single, democratic and legitimate Palestinian authority.
**Syria
From Syria, our colleagues at the World Food Programme (WFP) have started distributing urgently needed food to people displaced by the recent surge in violence in northern Aleppo. The food was transported on cross-border convoys from Turkey into the small town of A’zaz, about 30 kilometres north-west of Aleppo city. Over the following days, distributions are to reach another 21,000 people.
WFP is extremely concerned about the situation on the ground, with access and supply routes from the north to eastern Aleppo being cut off. The agency is urging all parties to the conflict to provide immediate access to the affected communities, so [that] it can distribute food to families.
UNHCR, meanwhile, says that NGOs in northern Aleppo have been providing assistance and humanitarian relief to internally displaced people. Turkey has also been providing assistance and has accepted a number of vulnerable, wounded persons into Turkey.
More details in the briefing notes from our colleagues in Geneva.
**Sri Lanka
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, spoke to the media in Colombo, Sri Lanka, today, concluding his four-day visit to Sri Lanka.
Stressing that there has been progress in the country, he added that the “white van” abductions that operated outside all norms of law and order to instil fear in the hearts of journalists, human rights defenders and others, who dared to criticize the Government or State security, are now very seldom reported.
He said that after nearly 30 years of conflict, Sri Lanka is still in the early stages of renewal.
The High Commissioner also highlighted that several recent highly symbolic steps have been taken that have had a positive impact on intercommunal relations, including the decision to sing the national anthem in both Sinhala and Tamil on Independence Day — that was the first time since the early 1950s.
**Haiti
Just to flag that the World Food Programme warns today that a third consecutive year of drought in Haiti, exacerbated by El Niño, has driven people deeper into poverty and hunger, and doubled the severely food-insecure population.
Based on the results of these new studies, WFP intends to scale up its food assistance programmes to address the most critical and immediate needs of 1 million drought-impacted people by distributing cash and food rations.
**Zika
Concerning the Zika virus: as the leading UN agency on animal health and pest control, the Food and Agriculture Organization said today that it could assist countries impacted by the Zika virus with targeted interventions, while ensuring that people and the environment are not exposed to health and other risks stemming from inappropriate use of potentially dangerous chemicals.
At least in the short term, a dramatic increase in the use of insecticides to spray mosquito populations or treat waters is likely.
But the FAO stresses that a more immediate and relatively [simple] set of actions can be taken to combat the spread of Zika: that is to ensure the removal of stagnant water used by mosquitos to breed.
If the intensive use of insecticides is indeed required, FAO says it is then essential that it be done with great care to promote safety for humans and to protect the food chain from contamination.
**Taiwan - Province of China
I was asked about the Secretary-General’s reaction to the recent earthquake in Taiwan, Province of China.
I can say that in the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Taiwan, Province of China, which reportedly killed close to 100 people, the Secretary-General expresses his sympathies to all those affected, especially the loved ones of those who have lost their life.
The Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has been in touch with the relevant authorities on the island but no request for international support has been made.
**Academic Impact
A couple of announcements from DPI and then you can ask me some questions. The United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) programme and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) have this week finalized a statement of collaboration, providing for both networks to work together in mobilizing universities and other knowledge institutions to promote teaching, applied research, and problem solving around the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Secretary-General welcomed the collaboration of those networks as an important new way to mobilize universities in our historic effort to realize a life of dignity for all.
More information on academicimpact.un.org.
**Department of Public Information Announcement
The Republic of Korea will host the sixty-sixth Department of Public Information/NGO Conference in the city of Gyeongju from 30 May to 1 June. The title of the conference will be “Education for Global Citizenship: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals Together”. The Conference will be organized in cooperation with the NGO/DPI Executive Committee, the Government of the Republic of Korea, and the National Organizing Committee of Korea.
It will be the first time that the DPI/NGO Conference is held in Asia. The sixty-fifth Conference was held in New York, with some 2,200 NGO representatives from 700 organizations representing about 100 countries. Previous conferences were held in Bonn, Melbourne, Paris and Mexico City.
**Noon Briefing Guest Tomorrow
Lastly, tomorrow, in this very room, my guest will be Jehangir Khan, who you know is Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF). He will brief you ahead of the Conference on the Human Rights of Victims of Terrorism, which will take place Thursday at 10 a.m. in Conference Room 3.
And I have run out of words.
**Questions and Answers
Joe and then Ms. Lederer and Ms. Landry.
Question: Yeah, I noted that you didn’t make any reference in your remarks about the Secretary‑General’s statement on modern slavery and human trafficking. But I want to ask a question about it. The Secretary‑General has not been shy in singling out Israel for criticism. So I wonder why, in his remarks, he didn’t single out for shaming countries like Mauritania and Haiti which have been widely reported to have a significant amount of slaves, including children as slaves today?
Spokesman: I think the Secretary‑General, when he feels [it is] necessary, has never been shy of naming countries. I think his position on the issue is well outlined in the speech.
Ms. Lederer.
Question: That’s good, but that really doesn’t answer the question. Why, in this case, didn’t he name specific countries that have been long reported…
[inaudible]
Spokesman: It’s a… it’s a…
Question: … as having… as having an unresolved problem with slavery…
[inaudible]
Spokesman: It’s a global issue, which the Secretary‑General, I think, has raised appropriately.
Ms. Lederer.
Question: Stéphane, I’m wondering why you just twice referred to Taiwan as Province of China. Taiwan, as I believe, calls itself the Republic of China. It has never referred to itself as a Province of China.
Spokesman: I think I used the nomenclature that is in use by the United Nations.
Yes.
Ms. Landry.
Question: Stéphane, you may have seen Donald Tusk, the EU President, say that Russia is making the situation worse in Syria very… and compounding the refugee problem. I’m wondering if the SG agrees with that and if he would ask Russia to stop its air campaign.
Spokesman: I think the Secretary‑General would like to see a stop to the violence in Syria. He would like to see a stop to the bombings, and he would like to see… he would like to see the end of the suffering of the Syrian people. And that has been his consistent message.
Nizar.
Question: Staying on Syria, the areas which have been liberated by the Syrian Army, are you discussing with the Syrian Government a way of returning the refugees to these areas, especially that many people…
[inaudible]
Spokesman: Obviously, Mr. O’Brien would be better placed to answer that question. But I think it is much, much too early to talk about returning of refugees. People need… will go home when they feel it is safe, and it is not, I think, in the middle of what is an active conflict zone, I think it is much too early to start talking about return of refugees.
Question: Another question on Yemen. In Mukalla today, there were scenes even brought… put on YouTube of al‑Qaeda killing… slaughtering people in the streets. This is an area considered under the control of Mr. Hadi, President Hadi. Also, in Aden, daily assassinations are taking place.
If this is what the United Nations is calling the return of the authorities to all Yemen, is this what Mr. President Hadi going to bring to Sana’a, for example, or Sa’ada?
Spokesman: I always appreciate your analysis, Nizar. I think the Secretary‑General would condemn, outrightly and directly, all sorts of terrorism being conducted by extremist groups like al‑Qaeda and these sorts of violent demonstrations of their ideology.
Question: Sorry.
[inaudible]
I’ll… Nizar, I will come back to you. I will come back to you.
Yes, Matthew.
Question: Follow‑up question on Yemen and then question on Burundi. On Yemen, this is just a straight question. I’ve heard that the Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, was recently in South Korea and also Japan. And I’m wondering, can you confirm that? And what… was the… on the nexus, was he on a UN dime and was…
[inaudible]
Spokesman: I understand he was in Korea participating in a conference. I can try to get you some details.
Question: Was that part of the…
Spokesman: It is part of his job, yes.
Question: Okay. My question on Burundi is, I’d asked you beginning last year about at least three, actually more, but Burundian officials that were sent to CAR [Central African Republic], the UN Mission there, Jimmy Rusheshe, Pierre Niyonzima, who was accused of committing murders in hospitals in Bujumbura in May.
Can you confirm that these three… there’s another guy, Jean Bosco with a longer name than that. Can you confirm that these three are repatriated, and do you have a comment on it?
Spokesman: No. I’ll try to get an update.
Okay. Yes, sir.
Question: Did Secretary‑General’s speak to Russians or Syrian authorities lately, or a couple of days [ago] to protect the Syrian people inside Aleppo and around?
Spokesman: I think that has been the constant message from the Secretary‑General or the messages of other UN diplomats who are meeting with their... with counterparts who are involved in the conflict in Syria.
Matthew.
Question: I have two more, but I guess I’ll do one first and then see. I wanted to ask you about… there’s a situation in the UN system in Sudan where the headquarters here has decided to pay the UN staff’s salary to the bank of Khartoum in dollars, and they, in turn, get paid in local currency. So they’ve raised a lot of stink saying that what they get is about half what the UN pays in dollars to the Bank of Khartoum. They’ve alleged corruption. They’ve also threatened to strike.
I wanted to know, what… by what logic is the UN giving… if they have dollars to pay, why don’t they pay their staff in dollars? And why do they let the Bank of Khartoum take half of the money that’s meant for staff…?
Spokesman: I’m not aware of the situation. I can…
Question: Are you going to check that out? Because…
Spokesman: Maggie.
Question: …they may go on strike.
Question: Stéph, any update on Mr. de Mistura’s activities since the talks were suspended…
Spokesman: He…
Question: Are we on track for the 25th?
Spokesman: He’s currently in Geneva, and we are continuing working for, as he mentioned, a resumption of the suspended talks towards the end of the month. Obviously, the next step for us is the Munich security conference where there will be a meeting of the ISSG, the International Support Group for Syria, which Mr. de Mistura will, of course, be there.
Yes.
Question: Thank you. A follow‑up on Mustafa’s question. You said that the SG and the UN officials addressed the Syrian Government regarding the situation…
Spokesman: No, I…
Question: … in Aleppo?
Spokesman: ...I was referring to the Russian Government. But obviously, the message is the same to… to all the parties involved in this conflict, is that the protection of civilians should be utmost on their mind.
Question: So did you hear any response from Russia or...
Spokesman: I…
Question: … the Russian Government?
Spokesman: As I mentioned, this is a message we deliver to all the parties, and I think one can assess the situation on the ground and answer your question.
Nizar.
Question: Yeah. Mr. Jeffrey Feltman, in his briefing to the Security Council, said that they could not independently verify the transfer of oil from ISIS areas to other parts, and about the routes. Russia provided videos and pictures for these. Also the Turkish media is littered with pictures of tankers crossing the border and delivering in Turkey. So how could the United Nations not really use these as proof?
Spokesman: I’m sure there are a lot of things floating out there. I think I will leave it to Mr. Feltman to state his position. I really have nothing to add to it.
Mr. Klein, then Ms. Landry.
Question: Yes. Also on Mr. Feltman’s report on behalf of the Secretary‑General, which included some itemization of UN efforts in support of the Member States in countering Da’esh. What appeared to be missing was any reference to the UN’s vetting of self‑proclaimed refugees, some of whom turn out to be affiliated with Da’esh. One was just discovered reportedly in Germany.
So what specific efforts is the UN undertaking as part of its responsibility to vet these refugees effectively in support of the Member States?
Spokesman: I think that is done… that is done with… UNHCR has its responsibilities. The Member States have its responsibilities. And UNHCR is very much involved in interviewing refugee population when they come… when they are coming on… and using the best… to the best of their ability.
Question: But beyond interviewing, because they’re just going to get self‑serving answers, what is the UN doing…
Spokesman: Well, I think we would…
Question: …in concert with other Member States…
Spokesman: …we will support…
Question: … to vet…
Spokesman: Sorry?
Question: To vet.
Spokesman: Obviously, it is also the Member States themselves [which] have a responsibility in that regard, and we will be supporting them.
Carole, then Matthew, and then I’ll go get Mr. O’Brien.
Question: Back on Syria. Just... what does the UN think the prospects are that these talks are going to happen on the 24th given the situation in Aleppo?
Spokesman: You know, I think Mr. de Mistura would be the first to say that he is optimistic, yet pragmatic, and I think we’re going one day… one day at a time. Obviously, I think both he and the Secretary‑General said the ISSG meeting will be critical to ensure that all those around the table bear a very positive influence on the parties on the ground so we see a cessation of violence or a diminution of the violence and the suffering of the civilians.
Mr. Lee.
Question: Sure. Yesterday, I’d asked you about a use of the UN press briefing room by Frank Lorenzo, now indicted. And you said there’s a public record of this through MALU media alerts. So I went back and looked at the media alert for September 8, 2011, when he appeared in a then UN press briefing room, and there’s a UN photo taken of him there promoting the South‑South News, all of which appear in the indictment.
So I wanted to ask you, like, how did this now in this particular instance of an individual now indicted, subject of audits, how did that use take place? Was it a lent use? Because it’s not in the public…
Spokesman: Matthew, I’m done. It’s… it’s a public briefing. I really… I’m done answering questions about this.
Question: You say that. This is a guy who’s indicted. How did he get in there? Did he...
Spokesman: Yes, Maggie.
Correspondent: He bought access somewhere.
Question: Stéph, on yesterday’s announcement about Jane Holl Lute, it didn’t say when she would start in this new capacity.
Spokesman: Very soon. And she’ll be…
Question: This month, next month?
Spokesman: Hopefully, this month. First contract’s for 11 months, so it will be, I’m sure, this month.
Yep. And then we’ll go to Evelyn.
Question: Thank you, Stéph. I’m sorry. Following up on the issue of UNHCR vetting refugees, there was an announcement, I believe, about a month ago that the US was asking for the UN to help in the vetting of potential refugees, I gather in Central America. I was wondering if you know the status of this.
Spokesman: Let me check. I’ll ask UNHCR.
Evelyn. Then we’ll go get Mr. O’Brien.
Question: Will that report from Geneva yesterday or the day before about Syria executing prisoners and so forth, is that going to play a role in the talks of the preconditions?
Spokesman: I mean, it’s… we’re not talking about any preconditions for the talks. Obviously, the report is public, and I hope all those who have an influence on the conflict will read the report carefully, which makes for some harrowing reading. And the authors of the report, the panel, I think, are expected to be here either later this week or next week to brief the General Assembly.
I will find out where Mr. O’Brien is.