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.
**Myanmar
I will start off with a statement on Myanmar which was issued in the middle of the night, late last night:
Following the historic national polls on 8 November 2015, the Secretary-General congratulates H.E. U Htin Kyaw, who was elected by the Myanmar Parliament as the first civilian President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in more than five decades. He welcomes this as a significant achievement towards advancing the democratic reforms ushered in by the outgoing Government.
The Secretary-General hopes that the people of Myanmar will continue steadfastly on the path of democracy and national reconciliation and, at this defining moment of transition, calls upon President-elect Kyaw as well as all other significant stakeholders to work inclusively towards a smooth and peaceful consolidation of unity and stability in the country.
The Secretary-General reaffirms the readiness of the United Nations to continue to support efforts to advance peace, development, human rights and the rule of law for the benefit of the people of Myanmar.
**Women
And later this afternoon, the Deputy Secretary-General will participate in the CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) high-level event, "The time is now! Let's end harmful practices against women and girls by 2030".
The event aims to increase global visibility on child marriage, female genital mutilation and the cultural preference for male children.
The Deputy Secretary-General will underscore the UN’s commitment and action to addressing harmful practices and to uphold the rights of every woman and every girl everywhere.
**Western Sahara
In response to questions we received late yesterday about Morocco, we confirm that in a 15 March communiqué, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the intention of the Government of Morocco to reduce “significantly” the civilian component of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, specifically its political branch, and to cease — with immediate effect — its voluntary contributions to MINURSO. The communiqué also signalled that Morocco will examine the modalities for withdrawing its contingents engaged in peacekeeping operations worldwide.
No further details have been officially conveyed to the Secretariat by Morocco.
The Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support (DPKO and DFS), in close collaboration with the UN Mission, MINURSO, are currently assessing the potential impact of the announced actions of the Government of Morocco and are looking into mitigation measures.
Reductions to the MINURSO political component would affect MINURSO operations and hamper the ability of the Mission to fully implement its mandate. The cessation of Morocco's voluntary contributions will have an immediate effect on the Mission's financial obligations.
**Syria
Today, concerning Syria, an inter-agency humanitarian convoy to Bloudan and surrounding areas in rural Damascus in Syria is delivering food, health supplies and other items for 20,000 beneficiaries.
The United Nations continues to call for unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to all the 4.6 million people who are in hard-to-reach and besieged locations throughout Syria.
**Yemen
The World Food Programme (WFP) began distributing food vouchers to assist close to 120,000 people living in Sana’a city, with plans to reach 1 million people across Yemen by the end of the year.
The voucher scheme will speed up the delivery of food assistance in Yemen, enabling WFP to reach vulnerable people faster through a local retailer who will supply food commodities to families in exchange for WFP vouchers. This new form of assistance will also help revive commercial activities and markets in Yemen. Each voucher provides a family of six with a one-month supply of food.
**Greece
Angelina Jolie, the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) Goodwill Ambassador, is in Greece to meet with refugee families and reiterate the Agency support for Greece in its plight to manage the refugee crisis. According to UNHCR, almost 85 percent of all refugees and asylum seekers who have arrived in Europe since January 2015 have landed in Greece.
During her visit, she is focusing her attention on the adequate reception conditions and protection of refugees and asylum seekers, as well as finding ways for UNHCR to further assist the Government and communities in Greece.
Angelina Jolie is also seeking support for refugees with specific vulnerabilities, such as female-headed households, unaccompanied children, disabled people, or those who have been exposed to sexual or gender-based violence.
She is in Greece a day after her visit to Lebanon, on the fifth anniversary of the Syrian conflict, where she stressed the need for leadership and coordinated international action to address the root causes of the global refugee crisis.
**Zimbabwe
From Zimbabwe, our friends at the World Food Programme announce today that for the first time ever, its assistance programme will continue running throughout this year and into next year.
WFP’s seasonal relief, designed to help vulnerable people through the difficult pre-harvest months, only usually runs from October to March.
The unprecedented decision is in response to last month’s announcement that 2.8 million people — more than a quarter of the country’s rural population — do not have enough to eat and have little or no guaranteed access to food.
The country’s high level of food insecurity is due to last year’s bad harvest — 50 percent down on that of the previous year — combined with an unusually strong El Niño weather event, which has resulted in reduced rains for all of southern Africa.
**Mongolia
Our humanitarian colleagues are warning that around 60 per cent of Mongolia has been impacted by dzud or near-dzud conditions since December 2015.
For those of you who may not know, like I did not know, dzud is a cyclical slow-onset disaster unique to Mongolia, consisting of a summer drought followed by a harsh winter, where temperatures can plunge to -50° C, and a spring season where the shortage of pasture and water leads to large-scale death of livestock.
$2.4 million from the UN's Central Emergency [Relief] Fund will help UN agencies in Mongolia scale up their response.
**Health
I just want to flag a report by the WHO’s (World Health Organization) Regional Office for Europe, its 2016 report “Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children” is out.
Among the report’s main findings is that while tobacco-smoking among school-aged children has declined significantly, their health and well-being is being undermined by gender and social inequalities. The data focuses on the relations with family, peers and school, the patterns of eating and physical activity, and risk behaviours, such as use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, sexual behaviour, fighting and bullying.
The report also contains new studies on migration and cyberbullying. More on World Health Organization at who.int.
**Noon Briefing Guest
As you know and why most of you are probably here, we will be joined by [UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon] Sigrid Kaag in just a few minutes. In the meantime, I am happy to fill the time in answering some questions.
**Questions and Answers
Yes, sir?
Question: Yeah, thank you, Stéphane. Yesterday, the Saudi coalition attacked another market in Hajjah, killing over 100 civilians. Do you have any statement about that?
Spokesman: No, obv… you know, we have, unfortunately, not been able to confirm or get any first-hand information about the apparent airstrike on the market in Mastaba, which as… I mean, the report said it killed, I think, dozens of… killing and maiming dozens of civilians, including women and children. Obviously, if we're able to confirm the strike, it must be condemned. This would be the second major incident of this kind in little over two weeks. As the Secretary‑General said before, there must be accountability for repeated instances of airstrikes hitting civilian infrastructure and buildings. The Secretary‑General once again calls for a prompt and impartial investigation into the incident. And we would take this opportunity to remind all the parties involved in this conflict of the utmost necessity to fully respect their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, which, of course, prohibits direct attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. [He later issued a statement condemning the attack.]
Question: On the political track, can you brief us about where… or the progress made by Mr. [Ismail] Ould Cheikh Ahmed, any new deadlines for re-starting… [cross talk]
Spokesman: No, I think he's currently in the region. He may have an announcement in the next few weeks but no update to what we've said before. Edie, then Lou.
Question: Stéphane, two follow‑up questions. On Morocco, you talked about the possible impact on DPKO, but you didn't give us the Secretary‑General's reaction to this announcement. Did the Secretary‑General have a reaction? And secondly, on the Syrian convoys, you talked about this convoy to Bloudan. What about the four other places that the convoys were unable to get to earlier this week?
Spokesman: The other four towns, you mean Madaya, Zabadani… yeah, those, those are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, tomorrow, pending security [conditions] on the ground. As you know, they had been cancelled because of security issues. The last access to those towns was on 17 February, when we were able to reach about 60,000 beneficiaries. On Morocco, we would obviously… I mean, if all this came to pass, obviously would regret the decision by Morocco to go through with this. Morocco contributes I think about 2,321 military personnel across three missions, UNOCI (United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire), MONUSCO (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), and the Central African Republic. And the withdrawal of the financial support to MINURSO amounts to just over $3 million. And it is mostly pertaining to provision of food and accommodations for the Mission's military observers. Lou?
Question: Following up on that follow‑up, so a couple things I'm wondering. Is the Mission in Western Sahara going to be able to continue to operate, minus this $3 million contribution? Is there some sort of stopgap measure that the UN has contingency planning, financing from elsewhere? Will the SG still go to Morocco, as he said that he intended to do? And… I guess that should cover it.
Spokesman: On your second part, no, there's no trip scheduled currently for the Secretary‑General to visit Morocco. You know, obviously, we're still waiting for details of exactly the list of people on the political end that they would like to see go. It will obviously have an impact, as will the financial… the withdrawal of financial support. DPKO and DFS are trying to get more details. They're working on contingency plans. But, obviously, anything that happens on the ground will be, of course, reported to the Security Council. Jonathan?
Question: I have a follow‑up on the Morocco situation. Is there any remedial thing that the Secretary‑General might be able to do to change the course of this action? You know, obviously, there…
Spokesman: I mean, obviously, you know, the… I think we've all said what we had to say. There are contacts ongoing between senior officials and the Moroccan Foreign Ministry and the UN. Obviously, we'd like to be able to move forward in a more positive atmosphere. Yes, in the back, then George.
Question: Yeah, just to clarify on Morocco, did the Secretary‑General decide not to travel or to scrap the plans to travel to Morocco after this last event?
Spokesman: As I said, obviously, the… you know, I think you can all read into the tone of the meeting that was had on Monday. I think the readout was fairly clear in that sense. And there is no travel plan by the Secretary‑General.
Question: And just a quick follow‑up. I think Mr. [Christopher] Ross was planning to travel before Mr. Ban, if I'm not mistaken.
Spokesman: I have no updates on Mr. Ross' travel. I will ask. Obviously, we very much hope that Mr. Ross will be able to continue his work as Personal Envoy and following mandates by the Security Council. Yeah, go ahead. You and then George. Go ahead.
Question: So, Stéphane, is there any possibility for the UN to pull out MINURSO because of this decision? I mean, how would MINURSO deal with this situation? [cross talk]
Spokesman: No, I think, obviously, DPKO and DFS are going to take the mitigating measures they need to take. MINURSO's mandate is given by the Security Council. So there is no… there's no talk of withdrawal of MINURSO at all. Obviously, if the operational capabilities and our reporting capabilities are hindered, we will report and do so to the Security Council. We're also ensuring that all of the UN personnel, the military observers, are… receive adequate housing and food. This… the decision by Morocco will impact that. They are… from what we've seen, they, obviously, work in very difficult conditions, but we're taking the mitigating measures we can.
Question: And the follow‑up, may I? Did the SG discuss this matter with the P-5, the Security Council members?
Spokesman: There have been discussions with Security Council members, who've, I think, all… the key Member States and Security Council members and others have been kept briefed on the issue. George?
Question: Forgive me if I ask the question that's been hanging in the air through all my colleagues' previous questions. I may be overestimating this, but it seems… have they considered the long‑term implications? And it sounds to me like this is the beginning of sounding the death knell of the whole Sahrawi peace process. Are they looking at it from that point of view? And also, a kind of housekeeping question. This weather phenomenon that you describe in Mongolia, is that spelled z‑o‑o‑t? Or how…
Spokesman: The way I would spell a Mongolia word is d‑z‑u‑d.
Question: Dzud. Thank you.
Spokesman: Dzud. Dzud. Dzud. On… sorry. On your… [laughter] Yes, no, we very much hope this is not the end of the political process. I think the people of Western Sahara deserve… okay… deserve the… I thought were you coming to arrest me, Walter. [laughter] Sorry. Don't look so threatening. [laughter] The people of Western Sahara deserve a political process. They deserve to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Klein and then Adla… go ahead.
Question: Stéphane, has the SG requested to travel to Morocco?
Spokesman: As I said, there's no… he has not put in a request to travel, and there's no travel planned. Mr. Klein? And then…
Question: Yes. And I'll try to put this as diplomatically as possible.
Spokesman: Joe, with that advanced warning, I'll… maybe I will leave.
Question: This is my usual approach. Morocco represents the second Government after Israel this year that took umbrage at something that the Secretary‑General said on a matter sensitive to that country. So I'm wondering whether the Secretary‑General himself and your office is going to take a look at… at… more carefully on how statements that could be considered hot buttons in these… to some of these countries would be evaluated before the Secretary‑General makes them.
Spokesman: I mean, I think the role of the Secretary‑General, in a sense, is to juggle hot buttons. I mean, that's what his job is. I think he does not walk away from anything he has said. I don't… you know, I think they're two different situations. They are what they are currently. We do hope to… as I said, to move on to a more… to a constructive and positive relation with Morocco. We're obviously taking note, and we'll have to deal with the decisions they've taken. But the Secretary‑General said what he said. He does not walk away from it. He expressed… through what I said yesterday, he expressed regret that there was a misunderstanding over the use of the word. But that's it. Oleg?
Question: Thanks, Stéphane. To continue this line, I mean, before the tensions with Moroccan authorities escalated, was there any possibility to take any, like, safeguard measures before that? I mean, it could have been taken in account that the Mission in Western Sahara is so dependent on the contribution of one of the sites of the conflict of the dispute. Why were no such measures taken?
Spokesman: Well, obviously, I think the… the decision by Morocco to withdraw $3 million of support of in‑kind support is a… it came as a surprise. I mean, we learned about it through the Secretary‑General's meeting… that they were going to take this decision through his meeting on Monday. It was confirmed through the communiqué. DPKO and DFS will take the measures they need to ensure that the Mission can continue to fulfil its mandate.
Question: I mean, why in the first place you took $3 million… Euros, I'm sorry, I didn’t…
Spokesman: Dollars.
Question: …dollars from one of the sides of the conflict? Because…
Spokesman: It's not… [cross talk] It's a matter of where the Mission actually operates, you know, especially in the western part of the territory where MINURSO is headquartered, most likely is located… where its headquarters are located. I think it's only normal that, obviously, that Morocco would support the Mission with in‑kind contributions. We very much appreciated it. Obviously, if that support is withdrawn, we will take measures to mitigate them. Yes, sir?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. There are some reports that Kurds in Syria are preparing to announce federation in Syria. What Secretary‑General thinks about it?
Spokesman: No, we've seen those reports. I think I will let… given that the talks are ongoing, we will let Mr. [Staffan] de Mistura and his office speak on these kinds of developments. Sylviane and then Linda.
Question: Can you tell us about the visit of… Secretary‑General's visit to Lebanon with the President of World Bank? What's the purpose of it and the timing, please? [cross talk]
Spokesman: We don't… we have not yet officially… You know, we have our own… we have my own… we have our own reality here. If it hasn't been announced from here, it's not taken place. [laughter] Linda?
Question: Thank you, Steph. In regard to another possible visit, I was wondering if there have been any developments in terms of the Secretary‑General's discussions, good offices, possible visit regarding the North Korean crisis.
Spokesman: No, there's no developments to report on that. Carla? Okay. Great. I will go get… oh, sorry, Jonathan, yeah.
Question: Just, is there any reaction to Francis Lorenzo pleading guilty to the six counts, or at least most of those counts, of bribery and tax evasion and other things?
Spokesman: I think I was asked this question… this question before.
Question: Right, but right now he's downtown so I'm wondering…
Spokesman: Obviously, it's not for us to comment on a decision taken by a US court. I think we expressed the Secretary‑General's shock and disappointment when the indictments were announced, which uncovered allegations of bribery around the Office of the President of the General Assembly. As a result of the indictment, as you know, we have… we have launched an audit by OIOS (Office of Internal Oversight Services), which should be done before the end of the month, which we [will make] public. Our colleagues at UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) are doing the same in terms of the relations between the foundations headed by some of the individuals named in the indictment. That will also be made public, hopefully by the end of the month. As a result I think of what happened in the John Ashe case, it also revealed some structural flaws in the way the Presidents of the General Assembly's office is organized, that there had been no… while the role of the President of the General Assembly has grown significantly in stature and in substance over the past 15-20 years, the office had not adapted administratively to those needs. The Secretary‑General will be issuing a report within the next couple of weeks to the General Assembly that will also be made public with suggestions on how to strengthen oversight, how to strengthen control and how to increase transparency in the Office of the President of the General Assembly. I will now go get Sigrid.