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’s Travels
The Secretary-General travelled to Gaza this morning where he visited the building site of the Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Limbs, which is scheduled to be built later this year. He was also briefed on other infrastructure projects funded by Qatar. The Secretary-General and his delegation then went to the Zeytoun Preparatory Girls B School, run by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). During the 2014 conflict, the school served as an emergency shelter hosting 3,000 internally displaced persons on average.
In his comments to the press upon arriving, the Secretary-General said that he stood with the people of Gaza and that the United Nations will always be with them. He told reporters that until Gaza and the West Bank are united under a single, democratic and legitimate Palestinian government, based on the rule of law and the PLO principles, Gaza’s prospects for full recovery will be limited.
Immediately afterwards, he spoke to more than 100 UN staff representing the many thousands who work in Gaza and said he was inspired by their courage.
The Secretary-General then returned to Israel, where he was hosted for lunch by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking to the press, the Secretary-General said that no solution can come through violence but must be based on mutual respect and the recognition of the legitimate aspirations of both peoples.
In the afternoon, the Secretary-General received a briefing from Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the Israeli general in charge of Israeli coordination activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Secretary-General stressed the need to ease restrictions on the movement of Palestinian people and goods, as well as to review the dual-use list.
Later, the Secretary-General travelled to Ramallah to attend an Iftar at the invitation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. They are also scheduled to speak to the press.
**Colombia
Following the signing in Havana, on 23 June, of the Agreement on Bilateral and Definitive Cease Fire and Laying Down of Arms between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-Popular Army), a first group of 23 UN observers arrived in Bogota this week. These observers are from Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay.
They join an advance team of about 20 civilian staff already in the country preparing for the establishment of the mission. A second group of observers is expected to arrive at the beginning of July. With their arrival, the United Nations will be able to begin monitoring and verifying activities as soon as a final peace agreement is signed and the bilateral cease-fire comes into effect.
For now, the team on the ground is engaging in preparatory activities, while the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Jean Arnault, is actively engaged in the discussions in Havana about ceasefire implementation.
**Syria
Today, an inter-agency convoy is delivering much needed life-saving humanitarian assistance to the hard-to reach Sheikh Maqsood area of Aleppo in Syria. Today's convoy is the second of three, and will be delivering food and hygiene kits to some 27,000 beneficiaries.
The first convoy to Sheikh Maqsood in eastern Aleppo City was on 23 June.
Meanwhile, the UN and its partners are calling for the immediate facilitation to provide life-saving assistance, including food, medical, nutrition and non-food supplies to 62,000 people besieged in the Syrian towns of Zabadani, Foah, Madaya and Kefraya, most of them women and children.
The UN and partners were last able to deliver assistance to these people at the end of April. Any further delay will lead to a repeat of what we witnessed in the town of Madaya early this year, when several people died as a result of complications caused by starvation.
**Iraq
Ján Kubiš, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, strongly condemned the suicide bombing yesterday at a mosque in Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, in which a number of civilians were killed or wounded. He expressed his condolences to the families of those killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Mr. Kubiš said that this cowardly attack, happening during the holy month of Ramadan and as worshippers were gathered for evening prayers, shows the terrorists’ total disdain for Islam and rejection of its values.
**Central African Republic
On the situation in the Central African Republic, you will have seen the statement we issued yesterday following the killing of a UN peacekeeper.
The Secretary-General expresses concern about recent security trends in the country, including in Bangui, and calls on President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, the Central African Government and all relevant actors to continue pursuing a comprehensive process to achieve the disarmament of the armed groups in a spirit of national reconciliation and inclusiveness.
**United Kingdom
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, said that he is deeply concerned at reports of attacks and abuses targeting minority communities and foreign citizens in the United Kingdom over the last few days.
He said that racism and xenophobia are completely, totally and utterly unacceptable in any circumstances. The High Commissioner urged the UK authorities to act to stop these xenophobic attacks and to ensure that all those suspected of racist and anti-foreigner attacks and abuses are prosecuted.
**Humanitarian Overview
Yesterday, the Global Humanitarian Overview mid-year report was released. It paints a worrying picture of rising humanitarian needs and inadequate funding of appeals across the world.
The funding requirements have shot up from $19.7 billion to $21.6 billion, with new emergencies such as Cyclone Winston in Fiji, the earthquake in Ecuador and El Niño, which has led to severe droughts in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.
So far, donors have provided $5.5 billion in funding, which leaves a gap of $16.1 billion. We have more details from our OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) colleagues.
**Children
The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, is releasing today its State of the World’s Children report, which paints a stark picture of what is in store for the world’s poorest children if governments, donors, businesses and international organizations do not accelerate efforts to address their needs.
Based on current trends, 69 million children under five will die from mostly preventable causes, 167 million children will live in poverty, and 750 million women will have been married as children by 2030, the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals — that is, unless the world focuses more on the plight of its most disadvantaged children.
The report notes that significant progress has been made in saving children’s lives, getting children into school and lifting people out of poverty.
But this progress has been neither even nor fair, and nowhere is the outlook grimmer than in sub-Saharan Africa, where at least 247 million children — or two in three — live in multidimensional poverty. The full report is available on UNICEF’s website.
**Health
And the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today the appointment of Dr. Peter Salama of Australia as the Executive Director of its new Health Emergencies Programme.
Dr. Salama is currently UNICEF Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa and Global Emergency Coordinator for the Crises in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
The new Health Emergencies Programme is designed to deliver rapid, predictable and comprehensive support to countries and communities as they prepare for, face or recover from emergencies caused by any type of hazard to human health, whether disease outbreaks, natural or man-made disasters or conflicts. More information about Dr. Salama and this new programme are available on WHO’s website.
**Noon Briefing Guest
And today I will be joined by Toby Lanzer, Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel. He will brief you on the humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad basin.
Tomorrow, the noon briefing guest will be John Ging, Operations Director at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. He will brief you on his recent trip to Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
**Questions and Answers
That's it for me. Yes?
Question: Thanks, Farhan. US prosecutors yesterday linked South‑South News to Chinese officials, said they had helped set it up. They reiterated that they believe South‑South News was used as a conduit for bribery. I mean, again, this is US prosecutors saying it. Are you in touch with US prosecutors about this at all, or is it having any impact on the review? And what is the status of the review of South‑South News?
Deputy Spokesman: The review of South‑South News and its credentials is ongoing, and we are looking at that, and we will look at this new information in light of that. But, certainly, we are eager to receive any information that's relevant to this. Yes?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. As you said, the Secretary‑General was visiting Gaza today. While there, did he meet any political leaders, and who are they?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I… like I said, he met… he went to a number of different projects, which I just outlined, including a hospital, a school, and a meeting with UN staff. He was there to show his solidarity with the people of Gaza. Regarding the political situation, like I said, his basic point, as he made clear to reporters in Gaza, is that what's needed is for Gaza and the West Bank to be united under a single democratic and legitimate Palestinian government.
Question: But did he meet with some political leaders there?
Deputy Spokesman: There's no political leader to name for this. His big meetings with political leaders today are the one I just mentioned with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the meeting with President Abbas, which should be happening right about now. Yes, Joe?
Question: All right. So just to clarify… make sure we're clear on this, has he been invited to meet with any Hamas political representatives? If so, did he expressly reject that invitation?
Deputy Spokesman: No, I don't have anything to say about the particular arrangements. He was invited by both the Palestinian and the Israeli leadership to meet with their leaders. As you know, he met with President [Reuven] Rivlin yesterday, Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier today, and President Abbas later in the day.
Question: But Hamas, I guess, as a factual matter, was elected by the people of Gaza, at least, to operate as a de facto government in Gaza. And Hamas is negotiating to be part of this unity government with the Palestinian Authority, a goal which the Secretary‑General has urged both parties to achieve. So was there any opportunity… or did he just decide not to do it… to try to meet and persuade Hamas political leaders willing to meet with him to negotiate an appropriate coalition or unity government?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we've repeatedly sent out the message to the leadership in Hamas and continue to do so again today in the Secretary‑General's own remarks that what's necessary for Gaza to have real prospects for full recovery is for there to be, like I said, a single democratic and legitimate Palestinian government, which is based on the rule of law and the PLO principles. Yes, Nizar?
Question: Yeah, about Yemen, is there an improvement in the flow of aid to the Yemenis, given the dire situation prevailing there?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we continue to try to get aid to the people of Yemen. As you know, the verification mechanism has been up and running and we are trying to work through getting as much aid as we can. It's been a slow process, but we've been making headway.
Question: On the flow of aid, I mean, the aid… the donations from countries, is there any improvement in that level?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, yes. There has been aid going to the people of Yemen, and we've had periodic updates on that. It's also available on the website of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Question: On Bahrain, Nabeel Rajab is facing… of course, he's in jail, and his health is deteriorating. Is there anything done, I mean, regarding releasing him?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, you've seen the statements that the Secretary‑General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights have issued about the recent situation in Bahrain, including what they've said about Nabeel Rajab and his situation. So I'd refer you to that. Yes Mr. Abbadi?
Question: Thank you, the Secretary‑General said that the report of the Quartet will be out soon. How soon would that be?
Deputy Spokesman: Tomorrow. Tomorrow's soon. And if there's no further questions, I will now get to my guest, Mr. Lanzer. Please stay where you are. This is going to be worthwhile. One second.