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.

Okay, good afternoon.

**Secretary-General’s Travels

The Secretary-General arrived in [Lao People’s Democratic Republic] today for the ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] Summit.  Upon arrival, he visited a hospital supported by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), and met with some patients being treated for their addiction.  He later met with the Prime Minister of Thailand, with whom he discussed the political and security situation in Thailand, and Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, with whom he discussed climate change and the work of the Extraordinary Chambers in Cambodia.  Readouts of both these meetings were issued.

And as you will have seen, the Secretary-General also had a busy weekend, where he attended the G20 Summit in China.  Upon arrival, he received the instruments to join the Paris Agreement from China and the United States.  The Secretary-General noted that with China and the United States making this historic step we now have 26 parties to the Framework Convention and 39 per cent of global greenhouse emissions accounted for — which means we just need another 29 parties and 16 more per cent of global emissions to bring this Paris Agreement into force.  The Secretary-General urged all leaders from G20 countries to show their leadership by acceleration of their domestic ratification processes so we can turn the aspirations of Paris into the transformative action the world so urgently needs on climate.

**Responsibility to Protect

And the Deputy Secretary-General spoke this morning at an interactive dialogue with Member States on the responsibility to protect (R2P).  He noted that, while much has been accomplished in the last decade, we continue to witness unconscionable brutality against civilians around the world.

In order to overcome the barriers of the implementation of the responsibility to protect, Jan Eliasson stressed the need to demonstrate that we are serious about prevention.  He said we all know that the window of opportunity is wider at the early stage of a crisis.  Yet, we continue to respond to situations often only when this window starts to close.  The protection of human lives must not be seen to be in contradiction to national interests, he stressed.

The Deputy Secretary-General also underscored the need to be more effective in preventing the recurrence of atrocity crimes.  We need to invest in sustainable peace, he said, with international assistance tailored to strengthen the resilience of States and their capacity to fulfil their responsibility to protect.

**Gabon

And from China, the Secretary-General spoke several times by phone to President Ali Bongo and Jean Ping, presidential candidate of the Démocratie Nouvelle party.  He reiterated his call to President Bongo to impress upon the Government the need to show restraint and urged Mr. Ping to issue a clear message to his followers, calling on them to refrain from any acts of violence in the interest of the country and of national unity.  The Secretary-General stressed the importance to employ exclusively peaceful and legal means to seek redress in all disputes related to the outcome of the presidential elections.

In the margins of the G20 Summit, he discussed the situation in Gabon with President Idriss Déby, the President of Chad and current Chairperson of the African Union, welcoming the engagement of the African Union in defusing tensions in the country and facilitating a peaceful resolution to the current crisis.

On the ground, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Central Africa, Abdoulaye Bathily, continued his shuttle diplomacy among all relevant actors.  Following the contested elections, Mr. Bathily continues to encourage the opposition to pursue constitutional means to deal with any grievances, including filing an appeal with the Constitutional Court.  He recalls that the deadline to do so is 7 September.  In this regard, he has also met with the President of the Constitutional Court.

Mr. Bathily further spoke with the Foreign Minister of Chad, the current African Union (AU) Chair, to discuss the role of the African Union.  Discussions focused on the dispatch of an AU-led high-level mission to Libreville that would also include representatives of the AU Commission and the UN.  And we will update as we get more information on Mr. Bathily’s activities.

**Yemen

On Yemen, this past Saturday, the Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, travelled to Muscat, where he met with the Omani Foreign Minister and the heads of the Ansarallah-General People’s Congress delegation.

Today, he arrived in Riyadh and met with Yemeni President [Abd Rabbuh] Mansour Hadi and [former] Vice President [Khaled] Bahah.  He briefed on the outcomes of the Jeddah meetings and underscored the need to concentrate the efforts of the Yemeni political leaders to protect their country from the disastrous effects of a prolonged crisis.  The Special Envoy will hold discussions in Riyadh and Jeddah with several Saudi and international interlocutors relevant to the Yemeni file and will meet with the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Abdellatif Al-Zayyani.

**Iraq

And from Iraq, our colleagues at the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed today desperately needed food for more than 30,000 people in and around the northern Iraqi town of Qayyarah, which is about 60 kilometres south of Mosul.  The town was under siege and inaccessible over the last two years.

Through its local partners, Muslim Aid and Women Empowerment Organization, WFP distributed emergency food rations containing ready-to-eat foods such as dates, beans, canned foods, as well as monthly food rations containing rice, lentils, wheat flour, bulgur, beans and vegetable oil, over the past week. These rations will provide enough food for more than 30,000 people for a full month.  WFP also distributed food to almost 2,000 displaced people living in camps and with host families surrounding the town.

**Iran

And today, the Executive Director of UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund], Anthony Lake, issued a statement expressing his deep concern at the continuing detention of a former staff member, Baquer Namazi.  Mr. Lake said that it had now been over six months since Mr. Namazi was detained in Iran.  Already on 3 March, he had expressed UNICEF’s concern at his health and well-being and that concern has grown ever since.

Mr. Namazi served at UNICEF’s as Representative for Somalia, Kenya and Egypt, among other positions, and he worked tirelessly on behalf of the children in all those positions, often in highly difficult circumstances.  He deserves a peaceful retirement, Mr. Lake said.  Mr. Lake added that UNICEF does not engage in politics and he hopes that Mr. Namazi will be treated as the humanitarian that he is and that a humane perspective can be brought to his plight.  That statement is online.  And as you recall, we also expressed our concern on this case a few months ago.

**Human Rights

Speaking in The Hague yesterday, the High Commissioner for Human Rights cautioned against populism and demagoguery in Europe and the United States, which he said has led to the “banalization of bigotry” and an atmosphere thick with hate which could descend into violence.

The High Commissioner noted the commonalities in tactics used between those such as Geert Wilders, Donald Trump, Viktor Orban and Da’esh.  Both, the High Commissioner said, use half-truths and oversimplification in their modes of communications, with both sides benefitting from each other, as neither would expand in influence without the others’ actions.

He added that history has perhaps taught demagogues how effectively xenophobia and bigotry can be weaponized, adding that communities will barricade themselves into fearful, hostile camps which could lead to colossal violence.  Ultimately, he said, it is the law that will safeguard our societies and we must guard it passionately and be guided by it.  He was speaking in the Netherlands at the Peace and Justice Security Foundation event.

**Education

And I just want to flag that UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] today issued a report, saying that education needs to change fundamentally to meet global development goals.  The new Global Education Monitoring report by UNESCO shows the potential for education to drive progress towards global goals outlined in the 2030 Sustainable Agenda.  More information online.

**Honour Roll

And lastly, we want to thank Uganda for paying its dues in full, bringing the total of those who have to… Come on, Mr. Klein.

Correspondent:  122.

Spokesman:  If only… yes, 105.  There you go.  I hope you have a question because you won.

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Steph, given that Mr. Bathily has now been on the ground in Gabon for a number of days, is the UN clearer on whether there was any impropriety in the election results?  France has now called for a recount.  Has the UN taken any position on the credibility of those results?

Spokesman:  You know, we were not part of the observers, so we had no direct access.  I think the message is that there is a deadline, which is 7 September, tomorrow, for filing complaints with the Constitutional Court.  We encourage all those who have complaints to use those means and use the Constitutional Court and, of course, avoid violence, avoid incitement to violence and that the public forces, the Government forces, also have a responsibility to ensure that people are allowed to demonstrate peacefully, as it is their right.  Mr. Lee, then Mr. Klein.

Question:  Sure.  I wanted to ask you some of the things that I tried to ask you on Friday.  One has to do with… I want to ask about Burundi first.  There… one… there’s now reports that… that 30 political prisoners, people accused of having been against the… for the rallies against the third term have been taken out of the Central Mpimba Prison and taken to an unknown location.  And I wanted to know… there’s a lot of uproar about that…

Spokesman:  I haven’t seen those reports.

Question:  And on Mr. Mayuyu, which I’d asked you in writing, I just want to nail this one down…

Spokesman:  I’m waiting… Everybody wants to nail everything down.  I’m waiting for some information on that case, which I have not yet received.

Question:  How about… on Friday, I’d asked you just about the composition of the delegation of the Secretary‑General on the trip and what the costs were.  It seems like… the trip’s almost over so it’s sort of… it’s becoming…

Spokesman:  I don’t have the delegation in front of me.  As for the breakdown of the cost of each trip, I don’t think that’s information that I have access to.  The budget for the Secretary‑General’s travels is included in the yearly budget.

Question:  And did he mention Yemen and Sri Lanka…?

Spokesman:  Did he mention Yemen…?

 

Question:  Did he say… in that speech in which you mentioned Rwanda, Srebrenica and Sri Lanka, did he say we have to avoid doing this in Yemen, as well?  Because people are interested if he said that.

Spokesman:  The Secretary‑General did mention Yemen.  He mentioned Srebrenica in speaking off the cuff.  What he was doing was giving examples where the UN as a whole had failed those who are most vulnerable, those who we’re meant to protect and, in the context of Srebrenica, of Rwanda, you know, had also engaged in exercises of self‑reflection, self‑criticism.  He wasn’t making a direct comparison between those situations in… you know, situation in Srebrenica and Sri Lanka, nor was he making any parallels as to the actual nature of the crisis.

Question:  What’s the [inaudible]?

Spokesman:  I’ll come back to you.

Question:  Hi.  Two questions related to the Paris Agreement.  First of all, does the Secretary‑General regard the Paris Agreement to be a legally binding treaty once the requisite threshold for ratification, acceptance, or approval is met?  And if so, when a Member State submits its ratification, approval, or acceptance instruments for deposit with the UN, does… is the Secretary‑General acting only in a purely administrative capacity or would he reject the submission if he has reason to believe that it was not ratified as required by the Member States’ constitution?  And this question is in the context of President Obama’s submission of, quote, acceptance to the Secretary‑General, which is now officially deposited with the UN, even though the United States Senate did not ratify this treaty. If it’s regarded as a treaty…

Spokesman:  Thank you for your question, counsellor.  [laughter]  The Secretary‑General has accepted the instruments from the United States and other countries.  Obviously, we have quite a few that we’ve already accepted.  Once a threshold has been met in terms of the number of countries and in the number of… and the percentage of omission, the climate… the Paris climate Agreement will come into force.  Each… the Secretary‑General acts as the depository of the Agreement.  Each Member State has its own process through which it goes through before delivering the necessary documentation to the United Nations.

Question:  But, in this case, the Secretary‑General, I assume, knows that in the United States this process, which requires ratification under the US Constitution, was not followed.  And so would the US… would the US omissions be counted nevertheless in meeting the threshold…?

Spokesman:  I think the Secretary‑General is not going to opine on the process within the Member State.  We accepted and gladly accepted the documentation presented to it by the… presented by the United States.  I think no one would disagree that reaching an agreement in Paris was a painstaking and difficult process.  It was agreed to unanimously by all the parties present in Paris.  I think it underscores the critical and urgent need to come forward… every country on this planet to come forward and deal with climate change.  And we very much welcome the United States’ efforts in that…

Question:  But he’s deeming it… just to close the loop here, he’s deeming it effectively… since it’s registered as part of the treaty deposit registry, the Secretary‑General is deeming the Paris agreement as a legally binding treaty.

Spokesman:  The legal language in the Paris Agreement is fairly clear.  Sir?

Question:  Yeah.  The United Nations has always criticized the administrative detention in Israel, the Secretary‑General, the Security Council, the General Assembly, everybody.  However, these detentions have gone beyond control.  Five thousand prisoners are now in hunger strike.  Two of them, Mohammed Balboul and his brother, Mahmoud Balboul, are close to die as a result of two month denial of food.  Now, what is the United Nations… the Secretary‑General’s position?  Does he condemn the continued detention of these people?

Spokesman:  I… the Secretary‑General’s position on administrative detention should not be a secret to anyone, whether it’s expressed by him directly or by his representatives, Mr. [Nickolay] Mladenov or others.  This is an issue that we have raised with the Israeli authorities on… repeatedly, and we will continue to do so.  People should either be charged or freed.

Question:  Yeah, but in this case, I mean, many warnings were issued in the past, and there are no steps, it seems, whereas responsibility to protect here doesn’t… wasn’t even mentioned about the Palestinians by the Secretary‑General…

Spokesman:  I think I would urge you to look at the R2P resolution passed by the General Assembly.  I think this is a different issue.  Member States have a responsibility to uphold international standards.  And, as we’ve said, we’ve called on the Israelis to either free or charge these people under a judicial process.

Question:  On Syria, it seems there is a deal in al‑Waer in Homs to evacuate the armed groups.  How is the United Nations involved in such arrangements?

Spokesman:  I have not seen any information that we are involved in this process.  Sir?

Question:  On South Sudan, does the UN still view the former first Vice-President Riek Machar as critical and necessary to the implementation of the peace deal?

Spokesman:  I think every senior political leader in South Sudan remains critical to the peace deal.  He was… he and the people he represents were signatory to it.  I think whether it’s him personally or those who follow him, all those who have leadership responsibilities in South Sudan have a role to play in bringing peace back to their country.

Question:  There is a view now being expressed that he’s being side-lined domestically and internationally.  Is that a view that the UN observes?

Spokesman:  I will remain agnostic on that part.  Oleg?

Question:  Stéphane?

Spokesman:  Yes, sir.

Question:  I think the UN officials repeatedly said that they would see some progress in Syria before the GA [General Assembly] starts or during that… I mean and before the end of the term of Ban Ki‑moon and he’s committed to some… to reach something.  How do you assess what’s going on in the Syrian track right now?  There seems to be not very much progress.  The ceasefire…

Spokesman:  No, listen, I think the Syrian people themselves will be the first ones to say that there’s been little or no progress.  We’ve seen a couple of very isolated cases where people allowed to evacuate, where aid was delivered, but these remain extremely isolated.  I think, as Mr. [Stephen] O’Brien said, we’ve gone into reverse gear in terms of many humanitarian deliveries in August.  As for the political track, I think Mr. [Staffan] de Mistura spoke to your colleagues in Geneva.  Things are… remain… while things remain in flux, we’re continuing our efforts and do whatever we can to bring the parties closer together.  Yep?

Question:  I’m curious if the SG had any reaction to the announcement by the United States committing new funding towards the removal of ordnances in Laos, and curious if this was something brought up in any meetings between the President and the SG?

Spokesman:  Obviously, we very much welcome any increase in resources to help the people of Laos de‑mine and deal with the ordnances.  The Secretary-General himself, I think, tomorrow is scheduled to visit a site where de‑mining is taking place.  We know it remains a huge problem for people in the country, whether it’s children, whether it’s farmers, and a country that is… that has limited resources remains… has… still has to deal with the remnants of a war that took place decades and decades ago.

Question:  And does he intend to use this announcement as an occasion to make a broader appeal for more countries to increase funding or…?

Spokesman:  I think this is something that the Secretary‑General will raise tomorrow when he does the site visit.  Mr. Klein?

Question:  Does the Secretary‑General or you, as a Spokesperson for the Secretary‑General, endorse what the Human Rights chief said with respect to the risks and dangers of demagoguery, but particularly including Mr. [Donald] Trump in that criticism?

Spokesman:  The High Commissioner for Human Rights has a very specific mandate.  It is not up to the Secretary‑General to endorse or distance himself from him.  I think the speech that the High Commissioner delivered is an extremely important speech, one that deserves to be read in its entirety.  As for the Secretary‑General, he himself has raised in various trips, notably in Europe, the dangers that we all face with the rise of people who prey on fear of the other and on hate.

Question:  But would he agree or does he believe that Mr. Trump should be included in the specific lists of individuals…?

Spokesman:  I think all political leaders engaged in campaigning have a responsibility not to stoke the fear of the other.  Sir?

Question:  On Jarabulus, has the United Nations…?

Spokesman:  On… sorry?

Question:  Jarabulus, in northern Syria near the Turkish border, the town which was seized by the Turks.  Has the United Nations been able to visit the town?  Also, is it a bit strange that ISIS did not fight there and did not even leave any ordnance or mines, as they used to do in every town and village they left?

Spokesman:  I hear… on your first part, which seemed to be question, no, as far as I’m aware, we did not… we have not been able to visit the site.  Sherwin?

Question:  How about the people who left Jarabulus?  Is there anybody tending to them…?

Spokesman:  Obviously, we’re trying to reach everyone in need.  Sherwin?

Question:  Is the Secretary‑General expected to meet with the President of the Philippines, either at the ASEAN Summit or if he comes to the UN General Assembly later this month?

Spokesman:  As for the ASEAN Summit, no.  Obviously, during the General Assembly, the bilateral schedule is still being developed, and the Secretary‑General is always happy to meet with any Head of State or Head of Delegation that comes to the United Nations.

Question:  So he would be happy to meet with the Filipino President.

Spokesman:  I think the Secretary‑General would want to meet with as many Heads of States or Delegations as he can.  Sir?

Question:  Sure.  I was… I’m thinking that you may have some response to this IRIN story about MINUSCA [United Nations Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic] paying a company that’s on the sanctions list in the Central African Republic.  But I want to make sure to ask you about the Secretary‑General’s role in the promotion of his son‑in‑law, because I’ve asked a number of questions in writing.  You referred me to UNDP [United Nations Development Programme].  They told me it’s all DOCO [Development Operations Coordination Office], which doesn’t have a contact information.  So here’s what I wanted to know.  Is it the case that, beyond the inter‑agency panel that you described, whatever, 10 days ago, and the Secretary‑General’s signing a letter appointing his son‑in‑law the head of the UN system in Kenya that DPA [Department of Political Affairs] plays a role?  Because I’ve been told in the interim that, in fact, in politically sensitive or important countries that there is a DPA role.  So I wanted you to say yes or no on that.  And I also wanted you to say whether people at a certain level of the UN sign now a form having to do with human rights record, not only prospectively, but retrospectively and, if so, if that’s a form that the son‑in‑law has signed.

Spokesman:  I’m not aware of what role DPA plays in consulting and appointing our RCs [Resident Coordinators].  The process I described to you about a week ago is the same.  The inter‑agency panel makes a recommend… makes one recommendation.  The Secretary‑General stayed well away from this… from this discussion.  He has to sign the letter, as the RC is the representative.  As for the human rights issue, whether or not that is a prerequisite for Resident Coordinators, I’m not aware.

Question:  I guess my question is this, because… and please do check on the DPA thing, because I have it from within DPA that countries smaller than Kenya with less US [sic] operations that, in fact, they review three names.  And so the reason it’s important is, it seems to be what you’re saying about the sensitivities that you’re saying this decision-making was well out of the Secretary‑General’s control, and if it’s in DPA, it’s a lot closer, and it would be important to know.  So I want to reiterate my request to know who is on the panel.  Like, you could get the information, and they’re not providing it.

Spokesman:  We’ll see what information they can provide you.  Yes, Oleg?

Question:  Sorry if I missed something.  Is there any reaction to what DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] convene another… yet another launches of the missiles?

Spokesman:  We’re obviously… I think the latest rounds of launches from the DPRK, as far as the Secretary‑General is concerned, are clear violations of standing Security Council resolutions.  We reiterate the united call by the international community on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to cease further provocations and return to the path of denuclearisation.

Question:  On Darayya and Moadamiyeh in Damascus, do you have an estimate about the civilians who left or any figures since the United Nations was… were monitoring that and a delegation went in… a convoy went into Darayya…?

Spokesman:  I can try to get the latest numbers on Darayya…

Question:  And how would that revise the numbers of people who are under siege in Damascus and Ghouta?

Spokesman:  First, I think we have to look at the numbers.  But the point is a huge number of people remain in areas that are besieged or hard to reach, and as… I think, as I told Oleg a few minutes ago, the humanitarian situation for the month of August in terms of how the UN has been able to deliver aid has taken steps backwards because of the continued fighting, because of the situation on the ground, which has not allowed us to deliver the amount of aid that we wanted to do.  You know, meanwhile, our colleagues at the World Food Programme are continuing airdrops as much as they can, but as we know, that’s a very expensive and not a very efficient way to deliver food, because it’s really not that much that can go into one airdrop.  But they are continuing.  I think they’ve reached over 100 airdrops now since the beginning.  But we’re definitely not where we want to be and where the Syrian people should expect us to be.

Question:  Yeah, but here, talking about the numbers of civilians who are under siege, in Darayya, it seems from the camps, at least, there are only 2,000 people who were evacuated, and nobody…

Spokesman:  As I said, I will try to get you updates on those numbers.  Mr. Lee?

Question:  Sure.  I wanted to ask you about, in the Pension Fund, there’s a widely circulated memo of people basically, I guess, trying to expose it, and it’s been circulated both in New York and in Geneva that the chief legal officer of the Pension Fund has been back and forth, basically lives in Geneva, but charges DSA [daily subsistence allowance], and they’ve put a $50,000 price tag on this.  And what I’m wondering is, is OIOS [Office of Internal Oversight Services] looking at this?  Is there some… what does the administration do, given the issues that exist in late payments of pensions and everything else…?

Spokesman:  I don’t… I mean, I think those are kind of separate things.  The late payment of pensions, I think the… from what I understand, the Pension Fund is trying to clear… to clear through the backlog.  If anyone has any information as to what they feel may be wrongdoing, they should report that.  I’m not aware of any ongoing investigations.  Okay?

Question:  One last question…

Spokesman:  Last question.

Question:  …about Lebanon.  It seems the national dialogue has been stopped as… yesterday it was the last session because of total disagreement.  Is there anything the United Nations can do to reactivate that…?

Spokesman:  I think, through the offices of Sigrid Kaag and others, we continue to encourage the Lebanese authorities to come to an agreement on the outstanding issues, notably on the issue of the presidency.  Thank you.