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.
**Security Council
First off, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution this morning condemning the 9 September nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [DPRK] and adding to the sanctions previously imposed on that country.
Speaking at the Security Council, the Secretary-General welcomed the unanimous adoption of the new resolution, saying that maintaining such unity is crucial in tackling security challenges on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
He said that today’s resolution includes the toughest and most comprehensive sanctions regime ever imposed by the Security Council. It sends an unequivocal message that the DPRK must cease further provocative actions and comply fully with its international obligations.
Targeted sanctions matter, the Secretary-General said. Security sanctions represent the clear and unified will of the international community. Yet sanctions are only as effective as their implementation. It is incumbent on all Member States of the United Nations to make every effort to ensure that these sanctions are fully implemented.
He said that the DPRK must reverse its course and move onto the path of denuclearization through sincere dialogue. The Secretary-General reiterated his call on the DPRK to take the necessary steps to reduce tensions in the region.
**Syria
Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy for Syria, just briefed the Security Council by videoconference on the situation in Aleppo. He said that over the past few days, thousands of civilians have fled from neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo, with numbers growing by the hour.
He said that there is evidence that a military logic is prevailing on both sides. But he said that there is no stable, permanent military solution and he stressed the need for a political solution to the crisis.
Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien said that the parties to the conflict in Syria have shown time and again that they are willing to take any action or do any deed to secure military advantage even if it means killing, maiming or besieging civilians into submission in the process. There are no limits or red lines left to cross, he said.
He said that in the last four days, numerous civilians have reportedly been killed. Just today, he said, we received a report that scores of people were killed in a single airstrike this morning. He said that some 20,000 people have been displaced in recent days and it is likely that thousands more people will flee should fighting further spread and intensify over the coming days.
That open meeting is going on right now.
**World Aids Day
Earlier this morning the Secretary-General delivered remarks at an event as part of the UN’s World AIDS Day commemorations.
In his statement, he said that the international community was motivated to fight AIDS because we know that every child deserves care, every person deserves treatment, and all vulnerable groups deserve protection from stigma and abuse.
And just a reminder that our guest immediately following this briefing will be Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS.
**Yemen
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the Special Envoy for Yemen, said yesterday that the announcement by Ansar Allah and the General People’s Congress on the formation of a new government in Sana’a represents a new obstacle to the peace process and does not serve the interests of the people of Yemen in these difficult times. He said that such unilateral actions contradict the recent commitments provided by Ansar Allah and the General People’s Congress to the United Nations and to the United States Secretary of State John Kerry in Muscat.
The Special Envoy urges all parties to recommit to and fully respect the terms and conditions of the Cessation of Hostilities, which will include a complete halt to ground and air military activities and allow the increased flow of humanitarian assistance. He calls on all sides to resume working through the De-Escalation and Coordination Committee to facilitate the strengthening of the Cessation of Hostilities.
Only a negotiated political settlement can put an end to the devastation and injustice brought about by the war. The Yemeni people have suffered for far too long and their leaders should commit to restore peace and security to their country without further delay.
**Iraq
Our humanitarian colleagues say that current displacement in the context of the Mosul military operation in Iraq has risen to more than 76,000 people, an increase of over 2,500 people since yesterday, and the largest increase recorded for several days.
**Libya
And in response to a question that was asked yesterday on Libya, I can confirm that the UN Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, is currently working to deploy staff on a permanent basis in Tripoli. In this context, UNSMIL is planning for the deployment of a United Nations Guard Unit to provide protection to UNSMIL staff and assets within the Mission’s premises.
**South Sudan
The Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Eugene Owusu, said today that he is deeply concerned by a recent series of bureaucratic impediments and access constraints that have negatively impacted humanitarian organizations’ ability to assist people in need.
Ninety-one humanitarian access incidents were recorded from 1 to 28 November. Of these, 70 per cent involved violence against humanitarian personnel or assets. Aid workers were also denied access to areas outside of Yei town in Central Equatoria and Wau town in Western Bahr El Ghazal, where tens of thousands of people are in need of assistance and protection.
Mr. Owusu stressed that it is vital that the commitments made in high-level fora to tackle these impediments fully translate into real, tangible and immediate improvements in the operating environment for aid workers on the frontlines of humanitarian action.
**Afghanistan
Our humanitarian colleagues in Afghanistan have said that more than half a million people in that country have been internally displaced by conflict so far in 2016, the highest number on record.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA] says the number represents a worrying trend of year-on-year increases of people internally displaced by conflict as well as a growing number of people living in prolonged displacement.
This year, internal displacement is four times more than in 2013.
Mark Bowden, the Humanitarian Coordinator in the country has expressed concern that these record figures show not just an alarming number of new IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons], but a longer term crisis where increasing numbers of families in Afghanistan are facing prolonged displacement.
**OHCHR
Earlier today in Geneva, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, briefed the Human Rights Council on Colombia, Syria, Burundi and Myanmar. He also explained that he has been struck by a recent erosion of consensus upholding many of the international institutions and laws such as the International Criminal Court and the increasingly worrying levels of incitement to racial or religious hatred and violence.
The Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights, Andrew Gilmour briefed about his recent visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]. He welcomed the clear commitment from the authorities and others to clamp down on flagrant acts of sexual violence and the recruitment of children.
But he shared his concerns over some recent developments, especially the refusal to open the democratic space, and the restrictions on the media and fundamental freedoms such as a ban on all public demonstrations. He told the Human Rights Council that he had also raised with the DRC authorities the issue of detainees and the use of excessive force by security and defence forces. Their full briefings are available on OHCHR’s website.
**Senior Personnel Appointment
I have an appointment for today. Today, the Secretary-General is announcing the appointment of Cristiana Paşca Palmer of Romania as Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Ms. Paşca Palmer will succeed Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias of Brazil, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his continued commitment and contribution to the Convention on Biological Diversity in his capacity as Executive Secretary.
Currently Minister of Environment, Waters & Forests of Romania, Ms. Paşca Palmer brings to this position extensive experience in global policy making and in coordinating the implementation of environment and sustainable development policies, programmes and projects at national and international levels.
We have more about her career in my office.
**Khare
Yesterday, the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Atul Khare, presented the new strategy on United Nations peace operations and the environment at Columbia University. Mr. Khare set out his Department's vision for responsible missions that operate at maximum efficiency in their use of natural resources, and at minimum risk to people, societies and ecosystems; contributing to a positive impact wherever possible.
Mr. Khare underscored the need for large peace operations to limit their environmental footprint when they operate in areas that often don't have the infrastructure to preserve vulnerable environments.
**Chris Christie
The Secretary-General will meet with Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey today.
The Secretary-General will take this opportunity to thank Governor Christie for the support accorded to the UN and its staff, many of whom live in New Jersey.
**Honour Roll
We are very happy to report that today the United Republic of Tanzania has paid its regular budget dues in full. This brings the total number of fully-paid up States to 137 with one month to go until the end of this year.
**Pressers Tomorrow
And for pressers, right after me we will have Michel Sidibé, the Executive Director of UNAIDS.
Then tomorrow, at 11 a.m., there will be a press briefing by Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson and the Secretary-General's Special Advisor on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda Dr. David Nabarro. The press briefing will take place in the context of the informal briefing by the Secretary-General on the United Nations’ new approach to cholera in Haiti. And that briefing will take place tomorrow afternoon.
Please be advised that the 11 a.m. briefing will be under embargo until 3 p.m. and that it will not be webcast live. The webcast will be aired later once the Secretary-General’s own briefing has happened.
Then at noon tomorrow, Assistant Secretary-General Jean-Paul Laborde, the Executive Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate [CTED], will be our guest, joined by Ambassador [ret.] Daniel Stauffacher, Founder and President of ICT4Peace and Dr. Rasmus H. Wandall, General Counsel of the International Association of Prosecutors. They will brief the press on how terrorists can be prevented from exploiting information and communication technologies.
And at 5 p.m. tomorrow, Ambassador Román Oyarzun Marchesi of Spain, in his capacity as President of the Security Council for the month of December, will brief the press on the Council’s work programme. That's it. Yes.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Today, the Secretary‑General said… rightly pointed out that sanctions are only as effective as their implementation. Can you tell me how confident the Secretary‑General is about the implementation of these DPRK sanctions?
Deputy Spokesman: He has a certain level of confidence that this, that these will be implemented effectively given the unanimous support by the Security Council and the amount of time it took since the tests to build up a unified, solid block within the Security Council that, that favours these steps.
Now, of course, the matter is up to the Member States. He calls on them to fully implement these sanctions, and if that happens, they will have a real and profound effect on this process.
Question: One follow‑up on that. Again, about the Secretary‑General's remarks, they said sanctions matter, but he didn't elaborate, like how the sanc… will the sanction actually be effective in… in changing the behaviour of the… the Government of North Korea or not? Since we didn't have a chance to ask him question, I wanted to ask you…
Deputy Spokesman: Well, that's the intention of the sanctions. Clearly, the members of the Security Council, as they were devising it, devised it in such a manner that it will have an effect and, hopefully, a positive effect with the government in Pyongyang.
The Secretary‑General, as you know, has repeatedly called upon them to abide by Security Council resolutions and by international norms. And he continues with that call, but at this stage, now the crucial step is to make sure that all Member States abide by the wishes of the Council. If that happens, then, yes, this will have an effect. And hopefully, it will have a positive effect in terms of bringing them back to the process of negotiations that, that is essential for, for progress in this particular effort at denuclearisation. Yes.
Question: Yeah. Following up on that, given Iran's record of collaboration and actual funding of North Korea's nuclear programme and the delisting of at least one and perhaps more financial institutions as part of the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] that have been involved in that funding, does the Secretary‑General realistically expect that Iran is going to cooperate in the implementation of the resolution that was passed today? And if there's any evidence to the contrary, what is he prepared to do?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, first of all, yes, he does expect Iran, as with all Member States, to follow up and implement this resolution of the Security Council. If there are problems with any state, now, I mean not just Iran, but any Member State, that are detected by the Security Council, as you know, the Security Council does have a sanctions committee to deal with all the sanctions from Resolution 1718 onwards and, to make sure that they're implemented. And, hopefully, there will be a consequence if nations are found not to be respecting these. Yes.
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask you about South Sudan. In the session in Geneva today, the US ambassador there, Mr. Ambassador Harper, said that the US has information that the government intends to… to essentially carry out an attack in Equatoria in the coming weeks. I wanted to ask two things.
One, what the UN… UNMISS [United Nations Mission in South Sudan], if… I'm assuming that if the US has this information that UNMISS would as well, what steps it intends to take to protect civilians. And also, I guess, to ask for your comment, the US mission here in New York is seeking sanctions through the Security Council only on Riek Machar and not on Salva Kiir.
Given that these allegations are about the Salva Kiir Government, does the Secretary‑General, who has been willing to talk about arms embargo, believe that the sanctions should be applied to… as well as the party that's actually planning an attack according to testimony today?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, to take your second question first, obviously, it's, the sanctions and how they're devised is up to the members of the Council, and we respect their ability to do that. At the same time, of course, the Secretary‑General has made clear the response, that the responsibility for the violence in South Sudan is a responsibility by the leaders of both parties. It's, it's not restricted to one side or the other. And so any solution will involve making sure that both parties abide by this, both the SPLA [Sudan People's Liberation Army] and the SPLA in Opposition.
Regarding possible violence, of course, we take preparatory steps whenever we are aware of any reports of threats and the mission is doing all it can in terms of its posture on the ground and its patrolling to protect civilians. But I wouldn't want to speculate on what might happen in the future. But, yes, we try to take steps to make sure that we'll be ready. Yes, Evelyn.
Question: I've been listening to the Syria meeting for the last hour. I'm not sure how UNHCR or anyone else can take care of the refugees displaced, first of all, from Eastern Aleppo. They necessarily… many of them don't evacuate because they're afraid Syria's army will shoot them.
And then there's… there's Mosul, where there's enormous amount of fleeing the city, and they're in makeshift shelter in the sand in the desert.
And I'm just curious, how can anyone take care of them all, all the aid… organisations, including the United Nations. And there are other areas of Syria, as Mr. O'Brien mentioned, where they can't get aid through because the government's blocking them. Anyway…
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, you're absolutely right. It's a major challenge. One of the things that Staffan de Mistura was pointing out was the need to be able to help resolve the situation on the ground so that so many people would not have to flee. For that, we need humanitarian access. We need the fighting to stop. We need a lot of the things to happen that have not, in fact, happened in the last several weeks.
Beyond that, you're absolutely right. There will be a potentially cataclysmic situation on the ground, and there will be a huge number of people that we have to take care of. We don't want to have to get to that point, but we may be approaching that as we speak.
Question: Well, Syria's [inaudible]. Sorry. Syria's winning, so they have no reason to stop in Eastern Aleppo unless Russia really puts pressure on them.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, as Mr. de Mistura pointed out, there is a way in which the parties on the ground believe that there now is a military logic where one side or the other can win decisively. He has made it clear, regardless of what happens in Eastern Aleppo, that there's no sign of any decisive, lasting, stable victory that would be a military victory of any sort of solution has to have a political solution. Mr. Abbadi.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. On 23 November, custom officials in the port of Hong Kong intercepted military ships, military vehicles, coming off Singapore returning from Taiwan. Is the Secretary‑General concerned about possible tension between China and Singapore?
Deputy Spokesman: I don't really have any comment on this. As, as far as we're aware, this is a situation that the countries are able to handle bilaterally, and we'll leave it at that. Yes.
Question: I wanted to ask, assuming that the UN has seen the… the news of this new NGO law in Egypt, which would make it, among other things, a crime punishable by jail to conduct a survey or to publish the results of any survey without the government's approval. There are other elements to it, and so I'm wondering, given the things the Secretary‑General has said about civil society, what does he think of this law that's now been finally approved by the Egyptian Parliament?
Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary‑General reiterates the important role civil society and NGOs play in helping countries meet both developmental and civic objectives. He's, therefore, concerned about the possible effects of the new law on NGOs reportedly now approved by the Egyptian Parliament.
He recalls that the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association considered that the law appeared to be drafted to curtail civil society's ability to operate and to stifle their ability to freely express themselves.
The Secretary‑General urges the authorities to ensure that civil society can work without undue restrictions and exercise their fundamental rights and freedoms for the benefit of all Egyptian society.
Question: Thanks a lot. And there's one thing I wanted to ask you, which is, I've been ask… I've asked both and you Stéphane several times about the business of Ban Ki‑ho in Myanmar. And the most recent thing that Stéphane said was that he… the brother of… Ban Ki‑ho is no longer with KD Power, but he's still with Bosung. He's still listed with Bosung.
And so I wanted to ask you whether there's ever going to be an answer on this Government of Myanmar statement that Bosung and a UN delegation toured the country in advance of business, because it seems like… and I've also found that Bosung does some business in Kenya. So I'm encouraging you, I guess… I don't know how… how exactly you… you clemence… you collect such information, but if… if… if the brother of the Secretary‑General was on a UN delegation, it seems to be an eminently straightforward question. So I'm asking you again…
Deputy Spokesman: We have no information suggesting that he was part of any UN delegation. So beyond that, it would really be a question for whoever is employing him.
Question: Bosung hasn't answered either. I've written to Bosung. That's what you said to do. So I'm going to keep… I mean…
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we don't control them. It's up to them to reply.
Question: So who do you ask, in terms of the UN delegation? Can you tell me who was on the delegation?
Deputy Spokesman: I have no information about a UN delegation in this capacity. Yes.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I intentionally left my questions for the end since I have follow‑ups. Since you mentioned that the Secretary‑General is going to meet Governor Christie of New Jersey, who may be or may not be the member of the upcoming US administration, is he has any intention to meet new President‑elect of the US, Donald Trump, number one?
Number two, is he going to meet by the end of his term the current President as President of the country host?
And, again, sorry if I missed this. Who is going to lead if there is going to be any UN delegation for the… for the funeral of Fidel Castro?
Deputy Spokesman: Stéphane has already answered the last question, which is we believe that the Resident Coordinator will represent the UN system at the funeral of former President Castro.
Regarding any meetings, once anything is set up, we'll announce them. I believe we had mentioned that there had been a phone call between the Secretary‑General and President‑elect Trump. And, and they had discussed the possibility of further contacts, but we don't have anything to announce in terms of a meeting at this stage. Yes, Linda.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Going back to Aleppo, we know that the… you know, the government… the Syrian Government is… has been blocking ac… humanitarian access and attacking civilians, etc. But I was wondering what the UN's access is to the Syrian rebels and the… and the al‑Qaeda‑linked rebels in terms of allowing access, their attacks on civilians, and so forth.
Deputy Spokesman: We have, we have contacts with members of the Syrian opposition. We've tried to get security guarantees from them just as we have from, from the government side.
Question: But you… I gather you haven't been successful on either side. Is that the situation?
Deputy Spokesman: We have gotten some, I would just refer you to what Mr. de Mistura's briefing was some, some minutes ago, and you can see to that.
We have gotten some types of oral assurances but, but not the sort that are necessary for us to actually get the aid in.
Evelyn and then Joe.
Question: Back to Myanmar. There's… there's been another genocide warning recently by Mr. Dieng, and how is that being followed up?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I would just refer you to the note to correspondents we put out yesterday in Adama Dieng's name. Obviously, this is a question of some, some concern for us, but he has certain steps that he advocates in the course of that press release, so I'd refer you to that.
Question: [Off mic, inaudible].
Deputy Spokesman: That's certainly the hope. Yes.
Question: Just following up on the question about the Secretary‑General's meeting with Governor Christie. Now, first of all, where is that going to be? Is it…
Deputy Spokesman: Newark.
Question: In Newark. Okay. And I assume we'll get a readout of that meeting?
Deputy Spokesman: I'll be on hand. I can probably give a line, this is one of a series of courtesy steps.
Question: Is he going to meet with…
Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary‑General expects not just to meet in his departing weeks with, with Governor Christie but also with Governor Cuomo of New York and with Mayor de Blasio of New York City. And in each case, he wants to express to them the sort of appreciation he has for the support that they've provided to our work as he has gone about his two terms in office. And of course, he will encourage continuing support from all of them for his successor. So that's the basic readout as it is.
Question: All right. You just answered my second question, whether he intends to meet also with Governor Cuomo. Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: See? I'm thinking ahead. Yes.
Question: Sure.
Deputy Spokesman: You and then Zach.
Question: Great. I have a Burundi question… I just… what about Connecticut? My question, has there been any request? It's a tri‑state area, since you're going. I mean… did the Secretary‑General request these meetings, or did they request them with him? Now, I guess that's the first question.
Deputy Spokesman: I believe he's requested this as a series of meetings.
Question: Okay. All right. So there is no Connecticut. I'm just…
Deputy Spokesman: Connecticut's pretty far, you know?
Question: Okay. Well, it's a tri‑state area. MTA goes there.
I wanted to ask you on Burundi, on Burundi, you gave the readout of Prince Zeid's statement in Geneva about the pos… the problems in Burundi. And both… I… he and the panel of experts seem to both… to believe that the UN peacekeeping should… should stop using Burundian peacekeepers given the human rights issues both in CAR [Central African Republic] and in Burundi.
So given that I've now seen a deployment order for flights beginning on 10 December to… to, in fact, send more Burundian troops to CAR than are currently there, up to 800, and it's dated 28 November, I'm wondering, either from this podium or sometime today, can you… can the UN explain why the Secretariat and DPKO are… are… are rejecting this human rights recommendation to not take the peacekeepers and how that's consistent with Rights Up Front and consistency of the system?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding that, following consultations with all relevant offices within the UN system, the Secretariat has decided to continue with the deployment of the Burundian battalion in the Central African Republic.
The deployment of the Burundian troops will remain under close review based on the evolving situation in Burundi and cooperation with the UN. The conduct of the Burundian troops in the Central African Republic will also be closely monitored.
And regarding what, what you've been asking about people's individual records, one thing I can say is that, following a review of the CVs of the proposed incoming battalion, nine individuals were excluded from the rotation.
Question: And I… just one follow‑up, because I've seen that letter on the nine and published it. But I wanted to ask you, I've also… since you've gone this far, since the letter, the note verbally, says it's based on cooperation by the Government of Burundi with the UN system, given this week… this past weekend's demonstration against the UN, and allegation by the ruling party that the UN is distributing weapons, and a memo that's come out showing that government employees were required to protest the UN, is that cooperation? And who… who's reviewing it under what time frame, given that they're going to fly 2 December?
Deputy Spokesman: We will evaluate all these developments, but regarding the weekend events, of course, you're aware of what my colleague Stéphane said at the start of this week. Yes, Zach.
Question: Question also concerns Central African Republic. Do you have any update on the casualties there since the Special Adviser made that issuance on the genocide threat?
Deputy Spokesman: No, I don't have a figure on overall casualties, but we continue to collect figures for the regular briefings to the Security Council, so we should have something by then. Yes, Erol and then Mr. Abbadi, and then we'll go to our guest.
Question: Yes, I just wanted to ask you, Farhan, how the transition process between the new Secretary‑General and the current Secretary‑General is going on. How often they hear each other, what they plan for the month of December, obviously, the last month of Mr. Ban Ki‑moon, and how it goes in general.
Deputy Spokesman: It's going very well. And, in fact, the Secretary‑General will have a luncheon meeting with António Guterres today. So it's a very busy day. António Guterres, Chris Christie. The world is our oyster. [Laughter] And Mr. Abbadi, and then let's go to our guest after that.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. In the Republic of Korea…
Deputy Spokesman: Please, please, guys. Someone's asking. Yes. Yes, please.
Question: In the Republic of Korea, President Park said she's ready to resign. The media speaks about the closeness between government and major companies about traffic of influence and of funds left and right. The Secretary‑General often speaks about corruption in particular countries. Is he concerned about the situation in his own country?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, he's, he's spoken, in fact, in recent interviews about his concerns, including as a Korean citizen. And I would just refer you to some of what he's been saying in his interviews.
Obviously, as a Korean, he's watching this, and it affects him deeply.
And with that, let's get to our guest.