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,
**Yemen
Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien, whom you heard from yesterday, wrapped up his visit to Yemen, where he spent five days, his second in the past 15 months, to see for himself the situation on the ground.
Speaking to journalists in Sana'a, Mr. O’Brien said nearly 19 million people in Yemen — that is about two thirds of the population — need humanitarian or protection assistance. He added that 7 million people in Yemen do not know where they will find their next meal.
Mr. O'Brien warned that while the UN and its partners are ready to scale up the response, $1.2 billion of funding is needed. But, he added that getting the funds is not enough in itself. We also need all the parties to the conflict to immediately facilitate timely, full and unimpeded humanitarian access, at all times.
Mr. O’Brien will now travel to northern Kenya and Somalia over the coming days, to see for himself the impact of drought and extreme food insecurity. His remarks to press have been made available.
**West Africa
Meanwhile, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeff Feltman is wrapping up a visit to West Africa today that saw him visit Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Senegal and the Gambia.
In the Gambia today, he told the press about his admiration which the country and its new leadership is held following the recent peaceful transition. In Banjul, Mr. Feltman met with President Adama Barrow, civil society representatives and the UN country team, among others, to assess the country's urgent needs and discuss the contours of the UN's support for the Gambia, with a focus, obviously, on sustaining peace. More information on the DPA [Deparment of Political Affairs] website.
**Uzbekistan
Meanwhile, the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Miroslav Jenca, is in Tashkent, where today he confirmed the UN's support for the efforts of Uzbekistan and other countries in Central Asia to achieve mutually acceptable solutions to regional challenges, including transboundary water sharing through regional cooperation. Mr. Jenca has met with the President of Uzbekistan, among others, and he finishes his visit tomorrow.
**Libya
And yesterday, I was asked about what the UN Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) is doing regarding the situation of migrants transiting through Libya.
The UN Mission is following the issue with focus on migrants in detention centres. As we told you last December, the Mission published a report jointly with the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the issue. It showed that the breakdown in the Libyan justice system has led to a state of impunity in which migrants are subject to serious human rights violations and abuse.
The Mission, together with its UN agencies, regularly visits places of detention where migrants are held and is seeking to find alternatives to detention. In the meantime, the UN is supporting improvements in the conditions of detention in coordination with Libyan authorities.
**Middle East
And as you may have seen, Nickolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, in a statement issued today, condemned the firing yesterday of a rocket from Gaza towards Israel. This is the third such incident in the past 30 days after a period of almost four months of quiet. Such provocations seek only to undermine peace, Mr. Mladenov said.
He also called on all responsible parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid escalation and prevent incidents that jeopardize the lives of Palestinians and Israelis.
**Food
And our colleagues at the Food and Agricultural Organization released a new Crop Prospects and Food Situation report.
It shows that global harvests are strong, with cereal production making large gains in the world overall in 2016 — with a record recovery in Central America, and larger cereal crops in Asia, Europe and North America.
However, access to food has been dramatically reduced in areas suffering civil conflicts, and drought conditions are worsening across parts of East Africa.
37 countries require external assistance for food; 28 of them are in Africa.
**Appointment
And a senior personnel appointment to announce for today — the Secretary-General is announcing the appointment of Najat Rochdi of Morocco as his new Deputy Special Representative for the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
She succeeds Fabrizio Hochschild, who as you know, joined the Secretary-General’s Executive Office. The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Hochshild’s service and steadfast commitment to support recovery, peacebuilding and humanitarian efforts in the Central African Republic.
Ms. Rochdi has extensive experience in development and humanitarian affairs, and has been serving as the UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon since 2013. Her biography is available, should you be interested.
**Questions and Answers
That's it. Rosiland?
Question: In light of Mr. O'Brien's ongoing travels and his attention to the question of famine, have any countries come forward with additional financial support to try to prevent widespread starvation and malnutrition?
Spokesman: We're trying to get an update from our colleagues at OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]. We understand some monies have come in, but the needs continue to be great and huge and need to be sustained. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. In his press conference here yesterday, UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said that… you know, that… that the UK supports Martin Kobler in Libya as long as he's in the post, but if there's going to be a change, it should happen fast given various developments and offers by neighbouring countries. So I wanted to ask you, in… in that light, in particular, given the… the… the turning down of… of Mr. [Salam] Fayyad, what's the… the… what is the process? What's… is… is there an intention to replace Mr. Kobler? And, if so, what's the desired timeline?
Spokesman: The Secretary‑General is considering the options. I think he expressed his disappointment at the lack of full support to his previous candidate, Mr. Fayyad, and as soon as a name is put forward to the Council, it will be done so.
Question: Sure. And I wanted to ask another one. There's a… a… a… it's reported that there's a letter from the former President of the Senate of Nigeria, Ameh Ebute. It says, in the letter addressed to the UN Secretary‑General, he's asked, I guess, that… that scrutiny and even sanctions be applied to Cameroon and Chad for what he calls their support of Boko Haram. So, given… and I know the Council's traveling there. It's a delicate topic, but at a minimum, has this letter been received? And what does… does the 38th Floor think of this letter from a Nigerian…
Spokesman: I've seen the press reports. I have not seen the letter. Obviously, the question of sanctions is up for the Council. And I think the… for the UN, for our part, we've always counted on the cooperation of all countries in the Lake Chad Basin in the fight against Boko Haram. Erol?
Question: Thank you, Steph. Probably I missed, but I would like to ask you again, actually, what does the Secretary‑General have to say on the ongoing crisis that is developing in Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where the current sitting President refused to give a mandate to the opposition leader, and it's now one of the major fear in Europe?
Spokesman: Valid question. You didn't miss anything because I didn't say anything, but let me see if I can get you something a bit later today on that. Nizar?
Question: Yeah, in his statement, Mr. Mladenov… where he condemned the firing of rockets, he did not mention anything about five… at least five airstrikes against Gaza where people got killed and did not mention that there were provocation as well. Why is this… his… this double standard?
Spokesman: I think whether it's Mr. Mladenov or the UN as a whole has never been shy about speaking up at different instances in the Israeli‑Palestinian continued tensions. And our push for direct negotiations and for a two‑State solution in order to see… so we can avoid these rocket attacks and as well as the killing of civilians.
Question: But he should mention both sides… [Cross talk]
Spokesman: Mr. Mladenov… I think I would encourage you to look at the body of his work. Edie?
Question: With all this focus on Yemen, could you give us an update on what [Ismail Ould] Cheikh Ahmed is actually doing to try to bring the two sides together at the moment?
Spokesman: He's continuing his consultations. He was in Moscow, if I recall, last week. I think he's back now in the region. We wish we could see more progress. He has not stopped his efforts, but, obviously, the parties continue… the conflict continues, and the people of Yemen continue to suffer. Yeah, in the back. Sorry.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Do you have any updates on Cyprus? Thanks.
Spokesman: No, no updates. I think Mr. [Espen Barth] Eide had some meetings today, was scheduled to have some meetings today. As soon as they're ready to announce new dates, they will do so. Yep.
Question: Can I just have an update on that? The Special Envoy, who is going to… well, he's going to be having some meetings and with who? Could you elaborate on that?
Spokesman: Sure, I'll get you something right after the briefing. I don't have any updates with me. Yep.
Question: Thanks, Stéphane. Yousong Hu with Xinhua News Agency. On Wednesday, China released its first international strategy on cyberspace cooperation, and it calls for jointly building a community, a shared future in cyberspace and also highlights the role of United Nations in this field. So what's your comment on this? And what do you think of China's efforts in promoting cyberspace cooperation?
Spokesman: It's a report that's just come out. It's obviously a very important report, and I know a lot of effort has gone into it. I think China has a big role to play on this issue. We'll be studying the report. Hopefully, have a bit more to say later.
Question: Can you tell us when Mr. [Staffan] de Mistura's term is due to renew and whether he has really requested renewal of his term?
Spokesman: Mr. de Mistura continues as the Special Envoy in Syria with the full backing of the Secretary‑General. If and when a change is announced, we will do so. But he is continuing and very much focusing on the talks at hand in Geneva. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask about Burundi. I'd asked you about relations between the office of the Special Adviser in the country, and you said wait until the report is out. So now that the report is out and I see in paragraph 67 that it says that even staff members in the country team are… are required to give ten days' notification for any in-country travel, delay in the processing of visas and staff facing intimidation, including arbitrary arrest, can you now… now that the report is out, can you say, is the Special Adviser Jamal Benomar free to travel to the country? I mean, or have you received a PNG (persona non grata) determination?
Spokesman: I'm not aware that we've received a PNG determination. I think the report as you read out answers the questions that you raised.
Question: And are these things… I guess my point is I wanted to know they're in the report, obviously, saying that it makes the work of the office more difficult. But are these… are these violations of international law… do… do… do UN staff members… is… are imposing these restrictions…
Spokesman: Obviously, we always want to see cooperation with the countries that we work with. The UN in any… is not in a position to enter forcefully. This is a political process. We need the cooperation of the Government, and I think the UN's position on the current situation in Burundi is pretty clearly outlined in the report, including the Government's lack of… failure to take the necessary steps to kind of reopen the political space.
Question: Okay. Sure. Definitely. I wasn't saying you were going to enter forcefully. I just wanted to know if it's illegal to impose these restrictions.
Spokesman: It's not a matter of illegal or legal. Countries control their borders. We would like to see full cooperation.
Question: And the last thing, just because it was also said that the meeting that's going to now take place, I think, on 9 March is, at the decision of the penholder, going to be a closed‑door meeting. Is it possible for the Secretariat or the Special Adviser to speak publicly…?
Spokesman: Which penholder? On which meeting?
Question: France.
Spokesman: No, which meeting?
Question: The meeting of the Security…
Spokesman: On Burundi?
Question: Yes.
Spokesman: Okay.
Question: Yes. So that's going to be a closed… entirely closed meeting, including the briefing. If these restrictions are of such concern to the Secretariat, can someone from the Secretariat speak publicly about…
Spokesman: We'll see if we can get Mr. Benomar to speak. Obviously, whether a meeting is open or closed is up to the Council members. Oleg?
Question: Thanks, Stéphane. Can you confirm the next round of talks in Geneva will be on 20 March?
Spokesman: No, I'm not able to do that at this point. I think we have to wait for this round to end and Mr. de Mistura to speak.
Question: And also, on Syria, do you have any reaction to the retaking of Palmyra?
Spokesman: We've just seen the reports. I'd asked my humanitarian colleagues if they can give us a bit of an update as the humanitarian situation because we obviously are… the fact that civilians remain trapped in conflict areas in Syria remains a big concern to us, especially when we don't have the access to them.
Question: And with Abu Bakr al‑Baghdadi, the leader of the ISIS, calling for his followers to run… to flee to the mountainous areas in Syria and Iraq, do you think we're coming closer to the defeat of ISIS? Do you see…
Spokesman: I'm not going to comment on what Mr. Baghdadi said. Yes, ma'am?
Question: Do you have an update on the humanitarian situation in Western Mosul?
Spokesman: Yes. The latest numbers that we have are about 28,400 people have been displaced from Western Mosul since the operations began in that part of the city on 19 February, I believe. The newly displaced people from Western Mosul have so far been transported to a number of sites in Hajj Ali, Qayyarah Jad'ah and other sites. Those are now full and a new site at Hammam al‑Alil is already three‑quarters full. We're also creating some other plots for almost 52,000 people to the north and to the east of the city. And the number of people currently displaced as a result of the operations in Mosul both in the east and the west is close to 192,000 people since the month of October.
Question: And have people been able to get the emergency food and medicine that they need as this operation…
Spokesman: We've been doing our best in terms of getting the food, shelter and other kits they need.
Question: And what about the families that are still trapped inside Western Mosul? Is there any… any thought of doing airdrops? Is that too risky at this point?
Spokesman: We have no access to them. I would venture to say doing airdrops… food airdrops in an active military zone is not something that WFP (World Food Programme) or any of our colleagues would be able to do, just because it's an active conflict zone. I mean, remember in Syria, the complications there of operating of high altitude airdrops in Deir Ezzour and the complexity of that situation, so I don't believe that's an option for West Mosul. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask you, one is, I saw… I saw… it's a picture of the Secretary‑General and the Deputy Secretary‑General with Mike Bloomberg yesterday. I wanted… it's another one of these things. Maybe… again, I'm always thinking maybe the schedule was updated and I didn't see it. But I didn't see it on the schedule. So I wanted to know how this is happening a lot… it seems to be happening…
Spokesman: It's a lunch… you know, it's a working lunch with one of his envoys, so we don't always put the internal meetings up.
Question: Right, but I guess that's why… I'd asked you in writing about a week ago whether… whether, not only Mr. Bloomberg, but Han Seung‑soo, Jeffrey Sachs, can you… are these people still… are all the envoys…
Spokesman: A number of envoys have been reviewed… renewed for a year. You'd asked me… there was some other names on that list.
Question: Han Seung‑soo, Jeffrey Sachs, and there were some more, but I don't have it in front of me. That's why I sent it to you.
Spokesman: They were… Vijay Nambiar is no longer an envoy of the UN, but the other two have been extended for a bit of time. I think it's still… we're still in a transition place, but Mr.… the Secretary‑General is… continues to be in discussion with Michael Bloomberg, with Jeff Sachs, Gordon Brown. These are all people that continue very much to work closely with the Secretary‑General on the issues that are in their portfolio. In fact, I failed to mention that Gordon Brown will be here at noon tomorrow.
Question: Okay. And there's two… I have two… one is related. Just because on… one of the reasons that I'm asking you this is, if you remember, Jeffrey Sachs had said on the… on the steps of the Sutton Place house that he would… was willing to work on Ban Ki‑moon's campaign. And I said, was that legal? And you said…
Spokesman: Well, there is no… there was no campaign as far as I recall. The former Secretary‑General never officially declared. It's incumbent on all of the envoys who work on either a dollar a year or when actually employed to keep in mind their responsibilities as UN envoys.
Question: And these are two… one, is there a list just to not have to ask you in this context of the envoys…?
Spokesman: I'll try to get you a list.
Question: And also, yesterday, the website of the UN was down for several… like, several hours, at least from 6:00 till 9:00, 10:00.