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.
Good afternoon, everyone.
**Uganda
The Secretary-General has just landed back in Kampala after having spent most of the day at the Imvepi settlement in north-eastern Uganda, where he met with local officials and with refugees. He thanked the local authorities and the host community for showing such generosity to South Sudanese refugees and said that their generosity should serve as an example to richer countries. He encouraged the international community to show generosity in advance of tomorrow’s pledging conference.
Earlier in the day, he met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. The Secretary-General thanked the Government and people of Uganda for welcoming so many refugees from South Sudan and other places and pledged that the UN system would do whatever it could to support the Government’s efforts. They also discussed the situation in South Sudan.
The Secretary-General spoke to the press in Uganda and we’ll have that transcript out later today.
**Nagorno-Karabakh
I have the following statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
We take note of the 19 June 2017 statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Minsk Group following their recent travel to the region. We share the Co-Chairs’ concern over the recent ceasefire violations, which have resulted in regrettable casualties in the line of contact. We echo their appeal to the parties to avoid further escalation and to consider measures that would reduce tensions.
We also join the Co-Chairs in urging the parties to re-engage in negotiations on substance, in good faith and with political will. The United Nations stands ready to support such efforts if needed.
**Central African Republic
As we informed you yesterday, the UN Secretariat has concluded a review of the deployment of uniformed personnel from the Republic of Congo in the UN Mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA.
The review of the deployment of uniformed military personnel from the Republic of Congo found that the nature and extent of existing allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, in their totality, point to systemic problems in command and control. These problems have also been compounded by issues related to the preparedness, overall discipline, maintenance of contingent-owned equipment, and logistical capacity of these troops.
The outcome of the review has been shared with the authorities of the Republic of Congo, who have decided to withdraw their military personnel deployed in MINUSCA.
The Government of the Republic of Congo has reiterated its commitment to United Nations peacekeeping and stability in the Central African Republic. The Secretariat is working with the Republic of Congo and MINUSCA on the modalities for a speedy withdrawal that will have the least impact on the Mission’s operational requirements and ability to implement its mandate.
The United Nations stands ready to assist the Republic of Congo authorities by identifying factors in the areas of leadership and command, performance, conduct and readiness, to enable them to address these gaps and for Republic of Congo military contingents to be eventually considered for future deployment to United Nations peacekeeping operations.
**Morocco
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) welcomes the decision by Morocco to admit a group of Syrian refugees stranded in difficult circumstances at the country’s border with Algeria since 17 April.
The remaining 28 refugees from an original group of 41, including women and children, were collected on 20 June by the Moroccan police.
UNHCR is working with the authorities of Morocco and other countries to find a durable solution to the plight of these vulnerable refugees. There are more details on UNHCR’s website.
**Afghanistan
Today, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) welcomed the announcement by the Independent Election Commission that parliamentary and district council elections will take place on 7 July 2018.
The Head of the Mission, Tadamichi Yamamoto, said the people of Afghanistan have made clear their desire for credible and inclusive elections, and reiterated the UN’s commitment to work with institutions in the country as they implement reforms to enhance transparency and build trust in the democratic process.
**Syria
A convoy of three trucks from the World Food Programme (WFP), using a newly opened land corridor, has arrived in Qamishli in Syria’s north-eastern Hasakeh governorate, carrying food assistance for hungry families. This is the first time that WFP has been able to deliver food by land in two years since the area became inaccessible in December 2015. Since that time, WFP has had to operate costly airlifts to bring food to vulnerable families.
The convoy delivered a month’s supply of food for 15,000 people.
Overland access to Hasakeh was made possible due to an improved security situation. For almost a year, WFP has conducted two airlifts per day, six days a week to deliver food assistance and relief supplies for people who were otherwise cut off from support.
**Iraq
The Director General of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), Irina Bokova, today deplored the destruction of the Al Nuree Mosque and Al Hadba Minaret in Mosul.
She said that they were among the most iconic sites in the city, and stood as a symbol of identity, resilience and belonging. She added that when Da’esh targeted the mosque and minaret a few months ago, the people of Mosul formed a human chain to protect the site, proving once again that the protection of heritage cannot be delinked from the protection of human lives. Her full statement is available on UNESCO’s website.
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) said in a new report today that three years since the fighting intensified in Iraq, children are trapped in an endless cycle of violence and increasing poverty, with more than 5 million children in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
UNICEF’s Representative in Iraq, Peter Hawkins, said that across the country, children continue to witness sheer horror and unimaginable violence. He added that they have been killed, injured, abducted and forced to shoot and kill in one of the most brutal wars in recent history.
Since 2014, 1,075 children have been killed, more than 150 in the first six months of this year alone. More than 1,100 children have been maimed and injured.
UNICEF also said that nearly 5,000 children have become separated from their families, while there have been nearly 140 attacks on schools and nearly 60 attacks on hospitals. You can read more about this on UNICEF’s website.
**Yemen
In a statement issued yesterday, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, said that the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure in Yemen has continued during the holy month of Ramadan. This has persisted despite repeated calls from the international community, including the Security Council, to all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights laws.
Mr. McGoldrick said the disregard for civilian lives and civilian infrastructure at a time of great need, due to the combined effects of the cholera outbreak and the looming famine, continue to shock him.
He stressed that the warring parties must distinguish between the civilians and combatants at all times and must take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects. His full statement is available online.
**Sri Lanka
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) today warned in a joint report that a severe drought followed by heavy rain has affected farm areas of Sri Lanka and threatens the food security of almost 1 million people.
Rice, the country’s staple food, has been hit particularly hard, and rice production is expected to drop by 40 per cent compared to last year.
Other crops, such as chillies and onion which rely mainly on rainwater, were also heavily damaged by the dry weather.
FAO and WFP have issued an urgent call for seeds and planting and irrigation equipment, as well as support for irrigation systems. The full report is available online.
**Refugees
The Department of Public Information has launched a new animated video on the dramatic story of Yusra Mardini, the young Syrian refugee who swam in the 2016 Olympics and became a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. The video was produced by the Education Outreach Section to support the UN’s Together Initiative, mark World Refugee Day and highlight the advent of the International Day of Peace. You can see it at www.un.org/peaceday.
**Appointment
And I have a long-awaited personnel appointment: Today, the Secretary-General is announcing the appointment of Ghassan Salamé of Lebanon as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
Mr. Salamé will succeed Martin Kobler of Germany, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and service, as well as for his effective leadership of UNSMIL.
Mr. Salamé brings to this position over three decades of experience in public service and academia. In 2003, he served as the Political Adviser to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), where he played a crucial role in bringing together Iraqi factions. For most of his career, Mr. Salamé was professor of international relations at Sciences-Po in Paris, and he is the founding Dean of its Paris School of International Affairs. More details are available in our office.
**Drugs
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in its twentieth edition of the World Drug Report which is out today, says that about a quarter of a billion people use drugs worldwide and that opioids such as heroin are still the most harmful drug type, accounting for up to 70 per cent of the negative health impacts associated with drug use disorders.
**Press Briefings
And we’ll have more on that immediately after this briefing because at 12:30 p.m. today, there will be a briefing here by Jean-Luc Lemahieu, Director of Policy Analysis and Public Affairs of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). He will brief you on that report.
**Questions and Answers
And that is it for me. Are there any questions? Yes, Rosalind?
Question: First off, on the removal of the Congolese forces, who will replace those troops, given the security situation in CAR (Central African Republic)?
Deputy Spokesman: It’s too soon to determine how they’ll be replaced. They’ve just taken the decision now to withdraw them. Like I said, we’re working with the Republic of Congo and MINUSCA on the modalities for a speedy withdrawal, and we hope that there will be a quick and efficient replacement. Obviously, we need to make sure that there’s no vacuum on the ground, given the conditions in the Central African Republic.
Question: And then, in terms of the UN offering assistance to Congo to deal with the systemic problems of lack of command and control, lack of troop discipline, the issues with allegations of sexual abuse and rape: Who would carry out that work? Is that the work of DPKO (Department of Peacekeeping Operations)? Who takes care of that sort of systemic training and refocusing?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, of course, a lot of the training will have to be done by the Republic of Congo itself, but we are prepared to help them, primarily through, as you would have suggested, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations but also the Department of Field Support (DFS), which tries to make sure that troops are properly equipped and trained as they go out to missions. Are there any other questions? Yes, Linda?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I’m sorry if I missed it, but I was wondering if you had any further details about the Secretary‑General’s visit to Washington.
Deputy Spokesman: Nothing much more than what the Secretary‑General himself told you. He’ll be there next week. He travels there on the 27th, which is next Tuesday, and we expect him to meet with members of Congress. We’ll have some more details, but, obviously, he’ll meet with key officials both from the House of Representatives and from the Senate, and he’s already described to you what he expects to achieve there. Have a good afternoon, everyone.