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-Genera
**Myanmar-Bangladesh
As you aware, the Secretary-General will brief the Security Council at 3 p.m. today on Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA] says that the number of Rohingya refugees who have arrived in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, since late August has topped 500,000. This is the largest mass refugee movement in the region in decades, and the total number of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh is believed to be well over 700,000 people.
Aid agencies are working with the Government to improve road access to refugee camps and are also working with authorities to set up a one-stop shop for the arrival of humanitarian supplies and to facilitate approvals for incoming aid agencies. As of today, humanitarian partners have received $36.4 million, or just under 50 per cent, of the $77 million we called for earlier this month. As we have mentioned earlier, the scale of the emergency has far surpassed initial projections, and the needs are being revised.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
In response to clashes in the area of Uvira, in the South Kivu Province, the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [MONUSCO] yesterday rapidly deployed troops in order to deter any attack on the city. The MONUSCO Deputy Force Commander is on site to oversee the situation. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC, Maman Sidikou, urged armed groups to immediately cease all forms of violence.
**Middle East
The Envoys of the Middle East Quartet — which comprises the Russian Federation, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations — welcome efforts, including those of Egypt, to create the conditions for the Palestinian Authority to assume its responsibilities in Gaza.
The Quartet Envoys urge the parties to take concrete steps to reunite Gaza and the West Bank under the legitimate Palestinian Authority. This will facilitate lifting the closures of the crossings, while addressing Israel's legitimate security concerns, and unlock international support for Gaza's growth, stability and prosperity, which is critical for efforts to reach lasting peace. The Quartet envoys stand ready to engage with Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the region in support of this process.
The Envoys emphasize that the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, most notably the crippling electricity crisis and its impact on health, social and economic well-being of the population, must be addressed. The Quartet encourages the international community to act accordingly.
**Syria
Speaking to the Security Council yesterday afternoon, Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy for Syria, confirmed his intention to convene the eighth round of the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva about a month from now, with the precise date still to be determined. He added that the talks should start no later than the end of October or very early in November.
He said he was reaffirming that timeframe so that all concerned can use the crucial month from now until then to create conditions for the talks to be particularly meaningful. His remarks are online.
**Dominica
Regarding the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that yesterday, the Resident Coordinator and the World Food Programme [WFP] Regional Director arrived in Dominica to assess the damage first-hand. They will meet with the Prime Minister and UN staff on the ground to discuss and support the Government-led response.
Humanitarian organizations are delivering aid and carrying out assessments. Although access to Dominica is gradually being restored, internal access along key roads is limited and hindering the delivery of crucial aid to cut-off communities. There are now 21 UN staff in the capital, Roseau.
**Abortion
Worldwide, 25 million unsafe abortions occurred every year between 2010 and 2014, according to a new study by the World Health Organization [WHO] and the Alan Guttmacher Institute. The majority of unsafe abortions, or 97 per cent, occurred in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The study shows that in countries where abortion is completely banned or permitted only to save the woman’s life or preserve her physical health, only one in four abortions were safe.
**Yemen
Further to what we said yesterday about supplies for the cholera response in Yemen, there has been an airlift of cholera medicines procured by UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund] to Djibouti, where the supplies will then travel to the port of Hodeidah by sea. The medicines can treat up to 300,000 cholera patients.
**Tobacco
I also want to flag a statement from our colleagues at the World Health Organization regarding the recent announcement by the tobacco company Philip Morris International of its support for the establishment of a new entity — the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World.
WHO said it will not engage with this new Foundation and added that Governments and the public health community should not partner with it, as there are a number of clear conflicts of interest involved with a tobacco company funding a purported health foundation, particularly if it promotes sale of tobacco and other products found in that company’s brand portfolio.
It stressed that Philip Morris International engages in large-scale lobbying and prolonged and expensive litigation against evidence-based tobacco control policies, and that the tobacco industry and its front groups have misled the public about the risks associated with other tobacco products. The full statement is online.
**Rabies
Today is World Rabies Day, and this Day marks the announcement of the biggest global anti-rabies initiative, as the World Health Organization [WHO], the World Organisation for Animal Health [OIE], the Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control [GARC] reveal an ambitious initiative to end human deaths from dog-transmitted rabies by 2030.
The plan, called “United against Rabies”, builds on more than ten years of global partnership, research and evidence-building to demonstrate the feasibility of eliminating dog-transmitted rabies.
**Maritime Day
Today is also World Maritime Day. This year’s theme is “Connecting Ships, Ports and People” and it was chosen to provide an opportunity to focus on the many diverse entities involved in shipping and logistics. Supporting these will also help achieve sustainable development, as more efficient shipping will increase energy efficiency, protect the environment, and ensure maritime security. More information on the Day is available online.
**Information Access
And finally, today is also the International Day for Universal Access to Information. The Day’s celebrations are being held in Tunisia, where UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] has organized a series of discussions among government, media and civil society representatives on the laws providing access to information. Similar events are also being held this week in Mauritius and at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
**Global Compact
Yesterday Stéphane [Dujarric] was asked about member contributions to the Global Compact. As of January 2018, the Global Compact will require businesses with annual revenues over $50 million to make an annual contribution. Smaller companies will not have to make this contribution.
The annual contributions will vary depending on the size of the company as well as their level of engagement. You can find more specifics on this on the Global Compact toolbox, which is available on their website.
**Press Briefings
For press briefings, after I am done, you will hear from Mark Lowcock, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, who will be our guest to brief on the Lake Chad Basin crisis. And I believe after that we will have Brenden Varma speaking on behalf of the President of the General Assembly.
**Questions and Answers
Any questions for me? Yes?
Question: Sure. I have some other country‑specific questions, but I just wanted to… in light of your… you read a statement about conflict of interest and then confirmed that the Global Compact will be charging companies. I just wanted to know what your response would be… This, obviously, creates an incentive for the Global Compact to allow larger companies in, because they'll be paying dues. So, what… what… what… given the questions that have arisen in the past about a lack of vetting, including, for example, Ng Lap Seng's company, Sun Kiang Ip, getting in, what additional steps to vet will be put in place to avoid the conflict of interest of allowing in large, abusive corporations simply because they pay the UN money?
Deputy Spokesman: If… as you're aware, from the way the Global Compact operates, if countries are not upholding the principles of the Global Compact, they have… they are and have been moved out.
Question: They haven't paid in the past. Now they'll be paying, so it's a pretty significant dynamic.
Deputy Spokesman: Starting in January, there will be a change, and that's designed to broaden the outreach of the Global Compact. There are more details, like I said, in their toolbox, and you can consult with that.
Correspondent: Will do.
Deputy Spokesman: Yes, Masood?
Question: Thank you. Yeah, Stéphane [sic], do you have any… I mean, I know that Stéphane has said that he'll give a detailed briefing on Rohingya later on at 2:00 or something like that.
Deputy Spokesman: At 3:00, the Secretary‑General is briefing. And we'll… and that speech is public, and you'll be able to receive copies of that.
Question: Okay. Can you confirm… before that, can you confirm that 60 people died in the capsized boat in… of the Rohingya? Is that right?
Deputy Spokesman: I'm not aware of the… that latest report. We have seen reports of people perishing as they try to make the trek across to Bangladesh. And, of course, we're urging all to assist in ensuring their safety.
Question: On another related question, different question, I mean, this is the story about the children, Palestinian children, in Israeli jail, incarcerated, which I've been asking. And you still have not got the figures as to how many Palestinian children are in jail. I mean…
Deputy Spokesman: I believe I gave you the figure at the beginning of the year, and it hasn't actually changed since then.
Question: Beginning Monday… sorry, January. And now it is September, end of September.
Deputy Spokesman: Yes. And there's been no significant change in the numbers. We've checked up regularly with Mr. [Nickolay] Mladenov's office since then.
Question: Can you, please? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah. Yes, please. In the back.
Question: My question is on Congo, like, in Kivu. What is the UN position on the President of Congo, Mr. [Joseph] Kabila, who has somehow managed to credibly stay in power beyond his mandate?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, you're aware of the concerns we've expressed about this in the past. We continue to be in dialogue with the Government, and we hope that there will continue to be elections held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Beyond that, I would point you to the readouts of the meetings we've had with the leadership of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including last week during the General Assembly session. Yes? Yes, you.
Question: As you have seen, the UN efforts to stop the situation in Rohingya, but still the situation is deteriorating, and there is… has been reporting that the last 24 hours a lot of the Rohingyas are still fleeing from that situation. We are looking from the Secretary‑General's standpoint and the Security Council, and actually, is there any move for the presidential statement or like such?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, questions of presidential statements and things like that are in the hands of the members of the Security Council, and we'll leave that in their hands, of course. But the Secretary‑General does intend to raise up the issue of the continued exodus of people from Myanmar. He'll point out that at least half a million civilians have fled their homes and sought safety in Bangladesh. And he'll continue to raise the sort of points that he's been making about how we need to deal with the situation in Myanmar. You'll have seen the speech he gave at the General Assembly last week, and we'll reiterate many of those points. Yes, Rosiland?
Question: Do you know whether the Secretary‑General has spoken more recently with Aung San Suu Kyi about the situation?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, I believe we told you about the conversation he had with her a little over a week or two weeks ago. I don't have any conversations since then to report. Yes, please?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. A follow‑up on Myanmar. The planned UN agencies’ visit to Myanmar, has it been cancelled or postponed? And if it has been postponed, when will it take place? And which UN agencies were going to pay a visit to Myanmar? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: Well, this was going to be a group of UN and non‑UN people. We were informed by the Myanmar authorities that the trip could not take place today. We’ll see whether there's any way that it could be rescheduled to early next week, but we’ll have to get agreement from them on that. Yes, Nizar?
Question: Yeah, yesterday, the Russian Ambassador of the Security Council raised the issue of aid to Syria. He said that the Government is facilitating 5… aid to 5 million people inside Syria every month, whereas other figures were mentioned in this same meeting spoke about 1 million only, catering for 1 million Syrians. What is the right figure here?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, fortunately for you, Mark Lowcock, who briefed the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria just yesterday afternoon, will be our guest right after me and can talk at greater length about this. But I would refer you to his remarks to the Security Council yesterday afternoon.
Question: Another question regarding how we capture media in the United Nations. For five years now, we have been struggling with EZTV and they… which caters only for PC. It used to be working on Apple and not anymore for two days now. When we contact people about that, it seems no… we get no answer. Is there a solution to this technical problem?
Deputy Spokesman: I'm not sure, but we'll raise your complaint with our colleagues in DPI [Department of Public Information] and see whether there's anything that can be done about that. Yes?
Question: Sure. Thanks a lot. I wanted to ask you, there's a report out by the Dutch Safety Board, and it concerns the death of two and then three Dutch soldiers serving in Mali by… by a defective mortar in 2016. And what they found… these were deployed as min… as MINUSMA [United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali], so I'm asking as part of the UN Mission. They found that they were using mortars that were from 2006 that were defective, out-of-date, and… and exploded for that reason. So, I wanted to know, obviously, the… the Netherlands is one of the more sophisticated of the troop-contributing countries, but what steps does the UN take to make sure that the armaments, particularly deadly armaments, that are brought in by peacekeepers are, in fact, not out of date? And, in this case, it killed them, rest in peace, but obviously, these are mortars that are sometimes used and could have an impact on surrounding civilians. So, what's the UN's role in making sure that… that non‑defective armaments are… are… are used in their UN peacekeeping missions?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we would urge all of our contingents to make sure that contingent‑owned equipment — remember, these are equipment owned by the contingent, not by the United Nations — that they are in working order. Obviously, we appreciate and encourage efforts by Troop Contributing Countries to investigate and make sure that all of their facilities, all their equipment, are up-to-date and are working. And we try to make sure that contingents all abide by that.
Question: Okay. And I wanted to ask you about Cam… Cameroon, if you don't mind. Yesterday, I'd asked Stéphane about this… I guess, comparing the readout that was… by the Secretary‑General and President [Paul] Biya to the report that came out of 100,000 refugees, refouled or pushed back, into Nigeria. There's been quotes since yesterday where by… where the Government spokesman, Issa Bakary, has rejected claims of sexual aggression by Cameroonian soldiers saying… and this is what I wanted to ask you about, saying, “Until a soldier is caught red‑handed engaged in sexual assault, this is all a fantasy.” And what I want to know is, since Cameroonians are part of UN peacekeeping missions in CAR [Central African Republic] and elsewhere, is this the appropriate standard for a military to have, that, unless… regardless of witness testimony, unless somehow somebody is caught either on video or by a third‑party witness, that there can be no finding of sexual abuse? And, secondarily, he also said Mr. [ François Louncény] Fall is going to visit the country next week. Given that 1 October is a big protest day in the Anglophone zones, when exactly is Mr. Fall going? And is he going to… to south-west and north-west Cameroon or only to the capital?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, regarding Mr. Fall, what we can say is that he does intend to go to Cameroon in the next few days. We don't have any further specifics on it right now. That's being worked out. And regarding the questions of sexual exploitation and abuse, we certainly hope and expect that all Member States, when they're investigating these reports, will investigate them thoroughly and fairly.
Question: But if one… I mean, if a TCC [troop‑contributing country] spokesman — this is not an off‑the‑cuff comment — says their standard of proof for prosecuting sexual abuse by their soldiers is a person being, quote, caught red‑handed, is that the appropriate standard? And, if it's not, what confidence can the UN have when they refer cases to Cameroon?
Deputy Spokesman: We would have to have dialogue with our troop‑contributing countries to make sure that they abide by international standards and norms. Yes?
Question: Hi, Farhan. Thank you for those of us who need audio and video. Could you tell me how long the UN has been seeking access to Rakhine State? Can you tell us what the reason was for the cancellation of today's trip? And can you give us a better idea of who would have been going from the UN and if you have a date for the resumption of the trip next week?
Deputy Spokesman: Alas, for a couple of your answers, those will be in the hands of the authorities in Myanmar. It's up to them to explain why today's visit could not happen, and, ultimately, we're waiting on them to find out when there's a date when it can happen. So, those we will leave in their hands. There were a number of different agencies, including UN agencies, as well as the Red Cross, who were intending to travel. And we'll intend to travel if we can do so. Some of these efforts are being coordinated through our UN House in the capital, Naypyidaw. And, regarding access, this is a… this has been a request that we've had since this crisis began. We need access to the areas in need. We need… as with all areas where the UN operates, we need to make sure what the conditions are like, and, ultimately, that demands our ability to get to the areas in need.
Question: Sorry. Just a quick follow‑up. We have been seeing everywhere that… or many places that the reason given was weather. Is that… for the cancellation of today's trip. Is that something you can confirm?
Deputy Spokesman: I don't speak for the Myanmar authorities. If that's what they're saying, that's what they're saying. Yes?
Question: Yeah. For many months now, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Nayef, has been no‑show. I mean, there were a lot of reports about his house arrest. Also, other prominent clerics and journalists in Saudi Arabia were arrested without any trial or any due process. What does the United Nations Secretary‑General think about such practices, especially we did not hear anything from Human Rights Council?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, obviously, in every country, we hope that the due process rights of individuals are respected, and there needs to be due process in all such cases.
Question: Has… has there been… did the Secretary‑General raise this issue with Adel al‑Jubeir when he came here?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, you've seen the readout that we've put out, and that's what we can say about their meeting. Yes?
Question: Sure. Thanks a lot. I wanted to ask about… in… in the… I guess it’s now going to be a rerun of the election in Kenya, there's a lot of… the ruling… or the… the… the party that says that it won is trying to amend the electoral law. The opponents are saying they won't participate in the rerun. The main thing I'm ask… wanted to know about is the UN role, specifically UNDP [United Nations Development Programme]. UNDP had played some role in the first round. Some people are saying that they're going to play a larger role in the second round. I went to their website, and they used to have a page called electoral… UNDP electoral support in Kenya. Now it says the page you requested cannot be found. Maybe it's a temporary takedown. But can you either… either say or… or find out, because their website is now not providing that information. What's their role in the first and second rounds of the election?
Deputy Spokesman: What I can do is refer you to UNDP. I mean, obviously they’re the ones… [inaudible]
Question: As you may know, the head of the UNDP in the country blocks Inner City Press and doesn't answer questions. So I'm asking… the website is down so…
Deputy Spokesman: As you know, UNDP is located here in New York just like we are, and you can ask my colleagues there. Yes?
Question: Yeah. Farhan, maybe this question has been asked of you. Is there going to be a United Nations report on the human right abuses of the Yemeni people, which they have been alleging again and again the Saudi Coalition at… and the backing of the Americans are perpetuating human rights abuses on the Yemeni civilians? Is there going to be a report?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, there are several reports coming out in different ways. I believe our colleagues in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will have a report of theirs, but I assume the report you're thinking of is the report on Children and Armed Conflict by the Special Representative, Virginia Gamba, and by the Secretary‑General. And I believe that report should be coming out sometime next month. And with that, let us go to our guest. One moment, please.