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.
**Côte d’Ivoire
The Secretary‑General, as we have been telling you, is in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to attend the fifth African Union‑European Union summit. This morning, he met with the Presidents of Côte d’Ivoire, Angola, and Rwanda. And we put out readouts of most of these meetings. He then attended a trilateral meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the President of the European Commission, Jean‑Claude Juncker, and EU High Representative/Vice-President of the European Council Federica Mogherini. They agreed to put in place a joint EU‑AU‑UN Task Force to save and protect lives of migrants and refugees along the routes and in particular inside Libya, accelerating the assisted voluntary returns to countries of origin, and the resettlement of those in need of international protection.
The Secretary‑General then addressed the opening ceremony of the summit. He said that young people are the driving force of our societies and that we need to listen to them and put them at the centre of our development plans. While responding to their aspirations is essential for development, he added, it is also key to preserve peace and security. Noting that the common Africa‑EU strategy was adopted ten years ago, the Secretary‑General said it is time to strengthen the ties between the two continents. Recent atrocious images of migrants being sold in Libya are a reminder of the urgency to act, he added. The Secretary‑General said also there was a need to change the relationship with Africa and establish a new cooperation platform that recognizes the huge potential of the continent. The Secretary‑General will leave Abidjan tonight and will be in the office tomorrow afternoon.
**Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
You will have seen that, in a statement we issued last night, the Secretary‑General strongly condemned the launch of yet another ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions and shows complete disregard for the united view of the international community, he said in the statement. The Secretary‑General urges the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] to desist from taking any further destabilising steps. The Secretary‑General reaffirms his commitment to working with all parties to reduce tensions. And this afternoon, the Security Council also scheduled a meeting on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — that is scheduled to take place just after 3 p.m. consultations on Lebanon.
**Syria
On Syria, as you know, the Geneva talks are continuing today with the Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, having a series of meetings this morning, including with the delegation of the Government of Syria. Back here, the Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock briefed the [Security] Council on Syria this morning, and he said that after seven years of conflict there, some 13.1 million people need humanitarian aid and protection, with 5.6 million people in acute need. In terms of displacement, more than 6,500 people have been displaced on average every day of the first nine months of this year, while 2,500 people have been returning daily. Mr. Lowcock expressed worry about the food situation in eastern Ghouta, where only 100,000 out of an estimated 400,000 people have received food assistance this year. The available evidence suggests that severe acute malnutrition among children in that area has increased five‑fold in the past ten months. He added that as needs remain high, it’s important to preserve all means of humanitarian access, including cross‑border and cross‑line operations. He told the Council that he plans to visit Syria in early January to assess the situation and discuss how we can improve assistance to all those in need.
**Yemen
As we told you earlier this week, UN humanitarian flights to Yemen resumed on 25 November. Two commercial vessels carrying food have arrived in Hodaidah, carrying a total of 35,020 metric tonnes of wheat and flour. Three vessels carrying a nearly 65,000 metric tonnes of food have been cleared by the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism and are awaiting permission from the Saudi‑led Coalition to enter Hodaidah port. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that, while some food has started to reach Yemen, it is not sufficient to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. In Yemen itself, the cost of diesel as doubled, while the price of petrol has risen by more than 70 percent and cooking gas by 18 per cent. It is critical that fuel reaches all Yemeni ports immediately — fuel is essential to operate generators for hospitals and water pumps, as well as to deliver drinking water and food.
**South Sudan
In South Sudan, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in that country, David Shearer, condemned the killing of around 45 people in an attack against a Dinka village yesterday, in the Jonglei region. Some 60 women and children were abducted. The Murle and Dinka communities in Jonglei have been engaged in long‑standing inter‑ethnic violence, which has operated outside the wider political conflict which has impacted the country since 2013. David Shearer urged the leaders of both communities to put an end to the cycle of revenge killings and work to bring the perpetrators of all attacks to account. The dead included humanitarian workers.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has successfully sent a first convoy to deliver food assistance from Sudan to the north‑western South Sudanese city of Aweil in Bahr El‑Ghazal region. This is the third overland route to open between the two countries since 2014 and WFP plans to send enough food down this new route in 2018 to feed 1.7 million people for 10 months. The World Food Programme has also assisted a total of 4.6 million people in South Sudan so far this year with 208,000 metric tons of food and almost $25 million in cash.
**Libya
In Libya, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today welcomed the decision by Government authorities to set up a transit and departure facility in Tripoli for people in need of international protection. This initiative, which is supported by the Italian Government, will facilitate the transfer of thousands of vulnerable refugees to third countries.
**State of Palestine
Today is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and, in a message to mark the occasion, the Secretary‑General says that he remains convinced that the two‑state solution recognized by that resolution is the only premise for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The resolution of this conflict would also create momentum for greater stability throughout the region. He says that the recent positive developments on intra‑Palestinian unity should be harnessed by all to move the process in the right direction. As you know, the Deputy Secretary‑General represented the Secretary‑General at the events that took place earlier today here at Headquarters.
**Malaria
I wanted to flag that the World Health Organization (WHO) issued their World Malaria Report 2017 today. They warn that after unprecedented global success in malaria control, progress has stalled. There were an estimated 5 million more malaria cases in 2016 than in 2015, and malaria deaths stood at around 445,000, a similar number to the previous year. This means that the world is not on track to reach the global malaria targets, aiming at a 40 per cent reduction in case incidence and mortality rates by 2020. A major problem is insufficient funding at both domestic and international levels.
**Animal Protection
I also want to flag a new database launched today by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to help countries better monitor, survey and effectively manage their animal genetic resources, allowing for early warning of the threat of extinction. The Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD‑IS) is the most complete source of global information on animal genetic diversity to date. It is the result of three decades of collecting national data from 182 countries. Currently, it contains data on almost 9,000 breeds of livestock and poultry, including breed characteristics, information on distribution and demographics, and more than 4,000 images. Interesting database. Khalas. Mr. Abbadi?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. As you indicated, the Secretary‑General met with the chair of the African Union, and he also signed an agreement, framework and agreement, in peace and security area. What are the main elements of that agreement?
Spokesman: I'm trying to get a bit more detail as we speak. I'll share them with you. Yes, Abdelhamid?
Question: Thank you. I have three questions, and they all start with the… with why.
Spokesman: That's a good way to start a question.
Question: Yeah. Why there was no statement on the occasion of passing resolution 181, which was called the partition plan, which ended in disseminating our… destroying the Palestinian people or at least partially. That's one. And, second, why there was no announcement yesterday about the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. And, third, why there was… there is no announcement about the exhibit which will start at 6:00 p.m. with the opening of the… Amina Mohammed will open it. It has the photos of hundreds of Palestinian achievers in the field of art, music, writing, cinema, etc., etc. Thank you.
Spokesman: On your first question, I would refer you to the statement that was delivered by the Chef de Cabinet on behalf of the Secretary‑General at the event organized by the Permanent Mission of Israel yesterday to mark the passing of resolution 181. On your second question, we flagged the event today. There are a lot of events that go on here every day at the UN. We don't flag every event. As for the exhibit, I hadn't received any particular information on the exhibit, but, obviously, the information has been disseminated in other ways. Mr. Lee?
Question: Sure. I wanted to ask you about the… the African Union‑EU, this joint task force. Can you say… like, is the UN going to send staff to it? Where's it going to be based? Is it… is it… I mean, what's going to be the UN's participation in it?
Spokesman: As to the same question that your colleague raised, we're trying to get a bit more… I just spoke to my colleague on the ground. I wasn't able to get a hold of her to see… to get a bit more details on what was agreed to.
Question: And you'd mentioned the three meetings he had so far, and you'd said that… that most of them had been read out. Obviously, two of the three were, and the Rwanda one wasn't. How… I guess I want to understand… has there been a Rwanda readout?
Spokesman: There may be something in the pipeline. Again, it's… these conferences are an event in motion. So if we have something, I'll…
Question: And I asked you yesterday whether he'll be meeting with Cameroon President, Paul Biya. Do you know…?
Spokesman: I'm not aware of any scheduled meeting with Mr. Biya.
Question: So the three meetings that he had, were these at the request of the presidents or at his request?
Spokesman: Some of them were at their request. Some of them were at the request… it's… when two people want to meet, they meet. Ms.… Abdelhamid. Let's go back…
Question: Back to resolution 181. In the view of the Secretary‑General, this resolution, does it… does it really worth issuing a special statement on this resolution? I read the statement read by the Chef de Cabinet at the Israeli Mission event, which has completely different angle, totally. He was even praising the relations between the UN and Israel, promising for more closer relations, although, as you know, and everyone knows that Israel in violation of so many…
Spokesman: Abdelhamid, with due respect, let's go to the why.
Question: Yeah. The question, why there was no statement on this resolution, which is a historic resolution.
Spokesman: I think, as I said, the… the Secretary‑General referred to resolution 181 in the statement yesterday. We're going to leave history to the historians. I think the focus of the Secretary‑General is very much forward looking on the Middle East peace process and to see how best he can help the parties reach an agreement. Mr. Abbadi?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Reports indicate that following the launching of the missile by the North Koreans, President [Donald] Trump has asked China to put more pressure on the Government there to review its policies. To your knowledge, has the President… US President also asked the Secretary‑General to do likewise?
Spokesman: Well, the Secretary‑General is not the President of a country. It's not for him to…
Question: It doesn't matter whether he's President…?
Spokesman: No, it's not for the Secretary‑General to… it's a different relationship. What… the Secretary‑General's position was clearly expressed in the statement, and his position remains that it is incumbent on countries to follow and adhere to the Security Council resolution already passed on the DPRK. Fathi?
Question: Thank you, Steph. With regard to the unfolding and ongoing crisis with North Korea and their violations of Security Council resolutions, I know the Security Council's going to meet today to discuss the matter. But is the Secretary‑General at any point considering using his good offices to try to break the… the… the impasse in this situation?
Spokesman: I think the Secretary‑General has often spoken to that, and first of all, for his good offices to be useful, there needs to be agreement by all parties involved. And, second, the Secretary‑General and his staff continue to have contacts with various parties.
Question: Follow‑up. At any point, is the Secretary‑General considering maybe a solution outside of the box to try to hold a special summit at the UN inviting the leader of North Korea and South Korea and Japan and the US to hold a… a summit meeting at the UN?
Spokesman: As I said, I think we are interested in being productive, and there are… as I said, there are… the Secretary‑General and his staff continue to have contacts with all the parties. You know, the… some of these things that you refer to can be big and splashy, but things need to be… contacts continue to be had. I will leave it at that. No, hold on. Let's go to your neighbour before we go to round three. Go ahead.
Question: Yeah, follow‑up on DPRK. Does the Secretary‑General have any specific expectations from today's meeting other than condemnation? And, second, did he have any contacts with the DPRK officials or with the US Administration, including Ambassador [Nikki] Haley?
Spokesman: Not in the last 24 hours. And, obviously, we'll see what comes out of the Council meeting. Mr. Lee. You've been patient.
Question: Sure. Actually, I have something else, but I've got a DPRK follow‑up. Admittedly, the Secretary‑General is not a president of a country, but he does have some discretionary decisions that his administration has made, and I wanted… for example, the taking of the Junior polit… Professional Officer. Did… is this viewed as a… as a decision from… that it's wide… it's reported that basically it's a North Korea Government‑selected person. Was this a discretionary decision on his part? And also, the cyanide… the work on the cyanide patent by WIPO [World Intellectual Property Organization], these are… I guess what I'm wondering is, given this new launching and given this information…?
Spokesman: The WIPO issue is one that is… a question you should address to WIPO. The Junior Professionals Programme is open to all 193 Member States. Okay.
Question: Right. So there's no… so any…?
Spokesman: All 193 Member States have access to the Junior Professional Programme.
Correspondent: And the department, whether it's political affairs or something less…
Spokesman: Obviously, they… they… they… you know, I think that person, from what I understand, is in the Electoral Affairs Division.
Question: Okay. Could I…?
Spokesman: You may. You may. We're in a good mood today.
Question: All right. Thanks a lot. I'm going to get to China Energy Fund Committee (CEFC), but I want to ask you first about this. There appears to be new sexual exploitation and abuse allegations in UNAMID [African Union‑United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur] in Darfur. So, I guess I wanted to know, it says in it… it seems contradictory. It says that UNAMID is investigating, but it also says that they're already collaborating to make sure that the victim research… receives special… psychosocial care. So does that… does that mean that there… the UN acknowledges that there is a victim; it's just a question of who did it or how… what… how…?
Spokesman: I think it's important that if there is a victim who's… and I don't know the details of the case, but I'll speak in principle. It's clear that if there is a victim that has clearly gone through some trauma that this person be taken care of. That's the victim‑centred approach. The mission was very proactive. They put out a press release yesterday, and our colleagues in the… upstairs are in the process of updating the relevant website with the new information.
Question: Did you see… did you… do you see or have any response to an open letter by Code Blue? After the last postings on the website that I asked you about, they said that the responses were insufficient, that… that… that the nationality should have been named and a variety of things should have been done. And I'm just wondering, is there a dialogue between them and…
Spokesman: I wouldn't… you know, the… we enter into dialogue with NGO (non-governmental organization) civil society organisations all the time. There are… no preference has been given to Code Blue. A lot of organisations, human rights organisations, are involved in following the topic of sexual exploitation and abuse. We value the discussion with those organisations. As you may recall, on… I think, on the side‑lines of the General Assembly, if I'm not mistaken, there was a meeting involving all the civil society organisations, including Code Blue. Whether or not they're satisfied or not satisfied with our answer, that's their judgment. The reporting that is done annually to the General Assembly, according to the criteria the General Assembly has requested for civilian staff, does not include nationality, because the General Assembly has not requested that. Let's move on. Abdelhamid. And then I'll come back to China Energy… Abdelhamid and then…
Question: Yes, my colleague Iftikhar Ali asked you about the visit of the pope, Pope Francis, to Myanmar. And I want to repeat the same, if there is any intention that the SG has to visit Myanmar, did it occur to him… Is he planning…
Spokesman: Of course, the visit occurred to him. There was some consider… there was consideration…
Question: Why he… is he denied?
Spokesman: What? No, there was no issue of being denied. The visit… a visit to the region has been considered and continues to be under consideration. And when we feel the moment is right for the Secretary‑General to go and the timing is right, the logistics [are] right, he will go. Everyone has a different role to play, whether it's the Pope, whether it's the Secretary‑General, whether it's the Secretary‑General's humanitarian chiefs, who've all gone repeatedly to Bangladesh, everyone has their role to play. But the Secretary‑General is very much well aware of the situation. Evelyn Leopold?
Question: Yes. Thank you, Steph. Syria, listening to the speech this morning from the USG [Under‑Secretary‑General], would you say that the Damascus Government is using food as a weapon of war, considering all the difficulties they have getting humanitarian supplies in at this point?
Spokesman: I would leave the conclusion to you about how the parties have manipulated humanitarian aid, have put up roadblocks, whether it's physical or bureaucratic. We have had extreme difficulties in delivering humanitarian aid in all parts of the country.
Question: What parties are you talking about? The Government and…?
Spokesman: I think it's been… all parties have made it complicated for us. Mr. Lee, I see you waiting and then Mr. Abbadi.
Question: Okay. Great. I'd wanted to… I think it was Monday that… that I'd asked you about the grant that… that went ahead the day after the indictment was made public by the… and… and you'd said… I'm looking at the transcript, because you insisted; you said, you should look at meeting and see who the organisers were. Who are the organizers? So, I really tried. I've tried to follow your advice. But as best as I can make out, the… the… the…
Spokesman: It's a dangerous proposition.
Question: The panel… the panel behind there said UN DESA [Department of Economic and Social Affairs] Energy Prize. It seems to be a UN… like, I don't know what I'm missing. So, if it was a UN event and it went forward, it's also reported that Patrick Ho, who's still in jail, was indicted, was one of the five steering committee members to choose who got the money. I guess I'm wondering, since I see that three officials… doesn't seem like a coincidence. Maybe you'll say that it was… cancelled the photo op, cancelled the appearance, cancelled the speech. Who made the decision to go forward? And is it one that you can speak about, like… on what… was there… is there some legal… is there some reason that you wouldn't say who the organisers were, that the three top officials of the UN all cancelled their appearance, but the money still went forward? What… it seems quite strange…
Spokesman: I really have no more words to share.
Question: But who is the organiser? I mean, I think it's a fair… you… you've sort of sent me on a goose chase. I've come back…
Spokesman: But you… and you've discovered it.
Correspondent: So it is UN DESA.
Spokesman: That's my understanding.
Question: So they decided… what was the communication between the 38th Floor…?
Spokesman: I would urge you to talk… I'm not aware of the internal communications, and I wouldn't speak to it anyway.
Question: But what would you say, given that the person that actually… is it… is it the case that one of the five decision‑makers of how to use the million dollars is a person that had been indicted?
Spokesman: I don't know if that person is, in fact, on the steering committee.
Question: Can you find out?
Spokesman: We can check. Mr. Abbadi?
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Regarding the North Korean issue still, does the Secretary‑General consider it appropriate and pertinent to launch a mediation effort under Article 99, the good offices of the Secretary‑General? And you indicated that he's in contact with the parties. At what level is that contact taking place?
Spokesman: I'm not going to go into details. I think, when… it's an extremely difficult and volatile situation, and I think any involvement or effort into mediation needs to be well prepared and focused on substance rather than theatrics. Thank you. Mr. [Brenden] Varma.