HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC, SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON.

FRIDAY, 5 SEPTEMBER 2014

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES UKRAINE CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT

• In a statement, the Secretary-General welcomes the positive news that today’s consultations between the Contact Group and representatives of armed groups have resulted in the agreement of a cease-fire. He also welcomes the recent discussions between the Presidents of Ukraine and Russia have played a part in today’s breakthrough and strongly encourages those contacts to continue.
• The Secretary-General stresses that credible and comprehensive monitoring and verification are essential elements for successful implementation of the cease-fire and the peace plan. He encourages all who committed to the agreement to display good will and take concrete steps towards urgent, full and effective implementation.
• He calls on the entire international community to rally behind these agreements to serve the interests of a sustainable peace based on a solution that leads to full respect of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. The cessation of hostilities will further allow the UN and other humanitarian actors of the international community to deliver critical humanitarian assistance and other needed support to the impacted areas.
• The Secretary-General reiterates that there is no military solution to the crisis in Ukraine. He strongly asserts that it is time to end this destructive conflict once and for all, to stop the bloodshed and to start rebuilding communities and livelihoods in a safe, stable and sovereign Ukraine. He offers the full support of the UN to efforts in this direction as appropriate and as requested by the parties.

SECRETARY-GENERAL: U.N. MOBILIZING IN ALL POSSIBLE WAYS TO RESPOND TO EBOLA

• The Secretary-General spoke to the press this morning on Ebola, saying that the UN is mobilizing in every possible way to response to the outbreak in West Africa. 
• The Secretary-General, who has just convened a meeting with senior UN leaders and experts to discuss next steps in managing the epidemic, warned that the world can no longer afford to short-change global public health.
• He urged the international community to the support the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Roadmap and to provide $600 million for supplies in West Africa.
• He also said that there needs to be better awareness and understanding about the outbreak, which is evolving into a social and economic challenge for millions of people.
• The Secretary-General also urged airlines and shipping companies not to cancel flights and docking to the affected countries, adding that such restrictions will only keep medical teams from reaching people most in need.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION BRIEFS PRESS ON POTENTIAL EBOLA THERAPIES, VACCINES

• From Geneva, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Assistant Director-General Marie-Paule Kieny and two experts from Africa spoke to the press on the conclusion of the consultations on potential Ebola therapies and vaccines.
• A cargo plane carrying medical supplies from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has just landed in Sierra Leone. The 48 metric tons of supplies include protective equipment and essential medicine. UNICEF has delivered more than 400 metric tons of aid since early August. The agency says that more emergency airlifts are expected to continue while a steady pipeline is being established to bring supplies into affected countries by sea as well.

IRAQ: U.N. ENVOY CALLS ON POLITICAL PARTIES TO FINALIZE GOVERNMENT FORMATION

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, has encouraged all political parties to proceed in a spirit of compromise and quickly finalise the negotiations on the government formation process.
• He called on the leaders to finalize the process within the constitutional deadlines and to ensure a fair representation of women as well as minority communities.
• From Geneva, the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says that it has received reports of ongoing systematic targeting of non-Sunni ethnic and religious groups, through killings, abductions, destruction of property by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. There have also been increasing reports of ISIL killing Sunni individuals who refused to pledge allegiance to them. OHCHR reiterates that such grave human rights violations likely amount to crimes against humanity.

AHEAD OF WINTER, U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY CONTINUES PROVIDING AID TO IRAQIS IN NEED

• The High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in Geneva today that the major aid operation in Iraq, which was launched in mid-August to help almost half a million people, is now entering a new phase with increasing pressure on accommodation with winter looming.
• Many schools are still being used as shelters for displaced people and there is an urgent need to reinforce tents and other housing in preparation for the coming winter. 
• UNHCR is providing assistance, including tents and emergency aid, in eight camps across Iraq housing close to 40,000 people. Since mid-July [June], the agency has provided assistance to some of the estimated 850,000 people who have fled to Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

AID SHIPMENTS ENTER SYRIA FROM TURKISH CROSSING, U.N. RELIEF WING REPORTS

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) say that two aid shipments passed through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing from Turkey to Syria this week without incident.
• The first on Wednesday included shelter and non-food items -- sleeping mats, blankets, hygiene kits and solar lamps -- provided by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration for some 2,000 households in Hama and Aleppo Governorates. The second, which crossed on Thursday, included family hygiene kits provided by UNICEF to 10,000 households in Idleb and Hama Governorates.
• This brings the total number of cross-border convoys under Security Council resolution 2165 into Syria to eleven.

NEW U.N. GREAT LAKES ENVOY CONTINUES VISIT TO REGION

• The Secretary-General’s new Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, Said Djinnit, is in the region. He met yesterday with the Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
• They discussed the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework agreement for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region and called for its speedy and full implementation.
• This visit to Rwanda is part of the introductory regional tour conducted by Mr. Djinnit is currently on. After Kigali, Mr. Djinnit will travel to Kampala to meet with the country’s authorities.
• Mr. Djinnit was last week in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Nairobi, Kenya.

BAHRAIN: U.N. RIGHTS OFFICE VOICES CONCERN OVER VIOLATIONS OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said today in Geneva that it remains concerned about violations of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and the targeting of human rights activists in Bahrain.
• Most recently, on 30 August, prominent Bahraini human rights defender Maryam Al-Khawaja was detained at Manama airport and then transferred to a women’s prison on charges of assaulting a police officer. She is reportedly due to appear in court tomorrow. The Human Rights Office is seriously concerned that her arrest is linked to her legitimate work to promote human rights in Bahrain through the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, of which she is co-director.
• The Human Rights Office urges the Government to take immediate steps to release her and all human rights defenders and individuals detained for the peaceful exercise of their rights, and to ensure that all human rights defenders in Bahrain are able to carry out their important work in an effective manner without fear of harassment or prosecution.

U.N. TEAMS UP WITH INTERNATIONAL RUGBY BOARD TO TACKLE HUNGER

• The World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Rugby Board (IRB) are teaming up to “Tackle Hunger” at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
• That event, the world’s third-largest sports event, will kick off next September 18th with a Million Meal Challenge to raise funds for WFP to provide meals to schoolchildren in developing countries.
• More than 2.3 million people are expected to attend the six-week World Cup, and every match will prominently feature the partnership between WFP and the International Rugby Board.
• WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin said that there is a powerful connection between good nutrition and sporting excellence. She added that the Programme seeks to ensure that young children get the food they need to reach their full physical and intellectual potential.

 

THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS

6 – 12 September 2014

 

(This document is for planning purposes and is subject to change.)

 

 

Monday, 8 September

Today is the International Literacy Day.

In the morning, the Security Council will hold an open debate on Children and Armed Conflict.

At 1:15 p.m. in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, there will be a briefing on Global Anti-Semitism: A Threat to International Peace and Security.

In Geneva, from 8 to 26 September, the Human Rights Council (HRC) will hold its 27th Session.

Tuesday, 9 September

In the morning, the Security Council will meet on the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

At 9:30 a.m. in Geneva, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) will hold a press conference to launch its annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.

Wednesday, 10 September

In the morning, the Security Council will meet with Troop Contributing Countries to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). 

At 12:30 p.m., in the press briefing room, the President of the General Assembly, John Ashe, will hold a press conference ahead of the High-level Stocktaking Event on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (11-12 September).

At 10 a.m. in Geneva, the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will brief the press on rights to water and sanitation.

At 12 p.m., in Geneva, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will launch its Trade and Development Report 2014.  

At 2:15 p.m., in the press briefing room, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will brief on a report on the latest scientific assessment of ozone depletion.

Thursday, 11 September

In the morning, the Security Council will hold a debate on MINUSTAH. 

From 11 to 12 September, in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, the General Assembly will convene the High-level Stocktaking Event on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-General are expected to open the meeting at 10 a.m. on 11 September.

Friday, 12 September

At 2 p.m. in Geneva, OHCHR will hold a press conference on prosecution strategies in the fight against impunity.  un.