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Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General
The Secretary-General will be arriving in Côte d’Ivoire today, where he will attend the fifth African Union-European Union summit in Abidjan.
Tomorrow, he will deliver remarks at the summit, which has the theme, “Investing in the youth for a sustainable future”. He will also hold bilateral meetings in Abidjan before returning to New York on Thursday.
The UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) reports four attacks in the Kidal region today.
Three separate camps in Aguelhock, Tessalit and Kidal came under rocket and mortar attack this morning. Search operations in pursuit of the perpetrators are ongoing.
MINUSMA also reports that peacekeepers on patrol this morning in Kidal city were fired upon, with no casualties reported.
The UN condemns these attacks that may constitute war crimes under international law.
The eighth round of intra-Syrian talks started today in Geneva.
The delegation of the Syrian opposition is already in Geneva and met in the afternoon with Staffan de Mistura, the Special Envoy for Syria. Mr. de Mistura also received a message that the delegation of the Government of Syria would arrive tomorrow.
This morning, the Special Envoy met with the P5 countries at the Palais des Nations in Geneva; that meeting had been initiated by France.
Today, a UN/Syrian Arab Red Crescent inter-agency convoy entered Nashabieh in besieged eastern Ghouta to deliver food, health and nutrition items for 7,200 people in need. The convoy attempted to enter yesterday but was forced to return due to fighting in the area.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, Ján Kubiš, spoke out against what he called the cowardly terrorist gun attack and suicide bombing in Baghdad yesterday.
He said that, despite defeats at the hands of the Iraqi security forces, Daesh remains a potent force, and Iraqis need to remain vigilant in the coming period.
Mr. Kubiš added that the terrorists’ cowardly acts to stoke fear among Iraqis will not succeed.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that water shortages in Telafar in northern Iraq are affecting 20,000 people.
Aid partners are seeking solutions but are hampered by hampered access due to checkpoint closures, which means humanitarian deliveries must be made using longer routes.
The Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Bintou Keita, told the Security Council that the deployment of the Regional Protection Force (RPF) in South Sudan is making good and tangible progress.
However, certain operations of the UN Mission in the country (UNMISS) continue to be impeded by the national authorities and the security situation in South Sudan remains precarious.
Ms. Keita said she was particularly concerned by the real risk of an escalation in violence with the onset of the dry season, and the Government’s push to assert military dominance across the country.
She also requested the Security Council to impress on the government to uphold its obligations and cease obstructions and restrictions of movement imposed on both UN uniformed personnel patrols and human rights officers.
Ms. Keita underlined the importance of having unified and unconditional international support to the political process.
It will be crucial for the Government and all political parties to constructively engage in the peace agreement revitalization process, and start by immediately ceasing all hostilities and taking defensive military position, she concluded.
This morning, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi and the UN Migration Agency, William Lacy Swing, briefed the Security Council on the situation of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean.
Mr. Grandi said that the grave abuses perpetrated against migrants and refugees along the Central Mediterranean routes can no longer be ignored, and stressed that the international community’s inability to prevent and resolve conflict is at the root of their plight.
Without legal pathways to safety, refugees and migrants are exposed to torture, rape, sexual exploitation, slavery and other forms of forced labour, he said, adding that where governance is weak, transnational criminal networks take root.
Mr. Grandi called for a comprehensive approach to protect refugees and migrants that encompasses countries of origin, transit and destination.
“Too often, measures pursued in relation to the Mediterranean routes have centred on how to control, deter and exclude,” he said. “This can have a dehumanising effect – and more importantly, alone, it does not help refugees and migrants avoid exploitative, deeply harmful situations.”
He said the UN Refugee and Migration agencies are working together to tackle this issue but noted that there are dramatic funding gaps, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
The head of the UN Migration Agency, William Lacy Swing, also briefed the Council. And today, the IOM reported that this weekend the number of migrants or refugees who have died on Mediterranean Sea routes has surpassed the 3,000 figure so far this year. This makes it the fourth consecutive year that migrant drownings reach this number.
Newly released data by the UN Migration Agency, shows that almost half of all identified child trafficking cases begin with some family member involvement.
According to the data, the extent of family member involvement is up to four times higher than in cases of adult trafficking, suggesting the need for more prevention efforts targeting children and their families. The data also shows that children are most likely to be coerced into trafficking through physical, sexual and psychological abuse, while adults are more likely to be controlled having their documents confiscated, or having someone exploit their irregular status in a foreign country.
The IOM said it will use the data to strengthen counter-trafficking interventions and has also outlined a series of measures that governments can take to tackle this issue.
The Chef de Cabinet, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, is speaking today at a special event in Queens marking the 70th anniversary of Security Council resolution 181.
She read a message on behalf of the Secretary-General, in which he said that since Israel became a Member State of the United Nations in 1949, our cooperation has come to encompass many areas – from peacekeeping and sustainable development to humanitarian challenges and disaster relief around the world.
The Secretary-General said he is determined to strengthen this relationship. He will continue to speak out against anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, hate speech and the use of anti-Semitic appeals by violent extremist groups to recruit new followers. He will continue to do his part to help Israelis and Palestinians take the historic steps to achieve a two-state solution and attain the peace that has proven so elusive for so long.
This coming Sunday, at 7pm, you can help fight hunger by attending a benefit concert which will feature a performance by the UN Chamber Music Society.
While the concert is free, donations are very welcome. Proceeds will be directed to the Food Bank for New York City. The concert will take place at All Saints Episcopal Church on 60th Street.