Media Home
UN Web TV
UN PhotoPress Conferences
Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General
The Secretary‑General spoke at the meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People earlier today. He told Committee members that, although he would like to see a Palestinian State and an Israeli State, both with a capital in Jerusalem, we must face today’s difficult reality. He said that decades of convergence and global consensus could be eroding, making effective concerted action more difficult to achieve, at a time when it is more important than ever.
The Secretary‑General will travel to the Republic of Korea; he will leave tomorrow. In the Republic of Korea, he is expected to meet with President Moon Jae‑in, as well as Foreign Minister Kang Kyung‑wha. He will also attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. He will be back in New York on Saturday.
Izumi Nakamitsu, the Under‑Secretary‑General for Disarmament Affairs, told the Security Council in a briefing this morning that the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) fact‑finding mission continues to look into all allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, the majority of which involve the use of toxic chemicals such as chlorine, in areas not under the control of the Government. The fact‑finding mission expects to submit a report on these allegations very soon.
Our humanitarian colleagues say that escalating conflict in Taizz and Hodeidah in Yemen since December 2017 has displaced nearly 47,000 people to Aden and other Governorates in the south. The situation in Aden is reported as calm, with schools, ports and airports operating as normal. Humanitarian activities are also resuming. Although food, fuel and medical imports are flowing again through all ports, the blockade in the weeks leading up to 20 December [2017] has had a severe impact on Yemeni families and businesses. Food prices during the blockade rose 47 per cent above average, compared to before the conflict escalated in March 2015.
Civilian returns to Iraq’s newly accessible areas continue to increase since the conclusion of major [counter‑Daesh military] operations late last year. Across the country, 3.2 million previously displaced people have returned to their home areas. In January, this number surpassed the number of people displaced in Iraq — which is currently 2.6 million people — for the first time since the start of the crisis in December 2013. Returns have primarily been to Anbar, Ninewa and Salah al‑Din Governorates, which account for 82 per cent of the total returns, and 86 per cent of the remaining internally displaced people.
From the Congo, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kim Bolduc, concluded her first mission to the Kasai region and Tanganyika Province. She witnessed first‑hand the humanitarian needs in these two areas that are among the most affected by internal displacement in the country. She stressed the need for authorities to ensure that organizations are able to work in accordance with humanitarian principles. She also called for greater collaboration between Congolese authorities and humanitarians.
In the Gambia, the Secretary‑General’s Youth Envoy, Jayathma Wickramanayake, spoke at the International Forum on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She said this harmful practice deprives women of their human rights and derails millions of girls from achieving their full potential. She also called on all stakeholders for the effective implementation of the [end of] FGM laws and praised the youth‑led movement in the Gambia to end this practice.
We have a sad note from our colleagues at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), who are mourning the death of Esmond Bradley Martin, a renowned ivory trade researcher, who was killed in Kenya on Sunday, according to multiple media reports. Mr. Bradley [Martin] was once a former UN Special Envoy on rhino conservation, and he worked for decades researching the markets for wildlife products across Africa and Asia. His research informed many of the decisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a global agreement that regulates trade in wildlife products.
We issued a joint statement from the Secretary‑General and the African Union Commission head, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on Guinea‑Bissau. They expressed concern at the protracted political crisis in Guinea‑Bissau. That statement is online.
Today we found a survey, a report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) that caught our eye. The survey released today — the joint survey by the International Labour Organization and the University of Nebraska‑Lincoln — reveals marked differences in the opinions of European male and female economists when it comes to policy.
Ireland, has paid its regular budget dues in full for 2018.