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Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General
The Secretary-General is on his way back to New York from Lisbon, where he received the honorary degree of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Lisbon earlier today. António Guterres got his degree in Electrical Engineering at Técnico in the University of Lisbon, and he was also an invited full professor there in 2003, before he became first the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and then Secretary-General.
He will be back at UN Headquarters tomorrow.
The Deputy Secretary-General will depart New York today for Minsk, Republic of Belarus. She will give the opening address at the Regional Sustainable Development Goals Coordination Leaders Forum: Building a Partnership to Underpin National Sustainable Development Solutions.
The Deputy Secretary-General will also have bilateral meetings with senior Government officials, regional development officials and youth leaders during her visit.
She will return to New York on Wednesday.
The UN Mission in the Central African Republic tells us that on 15 February in Bria, in Haute-Kotto prefecture, peacekeepers arrested the anti-Balaka leader Hervé Wassima following the arrest warrant issued on 31 January 2018 by the President of the Bria District Court. Mr. Wassima is implicated in the attack on the UN Mission which resulted in the death of a Mauritanian peacekeeper on 4 December 2017. He has been transferred to Bangui and placed in custody at Camp de Roux under the authority of the Public Prosecutor of Bangui.
The UN Mission in the Central African Republic has been informed of an allegation of sexual abuse, by a member of the military battalion from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), formerly deployed to MINUSCA, against a 14-year-old girl who as a result became pregnant and gave birth to a baby. The abuse reportedly occurred between 2015 and 2016 in Bambari.
In accordance with the UN policy on victims’ assistance and remedial action, the UN Mission referred the alleged victim and her baby to UNICEF and its implementing partners in the field for immediate and appropriate assistance. An investigation team from the Office for Internal Oversight Services has travelled to Bambari to collect and preserve evidence, including DNA samples, in awaiting the forthcoming investigation of this serious allegation.
In compliance with the memorandum of understanding signed with Troop Contributing Countries, the UN has informed the Permanent Mission of the DRC to the United Nations of this allegation and has requested the national authorities to appoint investigation officers and to complete their investigation within a 90-day timeframe, jointly with the UN. If the Member State fails to do so, the UN will investigate this allegation within the same expedited timeframe.
An update on the three allegations of sexual exploitation and one of serious misconduct involving military members of the South African contingent of MONUSCO. We have received a response from the Republic of South Africa within the expected timeframe of 5 days confirming the deployment this week of National Investigation Officers with the intention to speedily investigate the allegations.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that on Saturday, two humanitarian workers were killed near Mushikiri, North Kivu while on duty for the NGO Hydraulique Sans Frontières (HYFRO). An additional colleague traveling with them is still being held.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Kim Bolduc, has condemned this act of violence.
Deteriorating security conditions in North Kivu are worrying, and represent a major obstacle of the delivery of humanitarian assistance to thousands of people in need.
In Somalia, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for that country, Peter de Clercq, warned over the weekend that while drought relief and recovery efforts have helped the drought situation, the current humanitarian crisis is far from over.
Mr. de Clercq was in Puntland, where he met with local officials to discuss how to mitigate the drought’s effects and helping people who’ve been displaced by it, among other issues.
While a drought-related famine was averted in Somalia last year, there are still more than five million people currently in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is concerned for the protection and well-being of nearly 400,000 people in besieged eastern Ghouta following reports of a further military escalation in the area.
Today, shelling and aerial bombardment on Duma reportedly resulted in 30 deaths. Since 15 February, attacks were reported across eastern Ghouta resulting in scores of civilian deaths and injuries, including many women and children. Over the same period, 36 mortar shells and rockets fell on Damascus city neighbourhoods and suburbs also resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.
During the convoy to Nashabiyah on 14 February, UN technical teams reported a serious shortage of food supplies. Cases of severe acute malnutrition were reported, with a local hospital identifying 69 cases of acute malnutrition and 127 children at risk. Some basic commodities were available in the market, but prices were prohibitively expensive.
The UN team also saw expired anaesthetics, the use of which reportedly resulted in two deaths. Reports of cases of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, typhoid fever and scabies were also received. Vaccines are running low, with the last campaign carried out in November 2017, and 600 children now reportedly at risk.
The UN Office for Human Rights and the UN Refugee Agency expressed their concern about the persistence of forced displacement of indigenous people and farming communities in the rural areas of Caceres, in Colombia.
Since 19 January, at least 822 people have been displaced by violence, while in the Bajo Cauco area, the agencies note an increase in the number of murders.
They call on the authorities to review the prevention and protection policy in place, and to ensure the availability of the human and economic resources necessary to respond to the humanitarian emergency in these areas.
The Spokesman was asked last week about a Sri Lankan officer who was scheduled to deploy to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL. Today, the Deputy-Spokesman confirmed that the officer’s deployment is on hold pending a review of the matter. A decision regarding deployment of this officer will be made once the review is complete.
The UN is in communication with the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka regarding the officer’s background and Sri Lanka is cooperating fully with our inquiries.
The United Nations takes reports of potential human rights violations very seriously. As a matter of policy, it is committed to ensuring that all personnel serving with the UN meet the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, including respect for and commitment to human rights.
Two new Member States joined the Honour Roll today, having paid their budget dues in full for this year: Cuba and Turkey. We are now up to 53.
