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Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General
The Secretary-General met today with Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden. They discussed issues of common interest, in particular the links between child protection, child’s rights and sustaining peace and the launch of a process to develop practical guidance on the integration of child protection issues in peace processes, led by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. The Secretary-General thanked Sweden for its support to the initiative.
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is continuing her two-day mission to Chad, jointly undertaken with the African Union and the Swedish Foreign Minister, Margot Wallström.
Earlier today, she held meetings with authorities in N’Djamena, including a number of ministers and President Idriss Déby.
The Deputy Secretary-General commended Chad for hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees while the country faces a dire economic situation. She acknowledged that Chad is one of the largest refugee hosting countries in Africa and thanked the President for the sacrifices the Chadian people have made. The delegation also discussed with him the challenges of addressing gender inequalities and the extraordinarily high levels of early marriage in Chad.
She also indicated the UN’s readiness to continue to support the Government in efforts to address political and socio-economic challenges and grievances. The Deputy Secretary-General and the delegation are due to fly this evening to Niamey, Niger, where their mission will continue.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock, will visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from 9 to 12 July 2018, the first such visit by the most senior UN humanitarian official to the country since 2011.
Mr. Lowcock is scheduled to meet with Government officials, humanitarian partners and people receiving humanitarian assistance to better understand the humanitarian situation. He will also visit ongoing UN projects and see first-hand the impact that international funding is having on the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the DPRK.
The DPRK continues to face a protracted humanitarian crisis that is largely overlooked by the rest of the world. Over 10 million people – or 40 per cent of the population – require humanitarian assistance. Chronic food insecurity and undernutrition are widespread, resulting in 1 in 5 children being stunted. Access to basic services, such as healthcare, water and sanitation is a challenge for much of the population, especially in rural areas.
In April, humanitarian agencies working in DPRK launched a Needs and Priorities Plan, which requires $111 million to provide vital humanitarian assistance to 6 million of the most vulnerable people this year. As of 5 July, the plan was only 10.5 per cent funded.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continues to be deeply concerned for the safety and protection of civilians caught in military operations in southern Syria, including up to 325,000 people reported to be displaced since 17 June.
Yesterday, intense air and ground-based strikes on Dar’a city and eastern and western rural areas resulted in the reported death of 18 people, including 14 children and 3 women, with several more injured.
The immediate needs of displaced Syrians, many of whom are children, include shelter, water, food, medical care and sanitation.
The living conditions of Internally Displaced Persons along border areas are extremely difficult, as they lack adequate shelter, sanitation facilities, basic assistance and access to services. Up to 70 per cent of those in western parts of Quneitra are reported to be without shelter, exposed to dusty desert winds and high temperatures.
In coordination with the Government of Jordan, the United Nations has provided lifesaving assistance including food, water, soap, sanitary items, shelter, and medical supplies and equipment for the tens of thousands of Syrians near the Jordanian border. Additional items remain on standby in Jordan until the security situation allows delivery into southwest Syria.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said today that it has begun verifying Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, together with the Government of that country.
The six-month process will help to consolidate a unified database for the purposes of protection, identity management, documentation, provision of aid, and population statistics.
Ultimately, it is hoped the exercise will help to find solutions for the some 900,000 refugees who have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh. Most of these people – well over 700,000 – fled since last August in what was one of the largest and fastest growing refugee emergencies in the region in decades.
Biometric data, including eye scans and fingerprints as well as photographs, are being used to confirm individual identities for all refugees over the age of 12. At the end of the process refugees are provided with new identity cards. For many of the refugees, this will mark the first time they have possessed an individual identity document.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said today they are concerned that despite a reduction in the number of people arriving in Europe via the Mediterranean Sea, men, women and children continue to die during the journey in proportionally larger numbers.
This year, the milestone of dead and missing has already reached over 1,000 for the fifth year in a row, despite the lower numbers crossing to Europe.
The agency called for the strengthening of search and rescue capacities in the region, and reminded countries of their obligations under the law of the sea, to permit efforts to respond to people distress at sea.
The latest report issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization today warns that time is running out for the world’s forests, whose total area is shrinking every day.
Forests provide around 20 per cent of income for rural households in developing countries and fuel for cooking and heating for one in every three people around the world.
The report urges governments to halt deforestation and sustainably manage this ecosystem to avoid damaging consequences for the people and species who depend on them.
The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Ayşe Cihan Sultanoğlu of Turkey as the UN Representative to the Geneva International Discussions.
In this position, which is at the level of Assistant Secretary-General, she will also be responsible for the United Nations role in support of the joint Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism. She will succeed Antti Turunen of Finland, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and service to the Organization.
Ms. Sultanoğlu brings over 35 years of distinguished service in the United Nations.
Iraq has joined the Honour Roll, having paid its full contribution to this year’s regular budget. The total number of Member States which have done so now stands at 108.
