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

THURSDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2015

BURKINA FASO: SECRETARY-GENERAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST COUP D’ETAT, URGES RELEASE OF DETAINED OFFICIALS

• In a statement, the Secretary-General in the strongest terms the coup d’état in Burkina Faso. He reiterates that all Burkinabé officials under detention must be released immediately and demands the resumption of the country9;s political transition, in accordance with Burkina Faso’s Constitution and Transitional Charter.
• The Secretary-General deplores the violence reported in the country and calls on all Burkinabé defence and security forces to exercise restraint and ensure respect for the human rights and security of all Burkinabé citizens. Those responsible for the coup d’état and its consequences must be held accountable.
• The Secretary-General9;s Special Representative for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, remains in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina, and continues to work closely with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and other international partners to support and safeguard the transition in Burkina.

SECRETARY-GENERAL: STOPPING SEXUAL ABUSE NEEDS ENGAGEMENT OF TROOP-CONTRIBUTING COUNTRIES

• This morning, the Secretary-General at a meeting of troop- and police-contributing countries on sexual exploitation and abuse, telling them this was a violation of everything the United Nations stands for.
• He said that stopping sexual exploitation and abuse depended on these countries’ full engagement and support – and he asked them to join him in doing much more.
• The Secretary-General highlighted seven specific actions – from enhancing pre-deployment education and human rights training, and properly and fully vetting personnel, to conducting rapid and effective investigations and ensuring justice.
• He underlined the need to boost assistance to victims and said he would establish a trust fund to strengthen victim assistance programmes and support awareness-raising and community outreach.
• The Secretary-General said he would include country-specific information in his future reports to the concerning the number of credible allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse involving military and police personnel. He added that he would not hesitate to repatriate entire contingents or terminate deployments where there are failures in command and control, evidence of widespread or systematic violations, or when Member States fail repeatedly to respond to requests for investigations or to investigate promptly.

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF APPALED BY HUNGARY’S ‘CALLOUS’ ACTIONS TOWARDS REFUGEES, MIGRANTS

• The High Commissioner for Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said today that he was appalled at what he called the callous and, in some cases, illegal actions of the Hungarian Government in recent days, including denying entry to, arresting, summarily rejecting and returning refugees.
• He also expressed his shock at images of women and young children being assaulted with tear gas and water cannons at Hungary’s border with Serbia.
• The High Commissioner emphasized that some of these actions amount to clear violations of international law.
• His office noted that the Hungarian Government has just finished building a fence on its border to Serbia, closed the border crossings and is also taking measures for building more fences along its other borders with Romania and Croatia.
• The High Commissioner deplored the xenophobic and anti-Muslim views that appear to lie at the heart of current Hungarian Government policy.
• He also urged European institutions to resolve their impasse and take firm action to respond to the crisis in Hungary and elsewhere.

AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT CONTINUING TO TAKE ‘HORRID’ TOLL ON CIVILIANS, U.N. ENVOY TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Nick Haysom, briefed the Security Council on the latest report of the Secretary-General today.
• Mr. Haysom stressed that Afghanistan continues to need the support of the international community, as well as the sustained attention of the Security Council as it faces difficult economic, security and political challenges.
• He added that the conflict continues to take “a horrid toll on Afghan civilians.” In the first eight months of 2015 alone, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan () documented the highest level of civilian casualties since it began records.
  The Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (), Yury Fedotov, also addressed the Council today, saying that illicit drugs trade are supporting instability, insurgency, corruption and organized crime, while weakening state institutions and Afghanistan9;s overall ability to promote peace and good governance.
• Last year, Afghanistan accounted for an estimated 85 per cent of global opium production and 77 per cent of global heroin production. Opium cultivation and processing remain one of Afghanistan9;s leading economic activities today.

SOUTH SUDAN: U.N. MISSION REPORTS SCORES OF DEATHS FOLLOWING FUEL TANKER EXPLOSION

• The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) says it has received reports that scores of people have been killed and an unknown number of people are injured in Maridi town, in Western Equatoria State, after a fuel tanker overturned yesterday, causing it to explode.
• The Mission conveys its heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of South Sudan and the families of those who lost their lives.
• The Mission has dispatched an emergency patrol to the site to assess the situation. A special flight carrying a medical assessment team arrived there a few hours ago.

U.N. ENVOY REUNITES WITH TWO YAZIDI GIRLS HELD CAPTIVE BY DA’ESH

• In a meeting in Germany, Zainab Hawa Bangura, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, is reuniting with two of the Yazidi girls she met while in the Middle East. The girls, 15 and 11, had been kidnapped by Da’esh.
• Ms. Bangura met the girls in April while on an official visit to Iraq, Syria, and the neighbouring countries, looking at how sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war and tactic of terrorism.
• The Special Representative wanted to see how the girls are adjusting to their new lives. She is also discussing with Yazidi leaders how the UN can support efforts to trace girls still being held by Da’esh and bring them home.

YEMEN: AID AGENCIES PUSH AHEAD WITH LIFESAVING ASSISTANCE IN SPITE OF SECURITY CHALLENGES

• Despite challenges in access due to the security situation in Yemen, aid agencies are delivering lifesaving assistance to people in need. More than 466,000 people across six governorates have been provided with emergency food assistance since mid-April.
• In Sa’ada, where the humanitarian situation is extremely dire, the UN Children’s Fund () has provided 12,000 litres of fuel to enable pumping water for 50,000 people. In Al Hudaydah Governorate, water has been delivered to close to 11,000 people each day.

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL ON MALARIA ACHIEVED WITH MORE THAN 6 MILLION LIVES SAVED – U.N. AGENCIES

• The World Health Organization () and the UN Children’s Fund () today announced in a report that the target on malaria has been achieved.
• Death rates have plunged by 60% since 2000, translating into 6.2 million lives saved, the vast majority of them children. And an increasing number of countries are on the verge of eliminating the disease.
• Dr. Chan, the Head of WHO, said it is one of the great public health success stories of the last 15 years.
• However, about 3.2 billion people – almost half of the world’s population – are still at risk, with some countries carrying a disproportionately high share of the global burden.
• Fifteen countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, accounted for 80% of malaria cases and 78% of deaths globally in 2015.

FOUR MORE COUNTRIES PAY U.N. DUES IN FULL

• Four additional countries have now paid their 2015 dues in full: Central African Republic, El Salvador, Seychelles and Tuvalu.

MORE THAN 150 WORLD LEADERS EXPECTED TO ATTEND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT

• Currently, 154 Heads of State or Government and 30 Ministers are expected to attend the Sustainable Development Summit. For the General Debate, 144 Heads of State and Government and 46 ministers are expected to attend.
• Between 31 August to 15 September, 8,915 delegates have been accredited but that number is expected to rise by thousands.
• Nearly 3,000 journalists have been accredited for the period.
• During the General Debate, 485 meetings, including side events as well as general mandated meetings, are being planned.
• As usual, world leaders will use their time in New York and in the UN to have a number of bilaterals. Some 40 bilateral booths have been set up in four different locations in the building. Although no number of bilaterals planned for this year is available, last year there were 1,321 bilateral meetings and a larger number are expected this year. Those do not include the Secretary-General’s meetings.
• The Secretary-General is expected to have about 230 various engagements – including press interactions, bilateral meetings, statements read out to various meetings – during the week of the General Debate.