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Secretary-General

Noon briefing of 2 December 2015

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

WEDNESDAY, 2 DECEMBER 2015

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO RETURN TO PARIS TO ATTEND CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS, TO VISIT FINLAND

  • The Secretary-General has returned to New York after participating in the start of the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris. Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will speak to the press about the conference and the progress being made in dealing with climate change.
  • The Secretary-General will depart New York late on Thursday, 3 December, to return to Paris to attend COP21 in the French capital.
  • He will depart Paris on Tuesday, 8 December, for Helsinki, Finland, where he will participate in the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Finland’s United Nations membership.
  • While in the country, the Secretary-General will meet with senior officials, including President Sauli Niinistö, Speaker of the Parliament Maria Lohela, and Foreign Minister Timo Soini.
  • In the capital, Helsinki, the Secretary-General will also visit an asylum seekers’ reception centre with Finland’s Minister of Interior Petteri Orpo.
  • On the evening of 9 December, the Secretary-General will return to Paris to attend the conclusion of the climate change conference.

NEW U.N.-BACKED GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS LAUNCHED TO HELP MOST VULNERABLE FROM CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS

  • On the margins of the climate change conference in Paris today, several new international partnerships were to help the most world’s most vulnerable people from the impacts of climate change.
  • The partnerships recognize how building a climate resilient world is essential to secure hard-won development gains and ensure that future investment is not lost to climate change.
  • They include early warning systems for more than 50 of the least developed countries and small island States, as well as providing access to insurance to 400 million people in the most vulnerable countries over the next five years.

U.N. MIDDLE EAST ENVOY URGES ISRAELI AUTHORITIES TO MOVE SWIFTLY TO BRING PERPETRATORS OF ARSON ATTACK TO JUSTICE

  • The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, expressed concern that, four months after the arson attack against the Dawabsha family in the West Bank, the incident has still not been resolved. He said that he is concerned by the slow progress and calls on the Israeli authorities to move swiftly in bringing the perpetrators of this terrible crime to justice.
  • Amid the current escalation of violence, Mr. Mladenov said, it is essential that all firmly and consistently reject terrorism and act decisively to stop hatred and incitement.

IRAQ: SECRETARY-GENERAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST BOMB ATTACKS KILLING CIVILIANS

  • In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General the two bomb attacks in Baghdad on 30 November, which killed at least 15 civilians and injured several dozen, many of whom were marking the Shi’a religious observance of Arbaeen. The Secretary-General stresses that no cause can justify such acts of terrorism. He hopes that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes will be swiftly brought to justice.
  • A new report by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on describes the situation for children in Iraq since the start of 2011. The report details a large number of abuses against Iraqi children, including killing and maiming, acts of extreme violence, the abduction of close to 1,400 boys and girls, recurrent attacks on schools and hospitals, the recruitment and use of children and sexual violence used as a tactic of war by Da’esh.

NEW U.N.-BACKED PLAN SEEKS TO BOLSTER DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

  • The World Food Organization (), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the German Red Cross have joined forces to unveil a new initiative aimed at transforming the humanitarian system.
  • The new approach, called Food Security Climate Resilience Facility or FoodSECuRe, will help release funds for disaster preparedness and response before a crisis hits while providing the necessary support for resilience building activities.
  • WFP says that a shift in the humanitarian model from a reactive system to one that looks forward could save more lives, time and money.

Transcript

At the Paris Climate Change Conference, new international partnerships were unveiled.  They include early warning systems for more than 50 of the least developed countries and small island States, as well as access to insurance for more than 400 million people in the most vulnerable countries.