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

WEDNESDAY, 1 JUNE 2016

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS TERRORIST ATTACKS IN MALI

• The Secretary-General his outrage by the terrorist attacks carried out on 31^st May in Gao, Mali, against the United Nations.
• According to preliminary reports, one peacekeeper from China was killed and a dozen UN personnel were injured when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated at a United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) camp.
• In a separate incident, one civilian contractor from France and two security guards from Mali were killed when the camp of a UN contractor, in another area of the city, was attacked by unknown assailants.
• The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the recent series of attacks directed against MINUSMA that have killed 12 peacekeepers and injured many more in May alone. He reiterated that nothing can excuse these acts of terrorism against men and women who are serving with the United Nations to help the people of Mali to restore stability and peace across the country.
• The Secretary-General urged the Government of Mali, with the support of its partners, to expeditiously investigate and hold the perpetrators accountable.
• He also called on the people of Mali to provide information on the attacks to the authorities.
• The Secretary-General extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the Governments of China, France and Mali. He wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
• The Secretary-General reiterated that the United Nations will continue to support the peace agreement and stabilization of Mali.
• In the coming days, the Secretary-General intends to present to the Security Council proposals to strengthen the Mission9;s posture and capabilities.
• He reiterated the long-standing demand to ensure that MINUSMA forces are adequately equipped to operate in a dangerous and unpredictable environment such as Mali.

2016: PARTICULARLY DEADLY YEAR FOR THOSE CROSSING MEADITERRANEAN SEA

• The Secretary-General deep sadness that, once more, hundreds of men, women, and children have died in the Mediterranean Sea in the last few days.
• He expressed his deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who perished.
• The Secretary-General noted with great distress that 2016 is proving to be particularly deadly with some 2,510 lives lost, compared to 1,855 in the same period in 2015.
• While the Secretary-General commended the brave efforts of the joint Italian and European search and rescue operations, he called on concerned Governments and organisations to redouble their efforts to save those at risk at sea and to counter the migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.
• At the global level, he called for a comprehensive and collective response to large movements of refugees and migrants, including expanded legal pathways.
• The 19 September high-level meeting at the United Nations on this issue is a unique opportunity to agree on such a framework. The meeting will also be an opportunity to demonstrate greater solidarity and shared responsibility with countries which host the vast majority of refugees.

SECRETARY-GENERAL EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES TO FAMILY OF MOHAMED ABDELAZIZ

• The Secretary-General learned with sadness of the death on 31^st May of Mohamed Abdelaziz, who served as Secretary-General of the Frente Polisario beginning in 1976.
• Over the years, Mr. Abdelaziz was a central figure in the search for a resolution of the Western Sahara conflict. In this capacity, he met with numerous United Nations officials, including successive Secretaries-General, most recently in March, during the Secretary-General9;s visit to the Western Saharan refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria.
• The Secretary-General offers his condolences to Mr. Abdelaziz’s family and to the Frente Polisario as they mourn his untimely loss.
• He looks forward to continuing to work to help the parties to achieve a mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

SYRIA: INTER-AGENCY CONVOYS DELIVER HUMNITARIAN AID TO DARAYYA AND MOADAMIYEH

• On June 1st, inter-agency convoys delivered critical life-saving assistance to two besieged towns in Rural Damascus: Darayya and Moadamiyeh. This is the first time that the UN has been able to deliver any assistance to Darayya since November 2012.
• The Darayya convoy delivered medicine, nutritional items for children and vaccines, while technical teams are assessing needs on the ground for future deliveries.
• The humanitarian situation in Darayya is dire, characterized by severe shortages of food, medicine, medical equipment and supplies, health facilities and personnel.
• The UN is strongly advocating for another convoy to Darayya containing food in the days to come.
• The Moadamiyeh convoy is the first of three planned convoys, bringing food for half of those in need. It is the fifth convoy to the town this year, but the first time the UN has had access since March.

YEMEN: REPORTS INDICATE SUFFERING AND LACK OF BASIC SERVICES

• The Yemeni peace talks are continuing in Kuwait on June 1st, and three sessions of those talks were completed on 31^st May, with separate sessions convened with the Yemeni Government delegation and the delegation of Ansarullah and the General People’s Congress.
• At the working group level, the parties also discussed the lists that were exchanged earlier this week in order to release a number of detainees before Ramadan.
• The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said that reports from several Yemeni cities indicate the magnitude of suffering that the Yemeni people are going through in light of shortages in basic services. This suffering should, however, turn into an incentive to reach a rapid and comprehensive solution as we approach the month of Ramadan. He continued to urge the parties to make concessions and put the interests of Yemen and Yemenis above all.
• Meanwhile, the overall healthcare system throughout Yemen has all but collapsed, with over 600 health facilities closing their doors due to the lack of financial resources to procure medicine, supplies and fuel for generators. Thousands of medical staff have also gone unpaid or left the country.
• It is estimated that nearly 10,000 children under the age of five - in the past year alone - have died from totally avoidable and preventable diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia.

LIBYA: ESTIMATED 70 CIVILIANS WERE KILLED IN MAY

• The UN Support Mission in Libya () today its casualty report for May saying that an estimated 70 civilians have been killed or injured by hostilities across the country. This includes 7 children, who were killed, and another 5 injured.
• The majority of deaths and injuries were caused by shelling, including mortars, artillery and other indirect weapons. Most casualties occurred in Benghazi.

U.N. ENVOY FOR WEST AFRICA AND SAHEL VISITS MAURITANIA

• The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, is on a two-day visit to Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania.
• This is the last leg of his tour of the G5 Sahel countries. Mr. Ibn Chambas has already visited Niger, Burkina, Chad and Mali in the last few days.
• In Mauritania, Mr. Ibn Chambas is expected to meet the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Economy and Finance and the Minister of Interior.
• He will discuss various issues related to the Sahel region, particularly the support of the Office of the United Nations for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), its partnership with the G5 Sahel and the implementation of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel.

D.P.I. / N.G.O. CONFERENCE IN SOUTH KOREA WRAPS UP

• The 66^th UN Department of Public Information (DPI) /NGO Conference in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea today. Representatives from NGOs and academia finalized and adopted a global education action agenda.
• Called the Gyeongju Action Plan, the action agenda provides concrete guidance for NGOs around the world to urge governments to commit to and implement the Sustainable Development Goals ().

W.H.O. DECLARES END OF EBOLA TRANSMISSION IN GUINEA

• On June 1^st, the World Health Organization () declared the end of Ebola virus transmission in Guinea. Forty-two days have passed since the last person confirmed to have Ebola tested negative for the second time.
• Guinea now enters a 90-day period of heightened surveillance to ensure that any new cases are identified quickly before they can spread to other people.
• The World Health Organization stresses that the risk of additional outbreaks from exposure to infected body fluids of survivors remains.
• For its part, Liberia is expected to be declared Ebola-free on June 9.

VIET NAM: UNICEF GOODWILL AMBASSADOR KATY PERRY CALLS ATTENTION TO CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND

• Following a recent visit to Viet Nam, singer-songwriter and UN Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador, Katy Perry, has called for increased focus on children being left behind in one of Asia’s fastest growing economies.
• Katy Perry visited UNICEF projects in rural Ninh Thuan province – which is considered one of the poorest and most remote regions of Viet Nam.
• The projects are aimed at ending exclusion for children with disabilities, as well as focus on child survival, education and early childhood development.

**Guests at the Noon Briefing were Hilde Johnson and Ambassador Wafy, Co-Chairs of the External Review of the functions, structure and capacity of the UN Police Division, as well as Mark Kroeker, member of the review team**