HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
WEDNESDAY, 15 APRIL 2015
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ENERGY IS A STORY OF GLOBAL PROGRESS, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL AT BLOOMBERG SUMMIT
U.N. ENVOY CALLS FOR CLEAR ACTION TO PREVENT SEXUAL VIOLENCE DURING CONFLICT
NEARLY 11 MILLION ARE SEVERLY FOOD INSEURE, WARN AID AGENCIES IN YEMEN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs () said that the ongoing conflict has significantly exacerbated the humanitarian needs for millions of people. For instance, in the Hajjah Governorate, nearly the entire population has been affected and people need access to food, water, shelter and sanitation.
The suspension of commercial flights to Yemen continues to limit access for international humanitarian staff in and out of the country. Operations at sea ports are also restricted. Armed clashes in southern Yemen have inhibited the delivery of supplies to areas with the greatest need.
Despite the challenges, a second aircraft loaded with lifesaving supplies from the UN Children’s Fund () arrived at Sana’a International Airport yesterday, bringing nearly 76 metric tonnes of antibiotics, bandages and syringes, IV sets and other materials.
UNICEF added that the food and fuel crisis is intensifying rapidly. Supply ships carrying wheat and fuel were recently refused entry at Hodeidah port.
The Food and Agriculture Organization () said today that nearly 10.6 million Yemenis are now severely food insecure, of which 4.8 million are facing "emergency" conditions, suffering from severe lack of food access, very high and increasing malnutrition, and irreversible destruction of livelihoods.
According to the World Health Organization (), more than 730 people have been killed and nearly 2,760 have been injured so far.
The UN Refugees Agency () reported that 1,260 people fleeing conflict have arrived in Djibouti and Somalia over the past two weeks. It is making contingency plans to receive an additional 30,000 refugees in Djibouti and 100,000 in Somalia over the next six months.
U.N. REMAINS COMITTEED TO SUPPORTING RECONSTRUCTION GAZA, SAYS NEW MIDDLE EAST ENVOY
The new UN Special Coordinator for the , Nickolay Mladenov, said he was encouraged by the Palestinian Government’s commitment to assume its rightful responsibilities in Gaza.
He met with Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and said that he was encouraged by the commitment of his Government to assume its rightful responsibilities in Gaza, including on the control of the crossings as well as civil service reform and integration. The UN stands ready to support any constructive effort in this regard.
Mr. Mladenov added that the UN remains committed to supporting the reconstruction of Gaza. With the advent of a number of large scale housing and infrastructure projects, it would be important for Israel and all stakeholders to work together and accelerate the entry of construction materials.
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NEEDS TO DO MORE FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON, SAYS U.N. REFUGEE CHIEF
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (), António Guterres, this week Syrian refugees living in harsh conditions in informal settlements in south Lebanon. He called on the international community to do more to ease their plight.
Lebanon is host to nearly 1.2 million Syrian refugees, representing around a quarter of Lebanon’s total population. The massive influx since the start of the Syria crisis in March 2011 has seen refugees settle in every corner of the country, putting a huge strain on stretched services and infrastructure.
Mr. Guterres said that the situation in that country would be comparable to the United States hosting more than 80 million refugees in just four years.
U.N. AGENCIES CALL FOR BETTER PROTECTION OF MIGRANTS AT RISK AT SEA
Reports that some 400 migrants have died off the coast of Libya, when their boat capsized, have triggered a series of reaction from UN agencies.
The UN Refugee Agency () has again to governments across the region to prioritize the saving of lives, including by urgently expanding and upgrading search and rescue capacities.
The High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, stressed the importance of a robust rescue-at-sea mechanism in the central Mediterranean, bemoaning the fact that the Mare Nostrum rescue programme was never replaced by an equivalent capacity.
UNHCR has shared specific proposals, including establishing a European robust search and rescue operation, a possible European Union scheme to compensate shipping companies involved in rescuing people at sea, and a pilot relocation programme for Syrian refugees arriving in Italy and Greece.
So far in 2015, some 31,500 people are known to have made crossings to these two countries and the numbers have recently been rising further.
The Executive Director of UN Office on Drugs and Crime (), Yury Fedotov, also a statement from Doha at the 13th UN Crime Congress.
He said migrant smuggling cruelly exploits desperation and provides the criminal networks with enormous profits. We must confront the criminals and break up their network, Mr. Fedotov added, saying that cooperation among nations, inter-governmental organizations and civil society must be strengthened.
U.N. ENVOY IN MALI CONDEMNS ATTACK OUTSIDE PEACEKEEPING CAMP IN GAO
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Mali, Mongi Hamdi, strongly condemned a suicide attack at the entrance of the UN mission () camp in Ansongo, in Gao region.
Three civilians have lost their lives in the attack, and seven others were injured.
Nine peacekeepers from Niger have also been injured, including two seriously.
Mr. Hamdi said this attack was cowardly and appalling, but would not deter the Mission’s from its aim to restore peace and security in Mali.
15 PER CENT OF NIGER’S POPULATION REMAINS FOOD INSECURE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs () said today that Niger’s national survey on food vulnerability in rural areas has been released today, showing that 2.5 million people or 15 per cent of the country’s population are food insecure.
The Sahel continues to face a chronic humanitarian emergency, also worsened by the current violence in Nigeria.
BURUNDI: CRITICISM IS VITAL ELEMENT OF DEMOCRACY, SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF
ÌýAt a press conference in Burundi’s capital Bujumbura today, the High Commissioner for , Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, said that the country is at a crossroads and that its future may well depend on which path is chosen by individual politicians and their supporters, as well as various key authorities, over the next few weeks.
He stressed that both in and outside of Burundi many people are extremely worried about tensions rising sharply as the elections approach.
The High Commissioner said journalists have been harassed and threatened as have human rights defenders. He added that the militia of the Imbonerakure, which openly supports the government, appears to be operating increasingly aggressively and with total impunity.
Ultimately, it is the authorities who have the obligation to protect all citizens and residents from intimidation and violence committed by any individual or group.
The High Commissioner stressed that criticism is a vital element of democracy, not a threat that must be crushed.
NEW DISPLACEMENT REPORTED IN SUDAN’S BLUE NILE STATE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has received reports that some 20,000 people have been displaced in Geissan in Sudan’s Blue Nile State, following intensified fighting between the SPLM-N and Government forces in the area.
Requests by aid organizations to travel to the area to verify the reports and assess humanitarian needs have so far been denied by the authorities. Conflict has been ongoing in Blue Nile and South Kordofan since 2011. Access to SPLM-N controlled areas, where hundreds of thousands of people are understood to be in need of assistance, has been blocked and aid operations in Government-controlled territory are also heavily restricted.
OCHA continues to call on the parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, in particular in relation to the protection of civilians, to ensure safe, timely and unhindered access for aid organizations, as called for in Security Council resolution 2046.
