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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON

THURSDAY, 24 MARCH 2016

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*UN Headquarters will be closed on Friday, 25 March, for the Good Friday holiday. Briefings will resume on Monday, 28 March.

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IN LEBANON, SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS UNIFIL STAFF, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

• The Secretary-General in Lebanon, starting with a visit to the Headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, , in Naqoura.
• He then met the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon, Nabih Berri, with whom he discussed the current political situation in the country alongside the President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim and the President of the Islamic Development Bank, Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al-Madani.
• The three of them then met with the President of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon, Tammam Salam. During a joint press conference just now, the Secretary-General said that few countries have demonstrated the generosity that the Government and people of Lebanon have shown towards Syrian refugees.
• He explained that this visit with the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank aimed to find ways to improve conditions for refugees, to support the communities hosting them, and to help mitigate the impact on Lebanon’s economy.
• The Secretary-General added that the political situation in Lebanon continued to be a source of concern, contributing to an atmosphere of uncertainty. It is vital that the vacuum in the presidency is filled as soon as possible, in order for Lebanon to be whole again, he said.
• He also said that ten years after Security Council resolution 1701, there is relative calm across the Blue Line and that UNIFIL in close coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces is the backbone of this stability.
• The Secretary-General also met with the Lebanese Armed Forces, UNIFIL and the International Support Group for Lebanon -- at the Ministry of Defence of Lebanon, to stress the important role of the Lebanese Armed Forces in an atmosphere of attacks and threats from extremist groups including Daesh.
• He also echoed the Security Council’s clear calls for continued international support for them.

SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TRAVEL TO STOCKHOLM, WASHINGTON, D.C.

• Following his current to Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia and Geneva, the Secretary-General will also go to Stockholm, Sweden, on 30 March to deliver the Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture.
• The theme will be “Evolving threats, timeless values: the United Nations in a changing global landscape”. He will also meet with the Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan Lo¨fven.
• On March 31, the Secretary-General will head to Washington D.C. to take part in the Nuclear Security Summit which is on Friday 1 April.
• The Secretary-General will be back in New York on the night of 1 April.

BAN KI-MOON: KARADZIC VERDICT A STRONG SIGNAL TO THOSE IN POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Regarding the delivery of the on 24 March by the in the case against Mr. Radovan Karadzic, the spokesman for the Secretary-General said that the Secretary-General’s thoughts were with the victims of the crimes for which Radovan Karadzic has been found guilty.
• The Spokesman said that this was a historic day for the people of the region and beyond as well as for international criminal justice.
• The Spokesman also said that as former President of the Republika Srpksa, Head of the Serb Democratic Party and Supreme Commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, Radovan Karadzic was one of the highest ranking officials to be tried by the Tribunal.
• The Spokesman said that the judgment sends a strong signal to all who are in positions of responsibility that they will be held accountable for their actions; and shows once again that fugitives cannot outrun the international community's collective resolve to make sure that they face justice according to the law.
  The Spokesman said that the Secretary-General expresses deep appreciation for the dedication and hard work of the judges and staff of the ICTY as they progress towards the completion of the Tribunal's work.

MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS: ENVOY BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON WAVE OF VIOLENCE

• Nickolay Mladenov, the , briefed the on the situation involving the Israelis and Palestinians, saying that the past month has been marked by some of the bloodiest incidents in this current wave of violence across Israel and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
• He said that, six months into this latest round of violence which has killed 30 Israelis and 198 Palestinians – with most of the Palestinians killed while reportedly carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks – it is time that the international community moves beyond mere condemnations of such acts of terror and violence. It is time to send a clear message to both parties.
• He said to the Palestinian people that stabbing someone in the street will not bring about a Palestinian state. Nor will praising and glorifying violence in the media.
• By the same token, he said that Israel should understand that building more walls, administrative detentions, punitive demolitions and movement restrictions, all breed anger among people who feel they are being collectively humiliated, punished and discriminated against.
• Mr. Mladenov said that the time has come to ring the alarm bells that the two-state solution is slipping from our fingers, that it is disappearing as the realities on the ground - driven by the ongoing settlement activities and confiscation of Palestinian land, as well as the continued lack of genuine Palestinian unity - make the prospect of a viable and independent Palestinian state less possible and less likely.
• He noted that he Quartet Envoys have started work on a report which will review the situation on the ground, identify the dangers to a two-state solution, and provide recommendations on the way forward.

U.N. EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR WELCOMES EFFORTS TO FIND SOLUTION TO YEMEN’S CRISIS

• Stephen O’Brien, the , welcomed the efforts to find a solution to the crisis in Yemen, and said that the announcement on 23 March of an agreement to cease hostilities on 10 April is positive.
• He stressed that we need to be able to reach anyone who needs aid, across Yemen, whoever and wherever they are.
• The UN and partners continue to call on all parties and their allies to make sure people are able to move freely and safely and that aid organizations can safely deliver critical supplies.
• And he also called for sustained and generous donor support.
• His remarks came a day after the Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, that peace talks for Yemen under the auspices of the United Nations will resume on 18 April in Kuwait.
• The talks aim to reach a comprehensive agreement, which will end the armed conflict and allow the resumption of inclusive political dialogue in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2216 (2015) and other relevant resolutions.
• The face-to-face negotiations will provide a mechanism for a return to a peaceful and orderly transition based on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative and the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference.
• The Special Envoy added that the parties to the conflict have agreed to declare a nation-wide cessation of hostilities beginning at midnight on 10 April.
• He noted that recent weeks had seen a significant reduction in armed activities along the Saudi-Yemeni border, accompanied by other positive confidence building measures.

INTER-AGENCY HUMANITARIAN CONVOY DELIVERS AID TO AL HOULA, SYRIA

• On 24 March, a second inter-agency humanitarian convoy was planned to deliver food parcels, nutrition supplies and hygiene kits to the town of Al Houla in northern Homs Governorate in Syria, for 71,000 people.
• The first convoy carried much needed assistance on Tuesday, and an additional convoy is planned in the coming days with further supplies.
• On 23 March, the received approval from the Government of Syria for inter-agency convoys to six of the eleven locations requested in April, including Kafr Batna sub-district, Zabdeen, Madaya, Arbeen, Zamalka, Foah/Kefraya, and eastern Aleppo City.
• Based on approvals to date, the U.N. is aiming to reach over 800,000 people in hard-to-reach, besieged and other priority locations by the end of April.����
• The U.N. continues to call for unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to all the 4.6 million people in besieged and hard-to-reach locations across Syria.

SECRETARY-GENERAL MARKS WORLD TUBERCULOSIS DAY

• In his on World Tuberculosis Day, 24 March, the Secretary-General said that victory over the disease requires united approach.
• As the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes, departments responsible for labour, justice, social welfare, science and technology, internal affairs and migration can all make a difference.��
• The Secretary-General said that to end the TB epidemic we all must do more to engage affected persons and communities, as well as non-governmental organizations, researchers and the private sector.
• Also on the World Tuberculosis Day, the UNAIDS for stronger partnerships and united approach to end the twin epidemics of TB and HIV.
• According to , 9.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2014 and 1.5 million people died of the disease. TB also remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV, accounting for one in three AIDS-related deaths every year – around 390 000 of 1.2 million AIDS-related deaths in 2014.

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF CONCERNED OVER EU-TURKEY REFUGEE AGREEMENT

• The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein serious concerns today about the recent agreement on refugees between the European Union and Turkey, pointing to what he termed “a contradiction at the heart of the agreement,” as well as raising concerns regarding arbitrary detention of refugees and migrants.
• The EU-Turkey refugee agreement went into effect on 20 March and in essence allows the EU authorities to return to Turkey all refugees and migrants whose asylum applications have been found inadmissible or unfounded.��
• Commissioner Zeid expressed concern that the language of the agreement presents a risk of overlooking human rights law obligations, which require states to examine arguments against return beyond those found in refugee law.
• Such needs could arise, for example, in the case of children; victims of violence, rape, trauma and torture; individuals with specific sexual orientation; persons with disabilities; and a range of others with legitimate individual protection needs.