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

FRIDAY, 3 JUNE 2016

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TWO-STATE SOLUTION AT GREAT RISK - SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES AT PARIS MIDDLE EAST CONFERENCE

• The Secretary-General attended the French ministerial conference meeting on the peace process in Paris today, the gathered officials that although they all agree that a two-state solution is the only viable option for a sustainable peace, the two-state solution is at great risk.
• He said that the obstacles to peace are clear. They include terror, violence and the incitement that fuel them; the ongoing settlement enterprise; and the lack of unity between Gaza and the West Bank.
• He said that meaningful negotiations require leadership on both sides with the courage and legitimacy to reach an historic compromise, and the political will to implement it.
• Both parties must ensure that their actions reflect their stated commitment to a two-state solution. Both parties need to stand up to extremists who are committed to derailing the peace process and seeking to hijack the agenda.
• The Secretary-General added that he is planning to visit Israel and the State of Palestine around the end of this month to follow up on today’s discussions.
• On the margins of the meeting, the Secretary-General with United States Secretary of State John Kerry. They discussed international peace and security issues, including efforts to address the political crises in Syria, Libya, Yemen and progress on the upcoming Middle East Quartet Report and the importance of the Arab ̽����ѡ Initiative as a platform for advancing Israeli-Palestinian and Arab-Israeli peace.
• The Secretary-General today with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. They discussed a wide range of issues, including the loss of a Chinese peacekeeper in Mali, the Middle East peace process and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. On the last topic, the Secretary-General noted that the situation on the Korean Peninsula remains of grave concern, and the Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister discussed ways to break the current cycle of provocations.

SYRIA: U.N. CONTINUES TO PUSH FOR FOOD AID DELIVERY TO DARAYYA

• The Security Council, in its consultations today, heard an update on the situation in Syria from the Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, and from the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien.
• The United Nations continues with its efforts to get humanitarian aid to people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas in Syria. Today, an inter-agency convoy returned to Moadamiyeh in Rural Damascus with food assistance completing the 1 June delivery for some 45,000 Syrian men, women and children in need.
• The UN also continues to strongly advocate for food aid to be delivered to Darayya as soon as possible to complete the 1 June delivery that provided medicine, vaccines and nutritional items for children. The situation in Darayya is dire, characterized by severe shortages of food, medicine, medical equipment and supplies, health facilities and personnel.
• It also continues to call for unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to all men, women and children in besieged and hard-to reach locations across Syria, particularly the 1.1 million people who we requested access to in June.

YEMENI PARTIES DISCUSS PRISONER AND DETAINEE ISSUE AT PEACE TALKS

• The prisoners and detainee issue took centre stage in the sessions of the Yemeni ̽����ѡ Talks that took place yesterday in Kuwait. The two delegations exchanged their respective lists of prisoners through the office of the United Nations Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. The parties in the Prisoners Committee continued discussing a draft principles agreement, in view of finalizing it in the coming days.
• Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that the past few days have witnessed movement in the political process on a number of issues. He said that we are close to a settlement, but success is dependent on the willingness of the parties to provide concessions, which is what he is aiming to achieve in the coming days.

FIRST-EVER SUMMIT REMAINS A CHANCE TO ENSURE U.N. POLICE BECOMES EVER MORE FIT FOR PURPOSE – SECRETARY-GENERAL

• The first-ever United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit () took place today. In a video message to the Summit, the Secretary-General that UN Police work in some of the most challenging situations on earth protecting communities, bringing stability and restoring confidence.
• He said that UN COPS was a chance to further ensure that United Nations Police become ever more “fit for purpose” and able to meet the security threats in today’s volatile global context.
• For the first time, countries which host and contribute to UN Police, key partners and the UN leadership, are joining forces to discuss the complementarity between national and international policing, the Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, who attended the opening of the Summit.

LATEST HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT SHOWS VOLATILE SITUATION IN UKRAINE

• ��A new report by the United Nations Office shows that, after two years of conflict, the situation in eastern Ukraine remains volatile and continues to have a severe impact on human rights, especially for people living in the territories controlled by armed groups.
• According to the latest report, some 9,371 people have been killed and 21,532 others injured in eastern Ukraine since the conflict began in mid-April 2014.
• Speaking at the launch of the report in the Ukrainian capital Kiyv, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonovic, said that the situation in eastern Ukraine remains deeply worrying and that without additional efforts to implement the Minsk agreements, it could develop into a ‘protracted conflict’ that would be harmful to human rights for many years to come.
• Mr. Šimonovic also highlighted the deteriorating human rights situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

FIVE YEARS AFTER START OF CONFLICT, DISPLACEMENT CONTINUES IN SUDAN’S SOUTH KORDOFAN REGION

• The United Nations Refugee Agency () that five years after the start of the conflict in Sudan’s South Kordofan State, people are still fleeing the region, with most crossing into neighbouring South Sudan.
• So far in 2016, more than 7,500 refugees have arrived in Yida in South Sudan’s northern Unity. Nearly 3,000 people arrived in May alone. Nearly 90 per cent of new arrivals are women and children. Refugees speak of escalating violence, including ground attacks and aerial bombings.
• At the Yida transit centre, UNHCR and its partners are providing immediate assistance to the arrivals. From Yida, refugees are transported after a few days by bus to Ajuong Thok, a camp established in 2013 to help ease some of the pressure. There they are provided with plastic sheeting and poles to build a temporary home. They also get cooking pots and pans, mosquito nets, blankets, sleeping mats and food.
• But with nearly 41,000 Sudanese refugees already living in Ajuong Thok, the camp has almost reached capacity. UNHCR and its partners have been expanding camp infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing population.
• A new camp is underway at Pamir, some 50 kilometres south of the border, to receive new arrivals and refugees who have been living in Yida for the past five years. UNHCR added that as the refugee influx continues, services are becoming overstretched and only just 17 per cent of the agency’s operations in South Sudan are funded.

U.N. STRESSES NEED FOR POLITICAL SOLUTION TO CRISIS IN BURUNDI

• In response to questions on the 15-day ultimatum given by the President of , Pierre Nkurunziza, to armed groups to surrender, the Spokesman said that the United Nations has stressed once again that the crisis in Burundi is a political crisis, which will be resolved only through a political solution.
• The Secretary-General has urged all stakeholders to commit to a genuine, inclusive dialogue, in order to move forward with resolving this crisis.
• In response to other questions regarding the Burundian police units currently serving in the Central African Republic, the Spokesman said that in light of the current situation in Burundi, a decision has been taken at UN Headquarters not to replace the units serving in the country when their tour of duty ends. The decision has been communicated to the Burundian Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH TRAGICALLY AFFECTED BY VIOLENT EXTREMISM SAYS DEPUTY U.N. CHIEF

• The Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, today spoke at the high-level thematic conversation on children and youth affected by violent extremism.
• Mr. Eliasson said that children and youth have been tragically and massively affected by violent extremism in recent years. Many of them, who have been disproportionately affected by inequality, marginalization and unemployment, may be vulnerable to the lure of violent extremists, he added.
• The Deputy Secretary-General stressed that we need to engage and empower our young people to reject the messengers of hate and fear. Harness the idealism, energy and innovative power of youth, he said.

U.N. AGENCY WELCOMES ANNOUNCEMENT OF REFUGEE OLYMPICS TEAM

• Ten refugee athletes will for the Refugee Olympic Team during the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
• The United Nations Refugee Agency () today welcomed the announcement made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and stressed that participation of refugee athletes in the Rio Games sends a strong message of support and hope for refugees worldwide.
• The IOC said that it is the first such team and that its members will march with the Olympic flag immediately after host nation Brazil at the Opening Ceremony on 5 August.
• The team includes two Syrian swimmers, two judokas from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and six runners from Ethiopia and South Sudan.
• They all fled violence and persecution in their countries and sought refuge in places as wide-ranging as Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Kenya and Brazil.

IMPACT OF EL NINO REMAINS DEEPLY ALARMING – WARNS U.N.

• The Office for the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs () today that the impact of the 2015-2016 El Niño remains deeply alarming, the phenomenon now affecting over 60 million people.
• While El Niño itself is over, projections indicate the situation will worsen throughout at least the end of the year.
• In Eastern and Southern Africa, some 50.2 million people are food insecure, many due to drought or to a combination of drought and conflict. This number is expected to increase significantly towards the end of the year.
• The global funding request for the El Niño response is almost US $3.9 billion in 19 countries. Since mid-2015, the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund () has allocated over US$119 million.

ILLEGAL TRADE IN WILDLIFE AND PLANTS AFFECTS 120 COUNTRIES – WARNS U.N. AGENCY

• On the eve of the World Environment Day (5 June), the Executive Director of the UN Office for Drugs and Crime (), Yury Fedotov, that many animal and plant species are being pushed to the edge of extinction due to the barbarous acts of organized crime.
• According to the UNODC’s World Wildlife Report, illegal trade in wildlife and plants affects 120 countries and leaves a heavy impact on the environment and communities.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

• In response to questions about how the Department of Public Information () complied with the Office of Internal Oversight Services () audit recommendations about the use of the lobby, the Spokesman said that DPI has implemented the recommendation, as per the report. DPI sent letters to relevant persons, drawing their attention to the guidelines for the appropriate use of the lobby for events and activities, and reminding them to follow those guidelines and do appropriate vetting before events.
• In response to questions about the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s () services in the northern part of the West Bank, the Spokesman said that UNRWA has informed that it was forced to suspend services because of threats and intimidation against humanitarian workers. The Agency has called on those who have issues with its new e-card system to come forward and resolve those issues peacefully and constructively.