HIGHLIGHTS OF THE U.N. SYSTEM
TUESDAY, 29 AUGUST 2017
 
IN WEST BANK, SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES NEED TO RESTART ‘SERIOUS AND CREDIBLE’ PEACE PROCESS

• The Secretary-General continued his visit to Israel and Palestine today.
• This morning, the Secretary-General was briefed by the staff of the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
• The Secretary-General then visited the “One-Stop Center” in Ramallah, a project run by the Palestinian Authority with the support of UN Women, UNICEF and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The centre helps survivors of violence and against women and girls, as well as at-risk children. The Secretary-General congratulated the Palestinian Civil Police and its UN partners for creating an impressive program that helps to protect women and children by providing them a safe space, as well as critical legal and mediation services. He noted that not many countries have such programs.
• The Secretary-General then visited the Arafat Museum and laid a wreath at the tomb of the former Palestinian President. Following a tour of the museum, the Secretary-General told journalists that, when “visiting this museum, there are of course many emotions and many feelings, but the most important of them is the feeling of the suffering of the Palestinian people.” He added that he dreamt to see in the Holy Land two states: A Palestinian state and Israeli state, living together in peace and security, in mutual recognition and allowing for this kind of suffering not to be possible anymore.
• While in Ramallah, the Secretary-General was hosted for a working lunch by the Prime Minister of the State of Palestine, H.E. Rami Hamdallah.
• At a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office, the Secretary-General reiterated his strong commitment, both personal and on behalf of the UN, for a two-state solution. “I’ve said several times that there is no plan B to the two-state solution.”
• The Secretary-General expressed his deep belief that it is essential to restart a “serious and credible” political process of negotiation with the aim of achieving a two-state solution. In parallel, he added, it is also important to create conditions on the ground to improve the situation of Palestinian populations. 
• On Gaza, he said he remained very concerned with the humanitarian situation there. “We are totally committed to support UNRWA’s activity as well as the activities of reconstruction that are taking place in Gaza,” the Secretary-General said.
• Following the lunch, the Secretary-General met with representative of a group of young Palestinians. The Secretary-General listened as they explained the challenges they face and their frustration at both both the on-going occupation as well the current political climate in the West Bank. The Secretary-General commended them for their passion and encouraged them to be involved politically so as to serve the people.  
• Before returning to Jerusalem, the Secretary-General met with a group of prominent Palestinian personalities.

• In a statement, the Secretary-General condemns the latest launch of a ballistic missile by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in violation of Security Council resolutions. The launch undermines regional security and stability and efforts to create space for dialogue.
• The Secretary-General calls on the Government of the DPRK to fully comply with its international obligations and work towards reopening communication channels.
• The Secretary-General remains in close contact with all parties concerned.

• In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General expressed his deep concern at the reports of civilians being killed during security operations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
• This latest round of violence comes after the attacks on Myanmar security forces on 25 August. The Secretary-General, who condemned those attacks, reiterates the importance of addressing the root causes of the violence and the responsibility of the Government of Myanmar to provide security and assistance to those in need.
• The Secretary-General fully supports the recommendations of the report by Kofi Annan and urges the Government to effectively implement them.
• Recognizing that Bangladesh has hosted generously refugees from Myanmar for decades, the Secretary-General appeals for the authorities to continue to allow the Rohingya fleeing violence to seek safety in Bangladesh. Many of those fleeing are women and children, some of whom are wounded. He calls for humanitarian agencies to be granted unfettered and free access to affected communities in need of assistance and protection.  The United Nations stands ready to provide all necessary support to both Myanmar and Bangladesh in that regard. 
• For his part, the High Commissioner for Human Rights today voiced his alarm at the violence and incitement to further violence in Rakhine, urging all sides to and renounce the use of violence and calling on State authorities to ensure they operate in line with their obligations under international human rights law.
• He said that decades of persistent and systematic human rights violations, including the very violent security responses to the attacks since October 2016, have almost certainly contributed to the nurturing of violent extremism, with everyone ultimately losing.
• The High Commissioner said that this turn of events is deplorable, predicted and could have been prevented, warning all aides against further fuelling the violence and calling on the political leadership to condemn the inflammatory rhetoric and incitement to hatred that is proliferating, including on social media.
• He also expressed concern about claims by the State Counsellor’s Office that international aid workers were complicit in or supporting the attacks.

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today communicated to the Government of Bangladesh its readiness to support Bangladesh in helping refugees fleeing across its border with Myanmar.
• As of Sunday it was estimated that some 5,200 people had entered Bangladesh from Myanmar since Thursday, while several thousand were reported to be in locations along the Myanmar side of the border.
• On the Bangladesh side of the border some people are in cordoned off areas near the border, and others are mainly in the Kutupalong area.
• Aid efforts involving the Bangladeshi authorities, local communities, UNHCR partners and NGOs have been under way, including to get food, water, and medical help to the new arrivals. UNHCR is grateful to the Bangladeshi authorities for the support being provided.
• UNHCR is aware of several reported instances of people being prevented from entering Bangladesh, posing very grave risk to the individuals affected. Bangladesh has hosted refugees from Myanmar for decades, and UNHCR believes it is of the utmost importance that it continue to allow Rohingya fleeing violence to seek safety there.
• In Myanmar’s Rakhine State meanwhile, access to those in need is severely restricted due to the security situation, and UNHCR appeals to the Myanmar authorities to do everything possible to facilitate humanitarian help and ensure the safety of its staff.

• The Security Council met today on the contribution of peacekeeping operations to the overarching goal of sustaining peace. The Deputy Secretary-General told Council members that implementing the Sustaining Peace Agenda requires an inclusive strategy that supports the diverse range of UN missions and takes account of the entire peace continuum.
• In this context, Ms.  Mohammed stressed the need to work together to ensure that peacekeeping lives up to its full potential as an essential tool for sustaining peace. She said peacekeeping missions operate with strong links with the UN development system and the humanitarian community to facilitate a more integrated approach to peacebuilding initiatives, exit strategies and transition plans. In many ways, she added, one of peacekeeping’s most important contributions to peace is the preparation for a smooth and effective peacekeeping drawdown and handover to the UN Country Team.

• Ms. Mohammed also said that to ensure that we are on the right peacebuilding track, we must get the politics right, adding that peacekeeping operations are political instruments that ideally accompany a locally-owned peace process. She therefore stressed the need for a broader and more sustained level of engagement by Security Council members to ensure that Member States, the UN system, and all partners are aligned behind a common purpose and a common vision for action that integrates all pillars of the UN.

• The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) says today it is alarmed by an incident on Monday 28 August, in Kananga, Kasai Central, during which a group of soldiers belonging to the Congolese Army (FARDC) forced their way into their compound, while pursuing a local journalist who had fled there after participating in a nearby public gathering.
• A second journalist also took refuge at the MONUSCO base during the incident. 
• The Mission recalls that the inviolability of MONUSCO's premises is enshrined in the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the United Nations and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
• The United Nations calls on the Government to uphold its obligations under the SOFA, and other relevant agreements.
• The United Nations further calls on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to hold those involved accountable and take the necessary measures to prevent a repetition of this deeply regrettable incident.

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today that a suicide attack occurred at the Bshar mustering point, killing three people were fleeing the fighting in Iraq’s Telafar. Several more people were injured and are receiving medical treatment. Aid workers have temporarily suspended their partners have temporarily suspended their activities due to this incident.
• More than 1,500 civilians were recorded as newly displaced from Telafar yesterday, as military operations in the area wind down.
• Where security conditions allow, civilians who have fled Telafar receive humanitarian assistance, including medical support, food, water and basic hygiene assistance, and transport to displacement camps where they are provided shelter.

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today called the Australian Government’s announced change in legal status and withdrawal of support to refugees and asylum-seekers is a blatant attempt to coerce the most vulnerable to return to Papua New Guinea, Nauru, or their countries of origin. It said that removing accommodation and financial support leaves people at serious risk of destitution in Australia, with the withdrawal of access to basic services such as trauma and torture counselling exacerbating their already precarious situation.
• UNHCR says that some 400 refugees and asylum-seekers remain in community detention in Australia, having been transferred from Papua New Guinea and Nauru due to both serious medical and protection concerns. The Government of Australia has implicitly recognized through these transfers that the conditions there are unacceptable.
• UNHCR say that, as a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, Australia remains responsible for those who have sought its protection. This includes a duty to consider claims for international protection fairly and efficiently, and to provide refugees and asylum-seekers with a minimum standard of living which is humane and dignified.

• In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General welcomed the commitment by the parties to implement a permanent ceasefire in eastern Ukraine on the occasion of the start of the new school year. He stressed the need to ensure that the ceasefire is sustainable and called on all parties to fully abide by its terms especially in order to protect the civilians who suffer most from the ongoing hostilities.
• The Secretary-General also reiterated the support of the United Nations for the efforts of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Trilateral Contact Group and the Normandy Four to find a negotiated solution to the conflict.  He urged all concerned to work towards that end.

• The United Nations humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien released US$45 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to four neglected emergencies, where more than 21 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance: Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Chad and Sudan.
• The funds will sustain and scale up critical aid operations by humanitarian partners in these countries, where life-saving needs are alarmingly high but funding is critically low. A large portion of these funds will reach people affected by displacement – one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges in today’s world.
• The funds will enable humanitarian partners to provide critical health care, food assistance, access to clean water and sanitation and other types of humanitarian aid. However, this funding addresses only a small portion of the urgent humanitarian needs in the countries.
• With more than 142 million people who need humanitarian aid, a larger and more robust CERF is critical so that aid reaches those who need it the most. To this end, the General Assembly has endorsed the expansion of CERF’s annual funding target from $450 million to $1 billion by 2018.
• The annual high-level pledging event in December 2017 will be a milestone towards CERF’s new funding target and reinforce the critical role the Fund plays in meeting humanitarian challenges, including those in neglected crises.

• The International Organization for Migration (IOM) today said that since 9 August, there have not been any reports of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean. The total count for Mediterranean Sea fatalities has remained at 2,410 for 20 days. Just 19 deaths have been recorded in the region so far in all of August, a sharp drop from the 689 recorded in August 2015 and 62 last year.
• Some 121,517 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2017 through 27 August. This compares with 272,612 arrivals across the region through 27 August 2016.

• Today is the International Day against Nuclear Tests. The Day seeks to increase awareness and education about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.
• In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General urged countries who have not done so yet to join the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), stressing that voluntary unilateral moratoriums on nuclear testing are not enough. “Continued nuclear tests by the Democratic Republic of Korea demonstrate that even the strongest norm is no substitute for a legally-binding prohibition,” he said.
• Since 16 July 1945, more than 2,000 nuclear tests have been conducted which have harmed vulnerable people and pristine ecosystems.