U.N. Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General 1/4/2023

Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

**Pakistan Conference

Alright. I have a travel announcement to make. The Secretary-General will be arriving in Geneva on Sunday evening, where he will take part the following day on the International Conference on Climate-Resilient Pakistan. The conference has been co-hosted by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations. This high-level conference aims to generate financial and international support to those impacted by last year’s devastating floods in Pakistan and to rebuild damaged infrastructure in a climate-resilient manner. In his remarks to the conference, the Secretary-General will call for support to strengthen the resilience of communities in Pakistan for the future. While in Geneva, the Secretary-General is scheduled to hold a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif. You will be able to follow that live on the webcast, but it will be early morning in New York. The Secretary-General will then fly back to New York from Geneva, and he will be back here on the evening of the 9th of January.

**Senior Personnel Appointment

A senior personnel announcement to share with you: Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Lieutenant General Otávio Rodrigues De Miranda Filho of Brazil as Force Commander for the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). He succeeds Lieutenant General Marcos de Sá Affonso da Costa, also from Brazil, to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful for his important contribution and to the service of the UN peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lieutenant General Miranda Filho has several years of experience in command-and-control structures in the Brazilian Army. More information online.

**Democratic Republic of the Congo

I have a few peacekeeping updates to share with you from our various missions. First in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. MONUSCO is telling us that its Force Intervention Brigade has launched a joint operation with the Congolese army. The operation aims to bolster ongoing efforts to protect civilians and to neutralize armed groups in the area along the Beni-Semulike-Kamango-Nobil axis in North Kivu. The UN peacekeepers are also undertaking patrols along the axis to help improve security, to allow freedom of movement of the population and security forces and to help with the return of internally displaced people.

**Central African Republic

Just north of that, in the Central African Republic, UN peacekeepers there have also concluded a joint mission with the Central African security forces to better protect people in the country’s west. Over a period of one month, peacekeepers conducted over 100 patrols and 30 aerial surveillance missions. They patrolled several localities, including Bossangoa, Nanabakassa, Markounda and Paoua. Military peacekeepers, also accompanied by civilian colleagues, provided medical services, distributed school equipment and shared information about the threats of improvised explosive devices. Overall, over the past week, UN peacekeepers carried out over 1,800 patrols to engage the population and better understand their concerns. This included long-range patrols in the east as well as in the central region. Meanwhile, as part of our support for the upcoming local elections, peacekeepers provided security by escorting personnel from the National Elections Authority in the Ouham Pende Prefecture.

**Abyei

The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has responded rapidly to quell violence in the village of Rumamer, in the southern part of Abyei, after an early morning attack that took place today, resulted in 13 people being killed, five injured, and 27 homes being burnt to the ground. UNISFA reports that an armed group of approximately 200 cattle herders were responsible for the violence. Peacekeepers deployed immediately to provide physical protection to the villagers and are continuing to patrol the area to prevent further attacks and facilitate the safe return of civilians who fled. The mission has also launched an investigation into the incident. The acting head of peacekeeping mission, Brigadier General Abu Syed Mohammod Bakir, strongly condemned the attack and called on all stakeholders to end violence and fully engage in the peace process.

**South Sudan

Just south of that, in South Sudan, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is continuing to respond to the volatile security situation in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area and Jonglei following violence that began in late December, with the most recent clashes impacting communities in Likuangole. UNMISS is working with local authorities and faith-based leaders to encourage armed youth to return to their places of origin. Its human rights team is also investigating violations committed during the clashes and advocating for the release of the abducted women and children. UNMISS leadership is working with national and state authorities to help de-escalate tensions in Jonglei, as well as in Upper Nile, where the Mission is convening an important peace conference between Nuer and Shilluk people.

**Mali

A quick humanitarian update, this one from Mali. Martin Griffiths, our head of Humanitarian Affairs, has allocated $7 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support people impacted by insecurity in the country’s north. The funds will help provide life-saving assistance to 423,000 people, including internally displaced people, refugees and host communities in the Gao, Kidal and Mopti regions. The new allocation will support projects for education and protection, as well as in the areas of health, water, hygiene, shelter and psychological assistance. As you are aware, humanitarian needs in Mali are dire, as the country faces a multidimensional crisis. This year, humanitarians will need $868 million to help 6.2 million people.

**Arbitrary Detention

Just two more quick notes: In his message for the new year, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, is calling for the release of people imprisoned for exercising their human rights. As we begin the year that will mark the seventy-fifth anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Mr. Türk is asking Governments and all detaining authorities, globally, to amnesty, pardon or simply release all those detained for exercising their rights and to end arbitrary detention once and for all.

Source: https://press.un.org/en/2023/db230104.doc.htm