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

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

**Guest/Tomorrow

Alright, good afternoon. Tomorrow, we will have as our guest, Ms. María José Torres, the UN Resident Coordinator in Colombia. She will join us virtually and will give an update on our response following the recent earthquakes.

And also, very likely, and I will confirm this a bit later this afternoon, we will have the Secretary-General tomorrow at 9:45 a.m. at the Security Council stakeout to give us an update on our efforts regarding the devastating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We will confirm that a bit later today.

**Burundi

Staying on Ebola, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that we and our partners are continuing to support the Government-led efforts in Burundi to prepare for the potential spread of Ebola in that country.

While Burundi has not reported any confirmed Ebola cases, the country remains at higher risk due to its proximity to the affected areas in the DRC and continued cross-border population movements.

Preparedness efforts include strengthened surveillance at points of entry through temperature screening and deployment of thermal scanners, including at the airport in Bujumbura.

We are also training healthcare providers, including nurses and community health workers, as well as journalists.

Also, nearly 30,000 Ebola prevention posters have been distributed in three languages: Kirundi, Swahili and French.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization and its partners are supporting the national authorities in Burundi in updating their Ebola response guidelines and strengthening lab procedures for the safe collection and transportation of any samples.

At the end of June, you may recall, Tom Fletcher, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, released $2 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to bolster the preparedness efforts in Burundi.

**Nigeria/UN House Abuja Bombing

Today marks 15 years since the terror attack on the UN House in Abuja, in Nigeria.

That day, on 26 August 2011, is a day we have not forgotten.

15 years ago, 13 of our colleagues were killed in that terror attack. In addition, ten other people who were also in the building perished. Many others were injured.

To mark the grim anniversary, a remembrance ceremony was held today at the new UN House in Abuja.

Speaking at the event, our Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, said we remember those we lost not only for how they died, but also for how they lived with courage and compassion.

We join him in paying tribute to those who were injured, those who witnessed the bombing and those who lost friends and colleagues and family, noting that for many, the shock and the trauma of that day remain.

15 years on, a number of suspects remain before the courts in Nigeria, but no convictions have been handed out to date.

We have not forgotten and we will continue to push for those responsible to be held to account.

**Asia Floods

Turning to Asia. I can tell you that the Secretary-General is saddened by the severe flooding that we have saw earlier today in Nepal and in China, which has claimed many lives, left people missing and caused widespread destruction. He extends his condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a swift recovery to those injured. He expresses solidarity with all those affected.

In Nepal, we, along with our humanitarian partners, under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator in that country, Lila Pieters Yahia, are coordinating relief efforts. This is being done in support of the Government-led response in an effort to meet what will clearly be massive humanitarian needs. Two staff from the World Health Organization are already on site with enough medical kits for about 10,000 people for three months, as well as tents and logistics support.

Starting tomorrow, the World Food Programme and UNICEF are also deploying staff and trucks carrying relief supplies.

Our humanitarian partners are also mobilizing.

Save the Children has started deploying staff to Nuwakot district, and the Nepalese Red Cross has dispatched some 200 emergency shelter packages. Our colleagues at the UN Development Programme are mobilizing data-management support as well as dispatching UN Volunteers. The humanitarian community is also on standby to provide additional support as the needs become clearer.

We are also supporting efforts to rapidly assess the scale of the disaster. The Resident Coordinator's office and OCHA's Regional Office are helping secure satellite imagery and analysis over the area impacted by these floods.

Our UN office in China is also reporting damage and significant numbers of casualties and destruction in the Tibet autonomous region of China. We, of course, stand ready to assist the Government-led efforts in China.

**Security Council/Middle East

This morning, you will have heard from Ramiz Al-Akbarov, the Acting Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, he briefed Security Council members via video-link from Jerusalem. He said that while talks continue on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2803, and the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, the ceasefire remains fragile.

Around two thirds of Gaza remains inaccessible and subject to severe access restrictions, leaving civilians in Gaza confined to overcrowded and insecure areas, as we often tell you. Mr. Al-Akbarov called for the urgent action to address key bottlenecks affecting humanitarian operations, including access, supplies and - of course - funding.

He called on all parties to fulfil their commitments and stressed the need for enhanced coordination among all stakeholders.

Meanwhile, the situation in the West Bank continues to rapidly deteriorate amid large-scale Israeli settler attacks against Palestinian communities. Mr. Al-Akbarov called on Israel, as the occupying Power, to ensure the protection of civilian populations and to hold perpetrators to account.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

And just to give you a bit more granularity on our efforts to continue to provide assistance to Palestinians in need in Gaza, wherever possible, and despite all the operational constraints we often talk to you about, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that over the past two weeks, that's between the 10^th and 23^rd of August, our partners leading on water, sanitation and hygiene distributed thousands of kilograms of laundry detergent, hygiene kits and other essential supplies.

Our partners also distributed more than a dozen low-water-consumption mechanical washing machines for communal use.

On education, we have some encouraging news. With support from our humanitarian partners, grade 12 students in Gaza, who missed the June examinations, have been able to sit for their final secondary school examinations for the first time since the onset of the hostilities; that was done with the assistance of our partners. Some 9,000 girls and boys are sitting for the in-person exams, which began on 15 August.

Meanwhile, during the second and third weeks of August, our humanitarian partners distributed stationery kits and school bags to about 15,000 students attending some seven secondary schools in Gaza.

**Secretary-General/Peace Operations Report

This afternoon, the Secretary-General will be at the General Assembly to present to the membership his report on the review on the future of all forms of UN peace operations, including peacekeeping operations and special political missions.

This report was mandated by the Pact for the Future, and draws on extensive consultations with Member States, our own missions, the wider UN system, regional partners and civil society.

In his remarks, the Secretary-General is expected to provide details about the review calls for a reset in how we think about the use of peace operations, including a sharper focus on peacemaking, stronger partnerships with host States, focused and adaptable mandates and more agile operations.

The UN peace operations, as you know, are a critical form of multilateral action and an indispensable tool for maintaining international peace and security, but it needs to be more effective and it must adapt to the new realities of this world.

Full report is available to all of you. We have shared the Secretary-General's remarks and we also expect Rosemary DiCarlo, the Head of our Political and Peacebuilding Department. and Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Head of the Peace Operations Department, to answer questions from Member States during that session.

**Colombia Earthquake

And lastly, just going back to Colombia, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that we and our partners continue to scale up the response to the earthquake that struck the country two weeks ago.

Nearly 50,000 people have now received assistance across 25 municipalities in the most affected areas. This includes clean water, water storage equipment, temporary sanitation facilities and hygiene kits for adults and children.

Our humanitarian appeal for Colombia now stands at $620 million, but it is only 47 per cent funded. Additional support is urgently needed. Authorities say some 325,000 people have been affected by the earthquake, more than 31,000 homes have been destroyed, and also destroyed thousands of schools, health facilities and other critical infrastructure.

You will hear more from our colleague in Bogota tomorrow.

**Syria

Also, I was asked about recent developments in Syria regarding the Government in Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces, and I can tell you that the announcement by Mazloum Abdi of the end of the mission of the Syrian Democratic Forces, and the dissolution is an important development in the implementation of the 29 January agreement.

The Secretary-General reiterates the readiness of the UN to support its further implementation and progress on the ground. The Secretary-General underlines the importance of serious political transition proceeding in full respect for Syria's sovereignty, its territorial integrity and involving all Syrians in shaping the country's future.

¡Basta! Yes, Edie.

**Questions and Answers

Question: Thank you, Steph. First, does the Secretary-General have any comment on this terrible fire in Islamabad that killed 14 newborn babies?

Spokesman: It's a tragic accident. In the midst of tragedy, the fact that so many newborns were killed, just compounds unimaginable pain for the parents. I know the UN team in Islamabad is ready to support the Government in any way possible.

Question: And was the Secretary-General a fan of Dolly Parton's?

Spokesman: His Spokesman was. I don't think he had much knowledge of Dolly Parton'' vast musical achievements. Go ahead, Abdelhamid.

Question: Thank you, Steph. It's nice to hear these kind of questions.

Spokesman: Oh, 100 per cent, 100 per cent. I didn't wear my wig today.

Question: Three questions and fast. The [United States] is saying that they will deny the Palestinian delegation visas to come to the General Assembly. Are you aware of this? And is the UN doing anything about it?

Spokesman: Yes, we've seen those reports. It is very important for us that the United States honor its responsibilities under the host treaty agreement. We will continue to push for that. But at this point, we've only seen the press reports.

Question: My second question, about the UNRWA Training Center in Qalandia refugee camp, if you have any update, that more Israeli equipment coming and they're planning to bulldoze the building?

Spokesman: I did not get any updates today, but we'll try to get some for tomorrow.

Question: My last question, the [United States] Ambassador to India said recently that Kashmir is an integral part of India. Does the Secretary-General agree with this assessment?

Spokesman: I am not going to comment on what the Ambassador said. Our position remains the same.

All right. Well, I will escape. Oh, sorry […] please.

Question: So, regarding the flash flood disaster in China, what is the biggest difficulties and challenges facing in the current region right now? And how is the UN coordinating with the China

Spokesman: This obviously happened just a few hours ago. I do not believe we had anyone, we didn't have anyone on site. We still don't. We know that China is well equipped in dealing with these types of environmental disasters and has very good emergency services. So, we will be in touch with the Chinese authority to see in whatever way we can, we will support those efforts.

Thank you very much.