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UN Daily News - 4 April 2016
UN Daily News - 4 April 2016
UN Daily News - 4 April 2016
www.un.org/news
UN Daily News
Monday, 4 April 2016
Issue DH/7129
In the headlines:
First-ever World Humanitarian Summit must usher
in new era of global solidarity UN chief
The five core aims are: political leadership to prevent and end conflict; uphold the norms that safeguard humanity; leave no
one behind; change peoples lives from delivering aid to ending need; and invest in humanity.
History will judge us by how we use this moment, Mr. Ban said, urging States to come to Istanbul at the highest level and
to show leadership on the great challenges of the 21st century.
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We must not let down the many millions of men, women and children in dire need, he added.
Mr. Ban said that seven roundtable sessions will be held over the two days to provide a space for leaders from Member
States, civil society and the private sector to focus on a number of challenges crucial to achieving the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development and other shared goals.
The themes of the roundtables are: Preventing and Ending Conflict; Upholding the Norms that Safeguard Humanity;
Leaving No-one Behind; Natural Disasters and Climate Change; From Delivering Aid to Ending Need; Gender Equality;
and Investing in Humanity.
He said that proposed core commitments that reflect some of the changes necessary to turn the Agenda for Humanity into
action were circulated last week for consideration and should be finalized by 18 April.
These are voluntary and non-binding, and can be individual or joint commitments. The Summit is not an end point, but the
beginning of a new era of international solidarity to halt the terrible suffering of people affected by conflicts and disasters.
The Summits success would make an enormous qualitative difference in advancing action on so many other fronts not
least the 2030 Agenda.
The summit outcomes will include a Chairs summary that will be issued in Istanbul, and a Commitments to Action
document that will follow some time later. Along with the Agenda for Humanity, these all constitute important elements to
the framework for action and follow-up, he said.
Post-Summit follow-up
The follow-up will begin with the Humanitarian Affairs Segment of the UN Economic and Social Council in June. In
September, Mr. Ban will submit his report to the General Assembly, presenting the outcomes of the Summit and further
possible steps ahead, he said.
At that point, Member States can decide to take forward some or all of the report's recommendations through
intergovernmental discussions and negotiations, he said. The annual General Assembly humanitarian resolutions in the
autumn will likely be vehicles for many of these important discussions.
Last year we achieved major victories for global solidarity, he said, referring to Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction
Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Paris Climate Agreement.
Let us make the World Humanitarian Summit a historic step forward for our common humanity, he said.
The briefing was organized by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) at the UN Headquarters in
New York.
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Yet in far too many places around the world, new or re-emerging conflicts are creating yet another legacy of explosive
hazards, such as landmines, cluster munitions and improvised explosive devices, he said, expressing concern particularly
about the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
The UN is working to alleviate the suffering of affected communities in high-risk environments.
In South Sudan, 14 million square meters of contaminated land have been cleared; 3,000 kilometres of road made safe; and
30,000 mines and explosive remnants of war destroyed. And more than half a million people have received risk education
over the last 12 months.
This has enabled the delivery of food and water and the safe movement of those fleeing fighting, he said.
Even in Syria, mine action actors are achieving some important life-saving results. Since August 2015, 14 tonnes of
unexploded ordnance have been destroyed, and last year, more than 2 million Syrians received risk education in schools and
communities, and more than 5,400 people received physical rehabilitation services.
But millions of Syrian people continue to face this deadly threat every day. There is an urgent need for increased support as
well as full, sustained and unhindered access for all mine action activities.
Mr. Ban said that his report, in advance of the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit to be held next month in Istanbul,
highlighted the unacceptable impact of mines and explosive remnants of war on civilians. It also stressed the need for States
to become parties to, and implement and comply with, relevant international humanitarian instruments.
In December 2015, the General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution underlining the need for mine action to remain
at the top of the international agenda, especially in humanitarian crises, he noted.
Daniel Craig, who was appointed last year by Mr. Ban as UN Global Advocate for the Elimination of Mines and Explosive
Hazards, said that the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) plays a critical role in improving the immediate chances of
survival of civilians and aid workers caught up in armed violence.
UNMAS provides a long-term solution to the biggest problem facing the victims of war. How to return to a normal life, he
said in his message on the Day.
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Best known for his role as 007 in the James Bond films, Mr. Craig said he is in awe of the men and women at UNMAS as
well as their energy and courage.
I am asking you to join me to promote their work and fund their programmes, so that you, too, can make a difference in
eliminating the dangers of mines and explosive hazards, he said.
On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year should be observed as the International
Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. This years theme is Mine Action is Humanitarian
Action.
WFP aims to reach nearly 270,000 of the most vulnerable people with
monthly food assistance over the first half of this year. Since
November 2014, WFP has distributed emergency assistance to over
half a million people in need, including 370,000 people who received
monthly food packages and 180,000 people who received assistance through cash-based transfers in areas where markets are
still functioning.
WFP will continue to provide cash-based transfers or food assistance to the most vulnerable among those affected by
conflict.
People living in the non-government controlled area of Luhansk and near the conflict line are the most affected by food
insecurity: over half of the population, in both the government-controlled area and non-government controlled area,
experienced a complete loss or a significant reduction of income.
With no presence in Ukraine before the crisis, WFP now cooperates with other UN agencies to provide assistance to those
who had to leave their homes, people returning home, and people still trapped in conflict hotspots.
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nutrition are essential to achieving the entire 2030 Agenda," FAO Director-General Jos Graziano da Silva said.
"Children can't fully reap the benefits of schooling if they don't get the nutrients they need; and emerging economies won't
reach their full potential if their workers are chronically tired because their diets are unbalanced. That's why we welcome the
Decade of Action on Nutrition and look forward to helping make it a success," he added.
Yet against this backdrop in recent cycles, the Commission has made important progress toward consensus on its
conventional weapons item. This has come as the international community has made important strides forward on this part
of the disarmament agenda, he told the opening of the Commissions 2016 session in New York.
Highlighting such steps as the first ever legally-binding regulations governing the international arms trade; greater success at
combatting the illicit trade in small arms; dealing with the problems posed by excess and poorly maintained stocks of
ammunition; as well as in agreeing to tackle new challenges like the threat posed by improvised explosive devices, he also
cited continuous progress in the improvement of its confidence-building mechanisms in the field of conventional arms
control.
I hope the continued deliberations by the Commission on its conventional arms item builds upon and consolidates these
gains. The time has come for the Commission to start finally bringing its consideration of this item to a successful
conclusion, stressed Mr. Kim.
At the same time, he noted that on the matter of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, the gap remains wide. Over the
past 11 months, views on the way forward have grown increasingly polarized and entrenched.
Work will resume next month in Geneva on the elaboration of effective legal measures for nuclear disarmament. Even as
that process continues, the Disarmament Commission still maintains a unique and distinct role, especially in light of its
history of consensus-building, he said, encouraging delegations to make use of the Commissions unique nature as a
deliberative and consensus-based body that continues to enjoy universal participation.
Mr. Kim went on the stress that the need for simultaneous progress on multiple questions of disarmament has never been
more apparent. We are faced by the rapid emergence of new trends and technologies that are complicating strategic
relationships and stability. This includes the development of advanced new types of strategic weapons. It also includes a
growing nexus between terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and cyber threats, he explained.
The Disarmament Commission has clear authority to adopt a third agenda item at any point during its cycle, provided there
is consensus. Furthermore, it has a mandate to consider such an item during its present cycle, and he appreciated the efforts
made by the Commissions Chair to explore common ground so that agreement on a third agenda item, possibly addressing
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outer space, can be achieved. Deliberations by the Commission on this issue may help to consolidate and carrying forward
various proposals to ensure space remains free from conflict and unsustainable practices.
Taking up a third agenda item would not detract from the Commissions work on its two existing items. Rather, it would
bring the Commission back to greater productivity, thus restoring its credibility as an essential component of the United
Nations disarmament machinery, said Mr. Kim.
The Commission, whose membership is universal, is a deliberative body mandated to make recommendations in the field of
disarmament and to follow up the decisions and recommendations of the General Assemblys first special session devoted to
disarmament, in 1978. Between 1979 and 1999, the Commission was able to reach consensus at least 16 times to adopt
guidelines or recommendations on disarmament subjects.
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Mr. Ban through his statement reiterated his full support for the efforts of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group and all parties working to resolve this dangerous situation and pursue a peaceful negotiated
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The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section
of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)