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Issue DH/7546 Wednesday, 29 November 2017

In the headlines:

• After DPRK missile launch, UN political chief urges Security Council to ‘do all it can’ to prevent escalation

• Four billion people have no social security protection - UN labour agency

• On Day of Solidarity, UN reaffirms two-state solution as only answer to ‘question of Palestine’

• Libya’s planned transit centre would keep migrants from risky Mediterranean crossing – UN agency

• Malaria response at ‘crossroads,’ risks backward slide – UN

• UN aid chief spotlights challenges delivering relief inside war-torn Syria, urges continued support

• One in 10 medicines in developing countries substandard or falsified – UN health agency

• South Sudan: UN envoy condemns ‘horrific’ killings of civilians in Jonglei

• Lack of jobs, money for rent, add to woes in conflict-affected eastern Ukraine, says UN agency

• Antalya: South-South cooperation can spur great humanitarian, development impact – UN relief official

• In Côte d'Ivoire, UN chief spotlights importance of AU-EU strategic partnership

After DPRK missile launch, UN political chief urges Security Council to ‘do all it can’ to prevent escalation

29 November – Following the latest ballistic missile launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which its official media claimed is “capable of striking the whole mainland of the United States,” the top United Nations political affairs official on Wednesday urged Security Council members to unite in preventing an escalation.

“Given the grave risks associated with any military confrontation, in

exercise of its primary responsibility the Security Council needs to do all it can to prevent an escalation. Unity in the Security Council is

critical,” said Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman in an emergency meeting – the 13th time the Council has met to discuss the DPRK in 2017.

The UN political chief’s appeals came after United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres earlier “strongly condemned” the ballistic missile launch, which according to news reports landed in the Sea of Japan.

A statement issued Tuesday night by his spokesman said: “This is a clear violation Security Council resolutions and shows

complete disregard for the united view of the international community.”

Security Council Meeting on Non-proliferation/Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

UN Daily News

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UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

UN Daily News 29 November 2017

“The Secretary-General urges the DPRK to desist from taking any further destabilizing steps. [He] reaffirms his commitment to working with all parties to reduce tensions,” the statement concluded.

In his briefing to the Council Wednesday evening, Mr. Feltman said that, according to the DPRK’s official news agency and various governmental sources, the north Asian country launched a ballistic missile, which it termed an “intercontinental ballistic rocket Hwasong-15.”

The missile was reportedly launched from an area north of the capital, Pyongyang, covering about 950 kilometres (km) and reaching an apogee of around 4,500 km, before impacting into the sea in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, he said.

These parameters indicate that, if flown on a standard trajectory, the missile as configured would have a range in excess of 13,000 km.

This is the DPRK’s third test of a ballistic missile of apparent intercontinental range in less than six months and its 20th ballistic missile launch this year.

The official media claimed the DPRK was now “capable of striking the whole mainland of the US” and that the DPRK had “finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power.”

The DPRK’s repeated nuclear and missile tests over the past two years have created great tension on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, Mr. Feltman said, stressing that this dynamic must be reversed and the solution can only be political.

Security Council unity would create an opportunity for sustained diplomatic engagement – an opportunity that must be seized in these dangerous times to seek off-ramps and work to create conditions for negotiations, he added.

This morning, Mr. Feltman called a meeting with the DPRK Permanent Representative to the UN to deliver the UN Secretary-General’s message. During the meeting, Mr. Feltman stressed that “there is nothing more dangerous to peace and security in the world than what is happening now on the Korean Peninsula.”

Turning to the humanitarian situation in the DPRK, Mr. Feltman said that the needs are increasing and food security remains a critical concern for 70 per cent of the population. Member States are again reminded of the need to support the life-saving activities carried out by humanitarian organizations in the country.

Briefing by Chair of Security Council Sanctions Committee on DPRK

Also briefing the Council was Sebastiano Cardi of Italy, the Chair of the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee, which facilitates implementation of the provisions of all relevant resolutions – from 1718 (2006) to the latest 2375 (2017). He said that following the adoption of resolution 2375 on 11 September this year, which significantly expanded the scope of the sanctions regime, the Committee has been engaged in facilitating implementation of all sanctions measures and is continuing its efforts in this regard.

As of today, the Committee has received 102 national implementation reports on resolution 2270 (2016), 89 on resolution 2321 (2016) and 31 on resolution 2371 (2017). These submission rates are much higher than under previous resolutions regarding the DPRK, he said.

However, he recalled that resolution 2375 (2017) requires all Member States to submit their national implementation reports within 90 days of its adoption, that is by 12 December 2017.

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Four billion people have no social security protection - UN labour agency

29 November – More than half of the global population – some four billion people – have no social security protection, UN labour experts said on Wednesday.

In a new World Social Protection Report 2017-2019, entitled

Universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN International Labour Organization

(ILO) highlights how this protection gap is an obstacle to reaching globally-agreed targets on promoting growth and development and protecting the planet.

ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said that although many countries had improved social protection for their citizens in recent decades, much more investment and political is needed to extend coverage.

“The lack of social protection leaves people vulnerable to ill-health, poverty, inequality and social exclusion throughout

their lifecycle. Denying this human right to four billion people worldwide is a significant obstacle to economic and social development,” he warned.

Indeed, speaking to journalists in Geneva, he said that social security protection is a basic human right, and “when people don’t have it, governments reap the benefits.”

Today however, Mr. Ryder explained that only 45 per cent of the global population have access to at least one social benefit, and only 29 per cent have comprehensive protection.

“In 2017, this global lack of social protection, I think, should be regarded as being completely unacceptable […] and that means that the aggregate level of public expenditure on social protection needs to be increased to extend social protection coverage particularly in Africa, in Asia and the Arab countries where marked under-investment in social protection prevails,” he said.

Despite a slight improvement in welfare coverage since 2015 around the world, much more investment by governments will be needed to extend protection to all; not least the 1.3 billion children who have no cover whatsoever.

ILO says this is particularly true in rural areas, where 56 per cent of people lack health coverage, compared to 22 per cent in towns and cities.

Some countries are already tackling the problem by offering simplified tax returns to workers previously in the informal sector.

Once on the government’s books, contributions from these workers help pay for maternity leave, job-seekers’ allowance, disabilities benefit and care for senior citizens.

The evolving world of work and technology has also provided new opportunities to extend social protection, ILO says.

In Uruguay, for example, e-taxi provider Uber’s drivers can download a phone application which automatically deducts their social security charges.

Elsewhere, ILO warns that progress in welfare protection risks being pushed back – the result of fiscal savings put in place after the global economic crisis.

Ronda (right), who has been living in the open, washes clothes in the

UN Protection of Civilians Site that houses thousands of displaced

people in Wau, South Sudan. Photo: UNICEF/Ohanesian (file)

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This is likely to be the case in Europe, the agency’s Isabel Ortiz warns, where pensioners in 19 countries face lower benefits by 2060.

“You have to balance equity with sustainability,” she told journalists.

On Day of Solidarity, UN reaffirms two-state solution as only answer to ‘question of Palestine’

29 November – The Question of Palestine is inextricably linked with the history of the United Nations and is one of the longest-standing issues on the Organization's agenda, United Nations Secretary-General António said in his message commemorating the International

Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Seventy years since General Assembly Resolution 181 was adopted, a sovereign and independent State of Palestine has yet to emerge alongside the State of Israel.

“I remain convinced that the two-state solution is the only one for

a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The resolution of this conflict would also create momentum for greater stability throughout the region,” stated Mr. Guterres.

Recalling his August visit to Israel and Palestine, the UN chief said leaders on both sides restated their commitment to a negotiated peace.

"I encourage them to tangible challenge this commitment and create conditions for a meaningful negotiation. The recent positive developments in intra-Palestinian unity should be taken up by the leadership,” he asserted.

The Secretary-General also reiterated his readiness “to work with all stakeholders, including the Middle East Quartet and countries in the region, to support a serious political process, drawing on all under UN resolutions, international law and agreements, that will achieve a two-State solution, end half a century of occupation and resolve all final status issues.”

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed read Mr. Guterres’ message at a Special Meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, before adding her own words.

Ms. Mohammed observed that for 70 years the UN has gathered on 29 November to support the Palestinian right to self-determination and independence and the establishment of a Palestinian State.

“Ending illegal Israeli settlement activity and demolitions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is crucial to the viability of a future Palestinian state and to realizing the legitimate national and historic aspirations of both

people. Eliminating violence and incitement is essential to building trust,” she told the participants.

Ms. Mohammed stressed that with crumbling infrastructure, chronic unemployment and a paralyzed economy, Gaza is in a state of constant humanitarian emergency.

“This unsustainable reality demands urgent humanitarian, economic and political measures to support the Palestinian population. We must not leave women, children and youth behind,” she asserted.

“Ending the occupation and achieving a two-state solution is the only path to enduring peace between Israelis and Palestinians. There is no other option,” emphasized Ms. Mohammed.

Miroslav Lajvak, President of the General Assembly at the special meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of

the Palestinian People in observance of the International Day of

Solidarity with the Palestinian People. UN Photo/Kim Haughton

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For his part, General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak underscored that the situation needs full-time attention that extends beyond humanitarian support, to facilitate a peaceful resolution.

“I firmly believe that a two-state solution is the only answer to what we call the question of Palestine,” he underscored.

According to Mr. Lajcak, the international community must support conditions conducive to a successful peace process. In addition to immediately halting settlement expansion, other actions encompassed the cessation and condemnation of all acts of violence, including terrorism, as well as the incitement to these acts.

“When it comes to the question of Palestine, we have a responsibility and we have an interest. Palestinian people do not need our sympathy – they deserve our solidarity,” he declared.

Libya’s planned transit centre would keep migrants from risky Mediterranean crossing – UN agency

29 November – The United Nations refugee agency has welcomed the decision by the Libyan authorities to set up a “transit and departure facility” in Tripoli for refugees and migrants in need of international protection – an initiative that offers viable alternatives to their dangerous journeys along the Central Mediterranean route.

“We hope that thousands of the most vulnerable refugees currently in

Libya will benefit from this forward-looking initiative,” said

Roberto Mignone, Libya Representative of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The initiative, which is supported by the Italian Government, will facilitate the transfer of thousands of vulnerable refugees to third countries.

Mr. Mignone added that the main objective is to speed up the process of securing solutions in third countries, particularly for unaccompanied and separated children and women at risk. These solutions will include resettlement, family reunification, evacuation to UNHCR-run emergency facilities in other countries, or voluntary return.

At the facility, UNHCR staff and partners will provide registration and live-saving assistance such as accommodation, food, medical care and psychosocial support.

In September, UNHCR called for an additional 40,000 resettlement places to be made available for refugees located in 15 countries along this route. So far, only 10,500 pledges have been made.

“We now need EU member States and others to step up with offers of resettlement places and other solutions, including family reunification slots,” said Mr. Mignone. “Together, these will be an important platform for securing solutions for these vulnerable people, based on shared responsibility.”

Migrants at a detention centre in the city of Zawiya, Libya. Photo:

Mathieu Galtier/IRIN

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Malaria response at ‘crossroads,’ risks backward slide – UN

29 November – After unprecedented global success in controlling malaria, progress has stalled, the United Nations health agency reported Wednesday, citing an estimated five million more cases in 2016 than in 2015, and around 445,000 deaths.

The 2017 World Malaria Report presents a comprehensive state of

play in global progress in the fight against malaria.

“In recent years, we have made major gains in the fight against malaria,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of

the World Health Organization (WHO).

“We are now at a turning point. Without urgent action, we risk going backwards, and missing the global malaria targets for 2020 and beyond,” he added.

The WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria calls for reductions of at least 40 per cent in malaria case incidence

and mortality rates by the year 2020. Yet, according to the new report, the world is not on track to reach these critical milestones.

A major problem is insufficient funding, resulting in major coverage gaps for insecticide-treated nets, medicines and other life-saving tools.

In 2016, a $2.7 billion investment in malaria control efforts was well below the global $6.5 billion required annually by 2020 to meet the 2030 targets of the WHO global malaria strategy. Providing $800 million, governments of endemic countries represented 31 per cent of the total funding.

Probing the numbers

The report shows that, in 2016, there were an estimated 216 million cases of malaria in 91 countries – up from 211 million

cases in 2015 – with a global malaria death tally estimated at 445,000 compared to 446,000 the previous year.

While the rate of new cases of malaria has fallen overall, since 2014 the trend has levelled off and even reversed in some regions. Malaria mortality rates followed a similar pattern.

The African region continues to bear an estimated 90 per cent of all malaria cases and deaths worldwide, with 15 countries – all but one in sub-Saharan Africa – carrying 80 per cent of the global malaria burden.

“Clearly, if we are to get the global malaria response back on track, supporting the most heavily affected countries in the African region must be the primary focus,” said Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

In most malaria-affected countries, sleeping under an insecticide-treated bednet (ITN) is the most common and effective infection-prevention method. Spraying insecticide inside homes is also effective.

While the African region has seen a major increase in diagnostic testing in the public health sector – with 70 per cent of those treated having received artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), the most effective antimalarial medicines – access to the public health system in many areas remains low. National-level surveys there show that only about 34 per cent of children with a fever see a public health medical provider.

The report also outlines additional challenges in the global malaria response, including the risks posed by conflict and crises in malaria endemic zones. WHO is currently supporting malaria responses in Nigeria, South Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen,

A woman putting up a mosquito bednet in Tanzania. Photo: WHO S.

Hollyman

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where ongoing humanitarian crises pose serious health risks.

“We are at a crossroads in the response to malaria,” said Dr. Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme.

“We hope this report serves as a wake-up call for the global health community. Meeting the global malaria targets will only be possible through greater investment and expanded coverage of core tools that prevent, diagnose and treat malaria. Robust financing for the research and development of new tools is equally critical,” he asserted.

At the same time, Ray Chambers, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Health in Agenda 2030 and for Malaria noted that the report sends the clear message that progress does not happen by chance.

“The gains we have achieved in the fight against malaria since 2000 – nearly seven million lives saved, and hundreds of millions of infections averted – were accomplished through the concerted actions of many champions,” he pointed out.

He said that the commitment of community health workers to endemic country governments and their external partners has “positioned the global malaria response as one of the greatest public health achievements in the world.”

“However,” he added, “the data show that our progress is stalling and we risk reversing the hard-won gains. We must double-down on our commitments, bring new technologies to bear, and increase investments to bring us back on track to end malaria for good.”

UN aid chief spotlights challenges delivering relief inside war-torn Syria, urges continued support

29 November – The conflict in Syria – now into its seventh year, longer than World War II – continues to ratchet up misery on its people, with millions living in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, a third of the country’s children out of school, and over half of its health facilities rendered inoperable, the United Nations top relief official said today.

The situation is most dire in rural Damascus’ eastern Ghouta

(where 94 per cent of the besieged population is located), where fighting has seen a recent escalation and where, despite efforts of humanitarians, only about 100,000 out of an estimated population of 400,000 have received food assistance this year.

“The available evidence suggests severe acute malnutrition rates among children in eastern Ghouta have increased five-fold in the past ten months,” said Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief

Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, briefing the Security Council.

Deaths of people, especially children, from preventable can be prevented if aid convoys can be increased and made more regular, he expressed, adding: “Against this background, news over the last two days of a ceasefire in eastern Ghouta would be – if true and if sustained – important.”

In his briefing, the senior UN relief official also spoke of the recently released 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview for Syria as well as of increased displacement in north-west Syria, worsening fighting in north-east Syria, threats of explosive

remnants of war and improvised explosive devices and the precarious humanitarian access as a result.

“At the same time, new restrictions on access and aid delivery in the north-east are limiting access to a number of people we had previously been able to reach with help,” said Mr. Lowcock, noting that since 9 November, the UN has faced a series of

One of the manual water pumps around East-Ghouta serving as one

of the very few water sources in the besieged area. Water can be

unsafe as it is not tested nor purified. Photo: UNOCHA

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bureaucratic impediments imposed by the parties in the area resulting in the curtailment of humanitarian assistance for much of the past month.

Further, concerning delivery of aid, he also updated the Security Council of the efforts of UN actors to ensure aid reaches those that need it as well as of the challenges they face in the process.

“It is clear that each of the three modes of delivery [to Government-controlled areas, cross-line deliveries, and cross-border assistance] is critical for the people of Syria, and that there is complementarity between them. As needs remain high, it is important to preserve all means of access,” said the UN official, stressing that the renewal of the Security Council

resolution 2165 (2014), which authorized the UN and relief agencies to use the most direct routes for aid delivery is “essential to save lives.”

Concluding his briefing, Mr. Lowcock also told the Security Council that following consultations with the authorities, he plans to visit Syria in early January 2018 to assess the situation and to discuss assistance to those in need can be improved.

One in 10 medicines in developing countries substandard or falsified – UN health agency

29 November – Substandard or fake medicines that fail to prevent and cure disease – and could even cause death – are becoming more and more prevalent, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, calling on Governments to take urgent actions to tackle this global problem.

“Substandard and falsified medicines particularly affect the most vulnerable communities,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO

Director-General, said during the launch of the Global Surveillance

and Monitoring System report and a study on the Public health and socioeconomic impact in Geneva.

“These products do nothing but prolong sickness, waste money and erode hope. At worst, they kill, cause serious harm, and fan the flames of drug resistance,” Mr. Tedros Adhanom underscored.

According to the reports, anti-malarials and antibiotics are the most common substandard or falsified products. Others range from cancer treatment to contraception.

While most cases received are from Africa, WHO said the data is the tip of the iceberg as many more are unreported.

“Substandard or falsified medicines not only have a tragic impact on individual patients and their families, but also are a threat to antimicrobial resistance, adding to the worrying trend of medicines losing their power to treat,” said Mariângela Simão, Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines, Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals at WHO.

Progress has been made since 2013, with 550 regulators from 141 countries having been trained to detect and respond to this issue. As more people are trained, more cases are reported to WHO.

Substandard and falsified medicines not only have negative health impact, but they also cause socioeconomic problems due to the absence of good governance and weak technical capacity.

Globalization also makes it harder to regulate medical products, and online pharmacies can easily avoid quality control.

Calling it an “all-too-common” reality, Mr. Tedros Adhanom urged Governments to set prevention, detection and response

Counterfeit drugs at a market in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Photo:

IRIN/Brahima Ouedraogo

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into action.

“These commitments are not costs; they’re investments that protect businesses and markets, and the integrity of health systems,” he said, adding that “but more importantly, they’re investments in human capital.”

South Sudan: UN envoy condemns ‘horrific’ killings of civilians in Jonglei

29 November – The most senior United Nations official in South Sudan has condemned the “horrific” killing of some 45 civilians in the Jonglei region on Tuesday when a Murle ethnic group attacked a Dinka village.

“I utterly condemn these killings and the abduction of some 60

women and children which accompanied these attacks,” said David Shearer, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and head of the UN Mission in the country, known as UNMISS.

The attack left 19 people wounded.

“I urge the leaders of both communities to reign in the youth, show restraint and to put an end to the cycle of revenge killings. It is crucial that the national and local authorities support the community leaders and work to bring the perpetrators of all attacks to account,” he added.

Since 2013, the Murle and Dinka communities in Jonglei, which is in the central part of the country, have been engaged in long-standing inter-ethnic violence that has operated outside the wider political conflict in South Sudan.

“The perpetrators of this violence have undermined the ongoing peace and reconciliation efforts that [UNMISS] has supported in Jonglei,” Mr. Shearer said.

“The engagement that UNMISS has had with both communities has shown that the vast majority of people want to end the destructive pattern of revenge attacks,” he underscored.

The dead included humanitarian workers who, according to Mr. Shearer, were “working selflessly for the people of Jonglei.”

Their deaths, he added, are “pointless and utterly contemptible.”

An armed individual in the town of Pibor, in Jonglei state. Pibor has

seen violent clashes and confrontations that have resulted in displacement as well as destruction of livelihood and property. (File

photo) OCHA/Cecilia Attefors

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Lack of jobs, money for rent, add to woes in conflict-affected eastern Ukraine, says UN agency

29 November – As temperatures plummet across eastern Ukraine, many – including the elderly – who fled their homes following hostilities are forced to return to their original place of residence due to lack of jobs and money to pay rent in the places they were sheltering, the United Nations migration agency has reported.

According to a survey conducted by the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), about 70 per cent of the returnees said that they were going back to their homes because they do not have to pay rent there as have to elsewhere.

“Over half of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning are over the age of 60, and most are pensioners,” said IOM in a news release Tuesday, announcing the findings.

“This heightens their vulnerability as the pension is linked to

their [displaced] status and residence in the government-controlled area.”

Almost two-thirds of those surveyed also reported that their income only covers their food needs. The average monthly income per IDP-household member (about $87) in the non-government-controlled areas is well below the subsistence level (about $113) calculated by the Ministry of Social Policy.

Overall, 16 per cent of respondents surveyed in the latest round, in September, stated they returned to their original place of residence, a three per cent increase on the previous round.

Further complicating the matters is the difficulty for relief actors to reach many parts of the affected region.

“Access to deliver humanitarian aid […] remains of paramount importance to ensure that support is provided to the most vulnerable individuals throughout eastern Ukraine,” said Thomas Lothar Weiss, the head of IOM operations in Ukraine, on a visit the eastern region last week.

“We intend to keep up [the assistance] during the difficult winter months, especially to vulnerable populations near the contact line between the Government and non-government-controlled areas,” he added.

Since the outbreak of conflict in 2015, IOM has provided assistance to nearly 200,000 internally displaced persons and conflict-affected people.

The UN agency has also been conducting surveys on the situation of IDPs in Ukraine on a regular basis since March 2016. In the latest round, some 1,025 IDPs were interviewed in person and more than four thousand were interviewed by phone across the country.

Displaced families and the elderly in Ukraine line up for WFP food vouchers, which enable them to obtain food including milk, fresh

fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat. Photo: WFP/Abeer Etefa

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Antalya: South-South cooperation can spur great humanitarian, development impact – UN relief official

29 November – With actors from the Global South increasingly among the frontline responders in fragile and protracted crises, fully leveraging the comparative advantage of South-South cooperation has the potential to have great humanitarian and development impact, a senior United National relief official said Wednesday.

This message was delivered by Ursula Mueller, the Assistant

Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, to the final Leadership Roundtable of the Global South-South Development Expo 2017, which is under way in Antalya, Turkey.

“Southern actors respond as donors, hosts, operational and technical partners. They lend a crucial perspective for oftentimes they have faced similar challenges and know all too well that saving lives is just the first of many steps,” said Ms. Mueller as she co-chaired the discussion, under the theme ‘South-South Cooperation for Peace,

Prosperity and Partnership: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need – Advancing the 2030 Agenda in Crisis Contexts.’

Ms. Mueller is participating in the 2017 Global Expo along with other senior UN officials, government ministers, national development agency directors, and civil society representatives, who have gathered to share innovative local solutions and push for scaling up concrete initiatives from the Global South to achieve the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“South-South Cooperation is about saving livelihoods and sustainable solutions. It is about offering a helping hand to nations as equal partners. And it is about sharing experiences and lessons learned, knowledge and technical expertise,” noted Ms. Mueller, who is also the UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator.

This year, the UN global humanitarian appeal reached $24 billion to help 145 million people. “Even though donors contributed $11 billion so far this year, the funding gap remains wide,” warned Ms. Mueller.

Nine UN agencies, with support from the World Bank, adopted the New Way of Working at the Istanbul World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016.

“The New Way of Working aims to transcend the divide between short-term humanitarian action and long-term development by fostering closer collaboration between humanitarian and development actors in fragile contexts – where conditions allow – so that we not only save lives, but also reduce need and build resilience,” emphasized Ms. Mueller.

Following her visit to Antalya, Ms. Mueller will go to Gaziantep, the largest and most populous city in southern Turkey, which has hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees who have fled from Syria.

“In Gaziantep, I will have opportunity to see close to the Syrian border how the humanitarian operation is working,” Ms. Mueller told UN News.

“There are still 13 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria. We as humanitarians have to keep every possibility open for access to Syrians inside Syria. And we are grateful for the support by the Turkish Government to enable cross-border operations,” she said.

In 2016, Turkey was the world’s second largest humanitarian donor and most generous country in terms of ratio to its national income, spending $6 billion on humanitarian assistance. Turkey now hosts 3.2 million refugees from Syria.

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ursula

Mueller, co-chairs a roundtable discussion at the Global South-South Development Expo 2017 in Antalya, Turkey. Photo: UN News/Maoqi

Li

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Ms. Mueller met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoglu in Antalya on the first day of the Global Expo and said the meeting provided an opportunity to thank the Turkish Government and Turkish people […] I commend them for the services, the protection they provide for the Syrian refuges,” she stated.

“With the Foreign Minister, I also raised the extension of Security Council resolution 2165 (2014) that provides modality

to deliver humanitarian assistance into Syria from Turkey. This is a very important way and entry point of humanitarian assistance into Syria. And it depends on the extension of the resolution. And I was requesting the Foreign Minister to use his influence and good efforts that he will do everything that is possible to support the extension of this resolution,” she explained.

On Tuesday, Ms. Mueller also visited Ankara, the capital city of Turkey, to meet with senior officials and Presidents of Turkish Red Crescent and AFAD, both of which have been playing an active role in providing humanitarian assistance in several the world’s humanitarian crises, including in Syria.

In Côte d'Ivoire, UN chief spotlights importance of AU-EU strategic partnership

29 November – The importance of regional organizations grows with every decade that passes as they are essential to face the difficult challenges that threaten the world, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Wednesday at the African Union-European Union Summit in Côte d'Ivoire.

“A strong and effective EU and a strong and effective AU are

essential pillars of global cooperation for peace and security,

development and human rights,” Mr. Guterres told the two organizations' fifth summit held in the capital, Abidjan. “We must continue to make progress on all simultaneously.”

Welcoming the AU-EU strategic partnership, the Secretary-General expressed the UN's commitment to support the efforts of these organizations and described how such cooperation takes place in Africa.

Three obvious examples of the importance of trilateral cooperation between the AU, the EU and the UN, are seen in Somalia, the Central African Republic and the Sahel.

“It is exactly ten years since the joint Africa-European Union strategy was adopted and the time has come to strengthen the links between the two continents,” Mr. Guterres said, noting that the two regions can enhance their cooperation in tackling some challenges facing migrants.

“When migration is done in an orderly and regulated way, migrants contribute positively to host countries and countries of origin. We will not put an end to the tragedies in the Mediterranean if we do not create significant opportunities for legal migration,” he said.

These two conditions are essential to effectively combat traffickers and smugglers of migrants.

First is to change the relationship with Africa and establish a new platform of cooperation that recognizes the enormous potential of this continent, and second is to increase joint efforts in conflict prevention and mediation.

Mr. Guterres argued that it is time to provide the appropriate means to regional organizations, including clear and strong mandates, accompanied by an evaluation mechanism and an adequate and predictable funding system.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres greeted by President

Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire at the start of the 5th AU-EU

summit. Photo: 5th AU-EU Summit

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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)

For instance, the AU and the UN, with EU support, can help the G5-Sahel countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger – deal with transnational threats and terrorism.

“We need a force with a mandate that lives up to these threats and sustainable funding,” he said, urging the Security Council to be ambitious in its choice on this issue.

Turning to sustainable and inclusive development in Africa, the UN chief stressed the importance of investing in youth and women's empowerment.

EU-AU-UN task force to protect migrants along Mediterranean routes

Earlier in the day, Mr. Guterres attended a trilateral meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative and Vice President of the European Council.

They agreed to put in place a joint EU-AU-UN Task Force to save and protect lives of migrants and refugees along the Mediterranean routes and in particular inside Libya, accelerating the assisted voluntary returns to countries of origin, and the resettlement of those in need of international protection.

The Secretary-General also met with Alassane Dramane Ouattara, President of Côte d'Ivoire to exchange views on the situation in the country and the sub-region. The Secretary-General reaffirmed the UN's commitment to continued support for the country in consolidating peace and inclusive and sustainable development, following the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping force.

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UN News UN Daily News - Welcome to the United Nations his briefing to the Council Wednesday evening, Mr. Feltman said that, according to the DPRK’s official news agency and various