Democratic Republic of the Congo & Other Topics - Daily Press Briefing (10 January 2020)

Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

- Secretary-General's Travels,
- Senior Official Travels,
- Haiti,
- Security Council,
- Libya,
- Democratic Republic of the Congo,
- Ethiopia,
- El Salvador,
- Olympics,
- Financial Contribution

SECRETARY-GENERAL'S TRAVELS
The Secretary-General tomorrow will take part in a ceremony in Lisbon to kick off that city’s designation as European Green Capital. The title, awarded by the European Commission, aims to honor cities that are leading the way towards environmentally friendly urban living.
The ceremony will also mark the beginning of a decade of climate action to achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement. In another event linked to Lisbon’s designation as 2020 European Green Capital, the Secretary-General will attend the inauguration of an interactive installation titled “One” and taking place at the Lisbon Oceanarium. It is worth noting that the 2020 UN Ocean Conference will also be held in Lisbon in early June.
The President and Prime Minister of Portugal, the Mayor of Lisbon, the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, the Vice-President of the European Commission and others will also take part in the events.
Then, on Monday, 13 January, the Secretary-General will travel to Pau in France to attend a working dinner hosted by President Emmanuel Macron as part of a summit with the leaders of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, otherwise known as the G5 Sahel countries. Josep Borrell of the European Union, Charles Michel of the European Council, the African Union’s Moussa Faki, and Louise Mushikiwabo from the International Organization of the Francophonie are also expected to attend the dinner. The dinner aims to address the crisis in the Sahel by strengthening international engagement and collaboration on security, humanitarian and development issues.
The Secretary-General will be back in New York on Tuesday.

SENIOR OFFICIAL TRAVELS
Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, will arrive in Dakar in Sengal on Sunday, ahead of a week-long visit that will take her, not only to Senegal, but also to Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Nigeria and Burkina Faso.
In meetings with national and regional leaders, Ms. DiCarlo will discuss the security, political and humanitarian situation in the region and explore ways on how the UN can enhance its support to tackle challenges to peace, security and stability, including the fight against terrorism.

HAITI
Ten years ago, on Sunday, at 4:53, about 35 seconds of violent tremor changed the face of Haiti.
In a video message released today, the Secretary-General paid tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Haitians who lost their lives and to the millions more who lost their homes, family members and so much more in the devastating earthquake. He also honoured the memories of our 102 UN colleagues who lost their lives that day and renewed the UN’s commitment to help Haiti and its people build a brighter future.
In Port-au-Prince, on Sunday, all UN staff have been invited to attend a commemorative ceremony to be held at the site of the Christopher Hotel, which, as you will recall, was the hotel that housed the UN peacekeeping mission’s headquarters and that hotel collapsed during the earthquake. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča will be the senior official from New York representing the UN at this ceremony and other commemorative events organized by the Haitian Government.
Next week, there will be a number of other events to mark the anniversary. On Monday, in Tunis, the UN will inaugurate the Hedi Annabi hall, honoring the memory of the head of the UN peacekeeping mission, Hedi Annabi, who died in the collapse of the Christopher Hotel. As you will recall, Mr. Annabi was also a longtime Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations here in New York.
And in Geneva, on Wednesday, there will be another commemoration at the Palais des Nations, with, among other participants, Haiti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
And lastly, on Friday next week, 17 January, the Secretary-General will take part in a ceremony here which will include representatives of the countries who lost [citizens] their lives in the earthquake. Those wishing to pay their respects will also be able to visit the memorial relocated from Haiti to the North Lawn to honour the memory of all of our colleagues who died that day 10 years ago.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/conte....nt/noon-briefing-hig