Helicopter Crash in the Central African Republic & other topics- Daily Press Briefing

Noon briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:

-Helicopter Crash in the Central African Republic
-Secretary-General
-Afghanistan
-Libya
-Niger floods
-Bahamas
-UNICEF
-China
-Financial Contribution
Daily Noon Briefing:
Helicopter Crash in the Central African Republic
The UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic reports with sadness that a Mi-24 helicopter, with four Senegalese crew members on board, has crashed today while attempting an emergency landing due to bad weather near Bouar, located in the West of the Central African Republic.
Three peacekeepers died, while the fourth sustained severe injuries.
The helicopter was providing air support to an ongoing security operation by the UN Mission against an armed group in the Nana-Mambéré prefecture.
The Secretary-General, and the United Nations, extend their heartfelt condolences to the families of the fallen peacekeepers, as well as to the Government and people of Senegal.
A formal statement of the Secretary-General is expected later today.

Secretary-General
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the High-Level mid-term review of the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action, also known as the Samoa Pathway. He said that climate emergency represents the single biggest threat to the survival of small island States and called on the rest of the world to step up and invest in these communities so they can adapt and mitigate climate change’s impact.
The Secretary-General also addressed the opening ceremony of the 43rd annual meeting of Foreign Ministers of the G77 and China. He stressed that the group’s priorities are the United Nations’ priorities: eradicating poverty and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals ; winning the race against climate change and creating opportunities for young people; achieving gender equality and peace and human rights for all.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General will be speaking at a High-Level Event on Sudan. He is expected to say that the most striking element of the transition is that the drive for change has been led from the beginning by Sudanese men and women, especially young people from all sections of society.
Also in the afternoon, the Secretary-General will attend an unveiling ceremony called “Reaching for the Skies” with the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
And this morning, he also spoke at the opening of the Russian-Byelorussian exhibit in memory of former foreign minister Andrey Gromyko.
The Secretary-General said that the world is unquestionably a safer place thanks to Andrey Gromyko and his diplomatic work.