Report on biodiversity disappearance & other topics - Daily Briefing (22 February 2019)

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Daily Press Briefing:
Philippines
UNAUSA
Inter-Parliamentary Union
Deputy Secretary General Travels
Nigeria
South Sudan
Syria
Yemen
Biodiversity
Honour Roll

PHILIPPINES
The Secretary-General congratulates the Government of the Philippines, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, civil society groups and local communities on the establishment of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority today. This follows the confirmation on the 21 January and 6 February plebiscite on the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.This is a landmark achievement on the road to lasting peace in the Southern Philippines, as well as a historic occasion for all people from the Philippines.The United Nations will continue to support the Philippines in the implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, and to help build the capacity of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to achieve peace, democratic governance, and respect for human rights.
UNAUSA
This morning, the Secretary-General delivered the keynote address at the UN Association of the US Global Engagement Summit. He told some of the 1,500 participants that over the years, the US has played a critical role in helping provide multilateral answers to global challenges and stressed that today “we need the engagement of the US more than ever.”He also told the students that the UN needs them to tackle today’s most pressing challenges, including climate change, and he called on all of them to sound the alarm and highlight solutions for this issue. In a tweet, he asked them to share their climate action ideas with him.
INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION
Yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General spoke at the annual hearing of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations.
He said that, as a former parliamentarian himself, he has felt the heavy responsibility of representing people and trying to advance their aspirations.The Secretary-General said that, today, we live in a paradox, where global challenges are more connected but our response remains fragmented.He added that it is our duty as parliamentarians and at the UN to re-establish trust.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVELS
This evening, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed will head to Barcelona, Spain, to deliver a keynote address at the World Mobile Congress and to participate in meetings with CEOs. The Deputy Secretary-General will highlight the power of mobile technology as a tool for development and action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also while advocating for the need to bridge the digital divide, ensure gender parity and mitigate the social and environmental risks of new technologies.
On Monday, she will head to Madrid for meetings with senior Government authorities. During that time, Spain and the UN will announce a Joint Communiqué, which reflects Spain’s strong commitment to the implementation of the 2030 development agenda, specifically the UN Development System reform and the funding compact.On 27 February, the Deputy Secretary-General will proceed to Seville to deliver the closing remarks at the High-Level Event on Localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is co-hosted by Spain, Ecuador and Cape Verde, in collaboration with the Local 2030 initiative.
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