UN Chief in Tunisia & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (01 April 2019)

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Daily Press Briefing:
- Secretary-General in Tunisia
- DSG on Population and Development
- Cyclone Idai
- Brunei
- Mali
- Syria
- Peacekeeping
- World Autism Day
- Press Encounter
- Honour Roll
SECRETARY-GENERAL IN TUNISIA
The Secretary-General is on his way to Egypt from Tunisia, where he was over the weekend. He spoke yesterday at the Arab League Summit and appealed for the unity of the Arab world as a fundamental condition for peace and prosperity in the region.  The Secretary-General said he was encouraged by the recent progress in Libya towards convening the National Conference, adding “it is high time Libya achieves unified institutions and concludes transitional stages with general elections.” Regarding Syria, he stressed that the resolution of the Syrian conflict must guarantee the unity and territorial integrity of Syria, including the occupied Golan.
This morning, he visited the Bardo Museum in Tunis, where he laid a wreath to honour the victims of the 2015 terrorist attacks. He also met today with the President of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, Mohamed Ennaceur, and met with university students.
Speaking to the students about ongoing conflicts, especially in the Arab world, Guterres said the best way to prevent such conflicts from starting out was, not only investing in preventive diplomacy, but also investing in development, showing respect for human rights, having democratic institutions, and building societies that are based on tolerance.
He also had a meeting with the Tunisian President, Beji Caid Essebsi, and they spoke to the press afterwards, and the Secretary-General thanked Tunisia for its generosity and solidarity with Libyan refugees. And those remarks were issued.
During the visit, he also met with representatives of civil society who shared their views with him. He praised the role that civil society had played in the consolidation of the democratic transition in Tunisia and praised their resilience and perseverance.
He also inaugurated the new UN House, known as La Maison Bleue, and met with the UN team there.
On Saturday, he met with the Libyan Quartet and held a joint press conference afterwards and his Special Representative for Libya, Ghassan Salame, who was also present. And the Quartet brings together the UN, the African Union, the League of Arab States and the European Union.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Back here, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, spoke at the opening this morning of the 52nd session of the Commission on Population and Development. She said that, since the 1994 Cairo Conference on Population and Development, fewer persons are living in extreme poverty, the risk of maternal death has declined by more than 40 per cent, and primary education has expanded the horizons of millions of people. But, she added, there are gaps in implementation, and many challenges remain.
She also warned that our efforts on some Sustainable Development Goals are not keeping pace with population growth.  When we look at targets on poverty in the least developed countries, or on child marriage, or on people living in urban slums, she said that while the percentage of affected persons may be declining, the total number is rising.
And my guests in a short while will speak to you about the current Commission on Population and Development will be Ambassador Courtenay Rattray, the Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations and Chair of the 52nd session; Natalia Kanem, the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund; and John Wilmoth, the Director of the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (ECOSOC).
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