UNFPA’s State of the World Population Report 2019 & Other Topics - Daily Press Briefing

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
- Press Encounters Today
- Security Council
- Libya
- Venezuela
- International Labor Organization
- Syria
- Mexico
- UNESCO/ Reuters
- Myanmar
- Middle Class
- Honour Roll
PRESS ENCOUNTERS TODAY
I will be joined in a short while by Ramiz Alakbarov, the Director of UNFPA’s Policy and Strategy Division, who is here to brief you on UNFPA’s State of the World Population report 2019.
After that, around 12:30 p.m., there will be a joint press briefing by the President of the General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, and the Director General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Guy Ryder. And they will be here to brief you on the High-Level Meeting to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the ILO.
At 2 p.m., there will be a briefing by Ambassador Samuel Moncada, the Permanent Representative of Venezuela to these United Nations.

SECURITY COUNCIL
The Secretary-General attended this morning’s Security Council meeting on Venezuela, in which Council members heard from the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock.
After that, the Secretary-General met with the US Vice President, Mike Pence.
The Secretary-General will be returning to the Security Council this afternoon, where he will speak in closed consultations on Libya following his travels to Libya.

LIBYA
The Secretary-General continues to closely follow the situation in Libya. The Secretary-General remains very concerned about the continued fighting in and around Tripoli, where clashes are reportedly intensifying, with increased use of artillery and airstrikes. He reminds all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law to ensure the safety of all civilians. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and his leadership team, the leadership team from the UN Mission in Libya, remain in Tripoli and continue to engage in talks with local and international interlocutors in an effort to de-escalate the situation.
Ghassan Salamé, the head of the Mission, met today with the President of the Presidency Council, Fayez Serraj, and discussed the best way the UN can support Libya and its people at this critical period. In a statement yesterday, Mr. Salamé reiterated his commitment to convene the National Conference as soon as possible but that the security conditions need to be in place.
The UN Mission is working to address the humanitarian situation, including the need for emergency services to access those injured and civilians trapped in conflict areas. Our colleagues at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) say a further escalation of violence in and around Tripoli has led to an upsurge in displacement, with over 5,800 people having fled their homes.
Many Libyans and detained refugees and migrants are currently unable to flee the violence due to their proximity to the conflict, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The humanitarian community is extremely concerned by the use of explosive weapons in densely inhabited areas and continues to call on parties to the conflict to abide by their obligations under international law and to take all feasible precautions to spare civilian [lives and] infrastructure, including schools, medical facilities and power stations.
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