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Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
- Indigenous Peoples' Day
- Nagasaki Message
- Yemen
- Cyprus
- Ebola
- Rohingya Refugee
- Widad Franco

Indigenous Peoples' Day
Today is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, said this is an opportunity to acknowledge the diversity and wealth of knowledge that indigenous peoples possess, and to recognize the richness they bring to humankind. 
In her opening remarks at an event held by DESA here in New York, she said that indigenous women and men are advocating for sustainable livelihoods from one generation to the other, defending biodiversity and the integrity of ecosystems and raising the alarm over the growing impacts of climate disruption.
She also stressed that almost half the world’s estimated 6,700 languages are in danger of disappearing. Most of these belong to indigenous peoples. With every language that disappears, the world loses a wealth of tradition, knowledge and cultural heritage, she said.
Her full remarks are online.

Nagasaki Message
In a message to the Nagasaki Annual Peace Ceremony, the Secretary-General paid tribute to the victims and survivors of the nuclear bombing of that city that took place on this date in 1945.
He said he was profoundly moved when he took part in the ceremony last year, noting that the testimony of the hibakusha touched his heart, along with their devotion to ensuring that the great tragedy that befell Nagasaki is never visited upon any other.
The Secretary-General pointed out that the nuclear danger persists, calling on the international community to join forces to safeguard the security benefits that existing treaties bring to all of us.
He stressed that the only true guarantee against the use of nuclear weapons is their total elimination. This remains the United Nations’ – and the Secretary-General’s – highest disarmament priority.
The message was delivered by Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon...

Informal comments to the media by:

- H.E. Mr. Abdallah Yahya Al-Mouallimi, Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations and Chair of the Arab Group for the month of July 2019

- H.E. Mr. Abdullah Al-Saadi, Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations and Chair of the Arab Group for the month of June 2019

- Mr. Saud Alshamsi, Chargé d' affairs a.i., Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations and Chair of the Arab Group for the month of August 2019

- H.E. Mr. Maged A. Abdelaziz, Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations