HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 13 MAY 2024
SECRETARY-GENERAL/ GAZA
The Secretary-General was deeply saddened to learn of the death of a United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS) staff member and injury to another DSS staffer when their UN vehicle was struck as they traveled to the European Hospital in Rafah this morning.
The Secretary-General condemns all attacks on UN personnel and calls for a full investigation. He sends his condolences to the family of the fallen staff member.
With the conflict in Gaza continuing to take a heavy toll – not only on civilians, but also on humanitarian workers – the Secretary-General reiterates his urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and for the release of all hostages.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that ground incursions and heavy fighting continue to be reported in eastern Rafah, as well as Gaza city and the Jabaliya Refugee Camp.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reports that nearly 360,000 people have fled Rafah since the first evacuation order a week ago. Many of them have already been displaced multiple times already over the past seven months.
Meanwhile, evacuation orders issued on Saturday for northern Gaza, amid ongoing Israeli bombardment there, have resulted in the displacement of some 100,000 people so far.
The UN remains deeply concerned about the lack of protection for civilians – and the lack of safety for humanitarian operations. Civilians must be protected and have their basic needs met, whether they move or stay. Those who leave must have enough time to do so, as well as a safe route and a safe place to go.
The UN continues to advocate for concrete assurance and actionable measures to facilitate the safe and secure movement of humanitarian cargo, via all routes, into and throughout the Gaza Strip.
OCHA reports that as of today, the Rafah crossing remains closed – and there is a continued lack of safe and logistically viable access to the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the incursion into Rafah has jeopardized the provision of health services, access to health care, and the delivery of life-saving supplies.
WHO says that fuel shortages are also threatening the continuity of humanitarian efforts – saying that partners working on health care in Gaza require a minimum of 46,000 litres of fuel every day just for their operations. In case of an expanded military operation in Rafah, WHO warns there would be a heightened demand for fuel.
Further on Gaza, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, warned yesterday that the military offensive in Rafah spells further catastrophe for more than a million people who had been displaced to the city to escape fighting, disease and hunger elsewhere. Ms. Msuya was speaking at an aid conference on Gaza hosted by Kuwait over the weekend.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/KUWAIT
Yesterday in Kuwait, the Secretary-General met with Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait.
Through the Amir, the Secretary-General thanked Kuwait for its constructive and consistent role in promoting dialogue in the region and its contribution to humanitarian efforts, including about the situation in Gaza.
The Secretary-General also met with the newly appointed Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister discussed issues of mutual interest, including the situation in Gaza and Sudan. The Secretary-General thanked Kuwait for its support to the United Nations and contributions to peace in the region.
Later in the day, the Secretary-General was hosted for a working lunch with the Foreign Minister of the Kuwait, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya.
While in Kuwait, the Secretary-General also met with his Special Advisor,
Dr. Abdullah Al-Matouq, who had just taken part in United Nations’ 9th Conference for Effective Partnership and Information Exchange for Better Humanitarian Action. They discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The Secretary-General left for Oman on Monday afternoon.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in London today where she is taking part in the Google Zeitgeist event as a special guest speaker.
In her remarks, she emphasized the importance of collaboration between the public and private sector to scale up innovative and scalable solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals.
She also met with various stakeholders on the actions needed to accelerate the SDGs. The Deputy Secretary-General will return to New York tonight.
SECURITY COUNCIL/YEMEN
This morning, our Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, briefed Security Council members on the situation in Yemen. Speaking from Aden, where he had discussions with various interlocuters, Mr. Grundberg said he is encouraged by the constructive environment in which these discussions were conducted. He added that despite the challenges, he still believes that a peaceful and just solution remains possible.
For his part, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, spoke about the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen.
He expressed concern over the cholera outbreak. The majority of cases are in Houthi-controlled areas, where hundreds of new cases are reported every day.
He underscored that we and our partners are taking urgent action to stem the spread of the disease.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that, due to the quickly deteriorating security situation in the Kharkhiv region, local authorities - with the support of the UN and aid organizations - have evacuated nearly 6,000 people from the border area with the Russian Federation.
The Kharkiv region has experienced several waves of attacks in recent days, which have led to more civilian deaths and injuries, including children. There has also been massive destruction of civilian infrastructure. That’s also according to local authorities.
UN humanitarian partners have provided support and transportation to people being evacuated, complementing the efforts of national rescue and municipal services. They distributed food, water and hygiene kits, essential family supplies, arranged accommodation, and provided health and psychological support.
Meanwhile, people in Donetsk and Sumy regions, in the east and the north of country, also experienced attacks over the weekend and today. Local authorities and humanitarian partners on the ground said that homes and civilian infrastructure were damaged during the attacks.
In April alone, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine documented more than 700 civilian casualties and 47 attacks on energy infrastructure across Ukraine.
AFGHANISTAN
In a statement we issued over the weekend the Secretary-General said that he was saddened by the loss of life in flash floods in Baghlan Province, in the northeast of Afghanistan.
For its part, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that search-and-rescue operations continue with the support of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority. Casualty figures are expected to rise. Baghlan, Badakhshan and Takhar provinces are most affected, with Baghlan accounting for 80 per cent of the recorded deaths. Civilian infrastructure and agricultural land have also been damaged.
The UN, along with our partners, are coordinating with the de facto authorities on the response – 14 joint assessment teams have been deployed and humanitarian partners have identified available emergency stocks in the region.
On the health front, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and our partners deployed 27 mobile teams in Baghlan, Badakhshan and in Takhar provinces to support the response.
WHO dispatched 7 tons of medicine and medical supplies, including trauma and primary healthcare kits. Health partners also provided dozens of kits for pneumonia, acute watery diarrhoea, malnutrition and trauma.
The World Food Programme (WFP) dispatched more than 50,000 tons of food in Baghlan Province.
SUDAN
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, warned that Sudan is at a tipping point, amid more alarming reports from El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
In posts on social media, Mr. Griffiths said that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has told the parties how they should protect civilians from this carnage – and the UN now expects them to do what the world and international humanitarian law expect.
He warned that countless lives are at stake in El Fasher, which is home to some 800,000 civilians. Health care in the city is already coming under threat and medical supplies are running dangerously low in the Southern Hospital.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
In the Central African Republic, a conference is being held today in the capital, Bangui, to find sustainable solutions to reduce the insecurity and violence associated with the seasonal migration of cattle and people - also known as transhumance.
The conference is organized by the Central African authorities, in partnership United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic - and includes representatives from the Government, UN colleagues, as well as local leaders from the prefectures where the seasonal migration takes place.
The head of our peacekeeping mission, Valentine Rugwabiza, recalled that this topic is one of the five specific issues set out in the peace agreement, which underlines the need for "an efficient and equitable management system for transhumance, to make it a secure, peaceful and prosperous activity".
HAITI
In Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that people in some neighbourhoods of the capital, Port-au-Prince, are extremely vulnerable, with armed groups continuing to perpetrate coordinated attacks.
Last Friday, the commune of Gressier, south of Port-au-Prince, was attacked and several houses were set on fire. According to local authorities, an unknown number of residents were forced to flee. UN partners are conducting assessments both in Gressier and in nearby areas where people fled.
There are currently 362,000 internally displaced people – half of them children – in the country, with 160,000 of them in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince. According to the International Organization for Migration, between 8 March and 9 April, some 95,000 people fled the capital, 60 percent of them to the southern departments.
Despite the volatile situation, humanitarian organizations continue to provide emergency assistance to thousands of people in the capital and other areas of the country.
Since 1 March, the World Food Programme (WFP) has helped more than 800,000 people across the country through its school feeding, emergency and resilience programmes. The agency has distributed more than 825,000 meals to over 95,000 displaced people in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan zone.
WORLD WILDLIFE CRIME
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today released the third edition of its World Wildlife Crime Report, which says that wildlife trafficking has not been substantially reduced despite two decades of concerted action.
According to the report, seizures during the period between 2015 and 2021 indicate an illegal trade in 162 countries and territories, affecting around 4,000 plant and animal species. Wildlife crime is interconnected with the activities of large and powerful organized crime groups operating in some of the world’s most fragile and diverse ecosystems, from the Amazon to the Golden Triangle.
UNODC said that to tackle wildlife crime, more consistent enforcement to tackle both supply and demand, effective implementation of legislation, and stronger monitoring and research are needed.
