HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2021
AFGHANISTAN
As winter approaches and temperatures drop in Afghanistan, the UN, along with humanitarian partners, are assessing and responding to the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable Afghans. Humanitarians warn that this year more than 678,000 people have been displaced and are at heightened risk of exposure to the harsh winter conditions. Overall, the humanitarian community aims to reach more than nine million people in need with an integrated winter response. For its part, the International Organization for Migration will provide shelter and non-food items for up to 7,000 people.
Humanitarian partners are also selecting beneficiaries, including female-headed households and hundreds of vulnerable families, to receive cash aid and non-food items in Kapisa, Parwan and Daykundi provinces.
While donors generously pledged $1.2 billion to the humanitarian response appeal for Afghanistan about six weeks ago, the Flash Appeal, which is seeking $606 million to help more than 11 million people through the end of this year is only 47 per cent funded at $286 million.
The UN calls again on Member States to allow the swift and unfettered movement of humanitarian supplies and personnel in and out of Afghanistan, and to provide humanitarian financial exemptions to allow funds to reach aid organizations in the country.
ETHIOPIA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that access to the northern parts of Ethiopia remains challenging. As mentioned previously, people there need urgent humanitarian assistance. In Tigray, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate due to the restrictions imposed on the delivery of humanitarian supplies into the region via the only route, and that is through Afar. That is the Semera-Abala-Mekelle road.
Since October 18th, there has been no movement of convoys with humanitarian supplies in the region, since October 18th. A reminder that an estimated 100 trucks with food, non-food items, and fuel are required in Tigray daily to meet critical humanitarian needs.
Fuel for the humanitarian response has not entered Tigray since August. Sixteen fuel tankers -each with a capacity of about 45,000 litres- remain idle in Semera.
Due to the severe fuel shortages, many humanitarian partners have been forced to significantly reduce or suspend their activities. That includes food deliveries and water trucking.
In addition to this, the suspension of the UN’s humanitarian flights that follows last Friday’s incident, also means that much needed cash cannot be transported into Tigray.
The humanitarian situation in Afar and Amhara regions is also deteriorating, as conflict expands in multiple locations and causes massive displacements of people, the disruption of livelihoods and food insecurity. Ongoing hostilities are blocking the delivery of humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of people in both regions.
SUDAN/SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council will hold closed consultations at 3 p.m. today on the Sudan. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan, Volker Perthes, will brief the Council from Khartoum.
The UN Mission in Sudan continues to encourage all of the parties to de-escalate tensions, maintain the constitutional partnership, and advance the political transition under the provisions of the Constitutional Document. And, the Secretary-General renewed his call this morning for the immediate release of all those who have been detained.
SUDAN/HUMANITARIAN
In Sudan, the UN is working with partners to provide life-saving assistance to nine million vulnerable people across the country.
It is critical that these operations continue unimpeded to prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation, and that people’s access to humanitarian assistance is ensured wherever they are, including access to medical facilities.
From January to June, humanitarian organizations reached 7.4 million people in Sudan with protection and humanitarian assistance.
The UN also call for continued international support to Sudan’s 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan, which is seeking $1.9 billion, but is only 30 per cent funded.
SOUTH SUDAN
The Peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has organized a workshop in collaboration with the Eastern Equatorian State Technical Committee on the topic of children associated with parties to armed conflict – also known as - child soldiers. Around 25 commanders of the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-iO) attended the workshop, which focused on international humanitarian law and human rights principles.
Meanwhile, in Saura and Sakure, in Western Equatoria province, the UN MIssion handed over two newly constructed police posts to improve law and order in the area. The posts will help to ensure that law enforcement personnel have adequate office spaces; that prisoners can be held properly in cells without compromising their human rights and dignity. The police posts also have dedicated spaces for women to report crimes.
CLIMATE
The Secretary-General spoke at the High-Level Meeting on Delivering Climate Action – for People, Planet and Prosperity, convened by the President of the General Assembly.
He said that the General Assembly — and governments around the world — face a moment of truth as leaders will be put to the test at COP26 in Glasgow in six days. Their actions — or inactions — will show their seriousness about addressing this planetary emergency. And he said, adding that if governments — especially the G20 governments — do not stand up and lead efforts on climate action, we are headed for terrible human suffering.
All countries need to realize that the old, carbon-burning model of development is a death sentence for their economies and our planet.
And earlier today, in the press briefing room, the Secretary-General launched the UNEP Emissions Gap report, along with the Executive Director of UNEP, Inger Andersen. Those remarks were shared with you.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/HATE SPEECH
The Secretary-General also spoke at the virtual Global Ministerial Conference on Addressing Hate Speech Through Education. He pointed out that he called for the conference because the issue of hate speech cuts to the heart of the polarization and divisions plaguing our world.
He said that hatred takes root in the soil of ignorance - ignorance of historical facts and ignorance of science. He noted that from the horrors of the Second World War to the Rwandan, Bosnian and Cambodian genocides, hate speech was a precursor to the worst atrocities of the 20th century.
The Secretary-General added that today, social media provides a global megaphone for hate and that hatred is a danger to everyone — and so fighting is everyone’s business.
COVAX/Latin America
A couple of COVAX updates, this one from Latin America.
Bolivia has received one million COVID-19 vaccines through a US donation to COVAX, and we thank them. The vaccines will be used to vaccinate about 500,000 young people, 16 to 17 years old, who are returning to school. With this shipment, Bolivia has now received over 3.4 million vaccine doses through COVAX.
And in neighboring Peru, the country received 79,200 doses of COVID vaccines from a Spanish donation to COVAX, and we thank Spain. So far, the country has received over 2.6 million doses through COVAX since March. Peruvian health authorities said that in total, more than 33.5 million doses have been administered, and 53% of the population is vaccinated.
For its part, Colombia has received over 2.2 million doses of COVID vaccines through COVAX. They will be used as first, second and booster doses. To date, the country has received close to 11 million vaccine doses through COVAX.
And lastly, Nicaragua received 625,000 vaccines doses from Spain, we thank them. And that was also through COVAX, bringing the total number of vaccines the country has received to more that 2.4 million.
COVAX/Egypt
Egypt has received its third COVAX shipment of 1.4 million doses, for a total of 4.6 million doses received so far from the United States, and we thank them. This shipment is part of more than eight million vaccines that the U.S. is planning to send to Egypt until the end of the year. So far, COVAX has provided more than 12 million doses of vaccines in Egypt.
NOON GUEST TODAY
The guest at the Noon briefing was Mary-Ellen McGroarty, the World Food Programme Country Director for Afghanistan. She briefed reporters from Kabul on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) for Afghanistan.
BRIEFINGS TOMORROW
Tomorrow at 9.30 a.m., there will be a hybrid press briefing on the launch of UNDP’s climate and inequality campaign, with Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator; along with Aissa Maiga, who is an actor; Nikiloj Coster-Waldau, also an actor and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador; and Anjali Kwatra, UNDP Director of Communications.
Then at noon, the guest will be Yasmine Sherif, the Director of Education Cannot Wait - the UN global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises.
