Noon briefing of 13 April 2022

The Secretary-General – together with the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, and Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – today launched a new report by the Global Crisis Response Group on the impact of the war in Ukraine on food, energy and finance.
The Secretary-General said the war is supercharging a three-dimensional crisis — food, energy and finance — that is pummeling some of the world’s most vulnerable people, countries and economies.
He noted all of this comes at a time when developing countries are already struggling with a slate of challenges not of their making — the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and a lack of access to adequate resources to finance the recovery in the context of persistent and growing inequalities.
We are now facing a perfect storm that threatens to devastate the economies of many developing countries, the Secretary-General said.
He pointed to two key findings of the report. First, the impact of the war is global and systemic, with as many as 1.7 billion people — one-third of whom are already living in poverty —now being highly exposed to disruptions in food, energy and finance systems that are triggering increases in poverty and hunger.
The Secretary-General said the report also clearly demonstrates that we have the capacity to cushion the blow of this three-dimensional crisis.

SECRETARY-GENERAL/DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The Secretary-General held a telephone conversation today with H.E. Mr. Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Secretary-General expressed concern over the resurgence of Mouvement du 23 mars (M23) activities in North Kivu Province, as well as the impact on the civilian population and humanitarian access.
The Secretary-General welcomed President Tshisekedi’s efforts to foster cooperation between the countries of the region. The Secretary-General reiterated the United Nations’ readiness to accompany initiatives supporting peace and security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region.

SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council held an open debate on conflict-related sexual violence. In her remarks, Pramila Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, reminded Council members that every new wave of warfare brings with it a rising tide of human tragedy, including new waves of war’s oldest, most silenced, and least-condemned crime.
Over the past year, she said, sexual violence continued to be committed as a tactic of war, torture, terrorism, and political repression. The report she presented covers 18 country situations, and documents 3,293 UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence committed last year. This, Ms. Patten said, represents a significant increase of some 800 cases compared with 2020.
Turning to the situation in Ukraine, she expressed grave concern about the mounting allegations of sexual violence and called for swift and rigorous investigations, to ensure accountability as a central aspect of deterrence, prevention, and non-repetition.
She concluded her remarks by saying that prevention is the best form of protection, including the prevention of conflict itself. Inaction is not an option, Ms. Patten said.

LIBYA
Under the auspices of the United Nations, the Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Libya, Stephanie Williams, launched today in Cairo the consultations of the Joint Committee of the House of Representatives and the High Council of State. Those consultations are intended to determine the constitutional basis for fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive elections.
Ms. Williams said in her opening remarks, “It is the belief of the Libyan public that the ultimate solution to the issues that continue to plague Libya is through elections, held on a solid constitutional basis and electoral framework that provides the guardrails for an electoral process which clearly defines milestones and timelines going forward.”
She told the delegates that they have a critical role to play in making their voices heard in support of the 2.8 million Libyan citizens who have registered to vote.

YEMEN
Hans Grundberg, the Special Envoy for Yemen, left Sana’a on Wednesday following a three-day visit where he met with the senior political leadership there. He said they had discussed progress on the implementation of the truce and all its elements, as well as ways to build on the truce as a step towards a comprehensive political solution to the conflict.
Mr. Grundberg said that since the truce came into effect on 2 April, we have seen a significant overall reduction in hostilities and no confirmed reports of airstrikes or cross-border attacks. We have also seen badly needed fuel ships coming into the ports of Hudaydah, which he hopes will contribute to resolving the fuel crisis in Sana’a.
During his meetings, the Special Envoy said he has stressed the importance of capitalizing on the unique potential that this truce brings. And he added that we will continue to work around the clock to support the parties in keeping their commitments to adhere to, sustain and strengthen the truce, and to engage constructively in finding a comprehensive solution to the conflict.

BURKINA FASO
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mahamat Saleh Annadif, travelled to Burkina Faso, as part of his office’s continued support to the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to help Burkina Faso emerge from the political, security and humanitarian crisis that is severely impacting the population there.
In Ouagadougou, Mr. Annadif was received by the President of the Transition, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. He also saw the former President, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
The Special Representative called on the transitional authorities to take all necessary measures to reach a consensual timetable that would allow a return to constitutional order in Burkina Faso. In line with the decisions of the last summit of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, Mr. Annadif also called on the transitional authorities to ensure the full and unconditional freedom of former President Kaboré.