HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 26 APRIL 2022
RUSSIA
The Secretary-General met today in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin and, earlier, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The meeting with President Putin is just about to wrap up, right now.
Speaking to the press after meeting with the Foreign Minister, the Secretary-General reiterated his deep conviction that the sooner we end this war, the better – for the people of Ukraine, for the people of the Russian Federation, and those far beyond.
He warned that today, across the Donbas, a violent battle is underway with tremendous death and destruction. He expressed his concern about the repeated reports of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and possible war crimes, which require independent investigation for effective accountability.
Mr. Guterres said that we urgently need humanitarian corridors that are truly safe and effective and that are respected by all to evacuate civilians and deliver much-needed assistance. To that end, he has proposed the establishment of a Humanitarian Contact Group, bringing together the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United Nations, to look for opportunities for the opening of safe corridors, with local cessations of hostilities, and to guarantee that they are actually effective.
The Secretary-General said that the United Nations is ready to fully mobilize its human and logistical resources to help save lives in Mariupol.
He said his proposal is for a coordinated work of the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the Ukrainian and Russian Federation forces to enable the safe evacuation of those civilians who want to leave, both inside the Azovstal plant and in the city, in any direction they choose, and to deliver the humanitarian aid required.
UKRAINE/HUMANITARIAN
Also on Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues continued to receive reports of damage to houses and other critical civilian infrastructure due to intense shelling and fighting reported over the last couple of days in southern and central regions of the country, including Odeska, Poltavska, Vinnytska and Zaporizka oblasts. The intensification of hostilities in Donetska, Luhanska and Kharkivska oblasts is also reportedly impacting civilians and creating further obstacles for humanitarian operations.
We, along with our humanitarian partners in Ukraine, continue to call on the parties to enable their life-saving work, by guaranteeing the safe passage of aid workers and supplies to areas impacted by fighting.
PAKISTAN
On Pakistan, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Julien Harneis, strongly condemned today’s attack in Karachi University and is deeply saddened by the resulting loss of life.
He said attacks that deliberately target education, teachers, and places of learning are particularly condemnable and sent his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, both in Pakistan and in China.
MALI
Our colleagues in the peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) have intensified their security and protection activities in Ménaka and in the surrounding areas. This has been done in response to the marked deterioration of the security situation observed there in recent weeks. They are working in close cooperation with local Malian authorities.
More specifically, the Mission's military and police components, in coordination with Malian forces, conduct day and night patrols in Ménaka. Patrols are also conducted by UN peacekeepers in the immediate vicinity of Ménaka and beyond.
These patrols will be reinforced with the launch of additional operations that will significantly extend the reach of the MINUSMA force in support of the civilian population. Our colleagues note that this is in addition to the actions already in place in various locations in the so-called "three borders" area.
In addition, the Mission is supporting humanitarians to facilitate the delivery of much-needed assistance to the affected population. Our colleagues are also continuing their efforts to prevent and defuse inter-communal tensions.
Finally, a fact-finding investigation into human rights violations and abuses has been initiated. The abuses perpetrated against the civilian population will be documented and the related report made public. The aim is to identify the perpetrators and facilitate their prosecution.
The Mission reiterates its condemnation of the abuses committed against civilians, as well as the destruction of their property and livelihoods.
They say that current developments in the Ménaka region highlight not only the need for a stronger State presence, through the acceleration of the implementation of the peace agreement, but also the need to strengthen cross-border cooperation, given the regional nature of the security challenges facing the Sahel.
WESTERN SAHARA
We have received a clarification from our peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO), regarding a number of reports in Moroccan media outlets suggesting that Special Representative Alexander Ivanko stated that an air strike had hit a Frente Polisario convoy of vehicles that was transporting armaments. The Special Representative did not say this.
MINURSO was able to visit the site of the alleged attack on 13 April and found three vehicles – two trucks and one light vehicle – that appeared to have been hit by air-delivered munitions. MINURSO could not independently confirm if there were casualties in the incident. This information was duly reported to the Security Council on 20 April.
SYRIA
Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy for Syria, will brief the Security Council this afternoon on the situation in that country. He’ll be speaking by VTC from Geneva.
Joyce Msuya, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, is also scheduled to brief on the humanitarian situation in Syria.
COMOROS
From Comoros, our UN team, led by Resident Coordinator François Batalingaya, supported the delivery of the first batch of over 108,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Government of the United States, through COVAX.
This shipment will help authorities fully vaccinate more than 54,000 people between the ages of 12 and 17. Ahead of this arrival, UNICEF and the World Bank provided health authorities with ultra-cold chain freezers for the safe storage of vaccines.
The UN is also working on risk communication and community engagement aimed at parents and teenagers. More than 300,000 people in the country are fully vaccinated – that’s 37 percent of the population. The country is now aiming to reach 60 percent through this new vaccination effort, which is focusing on adolescents.
SAND
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today released a report which says that sand must be recognized as a strategic resource and its extraction and use need to be rethought.
UNEP said that sand is the world’s second most exploited resource, with 50 billion tons of sand and gravel being used each year.
The report warns that extracting sand from rivers, and coastal or marine ecosystems, can lead to erosion, salination of aquifers, loss of protection against storm surges, and impacts on biodiversity. This poses a threat to livelihoods through water supply, food production, fisheries, or to the tourism industry.
The report calls on governments, industries and consumers to price sand in a way that recognizes its true social and environmental value and for the development of an international standard on how sand is extracted from the marine environment.
More information on the report is online.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
I just want to flag that today is International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day.
Today is also World Intellectual Property Day. This year’s theme focuses on Intellectual Property and Youth Innovating for a Better Future.
HOLOCAUST
Our colleagues at the UN Outreach Programme on the Holocaust want to invite you to a book signing and discussion with Menachem Z. Rosensaft, author of “Poems Born in Bergen-Belsen”. He will be at the UN Bookshop tomorrow, at 1 p.m.
Menachem Rosensaft was born in 1948, in a camp for displaced people established near the Nazi concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen in Germany. He is the Founding Chairman of the International Network of Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and serves as the General Counsel and Associate Executive Vice President of the World Jewish Congress.
Limited seating will be available at the UN Bookshop, and the event will be live streamed on the Facebook page of United Nations Publications.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Last, I’d like to thank our friends in London who have paid their regular budget dues in full. Yes, we thank them very much indeed, and the United Kingdom’s contribution takes us to an even 88 Member States that are fully paid up.
BRIEFING TOMORROW
At 1:30 p.m., there will be a hybrid briefing here on the forthcoming 55th Session of the UN Commission on Population and Development. Speakers will include Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations and Chair of the fifty-fifth session of the Commission on Population and Development.
***The guest at today’s Noon Briefing was Ms. Mami Mizutori, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). She spoke to reporters about the the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction for 2022.
