WORLD REFUGEE DAY 
Today is World Refugee Day, and this year’s theme is “Whoever. Wherever. Whenever. Everyone has the right to seek safety.” In a message for the Day, the Secretary-General notes that today, the global refugee population is at a record high, and that the war in Ukraine has triggered the largest and fastest displacement in Europe since World War II. 
The Secretary-General points out that together with the women, children, and men fleeing conflict elsewhere in the world, the total number of forcibly displaced people has reached 100 million – a grim indictment of our times. He stressed that the right to seek asylum is a fundamental human right and that people escaping violence or persecution must be able to cross borders safely. 
And as you have seen, this weekend, ahead of World Refugee Day, the Secretary-General visited refugee families from Iraq and Afghanistan who are now living in the New York area. His first stop was in Brooklyn and then he went to Queens.  
The Secretary-General recalled that when he led the UN Refugee Agency, there were twice as many resettlement opportunities available for refugees. He urged more States to open their borders to asylum seekers. He called on all to stand together in solidarity and defend the integrity of the international protection regime.  
For his part, Filippo Grandi, the High Commissioner for Refugees, emphasized that the world has a choice: either come together to reverse the trend of persecution, violence, and war, or accept that the legacy of the 21st century is one of continued forced displacement. We all know which is the right – and smart – thing to do, Mr. Grandi said.  

REFUGEES/FOOD RATION CUTS 
And as a sad note on World Refugee Day, the World Food Programme warned that further food ration cuts are imminent for refugees as humanitarian needs multiply around the world while funding struggles to keep pace. Ration cuts of up to 50 per cent are impacting three-quarters of all refugees supported by the World Food Programme in Eastern Africa. Refugees living in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda are the most impacted. 
Hamstrung by funding constraints, WFP is having to prioritize assistance to ensure that vital food reaches the most vulnerable families first. WFP said that these painful decisions very often leave refugees without support at a time when food assistance is the difference between life and death. In 2021, WFP assisted nearly 10 million refugees globally. 

UKRAINE 
From Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that intense hostilities were reported over the weekend, across Government and non-Government-controlled areas of the Donetska and Luhanska oblasts. In Donetska, hostilities and shelling were particularly intense since Friday, and while we could not verify the numbers, our partners on the ground and authorities from both sides indicate that dozens of houses and schools were destroyed in many settlements on both sides of the contact line. As parties to the conflict intensify military operations across Donetska, they are leaving behind dozens of dead or injured civilians, including in areas that had not previously experienced fighting. 
The situation is similar in Luhanska oblasts, where shelling, airstrikes and fighting are reportedly continuing to make life extremely difficult for people in Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk and other places in both Government and non-Government controlled areas. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that people caught up in the fighting are facing urgent needs with access to basic services - particularly water and healthcare – and that those basic services are limited, especially in Sievierodonetsk and Lysuchansk. 
Airstrikes and hostilities have also been reported this past weekend in northern and southern regions as well.  
As I said last week, the parties to the conflict have an obligation to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. We call on them to make sure that civilians in Ukraine, who have already gone through immense suffering, are not only spared but have the opportunity to receive assistance. We, along with our humanitarian partners, are ready to expand our presence even further, but we need the parties to do their part. 

SYRIA 
This afternoon the Secretary-General and the Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths will brief the Security Council at 3 pm, at a time when Resolution 2585, which authorizes cross-border operations in Syria, is up for renewal. 
The Secretary-General is expected to make an appeal to the members of the Council to maintain consensus on allowing cross-border operations, by renewing that resolution for an additional twelve months.  
And Mr. Griffiths will brief on humanitarian conditions in Syria, where 14.6 million people continue to need humanitarian help.  
 
SECURITY COUNCIL  
Also in the Security Council this morning Nicholas Haysom, the Head of our peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan, will brief you at the Security Council stakeout – they’re in consultations right now after an open meeting, so we will give you an announcement but he will stop by and take your question which I hope you will ask. And this morning as you may have hears he said that in the coming months, South Sudan will need national leadership, resources and a visible commitment by the country’s leaders to fulfil their responsibilities under the peace agreement and to take the necessary steps for the country to exit the transitional period. 
We have shared his full remarks with you – and he will answer your questions at the stakeout.
Also briefing was Ghada Eltahir Mudawi, OCHA’s Director of Operations and Advocacy, who briefed on South Sudan.  
She said that against a backdrop of profound economic challenges, the drivers of conflict and climate shocks have resulted in a dire humanitarian situation.  
When it gets as bad as in South Sudan, she said, the spectre of severe hunger and even famine results. 
 
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The UN peacekeeping mission there strongly condemns new attacks by the M23 against its own positions in Shangi, in the North-Kivu province. Our colleagues say that yesterday and today, the M23 has used at least nine mortars to directly target the Mission’s base.  
The Mission continues to support the Congolese Army in its fight against the M23 and to protect civilians impacted by the clashes, in line with its mandate, and in compliance with the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy. 
As the Heads of State of the Conclave are meeting today in Kenya, Bintou Keita, the Head of the peacekeeping mission, reiterated our support to national and regional efforts for peace and stability in eastern DRC, including through the Nairobi process. 
Also, in a message for the first International Day for Countering Hate Speech, Ms. Keita condemned the proliferation of hate speech in the context of renewed attacks by the M23 and called for those partaking in such behaviour to be brought to justice. She stressed that Congolese men and women – as well as people in all of the Great Lakes Region– need to stand together against violence and hatred. 
She also echoed the Secretary-General’s own call to all Congolese armed groups to participate unconditionally in the Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization Programme, and on armed foreign groups to immediately disarm and return to their countries of origin. 
And also on the DRC, you will have seen we issued a note to correspondents over the weekend.  
 
DRC HUMANITARIAN 
Staying in the same country, our colleague Bruno Lemarquis, the head of the humanitarian operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has also expressed his concern about spiralling violence in the East.  
Since the beginning of the year, 11 sites hosting internally displaced people in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu have been attacked by armed groups. In the Ituri Province alone, more than 200 displaced people have been killed in the last nine months.  
At least 15 health facilities and 58 schools have been targeted in armed attacks this year, over half of them in North Kivu Province.  
The Humanitarian Coordinator says that sites hosting displaced people are no longer safe havens as they should be. Respect for international humanitarian law is more important now than ever.  
Humanitarian needs are increasing but insecurity and limited funds are hampering aid operations. At least 116 security incidents directly affecting humanitarian staff or assets have been reported since January.  
The country’s Humanitarian Response Plan seeks $1.88 billion this year but is only 20 per cent funded. 
 
ETHIOPIA 
We were asked recently about report of killings in Ethiopia over the past couple of days. I can say that the Secretary-General condemns the reported killing of scores of civilians in Oromia this weekend. He reiterates his call for all hostilities to stop and for all actors to ensure the protection of civilians. Mr. Guterres urges the Ethiopian government to take urgent steps towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Oromia. 

MALI 
Turning to Mali, you will have seen that the Secretary-General strongly condemned yesterday’s improvised explosive device attack in the Kidal region against a convoy of the UN peacekeeping Mission conducting a search and detection operation for mines. 
One peacekeeper from Guinea was killed.  
The Secretary-General conveys his heartfelt condolences to the family of the victim, as well as to the people and Government of Guinea. 
The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. He calls on the Malian authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of the attack so that they can be brought to justice swiftly.  
The Secretary-General reaffirms the solidarity of the UN with the people and authorities of Mali in their pursuit of peace and security.

LIBYA 
Stephanie Williams, Special Adviser for Libya, you will have seen made a closing statement today at the end of the third and final round of negotiations between the Joint House of Representatives and High Council of State Committee on the Libyan Constitutional Track, which took place in Cairo. 
She said that the Joint Committee achieved a great deal of consensus on the contentious articles of the Libyan Draft Constitution but added that differences persist on the measures governing the transitional period leading up to elections. 
The Special Adviser calls upon the Presidencies of the two Chambers to meet within ten days at an agreed-upon location to bridge the remaining outstanding differences.                             
She said the UN remains committed to supporting all Libyan efforts to end the country’s long period of transition and instability through inclusive and transparent national elections at the earliest possible date, and to meet the aspirations of the nearly three million who have registered to vote.

AFGHANISTAN 
This morning, in a tweet, the UN Mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack that took place earlier today in a crowded bazaar in Nangarhar province, which killed and wounded scores of civilians, among them children. The UN Mission stressed that continuing attacks targeting civilians across Afghanistan must cease immediately. 
 
VIET NAM RESIDENT COORDINATOR 
Our colleagues in the UN Development Coordination Office tell us we have a new Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam following the agreement from the host government. Pauline Tamesis of the Philippines took up her new post as the Resident Coordinator. Resident Coordinators are leading our work on the ground to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals while continuing to coordinate our support to national authorities in responding to and recovering from the multifaceted impacts of the pandemic, with a focus on providing services to those most vulnerable, including refugees.