HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 19 JULY 2022
MOMENT FOR NATURE
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke, in a pre-recorded video message, at the Moment for Nature High-level Thematic Debate of the General Assembly. He said that nature and its benefits are deteriorating worldwide due to our way of life based on producing, consuming, discarding and polluting. But he added that since human activities are at the root of this planetary emergency, that means we also hold a key to the solutions.
Above all, he said, we must limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and he called for commitment at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt, we need commitments that will deliver a reduction of emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 so we can reach net zero emissions by mid-century.
He also called for countries to close the biodiversity finance gap of approximately $700 billion dollars a year by 2030.
Multilateralism can provide the answers we need, he said.
The Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed also spoke at the event.
HEATWAVES
The World Health Organization (WHO) today said that although they are aware of current interest in developing heatwave ranking systems, they have no immediate plans to start naming heatwaves.
However, the World Meteorological Organization Services Commission is considering the advantages and disadvantages of naming heatwaves. WMO – in line with its priority to save lives through accurate forecasts and early warnings – is currently working with partners to support the development of heat early warning systems, including the update of extreme heat related guidance and associated extreme heat risk communication strategies.
GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS
Yesterday afternoon, the General Assembly held a high-level event on the global food crisis. In his video remarks, the Secretary-General warned that our world faces a host of challenges — climate change, COVID-19, conflicts and rising inflation. He added that against this backdrop, food, energy and fertilizer prices are skyrocketing, aggravated by the war in Ukraine.
Taken together, the Secretary-General said, this is a recipe for economic hardship, social turmoil, and record levels of hunger. He noted that we face a real risk of multiple famines this year and next year could be even worse, but we can avoid this catastrophe if we act now.
The Secretary-General highlighted the need for immediately reintegrating Ukraine’s food production, and Russia’s food and fertilizer, into world markets, and keeping global trade open, as well as tackling the finance crisis in the developing world.
For her part, the Deputy Secretary-General said that we must also look farther afield to the pathways that will take us to longer-term, sustainable food systems. She emphasized that now is indeed the time to act together to align these initiatives, and support national pathways and action areas emanating from the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, convened by the Secretary-General, to accelerate action.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council is holding an open debate on children and armed conflict. As she presented the annual report of the Secretary-General on the topic, Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, said the abuses children were subjected to during the past year were as grievous as they were many.
She said the UN verified close to 24,000 grave violations, with over 19,000 child victims. The severity of armed violence in Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Ukraine, she added, has led the Secretary-General to include these situations to the children and armed conflict agenda.
And Catherine Russell, the Head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), also briefed the Security Council.
UKRAINE
Following the attack on Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, different parts of the country have also witnessed attacks in recent days. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has unconfirmed reports that the 15 July attack on Dnipro resulted in more than a dozen civilian casualties.
Dnipro hosts many of the 6.3 million internally displaced people and is a transit hub for people fleeing from hard-hit areas. The UN partners on the ground have also shared reports of attacks in southern Odeska, eastern Donetska and Kharkivska oblasts.
Across Ukraine, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission has so far verified more than 11,800 civilian casualties, including more than 5,100 people killed – 346 of whom were children. The actual number of civilian casualties is likely to be much higher.
The UN is extremely concerned about the growing number of reports of indiscriminate attacks affecting civilians. The parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Yesterday, in a telephone call, the Secretary-General spoke with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine. They discussed the ongoing negotiations aiming at exporting Ukrainian food products through the Black Sea without impediments.
AFGHANISTAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that, yesterday, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit in the provinces of Khost and Paktika in the Afghanistan’s east. Preliminary reports indicate that people have been injured, families displaced and houses damaged and destroyed, but we don’t know the full extent of the damage due to limited communications on the ground.
This latest earthquake’s epicentre was just 3 kilometres from the June 22nd earthquake.
Today, OCHA deployed a team to the district of Spera in Khost province to assess the needs there, while our partners have deployed mobile health teams to several places. The UN also continues to respond to needs following the June 22nd earthquake. To date, nearly 138,000 people have been reached with at least one form of assistance, including water and sanitation, food, health services, protection services and shelter.
As of July 14th, approximately $44 million has been pledged for the earthquake response, but we still need $66 million to help the 362,000 people in need.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
In the Central African Republic, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has allocated $15 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to urgently help 200,000 severely food insecure people.
The funds will go towards food assistance, nutrition, health care, water, sanitation, hygiene and protection.
Some 2.2 million people – or 36 per cent of the country’s population – do not have enough to eat.
Many of these people live in conflict-affected areas, where insecurity and displacement have reduced the availability of agricultural land and hampered people’s access to markets. The war in Ukraine is further aggravating the situation, with the prices of basic food items projected to increase by up to 70 per cent by August.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO/SOUTH SUDAN
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN and its partners have handed over a new radio network and a women’s hub to the community in Kigulube, South Kivu. The $1.5 million project, funded by the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund, was implemented by the Joint Human Rights Office of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and he United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The radio station will support communication to denounce violence and protect civilians, promote reconciliation and peacebuilding, and the rights of women. Alongside the station is a new building that will become a hub for women’s groups to tackle a myriad of challenges, particularly sexual and gender-based violence, and ensuring the referral of survivors to appropriate care.
Meanwhile, in South Sudan, our peacekeeping mission has funded a major renovation of a radio station in Bentiu. The network, which previously only reached 35 kilometres, has been upgraded to cover a 200 kilometer radius with a potential 600,000 listeners. The station will help people better understand the peace agreement and how it is being implemented.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Also from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Sunday, peacekeepers escorted 324 Congolese refugee children from Uganda to Rutshuru, in the North Kivu province, to allow them to take their final national school exams.
The operation was organized by the Peacekeeping mission, in consultation with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
THE AFRICA WE WANT
A special high-level dialogue on the theme “The Africa We Want: Reconfirming the Development of Africa as a Priority of the United Nations System" will take place tomorrow in the Trusteeship Council Chamber. This is a joint initiative by the Presidents of the General Assembly and the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The high-level event will include addresses from representatives of Governments, as well as provide a platform for a wide range of stakeholders from African regional and sub-regional institutions, women, youth groups, civil society, the private sector, academia, and the media.
The event will focus on thematic issues such as preparing for COP27 – an “African COP"; domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing and global partnerships for recovery and progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Ghulam Mohammad Isaczai of Afghanistan as his new Deputy Special Representative for Iraq in the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). Mr. Isaczai will also serve as Resident Coordinator and as UN Humanitarian Coordinator.
Mr. Isaczai succeeds Irena Vojáčková-Sollorano of Germany to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her leadership and dedicated service during her tenure.
Mr. Isaczai brings to this position more than 28 years of experience in preventive diplomacy and complex humanitarian, development, recovery and peace-building settings. He is currently serving as the ad interim Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Jordan.
