HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 12 AUGUST 2022
SECRETARY-GENERAL/MALI
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist attack against the Malian Armed Forces in Tessit, in Ansongo region, that took place on 7 August. That attack resulted in a high number of casualties and loss of life. He expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the people of Mali, who continue to pay a high price in their continued fight against terrorism. He wishes a swift recovery to those injured.
The Secretary-General reiterates the commitment of the United Nations, including through the peacekeeping mission in Mali, to support efforts aimed at restoring peace and stability in Mali.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
The Secretary-General is on his way back to New York from the Republic of Korea, and he should be landing late today.
This morning in Seoul, the Secretary-General met with President Yoon Suk Yeol and then with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Park Jin. He thanked the President for his invitation to the Republic of Korea and for the rich discussions they had on non-proliferation, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the NPT Review Conference and climate action, among other topics. In a Tweet, the Secretary-General underscored that the Republic of Korea's strong commitments are a solid contribution to peace among nations and peace with nature.
BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE
The UN-chartered vessel Brave Commander is expected to berth shortly at Ukraine’s Yuzhny (Pivdennyi) port to collect Ukrainian wheat purchased by the World Food Programme (WFP). This is the first shipment of humanitarian food assistance under the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
The vessel departed Istanbul on 10 August after clearing the inspection regime by the Joint Coordination Centre. The Brave Commander will discharge its wheat in Djibouti, after clearing the JCC protocols in Istanbul on the outbound trip. The wheat will go to the World Food Programme’s operations in Ethiopia, supporting the Horn of Africa drought response as the threat of famine stalks the drought-hit region.
It is one of many areas around the world where the near complete halt of Ukrainian grain and food on the global market has made life even harder for the families already struggling with rising hunger.
CUBA
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, announced yesterday the allocation of an emergency cash grant of $100,000 for lifesaving relief items following the fire in Matanzas, Cuba. The grant will be channeled through the UN offices in Cuba.
Authorities in the country have been fighting a raging fire in an oil depot in Matanzas that has displaced 4,744 people, injured over 130 and killed two firefighters, according to the Office of the Resident Coordinator.
COLOMBIA
The Secretary-General welcomes President Gustavo Petro’s efforts to deepen and expand peace in Colombia and has offered the United Nations’ support to the success of that endeavour. In this vein, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, accompanied the delegation of the Colombian Government officials to Cuba where the peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army, otherwise known as ELN – its Spanish acronym – where those discussions are based. Meetings will be taking place today and we await further developments.
The Secretary-General appreciates the consistent commitment to peace in Colombia shown by Cuba and Norway, as guarantor countries.
HAITI
One year after the devastating earthquake which struck the south of Haiti, the UN team on the ground say that building back the region remains challenging. The blockading by gangs of a key road from the capital hinders aid delivery to the mostly rural areas, while also limiting local producers’ access to services and markets in the Haitian capital, Port au Prince.
The UN continues to try to find solutions to reach the most vulnerable people, even though the country’s $373 million humanitarian response appeal for 2022 is only 25 per cent funded.
Starting from the day of the earthquake, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) launched an immediate response, alongside authorities and partners, by providing food aid or cash to pay for food for over 450,000 people, many of them displaced.
Over 230,000 children in Haiti whose education had been interrupted were able to return to UN-built classrooms. Medical support was provided to 31,000 people, including pregnant women, some of whom gave birth in temporary maternity wards set up by the UN on the grounds of destroyed hospitals.
SOMALIA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that Somalia is on the brink of a catastrophe with hundreds of thousands of people one step away from starvation and famine. This follows the worst drought in 40 years. Catastrophic food insecurity has been confirmed for the first time since 2017, affecting more than 213,000 people.
OCHA notes that 7.1 million people – that is 45 per cent of the population – are acutely food insecure and some 6.4 million men, women and children – all Somalis - lack access to safe water and sanitation. Since January, at least 500 children have died due to undernutrition and disease across the country. An estimated 1.5 million children under five are acutely malnourished. The humanitarian response continues to scale up to avert the worst. From January to June, more than 4 million people have received assistance including food, water, sanitation and hygiene support.
As of 9 August, early this week, the $1.5 billion Somalia Humanitarian Appeal Plan is 73 per cent funded. The UN thanks its donors for their generosity.
As humanitarians focus on saving lives and averting famine, there is a critical need to invest in livelihoods, resilience, infrastructure development, climate adaptation and durable solutions for Somalia. Across that country, and northern Kenya and southern and eastern Ethiopia, more than 21 million people are already facing high levels of food insecurity, following four consecutive failed rainy seasons. The likely failure of a fifth one would be catastrophic.
PHILIPPINES
The UN team in the Philippines, led by Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez, is supporting the authorities in tackling the effects of inflation, which has doubled in the past seven months, which has also touched on food and transportation prices.
The UN team on the ground is strengthening authorities’ data collection and monitoring systems to improve policies and immediate responses that address the disproportionate impacts on those who are already poor and vulnerable. The UN team is concerned that the country is about 95 per cent dependent on imported fertilizers, which has seen prices triple.
The World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are enhancing local household-level data gathering to complement national data and better tailor policies for immediate responses, including boosting agriculture, food security and sustainable energy. This builds on lessons from a recent Joint Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Fund-backed initiative to better prepare the country to respond to future shocks that hit the poorest the hardest.
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY
Today is International Youth Day and in a message, the Secretary-General notes that this year’s theme — “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages” — reminds us of a basic truth: we need people of all ages, young and old alike, to join forces to build a better world for all.
Mr. Guterres said that solidarity and collaboration are more essential than ever, as our world faces a series of challenges that threaten our collective future, and we need all hands on deck to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and build the better, more peaceful future we all seek. He calls for all to join hands across generations to break down barriers, and work as one to achieve a more equitable, inclusive and just world for all people.
NOON BRIEFING GUEST MONDAY
On Monday, the noon briefing guest will be Ramiz Alakbarov, who is the Deputy Special Representative, and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan. He will brief virtually from Kabul as we reach one year since the Taliban takeover in the Afghan capital.
