HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2022
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
Today is the last day of the Secretary-General's visit to India. This morning, he met Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi and also participated in the launch of the Lifestyles for the Environment initiative, which took place at the Statue of Unity, in Ekta Nagar, in Narmada.
The Secretary-General emphasized that in these perilous times for the planet, we need all hands on deck. He stressed that all of us, as individuals and communities, can – and must – be part of the solution of protecting our planet and our collective future. The Secretary-General added that overconsumption is at the root of the triple planetary emergency of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. We are using the equivalent of 1.6 Earths to maintain our lifestyles.
After the event, Mr. Guterres headed to Modhera, the first solar village in India, with a population of about 6,400. He interacted with the community and saw first-hand the impact that solar power is having on them.
The Secretary-General is on his way now to Viet Nam, where tomorrow, he will meet the General Secretary of the Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong and the State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. He will also take part in a ceremony to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Viet Nam’s membership to the UN.
SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council this morning is discussing strengthening women’s resilience and leadership as a path to peace in regions plagued by armed groups. The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, briefed Council members on our work on that subject.
She said that we cannot separate the perilous state of peace in our world from the destructive effects of patriarchy and the silencing of women’s voices. We must call out misogyny as it manifests itself in the abuse and discrimination that women confront, she said, but we must also challenge the social, political, and economic structures and norms that sustain it.
CHAD
Following questions, the Spokesman said we are concerned about the violence in the context of the demonstrations that we have seen in Chad today. Those demonstrations have reportedly led to the loss of lives and injuries. We call on the authorities to ensure the security, safety and human rights of all Chadians, including the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association are respected. We also call on all parties to refrain from violence or excessive use of force, and to remain committed to the spirit of dialogue in the interest of peace and stability in the country.
The United Nations also expresses its solidarity with the population impacted by severe floods throughout the country and we call on international partners to continue to provide assistance to Chad during this unprecedented natural catastrophe.
BURKINA FASO
In Burkina Faso, Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs] whose name was just invoked, is there today.
Earlier in the day, he visited the town of Djibo in the country’s north. Hundreds of thousands of people have sought safety there due to what Mr. Griffiths called a devastating conflict and the impact of dangerously changing climate.
While in Djibo, he met with community leaders and displaced people and said he received three simple requests from them: first, to reopen the road by which food and other critical supplies enter the town; second, to provide aid to both displaced people and the host community; and lastly, to end the conflict so that people can go home, and their children can finally have a future.
He noted that Djibo is usually a busy market town, but currently, the stalls are empty and there is no food.
As we’ve mentioned to you before, some 4.9 million men, women and children in Burkina Faso need urgent assistance. This year’s Humanitarian Appeal for the country is only 33 per cent funded. We need more money to help people who need it now.
Martin Griffiths is in Burkina Faso for a one-day visit. He will be meeting also with top Government officials, members of the diplomatic community and humanitarian workers.
And we hope to have him here, in the flesh, next week, so that he can speak to you about his trip to Burkina.
NIGERIA
Speaking of floods that have impacted Chad, I was to move to Nigeria, where the worst flooding in a decade is impacting more than 2.8 million men, women and children, and that is according to Nigerian authorities.
According to them, over 600 people have died, and 1.3 million people have been displaced.
The south-eastern state of Anambra is the most affected.
We are gravely concerned that the flooding will worsen the already alarming food insecurity and malnutrition situation in Nigeria.
More than 440,000 hectares of farmland have been partially or totally damaged at a time when more than 19 million people across Nigeria are facing severe food insecurity.
Cereal production is likely to decline by 3.4 per cent compared to last year due to the flooding, high agriculture production costs, and insecurity, that is according to FAO.
Since July, national authorities in Nigeria have provided food, non-food items and clean drinking water to thousands of impacted households.
We, along with our humanitarian partners are supporting the Government with assessments and response, notably in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States, as well as in other impacted parts of Nigeria. We have provided emergency shelter kits, and are working to create local water drains, sandbags, and walling around shelters to mitigate the impacts of the flooding.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
In the Central African Republic, the UN peacekeeping mission has deployed a team to the town of Sam Ouandja in Haute-Kotto prefecture, during which 13 combatants, including 11 from the FPRC rebel group and 2 from the UPC, were disarmed and demobilized, and a number of weapons, rockets, grenades and over 1,500 pieces of ammunition were recovered.
As part of its mandate to build the capacity of security forces, the UN Mission is also currently supporting the process of recruiting 1,000 national police, including the next phase of testing nearly 14,000 candidates in Bangui and in the regions.
And the mission continues to support the Central African armed forces in securing the country, by carrying out more than 1,300 patrols over the last week. This included an operation that is ongoing for more than three weeks in Zangba in Basse-Kotto prefecture, on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since the start of the operation, 12 bridges have been rehabilitated or repaired by UN peacekeepers, supporting movement of trade, people and humanitarian goods.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN peacekeeping mission says that communities in Komanda, outside of Bunia in the Ituri province, have resumed their normal activities and movement in the area. This follows the signing of a cessation of hostilities agreement between an armed group – the Patriotic and Integrationist Front of Congo or FPIC - and the Government that was agreed to in June this year.
The agreement was facilitated by UN peacekeepers.
As a reminder, a little over a year ago, several attacks perpetrated by different armed groups, including the ADF, the Mai-Mai and the FPIC, were reported in the Komanda area. The cessation of hostilities agreement, combined with protection efforts by the Congolese army and the Mission are helping to reassure communities.
Those efforts include joint operations against the ADF in Mont Hoyo, outside of Komanda, as well as daily patrols by blue helmets.
Meanwhile, the Mission reports that it has also increased and intensified patrols around sites for internally displaced people in the Bule area, that is north-east of Djugu in Ituri, to prevent the CODECO armed group from attacking displaced men, women and children.
SOMALIA
In Somalia, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is telling us that the Humanitarian Response Plan has been revised to reflect more accurately the worsening situation and rising needs of Somalis.
Humanitarian needs have skyrocketed, and the response plan will now target 7.6 million people, a 40 per cent increase since January.
Donors have made generous contributions of just over one billion dollars so far this year, or 46 per cent of the $2.26 billion revised appeal. This has allowed us to reach about 6.5 million people across Somalia with some form of humanitarian assistance.
With the worsening situation, an additional $1 billion will be needed to deliver life-saving assistance by the end of December and into early next year.
Funding arrived late this year, and this hopefully will be avoided in 2023. 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.
VENEZUELA
In a statement, the Secretary-General said he was saddened to learn of the loss of dozens of lives and damage to infrastructure in Venezuela due to floods and mudslides resulting from the heavy rainy season and the impact of tropical storms.
We are providing support, in coordination with the national authorities’ emergency response, to address the needs of the most affected people. The Secretary-General expresses his solidarity with the people and government of Venezuela.
HYBRID BRIEFING TODAY
NOON BRIEFING GUEST/ HYBRID BRIEFING TOMORROW
Tomorrow, David Gressly, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen will brief reporters on the situation in Yemen.
At 1 p.m., there will be a briefing by Dr. David R. Boyd, the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
**NOON BRIEFING GUEST AND BRIEFING TODAY
Denise Brown, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Ukraine, briefed reporters on the humanitarian situation there.
At 1:15 p.m., here, there will be a briefing by Alexandra Xanthaki, the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights.
