HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2022
CHIEF EXECUTIVES BOARD
The Secretary-General today chaired the biannual session of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) at the Greentree Estate in Manhasset, New York. That meeting continues tomorrow.
CEB Members will reflect on current world affairs as they affect and relate to the UN system. And they will engage in deliberations on a New Agenda for Peace and on Reclaiming the Digital Commons.
EMISSIONS GAP REPORT
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today released its Emissions Gap Report which says that the international community is still falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place.
Under current policies, the world is headed for 2.8 degrees of global heating by the end of the century.
In a message on the report, the Secretary-General said that we are headed for a global catastrophe unless we take action, and he urged countries to end our reliance on fossil fuels, avoid a lock-in of new fossil fuel infrastructure and invest massively in renewables. Our world cannot afford any more greenwashing, fake movers or late movers, he said, adding that we must close the emissions gap before climate catastrophe closes in on us all.
ISRAEL/LEBANON
The Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, warmly welcomed today the handover of letters delineating the maritime boundary between Lebanon and Israel following successful US mediation, under the leadership of Special Presidential Coordinator, Amos Hochstein.
She said that this is a historic achievement at many levels. Ms. Wronecka hopes it will serve as a confidence-building measure that promotes more security and stability in the region and economic benefits for both countries.
The Special Coordinator received the signed maritime coordinates from both countries at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) premises in Naqoura today. She will deposit the documents at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Since the adoption of the Framework Agreement that launched the negotiation process in 2020, the United Nations has been working with both countries and the United States to put an end to their maritime boundary dispute. Highlighting the need for sustainable peace and security, the Special Coordinator reiterated the importance of the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and other relevant resolutions.
IRAN
In a statement issued last night, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the terrorist attack that took place earlier in the day on the Shah Cheragh Holy Shrine in the Iranian city of Shiraz, for which the so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility.
Such acts targeting religious sites are especially heinous. The Secretary-General stresses the need to bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime against civilians exercising their right to practice their religion.
SECURITY COUNCIL/SUDAN/SOUTH SUDAN
This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on the situation in Sudan and South Sudan. Briefing Council members on the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, noted that while progress has yet to materialize in the form of improvements in the lives and rights of the people of Abyei, there have been significant steps towards dialogue, in the context of continued improvement in the relationship between the Sudan and South Sudan.
Ms. Pobee pointed out that while the security situation in the Abyei Administrative Area remained mostly calm, there has been some shift in the conflict dynamics seen in previous years. She said that they are particularly concerned that amid the tensions between the Ngok Dinka and Twic Dinka communities, there have been attacks and threats against the peacekeepers, staff and contractors.
Also briefing Council members, Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, noted that progress in improving bilateral relations between Sudan and South Sudan has positive and stabilising effects in the Horn of Africa. Yet, she said, renewed commitment regarding the implementation of transitional arrangements and the dispute resolution over Abyei's final status cannot be set apart from the fragile internal situations in both countries.
Ms. Tetteh added that this is also true for any prospects of resolving the conflict in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan.
SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE
Yesterday, Miguel de Serpa Soares, the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, briefed Council members on Ukraine. This afternoon, the Security Council will also hold an open and a closed meeting on Ukraine. Adedeji Ebo, the Director and Deputy to the High Representative for the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, is expected to brief Council members.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) today said that heavy fighting is continuing between the M23 armed group and Congolese national forces, in the Rutshuru area of North Kivu. The clashes follow a series of attacks by the armed group on villages in the area, which prompted the Congolese armed forces to respond and, with the support of UN peacekeepers, protect the communities being targeted.
The Mission is reporting that at least nine civilians were killed yesterday during clashes near communities living around 8 to16 kilometers from Rutshuru. The Mission continues to work closely with security forces to deter armed groups and is engaging with political actors at national and regional levels to contribute to the restoration of peace and stability.
The Mission is also calling for an end to the violence, which humanitarian partners estimate has now displaced an additional 34,500 people.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) continues to pursue efforts to address disinformation campaigns which hinder mandate implementation, including through building the capacity of local media professionals and monitoring hate speech. The Mission also supported the launch of a new phase in the recruitment drive for internal security force, as candidates participated in written tests.
At a Gendarmerie Camp in Bangui, the Mission, jointly with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), handed over equipment to the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security. Since last week, the Mission carried out 1,375 patrols, including two jointly with the national armed forces in Ippy, in the Ouaka prefecture and in Bria, in the Haute-Kotto prefecture. Robust patrolling in villages along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as in other areas in the East and the Centre region helped improve the security situation and facilitate the resumption of socio-economic activities.
CAMEROON
From Cameroon, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that floods in the country’s Far North region that began in August this year have affected some 150,000 people. The flooding is continuing.
Thousands of people have been displaced, including people arriving from Chad, who are also affected by the rising waters of the Logone river that flows through northern Cameroon.
UN partners are supporting the Government's efforts, including providing food and other essentials such as mattresses, plastic sheeting and blankets and construction material to repair the dykes. To assist the people in need, UN partners urge donors to contribute to the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan, which needs $360 million, and is less than 33 per cent funded at the moment.
TUBERCULOSIS/REPORT
The World Health Organization (WHO) today released a report showing that an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis in 2021, an increase of 4.5 per cent from 2020. According to the report, 1.6 million people died from TB in 2021, including 187,000 HIV positive people.
The burden of drug-resistant TB also increased by 3 per cent between 2020 and 2021. The report notes that this is the first time in many years that an increase has been reported in the number of people falling ill with tuberculosis and drug resistant TB.
WHO points out that services are among many others disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, but its impact on the TB response has been particularly severe. Ongoing conflicts across Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East have further exacerbated the situation for vulnerable populations.
WORLD DAY FOR AUDIOVISUAL HERITAGE
Today is World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, which this year will be celebrated in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the Memory of the World Programme. The celebration will take place from today, 27 October, to 5 November 2022, under the theme “Enlisting documentary heritage to promote inclusive, just and peaceful societies”.
HYBRID PRESS BRIEFINGS TOMORROW
Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., there will be a hybrid briefing by the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia: Betty Murungi (Chair), along with Radhika Coomaraswamy and Steven Ratner.
At 12:30 p.m., there will be a hybrid briefing by the President of the International Court of Justice, Judge Joan E. Donoghue, and the Registrar of the Court, Philippe Gautier.
And at 1:15 p.m., there will be another hybrid briefing by Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food; Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, and Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.
