Noon briefing of 21 December 2022

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC​,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 21 DECEMBER 2022

AFGHANISTAN
In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General said that he was deeply alarmed by news reports that the Taliban have suspended access of universities to women and girls. He reiterated that the denial of education not only violates the equal rights of women and girls, but will have a devastating impact on the country’s future.
The Secretary-General urged the de facto authorities to ensure equal access to education at all levels for all women and girls.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) will continue to engage with relevant Taliban representatives to discuss the decision. As of now, coordination and delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance by the UN is continuing.
The UN team in the country has pointed out that the UN estimates that restricting women from working can result in an economic loss of up to $1 billion – or up to five percent of Afghan’s gross domestic product. The UN team also noted that the steps taken by the de facto authorities to exclude women and girls from education, the workplace and other areas of life increase the risk of forced and underage marriage, violence and abuse against women and girls.
Yesterday, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, stressed that effective aid in the country relies on the meaningful participation of women. He emphasized that we cannot overstate their capacities, insights, and ability to reach women and girls across the country. Mr Griffiths said that we continue to maintain constructive engagements with the de facto authorities to overturn these constraints.
There were also various statements condemning the Taliban's decision on the access to universities for women and girls, from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, from the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Audrey Azouley, as well as from the Secretary-General Special Representative in Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva.

AFGHANISTAN/FOOD SECURITY
The World Food Programme (WFP) warns that acute hunger is no longer seasonal – it is a grueling daily reality for millions of people in the country. WFP says that two-thirds of the country’s population - or 28.3 million - will require humanitarian assistance next year, that’s up from 24.4 million men, women and children in 2022 and 18.4 million in 2021. Malnutrition has reached the highest levels since records have been kept.
WFP assistance is helping to prevent the crisis in Afghanistan from becoming a humanitarian catastrophe. In 2022, WFP assisted nearly half of the population distributing more than 1 million metric tons of food and disbursing more than $286 million in cash and vouchers directly to families to help them cover their food needs.
With families less prepared than ever to endure another harsh winter, WFP is ramping up assistance to 15 million people to help them survive.

SECRETERY-GENERAL/SYRIA
The Secretary-General met yesterday with Representatives of the Truth and Justice Charter Group on Syria. He expressed his admiration for their efforts on behalf of the many Syrians who remain arbitrarily detained, forcibly disappeared and missing, while acknowledging the tremendous pain and suffering of victims, survivors and families.
The Secretary-General stressed the need for all arbitrarily detained Syrians to be released, and for the fate and whereabouts of the disappeared and missing persons to be determined and disclosed. He reiterated his call on Member States to consider establishing, through the General Assembly, a new international body to clarify the fate and whereabouts of the missing in Syria and provide adequate support to victims, survivors and their families, as recommended in his recent report.

SYRIA
This morning, the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pederson, briefed the Security Council via video conference. He said he’s convinced that it is possible that the Syrian stakeholders and international players could find a way forward to make some precise, concrete and reciprocal steps that could move us along the path to resolution 2254.
Mr. Pederson told the Council about the outcome of his visit to Damascus two weeks ago, where he met with the Foreign Minister, and to Geneva, where he met with the President of the Syrian Negotiations Commission. He also welcomed the invitation to return to Damascus for a new round of talks in the New Year.
For his part, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, also briefing by video, told Council members that the number of people who need humanitarian aid climbed to 14.6 million, an increase of 1.2 million people compared to last year. This number is expected to reach over 15 million next year.
Mr. Griffiths called on the Council to renew Resolution 2642, which as you know allows for cross-border humanitarian deliveries from Türkiye into northwest Syria. He warned that not renewing it jeopardizes the delivery of aid when people need it the most.

SECURITY COUNCIL
This afternoon, the Security Council will meet again, this time on Myanmar, Somalia and Haiti. The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will be speaking on this last session on Haiti and she’ll brief members of the Council on her last visit there that took place in February.
She’ll tell Council members that despite national efforts towards recovery, Haiti is still in a deepening crisis of unprecedented scale and complexity and that is a cause for serious alarm.
Ms. Mohammed will reiterate the UN’s solidarity with the people of Haiti during these extremely difficult times and will call on the international community to step up support for Haiti.

SECURITY COUNCIL/ARMENIA/AZERBAIJAN
Yesterday afternoon, Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas in the United Nations Department of Political Affairs, briefed Security Council members on the developments in the South Caucasus, specifically the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He noted that a glimmer of hope for progress in the ongoing diplomatic efforts has appeared following renewed violence in mid-September.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Today, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean Pierre Lacroix, concluded his visit to the Central African Republic, during that visit he met with national authorities, including President Touadéra, President of the National Assembly, Government officials, as well as political parties, religious leaders, women and youth organizations and the peacekeepers who are serving in the country.
In a press conference, Mr. Lacroix reiterated our commitment to continuing supporting the Central African population, including overcoming challenges such as the delivery of humanitarian aid and need for resource mobilization. He also expressed concerns about rising hate speech and misinformation targeting the Mission and called for an open and peaceful political debate, particularly in the lead up to local elections.

MALI
In Mali, grave violations committed against children are increasing at an alarming rate - that’s according to the Secretary-General’s latest report on children and armed conflict on Mali which was published today. The report says children in Mali are still bearing the brunt of political instability, increased violence against civilians, and a worsening human rights situation across the country.
It also states that over the past two years there’s been a sharp increase in recruitment of children by armed groups as well as attacks on schools and hospitals and abductions, particularly in the Mopti and Gao regions. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, urged the Government to discontinue the use of children by the armed forces in any capacity and to reinforce protective measures to prevent violations against children in Mali.

SOUTH SUDAN
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) today said they’re deeply concerned about the reported mobilisation of armed Nuer youth in the Greater Jonglei area. UNMISS warns that such mobilisations have the potential to trigger violent attacks that can gravely impact the civilian population, and that any upsurge of conflict will undermine recent peace gains, not to mention the humanitarian situation.
The mission also calls on leaders of the Lou Nuer and Murle communities to exert positive, constructive influence on their youth groups.

COLOMBIA
In Colombia, the UN team today said they have just received over $17 million in support for the multi-donor fund that backs Colombia’s “Total Peace” initiative. The UN thanks Norway, Germany, Ireland, and the UK for their contribution, alongside other partners.
This amount adds to existing resources, securing 76 per cent of the Fund’s 2023 investment needs - that’s $55 million. The Fund supports transitional justice scheme, as well as rural development, reintegration of former combatants, and security measures for communities.
Next year, the Fund will also support the renewed peace dialogues between the Government and the National Liberation Army. The fund is currently financing 40 joint initiatives implemented by 16 UN entities on the ground, promoting partnerships with over 600 organizations.

APPOINTMENT
The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Michal Mlynár of Slovakia as Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). He will succeed Victor Kisob of Cameroon, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated years of service to the Organization.
Mr. Mlynár is currently Slovakia's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN since 2017. He brings almost 30 years of professional experience as a diplomat and an educator, having served his country in multiple senior assignments focused mainly on international organizations, security sector governance, development cooperation and humanitarian aid in Africa.

DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY AND SECURITY
The Department of Safety and Security (DSS) reminds people that their mission is to help the UN deliver its mandates and programmes so it can reach those in need, even in the most dangerous places. However, the proliferation of emergencies in recent years means that demand for security support now outstrips what the Department can provide with existing resources.
Through a two-year appeal, totaling $14.29 million, DSS is seeking voluntary contributions from the international community to strengthen its capabilities in three critical areas: emergency response, information management and psychosocial support. These areas are under-capacitated and underfunded and constitute DSS’s most acute and urgent vulnerabilities and those of the system.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Ecuador has now paid its regular budget dues, bringing us up to a 142 fully paid Member States.