Noon briefing of 18 January 2023

First off, I have an appointment to announce: Following the recommendation of the Secretary-General, after consultation with Member States, the General Assembly has confirmed Inger Andersen of Denmark as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme for a further four-year term, beginning on 15 June 2023 and ending on 14 June 2027. Ms. Andersen is currently serving her initial four-year term.
Before becoming Executive Director in 2019, Ms. Andersen was engaged in international development economics, environmental sustainability and policymaking for over 30 years.

SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Secretary-General delivered his special address to the plenary meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos today. He laid out a blunt picture of the state of the world and divisions standing in the way of global problem-solving.  “I am not here to sugar-coat the scale of that challenge – or the sorry state of our world,” he said. “We can’t confront problems unless we look them squarely in the eye. And we are looking into the eye of a Category 5 hurricane.”
The Secretary-General detailed the challenges we face regarding global health, the fear of recession, debt load, violations of international law and climate change – to name just a few. “It would be difficult to find solutions to these global problems in the best of times – if the world was united,” Mr. Guterres said. “But these are far from the best of times – and the world is far from united.”
He encouraged world leaders to work to control the damage and seize opportunities. “Now more than ever, it’s time to forge the pathways to cooperation in our fragmented world,” he said. 
Earlier this morning, the Secretary-General met with Alain Berset, the President of the Swiss Confederation. Following the address, the Secretary-General attended the annual Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders. On the margins of the World Economic Forum, the Secretary-General had a number of meetings with private sector leaders relating to the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the export of Russian fertilizer. He also participated in an event organized by the UN Global Compact.
Later this evening, he will attend an evening event with the Global Investors for Sustainable Development. The Secretary-General will call on members of the alliance to leverage their expertise and influence to reach the wider universe of businesses, including in developing countries, to scale up investments for sustainable development.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, the Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, and the Assistant Secretary-General of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, Khaled Khiari, arrived yesterday in Kabul, as part of their wider mission in the region.
On behalf of the Secretary-General, they held a series of meetings with UN staff, national and international NGOs, and Afghan women to take stock of the situation, convey solidarity and discuss ways to promote and protect women and girls’ rights in the aftermath of the recent decision by the de facto authorities.
They stressed the need to uphold human rights, especially for women and girls, and were encouraged by exemptions being introduced that have allowed the resumption of some humanitarian activities that had been hampered following the ban. At the same time, they underscored the importance of continuing to be driven by principles.
The delegation also commenced engagement with the de facto authorities on this matter and the longer-term perspectives for Afghanistan. The mission will continue in the field over the coming days, and we will share further updates when available.

MIDDLE EAST
Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council this morning, telling Council members that violent trends that dominated the last months of 2022 continue to take a devastating human toll, and stressed that violence must stop.
He said it is imperative that both sides refrain from provocations and unilateral steps – including at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem – that undermine stability and the ability to achieve a negotiated peace.
The Special Coordinator warned that Israelis and Palestinians remain on a collision course amid the escalating political and inflammatory rhetoric as well as heightened violence in the West Bank – both with potentially grave consequences.

PALESTINE
And I also have an update from our team on the ground in Palestine, led by Resident Coordinator Lynn Hastings, which continues working with authorities and civil society partners to advance human rights. UN Women, the UN Development Programme and the UN Children’s Fund rolled out a programme last year, called Swasya, meaning “equity” in Arabic, which provided training to 500 Palestinian Justice staff on transparency, integrity, and accountability. Overall, 600,000 Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory accessed a form of legal aid in 2022, with UN support. Our team also pioneered the first legal aid incubator in the Middle East, involving 15 newly practicing lawyers from Gaza – 10 of them women.
Colleagues on the ground are also strengthening the provision of services to women who survived violence through support centers in Ramallah, Hebron, and Nablus.

UKRAINE
As you have seen, yesterday afternoon the Security Council held a meeting on Ukraine. Briefing Council members, Ilze Brands Kehris, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, noted that the armed attack by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the ensuing hostilities have brought the most severe forms of human rights and international humanitarian law violations into the everyday lives of people in Ukraine, putting at risk countless lives, causing massive displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Ms. Kehris said that the Russian Federation’s strikes targeting Ukrainian critical infrastructure since 10 October 2022 have now killed at least 103 civilians and injured at least 371, as verified by the Human Rights Office. She pointed out that by restricting civilians’ access to water, electricity, essential communications, and heating, the enjoyment of the rights to health, to an adequate standard of living and the right to life is severely compromised.

UKRAINE/HUMANITARIAN
From Ukraine, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Denise Brown, has extended her deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the helicopter crash in Kyiv earlier today, as well as to the people and Government of Ukraine.
On the humanitarian response, our colleagues today reached Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, which is just five kilometres from the border with the Russian Federation. This community has been heavily impacted by months of hostilities and the 4,500 people who remain there depend on humanitarian aid to meet their needs.
Today’s seven-truck humanitarian convoy brought in hygiene kits, blankets, solar lamps, sleeping bags and emergency shelter kits to more than 1,000 families in the area. The supplies were provided by the UN Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration and UNICEF. The World Food Programme was also part of the convoy and carried out a rapid assessment of markets in the area.

BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE
And we have an update on the Black Sea Grain Initiative. From August 2022 to date, 17.8 million tonnes of grain and other food products have been exported under the Black Sea Grain Initiative to 43 countries.
In December, the exports through the Ukrainian Black Sea ports marked a bit over 3.7 million metric tonnes, up from a low of 2.6 million in November. In the last two weeks, nearly 1.2 million metric tonnes of food have been moved from those ports. However, unfavourable weather conditions both in Odesa ports as well as in Turkish inspection areas have curbed some movements recently.
So far and according to information reported at the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), China is the primary recipient of exports, Spain is second and Türkiye is third. Nearly 44 per cent of the wheat exported has been shipped to low and lower-middle income countries (64 per cent to developing economies). The World Food Programme bought 8 per cent of the total wheat exported under the Black Sea Grain Initiative in 2022 in support of its humanitarian operations in hunger-struck places around the world.
Over 1,300 voyages have been enabled so far by the Joint Coordination Centre. Currently, there are more than 100 vessels in Turkish territorial waters connected to the Initiative, 32 are waiting for inspection, while the rest have applied to participate in the Initiative. Since November, the JCC has been deploying three inspection teams daily. So far, this month, the teams conclude an average of 5.3 inspections per day. In the last two weeks, the average waiting time of vessels between application and inspection is 21 days.
The United Nations urges all parties to work to remove obstacles for the reduction of the backlog and improve operational efficiencies within the JCC.
All the detailed and up-to-date data and information on exports, cargo and reported destinations are kept on our website and we have a longer note to correspondents with more details available for you.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
We have an update from our peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic – MINUSCA- which launched a country-wide campaign on Monday to promote efforts to protect civilians and to build confidence between the internal security forces and the population.
In Bria, which is in the Haute-Kotto prefecture, the Mission worked in collaboration with local authorities to convene a forum to identify solutions to challenges faced by the population such as the lack of freedom of movement and the seasonal movement of livestock. They also had electoral information exchange sessions. The forum brought together 262 people, including 147 women.
As part of our efforts to promote the rule of law, on 14 January, the Mission partnered with the Ministry of Justice and the European Union Advisory Mission to organize a simulation exercise at the Ngaragba Central Prison to better manage crisis and security incidents in accordance with emergency plans.
Finally, the Mission carried out over 1,800 patrols over the past week, increasing long-range patrols to deter violence and reassure populations, notably in the Vakaga and Haute-Kotto prefectures, where the security situation remains tense. Community engagement activities continued, as well as the rehabilitation of road infrastructure.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
We have some disturbing news from our peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO. Our colleagues there, report that mass graves containing the bodies of 42 civilians, including 12 women and six children, have been discovered in the village of Nyamamba. Another grave with the bodies of seven men was discovered in the village of Mbogi. Both locations are about 30 kilometres east of Bunia in the Ituri province.
Peacekeepers launched a patrol to the area immediately after receiving reports of attacks on civilians by the CODECO militias over the weekend. This is when they made the gruesome discoveries.
MONUSCO is supporting the Congolese judicial system to investigate the attacks and calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
These incidents occurred amidst a significant deterioration of the security situation in Djugu and Mahagi territories. Since December 2022, the Mission reports that at least 195 civilians have been killed, and 68 injured as well as 84 people abducted during several incidents attributed to CODECO and Zaire armed groups.
The recent attacks have increased the number of displaced people to more than 1.5 million in Ituri and reduced access for humanitarians to those in need of assistance.

GUATEMALA
The Secretary-General has learned of the actions taken by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Guatemala against justice operators and officials of the former International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, known as CICIG, including the intention to take legal actions against former Commissioner Iván Velázquez. It should be noted that the Commission’s international personnel, under the terms of the agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Guatemala regarding the establishment of CICIG, enjoy privileges and immunities, and that their immunity continues notwithstanding that they are no longer in their positions. The Secretary-General therefore expresses once again his concern at the numerous reports suggesting that criminal prosecution is being exercised against those who sought to shed light on cases of corruption and worked to strengthen the justice system in Guatemala.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
In Latin America and the Caribbean 131 million people – that’s 22.5 per cent of the population – cannot access a healthy diet, that’s according to a new report published jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the World Food Program.
The report also says that region has the highest cost for a healthy diet compared to the rest of the world, at $3.89 per person per day, while the world average is $3.54.
The report also reveals that the rise in international food prices experienced since 2020, worsened after the start of the conflict in Ukraine, and a regional increase in food inflation above the general level, have increased the difficulties for people to access a healthy diet.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
And to close out with some good news, we are happy to share with you the first four Member States to pay their 2023 payments in full to the UN Regular Budget. We say thank you to Armenia, Kazakhstan, Senegal and Ukraine.