SUDAN
I have the following statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Sudan.
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the looting of the main compound of the World Food Programme in Khartoum over the weekend.
This is the latest violation of humanitarian facilities since the start of the crisis, which is in its fourth week.
Most, if not all, United Nations agencies and our humanitarian partners have been impacted by large-scale looting.
The Secretary-General reiterates the need for parties to protect and respect humanitarian workers and facilities, including hospitals. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected in order to save lives.
The needs of the Sudanese people, who are caught up in a humanitarian catastrophe, must come first.
SUDAN HUMANITARIAN
Also on Sudan, we and our partners are working to expand humanitarian operations. This includes efforts to move supplies into and around the country, as we respond to rapidly growing needs.
In Blue Nile State, the UN Children’s Fund and its partners are supporting health and nutrition programmes, including immunizations, screening and treatment for malnutrition, as well as pregnancy care and reproductive health services.
In North Darfur, our humanitarian partners are supporting health facilities with medicine, water and other items. Twenty health care facilities have received water, sanitation and hygiene support, with at least 100,000 litres of water trucked in.
On 5 May, 30 tonnes of medical supplies were delivered to Port Sudan by the World Health Organization, together with the United Arab Emirates. The shipment contained enough trauma, essential medicine and emergency surgical items to reach 165,000 people via 13 major health facilities. It is WHO’s first air delivery to Sudan since the conflict erupted.
Meanwhile, customs clearance has been completed for 80 tonnes of medical supplies that were offloaded in Port Sudan last week. This includes I.V. fluids and supplies for the treatment of traumatic injuries and severe acute malnutrition.
With more humanitarian shipments expected to arrive in Sudan in the coming days and weeks, we call for customs clearance to be expedited to ensure that life-saving assistance can reach people in need as quickly as possible.
Last week the World Food Programme restarted its operations in Sudan to meet the needs of 384,000 pre-existing refugees, host communities and both pre-existing and newly internally displaced people across Gedaref, Gezira, Kassala and White Nile. This is the first time WFP will be providing emergency food assistance in Gezira, where we are seeing freshly displaced families fleeing the conflict in Khartoum.
SECRETARY-GENERAL
As you know, the Secretary-General is in Spain, where tomorrow, he will receive the Carlos V European Award, granted by the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation.
This morning, the Secretary-General met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, with whom he discussed the war in Ukraine, as well as the situations in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Western Sahara.
In the meeting, the Secretary-General briefed the Prime Minister on the United Nations’ ongoing efforts to extend, expand and improve the Black Sea Initiative, as well as to remove remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food products and fertilizers.
They also discussed current challenges to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Secretary-General further briefed the Prime Minister on UN initiatives related to the reforms of the international financial architecture.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will be presented with the Carlos V European Award at a ceremony at the Royal Monastery of Yuste, which you will be able to watch on UN Web TV.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, briefed the Security Council on the elimination of the chemical weapons programme of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Her remarks were shared with you.
In the afternoon, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, will brief the Council in closed consultations on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1559, concerning Lebanon.
AFGHANISTAN
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released a report on corporal punishment and the death penalty today, saying that 274 men, 58 women and two boys have been flogged in public in the last six months in that country.
Fiona Frazer, the Chief of UNAMA’s Human Rights Office, said that corporal punishment is a violation of the Convention against Torture, and it must cease. She added that the UN is strongly opposed to the death penalty and encourages the de facto authorities to establish an immediate moratorium on executions.
UNSCO
Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said today that he was deeply disturbed by the 7 May demolition by Israeli authorities of a European Union-funded Palestinian primary school for the children of Jubbet adh Dhib village, east of Bethlehem, in Area C of the occupied West Bank, directly affecting the education of at least 40 children.
He said that a child’s right to education must be respected. He calls on Israeli authorities to cease such demolitions and evictions which are illegal under international law, and to approve plans for Palestinian communities to build legally in Area C to address their development needs, including for schools.
PALESTINIANS
The World Food Programme informs us that the severe funding shortfalls it is facing in Palestine has forced the agency to make painful decisions to stretch its limited resources and ensure it continues to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.
Next month, WFP will start suspending its assistance for more than 200,000 people, which is 60 per cent of its current caseload, and will only be able to continue its assistance to very few families - mainly female-headed households and to people with disabilities.
WFP understands the implications of this unavoidable and hard decision on hundreds of thousands of people who depend on food assistance for their most basic needs.
WFP urgently needs $51 million to continue providing life-saving food and cash assistance to 350,000 Palestinians until the end of the year. The agency is working relentlessly with donors and partners to secure the necessary funds that would allow it to resume critical food assistance.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, heavy flooding has impacted several villages in Kalehe territory, in South Kivu province since Thursday. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that at least 400 people lost their lives, and several others are missing. You will have seen that while he was in Burundi, the Secretary-General expressed his solidarity and condolences to the people and governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda and added that the floods are a new illustration of the acceleration of climate change and its disastrous impact on countries that have not contributed in any way to a warming planet.
And the head of our peacekeeping mission there, Bintou Keita, also extended her condolences to the bereaved families. The Mission, along with other UN entities, is fully mobilized to support authorities and has donated medical supplies to the Bukavu hospital, where the injured were evacuated by boat. For its part, the World Food Programme has mobilized food aid and the UN Children’s Fund and partners have essential household items and capabilities to prevent waterborne disease outbreaks.
Humanitarian organizations are also supporting local medical centers where some 160 people received care while the Congolese Red Cross is supporting the recovery and burial of bodies.
MALI
In Mali, the UN Mission there said that, over the weekend, one of its convoys hit an explosive device close to Douentza city in the central part of the country. Seven peacekeepers from Togo were wounded and are receiving medical care. We wish them a speedy recovery. The Mission notes with concern that this is the sixth such incident in the centre of the country this year. The Mission also welcomes the announcement that the referendum on the draft constitution has been scheduled for 18 June. The Mission and the UN country team will continue to provide technical assistance for the referendum in support of a smooth electoral process.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Our peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic reports that this morning it deployed peacekeepers to the town of Mboki in response to an attack by suspected self-proclaimed self-defense group “Azande Ani Kpi Gbe”. Peacekeepers exchanged fire with the assailants and are currently providing protection to more than 400 civilians who have sought refuge in a nearby mosque. Preliminary reports indicate that three civilians are injured and have received first aid from the mission. One peacekeeper is seriously injured and is being evacuated.
CABO VERDE
Our colleagues in the Development Coordination Office tell us that Ms. Patricia Portela de Souza of Brazil is taking up her new post as Resident Coordinator in Cabo Verde today, following her appointment by the Secretary-General and confirmation from the host Government. She brings more than 25 years of experience in development and humanitarian work with UNICEF in multiple countries.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
And I have another appointment for you which is that today, the Secretary-General is appointing Hervé Lecoq of France as Deputy Head of Mission and Director of Political and Civil Affairs at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
Mr. Lecoq succeeds Jack Christofides of South Africa, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his contribution to the efforts of the United Nations to promote peace and stability in southern Lebanon.
Mr. Lecoq brings over 30 years of experience in peace operations, political affairs, and development. Most recently, Mr. Lecoq has served as Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division of the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations from 2019 to 2023.
FORESTS
I just want to flag that the UN Forum on Forests kicks off its 18th session today. It will run until Friday and will focus on the implementation of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2030, and will include announcements of voluntary national contributions, enhanced cooperation, and means of implementation.
REMEMBRANCE AND RECONCILIATION
Today and tomorrow are the Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War. It is a reminder that Member States of the UN must unite their efforts in dealing with new challenges and threats, with the United Nations playing a central role.
