HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 26 MAY 2023
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Geneva today. She is meeting with UN leadership from various entities.
Their discussions focused largely on how the system can better support Member States to deliver on the many important summits this September.
In her Executive Briefing to Member States, she shared the importance of the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit in September, encouraging Member States to reach for the highest ambitions possible and ensure support to the transitions which will accelerate achievement of the SDGs. Outcomes from the Summit must dovetail into the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights if we are to ensure we leave no one behind, she said.
On Saturday, she will depart to Lisbon, Portugal on behalf of the Secretary-General to participate in the opening alongside Prime Minister António Costa of Portugal at WIPO’s Conference organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization, titled “Thinking about industrial property, sustainability and the future of the planet.”
DAY OF PEACEKEEPERS
Monday is the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, the 75th anniversary is celebrated this year with the theme “Peace begins with me”. In his message, Secretary-General António Guterres says that peacekeepers face rising global tensions and divides, stagnating peace processes, and more complex conflicts. Despite these obstacles, and working with a wide range of partners, peacekeepers persevere.
Today the Department of Peace Operations participated in a special “Inside Out” art activation in New York’s Times Square. The Inside Out Project was founded by artist JR to help communities around the world to stand up for what they believe in.
TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
Starting this Sunday, 28 May, and until 7 June, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, will travel to Africa to conduct a series of engagements with troop- and police-contributing countries. He will also visit our peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
Mr. Lacroix will go to Luanda, Angola, with Bintou Keita, the Head of the peacekeeping mission in the DRC. They will be there for high-level discussions on strengthening relations between Angola and the UN, as well as efforts towards a lasting peace and security in the East of the DRC. Mr. Lacroix will also travel to Zambia to discuss the country’s contribution to UN peace operations, as well as regional security and political dynamics.
Finally, Mr. Lacroix will go to the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to the capital, Kinshasa, to hold consultations with Congolese authorities, notably on the development of options for MONUSCO’s reconfiguration and the Mission’s presence in the country.
UKRAINE
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, strongly condemned an attack that hit a hospital this morning in Dnipro. The humanitarian partners are on the ground providing emergency response to the survivors.
Today’s attacks have also reportedly impacted health facilities in Donetsk city, currently under Russian military control, according to the authorities there.
The United Nations, along with humanitarian partners, continue to reach more people with assistance across the country. By the end of April, 5.4 million men, women and children have been reached, around 800,000 people more than the total number assisted by the end of March. More than 60 per cent of those reached are women and girls.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs notes that hundreds of humanitarian organizations are involved in this effort.
Local groups and community-based volunteers play a vital role in the last mile of delivering assistance.
SUDAN
In Sudan the UN, alongside its partners, continue to help families displaced by the fighting, as well as the communities hosting them.
The World Food Programme has now reached more than 600,000 vulnerable people with food and nutrition aid since restarting distributions in the country.
In three of the states in the Darfur region - North, South and East - WFP has reached some 180,000 people.
The agency is planning to start distributions in Central Darfur in the coming days. And as of today, WFP has resumed distributions in Blue Nile State.
In addition to that, during the past two weeks, the World Health Organization has verified eight new reports of attacks on health care, that’s 38 attacks since the fighting erupted in Sudan.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
The Humanitarian Coordinator in the Central African Republic, Mohamed Ag Ayoya, condemned a recent attack on humanitarian workers, and renewed calls for the protection of civilians and health facilities in the country.
On Wednesday, a driver was killed when he and his colleagues were attacked on their way back from Am-Dafok, in the north of the country, after setting up tents for a health centre.
As we have mentioned, the town of Am-Dafok, which borders Sudan, is currently hosting 13,000 people, including Sudanese asylum seekers.
Since the beginning of the year, 57 incidents against humanitarian workers or assets have been recorded in the Central African Republic, while 17 health facilities have been the target of armed attacks and looting.
SOUTH AFRICA
Under the leadership of Resident Coordinator Nelson Muffuh, the UN Country team in South Africa is supporting the Government to contain and prevent the spread of the deadly cholera outbreak.
Through the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Country Team has deployed seven technical officers to the affected provinces, providing crucial support in coordination, case management, data management, and infection prevention and control. The team has launched a campaign along with national authorities to raise awareness among local communities on preventive measures against cholera.
UNICEF activated a digital platform reaching 230,000 registered users with cholera warning and prevention tips.
Meanwhile, WHO will assist in identifying transmission sources and supporting surveillance efforts, including case-based surveillance, in close coordination with health authorities.
POLIO
The World Health Organization says that Africa’s largest polio vaccination campaign since 2020 begins today and aims to immunise 21 million children under the age of five.
Vaccinations are starting in Cameroon, Chad and Niger before being extended to the Central African Republic next week. This campaign comes in response to 14 detections of the poliovirus in this area this year.
No cases were reported in Cameroon – but the country has joined the vaccination campaign to avert any potential spread of the virus, particularly in border areas.
The Lake Chad region, which includes three of the four target countries, is home to one of the highest proportions of so-called “zero dose” children - children who are either unvaccinated or under-vaccinated.
YEMEN
Three UN agencies warned today that nearly all districts under the control of the Government of Yemen were assessed to be facing high levels of food insecurity.
In their joint report, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme (WFP) said that Yemen remains one of the most food insecure countries globally, mainly driven by the impact of conflict and economic decline, and it is estimated that during this current year, half a million children will be acutely malnourished.
The agencies added that the outlook for the period between now until the end of the year indicates the need for more programme investments.
JOINT COORDINATION CENTRE
The Joint Coordination Centre said that today it has registered two vessels, including a World Food Programme ship, heading to the port of Odesa. Since 29 April, the Joint Coordination Centre has not reached consensus to register vessels to move to the port of Yuzhny/Pivdennyi.
There are currently 13 vessels loading in Ukrainian ports - 6 in Chornomorsk and 7 in Odesa.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Albania is the 111th Member State to have paid its regular budget dues in full.
