HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2023
LIBYA
The Secretary-General expresses his heartfelt condolences to the Libyan authorities and families of those who have lost their lives as a result of storm Daniel which has hit eastern Libya, causing massive flooding. The UN thoughts are with the thousands of people affected, and stands in solidarity with all people in Libya during this difficult time. The storm has claimed thousands of lives, with thousands more people missing, according to the Libyan Red Crescent.
The United Nations team in Libya is responding at the site. Furthermore, it is mobilizing resources and emergency teams to support those affected people and are working with local, national, and international partners to get urgently needed humanitarian assistance to people in the affected areas. The UN is coordinating with the Libyan authorities to assess needs and support the ongoing relief efforts.
MOROCCO
The Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs continues close communication with the national authorities to offer the UN’s support in the assessment, coordination and response to the situation following the devastating earthquake.
OCHA says that the Moroccan authorities are leading the response and have deployed massive efforts, including medical personnel and equipment.
Meanwhile thousands of people are sheltering outdoors, with electricity, internet and roads having been cut off in some places. Roadblocks caused by the earthquake are gradually being lifted as rubble is being removed.
The UN Children’s Fund says that initial reports indicate that approximately 100,000 children have been impacted by the powerful earthquake.
UNICEF has already mobilized humanitarian staff to support the immediate response on the ground. In close coordination with the authorities and UN partners, UNICEF is ready to further support the humanitarian response as necessary to reach children and families affected with critical supplies and services.
MALI
The UN Peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, strongly condemned an attack on its base yesterday in the town of Timbuktu, during which three rockets were launched. No injuries were reported but there was material damage. The Mission reported that it sent patrols, together with the Malian armed forces, to ensure the security of the camp and airport, and to enable flights to resume.
The UN recalls that security is essential to the implementation of a safe and orderly withdrawal of the UN Mission from Mali.
CONFERENCE ON PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, is in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he is attending the second Latin American and Caribbean Conference on UN Peacekeeping Operations.
In his remarks to the Conference this morning, Mr. Lacroix thanked Argentina for its peacekeeping commitment and the increasing number of peace operations in which Argentinian peacekeepers are deployed.
He also paid tribute to the many women and men from Latin America and the Caribbean who serve under the blue flag.
Mr. Lacroix stressed that UN Peacekeeping’s current challenges can be better addressed through exchanges and cooperation between Member States including through networks such as the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Cooperation in Peacekeeping Operations.
During his two-day trip to Buenos Aires, Mr. Lacroix is also meeting with senior Argentinian officials as well as regional delegates to update them on peacekeeping priorities and challenges.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on threats to international peace and security. Briefing Council members, Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, noted that the provision of defensive military assistance to the armed forces of Ukraine has continued in the context of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched by the Russian Federation in violation of the United Nations Charter and international law.
Ms. Nakamitsu said that reports related to the transfer and use of cluster munitions throughout the war are also very concerning. She said that we also take note of reports related to the transfer of depleted uranium tank ammunition to the Ukrainian forces, adding that the supply of weapons and ammunition into any armed conflict situation raises significant concerns about the potential escalation of violence and presents significant risks of diversion and proliferation even after the conflict has ended.
Ms. Nakamitsu added that the continued and intensified attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure and services in Ukraine, including energy infrastructure, health and educational facilities, ports, roads, bridges and grain facilities remain very much alarming.
SYRIA/YARMOUK CAMP
The UN Relief and Works Agency for the Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) says that for the first time in eleven years, Palestine Refugee students in Yarmouk camp in Syria are going back to school in the camp.
The school year was opened on 3 September at a recently rehabilitated school in the camp after years of forced displacement.
To help children prepare for school, UNRWA distributed school bags and basic stationery. Students also receive psychosocial support activities to develop their social and emotional capacities and support their well-being.
More UNRWA installations will be rehabilitated once the Agency gets more funding.
NIGER
Turning to Niger, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that, despite challenges, humanitarian operations continue across the country.
In the Maradi and Zinder regions, in the South, humanitarian partners conducted 219 field missions in the past ten days to distribute aid and carry out needs assessments.
Heavy rains continue, impacting more than 123,000 people, as well as damaging crops and killing livestock. The regions of Maradi and Tillaberi are the most impacted by the rain.
Humanitarians are working to ramp up efforts to respond to the needs of people affected.
NIGERIA
From Nigeria, the UN and partners are appealing for additional funding to scale up the humanitarian response during the lean season and to address the food security and nutrition crisis in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states in the north-east.
Some 700,000 children under the age of five are at risk of severe acute malnutrition. This is more than double the number of cases in 2022. Some 4.3 million people are also at risk of severe hunger.
In May, the UN and partners in Nigeria appealed for nearly $400 million to respond to the most severe needs in the three states through September. So far, this appeal is 51 per cent funded, with just over $200 million received.
As a result, we’ve been able to reach 2.5 million people with food assistance and more than 580,000 children and women with preventive and treatment services for malnutrition.
The UN urgently needs additional funds for preventive nutrition supplies and other gaps at a time when the prices of food and fuel are rising.
EMERGENCY HUNGER
The World Food Programme today issued a stark warning for global food security. It estimates that every one percent cut in food assistance risks pushing more than 400,000 people towards the brink of starvation. As a result, an additional 24 million people could slip into emergency hunger over the next 12 months.
Massive reductions have already been implemented in almost half of WFP’s operations, including significant cuts in hotspots such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Jordan, Palestine, South Sudan, Somalia, and Syria.
According to the food Agency, there are currently 345 million people facing acute food insecurity worldwide, with 40 million of these in emergency levels of hunger. These are people forced to take desperate measures to survive and are at risk of dying from malnutrition. Shirin
VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
The UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration today said that over four million migrants and refugees from Venezuela still face difficulties accessing food, shelter, healthcare, education, and formal employment in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The agencies said that approximately 19 per cent of refugee and migrant children are not attending school, instead supporting their families with informal and underpaid jobs to make ends meet. In addition, one-third of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the Americas have not been able to regularize their status and are unable to support their families through underpaid and informal jobs.
CLIMATE
A report released today by the UN Environment Programme and its partners is offering solutions to decarbonize the building and construction sector.
The report says that the construction sector is currently responsible for 37 per cent of global emissions, with the world adding buildings equivalent to the size of Paris every five days.
The report offers policy makers, manufacturers, architects, developers, engineers, builders and recyclers a three-pronged solution to reduce carbon emissions and the negative impacts on natural ecosystems.
SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION
Today is the International Day for South-South Cooperation.
In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General says that in our world of deeply connected challenges, South-South cooperation plays a vital role in shaping a brighter future. He adds that it is a powerful reminder that when nations unite, they can overcome obstacles and accelerate sustainable development.
NOON BRIEFING GUESTS TODAY
Noon briefing guests today are Imme Scholz, Co-President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Co-Chair of the Independent Group of Scientists that prepared the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR); and Astra Bonini, Senior Sustainable Development Officer in the Division for Sustainable Development Goals in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
They will brief on the key findings of the Global Sustainable Development Report 2023. The report provides evidence and practical solutions to help decision-makers overcome impediments to sustainable development.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
Tomorrow, the traditional Peace Bell Ceremony, in advance of the International Day of Peace, will take place at 10:00 a.m. here at UN headquarters.
The Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly will make remarks, ring the Peace Bell and observe a moment of silence.
In addition, on Thursday, at 9:30 a.m., the International Day of Peace Youth Event will take place under the theme “Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals”.
Participants include UN Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas; Youth Climate Activist Xiye Bastida; the Secretary-General’s Youth Envoy, Jayathma Wickramanayake, along with youth leaders and activists from around the world.
The event is organized by the UN Department of Global Communications and will be live streamed on UN WebTV.
BRIEFINGS
At 2:00 p.m., Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, will brief on the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI).
On Wednesday, 13 September, there will be no Noon Briefing. The Secretary-General will hold a pre-General Assembly press conference in this room at 11:00 a.m.
And at 4:30 p.m., there will be a briefing by UNICEF and a representative from the Mission of the State of Qatar on the Commemoration of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
In observance of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, a high-level impact conversation will take place in the ECOSOC Chamber tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. The event is organized by the State of Qatar and Education Above All Foundation together with UNESCO, UNICEF and the Department of Global Communications.
Speakers include the Secretary-General, Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser; the President of the General Assembly, Dennis Francis, and the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Wonie Bio.
THURSDAY BRIEFINGS
On Thursday, 14 September. At 11:30 a.m., there will be a briefing by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Representative, on pre-General Assembly matters.
Noon briefing guest will be David Nanopoulos, Chief of Treaty Section, who will brief on the forthcoming Treaty Event.
At 1:00 p.m., there will be a briefing by Alex Wong, Senior Adviser, Strategic Engagement and Initiatives, International Telecommunication Union. He will brief on SDG Digital, held in ECOSOC over the coming weekend (16/17 September) on how technology is accelerating the achievement of the SDGs.
