HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 21 NOVEMBER 2023
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
The Secretary-General is in Santiago, Chile.
Today, he will meet with the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, and with the UN Country Team.
He will also have a townhall meeting with the staff in Chile, and this evening he is set to attend a dinner hosted by the Foreign Minister, Alberto van Klaveren.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will take part in the G20 virtual Summit, which is being hosted by the Government of India.
And on Thursday, he will head to Antarctica. He will be accompanied by President Gabriel Boric.
GAZA
Yesterday, about 40 trucks carrying medical equipment, alongside 180 doctors and nurses, entered Gaza from Egypt.
This equipment and medical personnel are intended for the establishment of a second Jordanian field hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, with a capacity of 150 beds.
Also yesterday, the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, in North Gaza, came under attack, reportedly resulting in at least 12 fatalities, including patients and their companions, alongside many injuries. This is the fifth time the hospital has been hit since the start of hostilities.
Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection. Hospitals must not be used to shield military objectives from attack.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lynn Hastings, yesterday appealed to all parties to the conflict to protect Palestinian and Israeli children and their rights. As of 10 November, 4,506 Palestinian children were killed and about 1,500 have been reported missing, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
The UN Relief and Works Agency reports that as of 19 November, nearly 930,000 internally displaced persons are now sheltering in 156 UNRWA installations across all five governorates of the Gaza Strip, including in the north.
DISARMAMENT
The Secretary-General welcomes the successful conclusion of the fourth session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, which took place from 13 – 17 November 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
He commends the participating States of the Conference, under the Presidency of Libya, on their constructive engagement towards the elaboration of a future treaty and their commitment to multilateral diplomacy at a time of heightened tensions and the acute humanitarian crisis in the Middle East region.
He encourages them to continue their work during the intersessional period, and supports their continuing efforts to pursue, in an open and inclusive manner, the establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear-Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
Yesterday, the Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed was in London for the Global Food Security Summit, hosted by the Government of the United Kingdom and other partners. She called for an urgent change of course and scaling action to transform food systems. Whilst at the Summit the DSG met with senior Government officials of Brazil and the UK, including the newly appointed Foreign Secretary.
Later in the day, she delivered the Christian Aid Annual Lecture, hosted by St Martin-in-the-Field church, where she spoke about women’s advancement and role in tackling climate change. In her speech she called for action so all women can live a life of dignity.
SAHRAWI REFUGEE RESPONSE PLAN
In Algeria today, the UN launched the Sahrawi Refugee Response Plan, covering the next two years – 2024-2025.
The plan calls for US $214 million to ensure food stability, a reliable water supply as well as to address the nutritional requirements of people living in camps in Tindouf. Funding will also be used to enhance educational access, offer protection services, and to improve and promote the health of the men, women and children living there. The plan also includes measures to diversify livelihood activities.
Led by the UN Refugees Agency (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the new plan encompasses a robust and sustainable alliance of all 28 humanitarian actors on the ground to meet the needs of Sahrawi refugees.
Our colleagues note that donors have demonstrated steadfast solidarity with the Sahrawi refugees by providing critical humanitarian support. However, they say that despite this support, operations there remain underfunded.
With the Response plan launched today, the UN renewed its call to fund operations to provide humanitarian assistance to Sahrawi refugees.
SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE
The Security Council this morning heard briefings in closed consultations on Lebanon.
This afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will hold a meeting on the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.
Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas at the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and the World Food Programme Country Director in Ukraine, Matthew Hollingworth, are expected to brief Council members.
UKRAINE
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that relentless attacks in front-line areas continue.
In the east of the country, in the town of Selydove in the Donetsk Region, overnight attacks yesterday and today hit multiple locations, including a hospital. Two civilians were killed and several more people were injured, according to the national authorities.
Our humanitarian partners tell us that the injured received medical assistance and other patients were evacuated to nearby towns. The hospital premises sustained significant damage but remains operational.
Still in the front-line area of Donetsk Region, humanitarian partners provided health assistance to nearly 600,000 people between January to October of this year, mostly by pre-positioning and distributing medicine and medical equipment to health facilities ahead of the winter.
And last week, the World Health Organization supported an inter-agency convoy to the Donetsk Region, delivering much-needed assistance to some 12,500 people in the communities of Marinka and Vuhledar which have been particularly affected by intensified hostilities.
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), together with humanitarian partners, are delivering a range of critical aid at border crossing points between Pakistan and Afghanistan in response to the hundreds of thousands of forcibly returned Afghans.
According to IOM, nearly 375,000 Afghans have left Pakistan in the past two months primarily through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings.
IOM noted that the number of border crossings has dramatically increased from 200 daily to 17,000 since Pakistan’s “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan” set a 1 November deadline for the “voluntary return” of all undocumented Afghans in Pakistan to their country of origin.
Critical aid including shelter, water, sanitation, essential household items, healthcare, protection and nutrition services, as well as cash to cover basic needs, transportation and food is being provided by the IOM-led border consortium.
For its part, the UN Refugee Agency today warned that mass arrivals back to Afghanistan are adding to the ongoing humanitarian crisis as winter temperatures start to dip – in some locations the minimum already reaching -4°C . UNHCR notes that many Afghan returnees are vulnerable, including women and children who could lose their lives in a harsh winter if left without adequate shelter.
UNHCR has been reiterating their call that any return to Afghanistan should be voluntary, safe and dignified, irrespective of legal status in Pakistan and have urged the Government of Pakistan to put in place a screening mechanism to identify individuals in need of international protection. UNHCR is offering support to Pakistan to put in place a system that addresses the legitimate concerns of the Government of Pakistan as well as Afghans seeking safety on its territory.
CHAD
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that in December it will be forced to suspend food assistance to internally displaced people and refugees in Chad, who fled from Nigeria, the Central African Republic, and Cameroon due to insufficient funds.
And from January, this suspension will be extended to 1.4 million people across Chad – including new arrivals from Sudan.
According to WFP, millions in Chad already face acute food insecurity and malnutrition – particularly children - due to a confluence of calamities including the impact of the climate crisis, global economic headwinds that drive up food and fuel prices, declining agricultural production, and intercommunal tensions. The unfolding refugee crisis piles further pressure on food insecure communities that already struggle to get by.
A recent WFP food security assessment revealed that 40 percent of internally displaced people have poor food consumption – a major decline from 14 percent in 2022. Many of them are resorting to desperate measures such as selling their belongings or begging.
To ensure continued support to crisis-affected populations in Chad over the next six months, WFP urgently requires US$185 million.
SENIOR PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENT
We have a senior personnel announcement.
Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Ramtane Lamamra of Algeria as his Personal Envoy for Sudan.
Mr. Lamamra brings more than four decades of experience in politics, international affairs and diplomacy. He held several high-level governmental positions in Algeria, including serving as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and as Minister of State and Diplomatic Advisor to the President.
Since 2017, Mr. Lamamra has been a member of the High-level Advisory Board of the United Nations Secretary-General on Mediation.
WORLD TELEVISION DAY
Today is World Television Day.
This Day is not so much a celebration of tv, but rather the philosophy which it represents, that is, a symbol for communication and globalization in the contemporary world.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
In the past few days, Oman has paid its regular budget dues in full, taking us to 139 fully paid-up states.
