HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2023
SG/GAZA
Given the scale of the loss of human life in Gaza and in Israel, in such a short amount of time, the Secretary-General has today delivered a letter to the President of the Security Council, invoking Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations.
This is the first time that António Guterres has done this since he became Secretary-General in 2017. Article 99 states – and I quote - that “the Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”
In the letter, which has been shared with you, the Secretary-General urges the members of the Security Council to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe, and he appeals for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared.
GAZA
The World Food Programme (WFP), in a statement issued earlier today, said that the renewed fighting in Gaza makes the distribution of aid almost impossible and endangers the lives of humanitarian workers. Only a lasting peace can end the suffering and avert a looming humanitarian crisis, they say.
The ability of the United Nations to receive incoming loads of aid has been significantly impaired over the past three days by several factors. This includes a shortage of trucks within Gaza; the telecommunications blackout on 4 December; and the increasing number of staff who were unable to report to the Rafah crossing due to the ongoing hostilities.
Yesterday, for the third consecutive day, Rafah was the only governorate in Gaza where limited aid distributions took place. In the adjacent Khan Younis governorate, aid distribution has largely stopped due to the intensity of the fighting.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS
The Spokesman announced two senior personnel announcements – both related to UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Natalie Boucly of France as the Deputy Commissioner-General for Programmes and Partnerships for UNRWA.
She succeeds Leni Stenseth of Norway to whom the Secretary-General expresses his appreciation for her service and commitment to the Organization.
Currently, Natalie is the Acting Deputy Commissioner-General of UNRWA. She brings to the position 25 years of international experience, in addition to substantive field experience in sensitive conflict and post-conflict settings with a particular focus on governance, crisis response and elections.
Also being appointed today by the Secretary-General is Antonia Marie De Meo of the United States. She is becoming Deputy Commissioner-General for Operational Support.
She is currently the Director of the UN Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), Ms. De Meo brings to the position nearly 25 years of experience in executive leadership, strategic planning, representation, resource mobilization and all aspects of operational oversight in humanitarian, conflict, recovery and development contexts.
HIGH-LEVEL PLEDGING EVENT FOR THE CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND
This morning, the Secretary-General addressed the High-Level Pledging Event for the Central Emergency Response Fund.
He said that, year after year, the Response Fund demonstrates its unique and irreplaceable role by getting funding quickly to people in crisis.
For example, the Secretary-General said that in April, CERF – as the fund is widely known- made funding available to help millions of people caught up in the brutal fighting in Sudan. In October, CERF quickly channeled funds to our UN humanitarian agencies in Gaza.
Beyond the immediate crises, the Emergency Response Fund funding is also helping to counter long-term trends, from resurgent food insecurity and the humanitarian impact of the climate crisis.
Mr. Guterres called for more donors to step up and expand the donor base. He also called for financial commitments that match the scale of needs, reiterating that we need to meet the $1 billion dollar funding target agreed seven years ago.
The pledging conference is still underway. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will be tallying up the final pledges by the end of the day.
VENEZUELA/GUYANA
In response to questions on the situation between Venezuala and Guyana. The Spokesman said the Secretary-General strongly supports the use of solely peaceful means to settle international disputes. He further recalls that, pursuant to the Charter and to the Statute of the International Court of Justice, decisions of the Court are binding and he trusts that both States will duly comply with the Order from the Court.
The Secretary-General recalls the Order of the International Court of Justice, issued on 1 December 2023, indicating provisional measures in the case of Guyana against Venezuela concerning Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899.
The Secretary-General notes the Court’s unanimous decision to order Venezuela to “refrain from taking any action that would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute”.
The Secretary-General also notes the Court’s order to both Parties to refrain from any action, which might aggravate or extend the dispute or make it more difficult to resolve.
In accordance with the Statute of the Court, the Secretary-General transmitted the notice of the provisional measures ordered by the Court to the Security Council.
VENEZUELAN REFUGEES
Also related to Venezuela, this morning, the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency launched a $1.59 billion regional plan to support the needs of refugees and migrants from Venezuela as well as their host communities across 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean countries. The number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela worldwide has now topped 7.7 million people, with the vast majority hosted by countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The 2024 response plan aims to respond to 3 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela and host communities with emergency needs, while supporting socio-economic integration that will allow them to resume their lives.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council met on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine. Briefing Council members was Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for Central Asia, Europe, and Americas at the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. He noted that intensifying Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities, amidst heavy snow and freezing temperatures, are worsening the dire humanitarian situation across the country.
Mr. Jenča also noted that despite reports of increasing shipments in the Black Sea, the war continues to pose significant risks to civilian navigation and to Ukraine’s grain export capacity.
The Director of Coordination from OCHA, Ramesh Rajasingham, also briefed, saying that so far in 2023, almost 560 humanitarian partners – the vast majority are local partners - have provided life-critical aid and protection services to more than 10 million people in Ukraine. He stressed that as we come to the end of the year 2023 and enter 2024, we must redouble our efforts to prevent further escalation in Ukraine.
UKRAINE
OCHA tells us there was an attack yesterday in the city of Kherson, in the south of the country, which destroyed a local NGO’s humanitarian warehouse.
The humanitarian centre had been providing vital assistance to tens of thousands of residents of Kherson city and the region - whose needs have increased in the winter weather and the warehouse was completely burnt down.
UN PEACEKEEPING MINISTERIAL MEETING
The 2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting is wrapping up in Accra, in Ghana.
High-level representatives from 91 countries have expressed their political commitment to UN peacekeeping and made concrete pledges to strengthen its effectiveness. The pledges will help fill gaps, such as new air assets, police and military with specialist skills, including quick reaction forces and rapidly deployable units, as well as improved surveillance, reconnaissance and explosive ordnance disposal.
Delegations also committed to deploying more women to peacekeeping operations, including in leadership roles. They also made commitments to prevent and robustly respond to misconduct, to support new mental health services, the digital transformation of peacekeeping, and strategic communications.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of Peacekeeping, spoke today. He said the pledges will help peacekeeping adapt to growing challenges and threats. He also reiterated that securing sustainable peace requires the consistent, active, and united engagement of Member States.
COP28
An update on what is going on at COP28 [UN Climate Change conference] in Dubai. The UN Environment Programme, along with the governments of France and Morocco, launched the “Buildings Breakthrough” initiative.
This seeks to accelerate the transformation of the building sector – which accounts for 21 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions – with a view to making near-zero emissions and climate resilient buildings the new normal by 2030.
Twenty-seven countries have so far pledged their commitment to the “Buildings Breakthrough.”
The new initiative aims to strengthen international collaboration to decarbonize the building sector and to make clean technologies and sustainable solutions the most affordable, accessible and attractive option in all regions by 2030.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Earlier today, in Geneva, Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, spoke ahead of Human Rights Day, which will be observed on Sunday and which marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
He said that conflicts and crises stalking us today should be a wake-up call for the international community that failure to respect human rights results in instability, suffering, and more inequality.
CHILDREN
New data published by UNICEF today shows that more than 1 in 5 children live in poverty in 40 of the world’s richest countries.
UNICEF warns that for most children this means they may grow up without enough nutritious food, clothes, school supplies, or a warm place to call home.
The Agency calls on governments and stakeholders to urgently expand social protection for children and to ensure they have access to quality basic services, like childcare and free education.
AI ADVISORY BODY
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General’s High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence will be meeting in-person for the first time, and that will take place at Headquarters, here, tomorrow, 7 December, and also on the 8th.
And as a reminder the AI Advisory Body will publish its interim report by the end of this year.
Its preliminary recommendations will focus on assessing the full range of AI risks and challenges, among other things.
Looking ahead, the AI Body will also engage with all stakeholders and looks forward to receiving constructive feedback, following which its findings and recommendations will be refined, and a final report presented in mid-2024.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Our peacekeeping colleagues in the Central African Republic report that earlier today, unidentified armed people targeted a UN patrol travelling from Bouar to Bocaranga in the Ouham-Pendé Prefecture.
The assailants immediately fled the scene after the attack.
According to preliminary reports, one peacekeeper was seriously injured during the incident, and evacuated by helicopter to Bouar to receive urgent medical attention.
Our colleagues say this highlights the persistent challenges faced by peacekeeping missions in volatile regions, underscoring the need for sustained efforts to continue enhancing the safety and security of UN personnel.
