Noon briefing of 12 January 2024

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 12 JANUARY 2024

YEMEN
Noting that airstrikes were launched yesterday across multiple parts of Yemen by the United States and the United Kingdom, with the support of other countries, the Secretary-General underscores that UN Security Council Resolution 2722 (2024) must be fully respected in its entirety.
The Secretary-General reiterates that attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea area are not acceptable as they endanger the safety and security of global supply chains and have a negative impact on the economic and humanitarian situation around the world.
The Security Council demands, in resolution 2722 (2024), that the Houthis immediately cease all such attacks on commercial shipping. The resolution must be fully respected.
The Secretary-General calls upon all Member States defending their vessels from attacks to do so in accordance with international law, as stipulated in the Resolution.
The Secretary-General further calls upon all parties involved not to escalate even more the situation in the interest of peace and stability in the Red Sea and the wider region.
Furthermore, the Secretary-General stresses the need to avoid acts that could further worsen the situation in Yemen itself. He calls for every effort to be made to ensure that Yemen pursues a path of peace and that the work undertaken thus far to end the conflict in Yemen should not be lost.

GAZA
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that between 1 and 11 January, only 5 of 24 planned aid deliveries of food, medicine, water, and other lifesaving supplies to the north of Wadi Gaza were able to proceed. OCHA continues to call for rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access to northern Gaza. Requests for all planned humanitarian convoys should be immediately granted.
In southern Gaza, new evacuation orders were issued yesterday to residents of the Al Mawasi area and several blocks near Salah Ad Deen Road, covering an estimated 4.6 square kilometres. The Israeli military stated that it is preparing to operate in the area and ordered those affected to move to Deir al Balah.
More than 18,000 people and nine shelters, accommodating an unknown number of internally displaced people, are expected to be affected by this latest round of orders.
The Human Rights Office have also expressed concern that Israeli forces have placed civilian lives at serious risk by ordering residents from various parts of Middle Gaza to relocate to Deir al Balah while continuing to conduct airstrikes on the city. Measures must be immediately taken to protect civilians in line with its obligations under international law.
On 10 January, the Electricity Generation Company’s generators were struck, north of An Nuseirat Refugee Camp, and all four of its generators caught fire. This plant hosts four major generators that used to supply electricity throughout the Gaza Strip. Casualties and damage to the plant’s functions are unconfirmed, but there is concern for the plant’s ability to supply electricity in the future.

SYRIA
Yesterday, the Government of Syria extended its consent for the United Nations to deliver humanitarian assistance from Türkiye through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for an additional six months, until July 13^th, 2024.
This extension is essential because the UN cross-border operation remains a lifeline to people in north-west Syria. Every month, the UN and partners reach an average of 2.5 million people with critical assistance and protection services.
Since February of 2023, nearly 5,000 trucks carrying UN aid have crossed from Türkiye to north-west Syria using the Bab Al-Hawa, Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’ae border crossings. More than 300 cross-border missions by UN personnel have also been completed.
Talks for permissions for the other two border crossings are ongoing.

SOMALIA
The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia – or UNSOM - strongly condemned today a mortar attack on Thursday night on the Aden Adde International Airport area, in which the UN Compound is located. A member of the UN Guard Unit was killed in the attack.
The Mission called for those responsible to be brought to justice and underscored that the UN Guard Unit plays an integral role in ensuring the safety and security of UN staff working in support of Somali peace- and state-building.
It also stressed that it will remain committed to supporting the people and government of Somalia in their efforts to build peace and stability in the country.

SUDAN
Moving to Sudan, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, is appealing for major improvements to humanitarian access in the country.
In a Tweet, Mr. Griffiths said that far too few of the millions of people in Sudan who need humanitarian aid now are getting that assistance.
Impediments include layers of red tape for humanitarian supplies arriving in Port Sudan, such as customs clearances and inspections that can take several weeks.
Loaded trucks can’t move due to fierce fighting, including in the humanitarian hub of Wad Medani, which has been looted and paralyzed by violence.
Aid workers in Sudan have been detained and killed, and drivers have been beaten and extorted for money.
Mr. Griffiths stressed that humanitarian workers in Sudan, as they do everywhere, need access, civilians need protection, and the fighting needs to stop.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Following the massive floods and landslides in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that have impacted nearly half of the country’s provinces, including Kinshasa, today, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and humanitarian partners met with the country’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs to discuss the response plan and field visit to affected areas in Kinshasa.
A national disaster response plan prepared by the Government is being finalized, in coordination with the UN and partners.
A joint field visit to flood-affected areas in Kinshasa is planned for tomorrow, 13 January.
The humanitarian partners are supporting emergency relief activities in some areas, mainly South Kivu and Tanganyika, including on health, water, hygiene, and sanitation. But for many provinces, response efforts are hampered by scarce resources, a lack of assessment possibilities, and the limited presence of aid workers.
Significant pressing needs are for food, water, shelter, latrines, protection services, health care, and malaria prevention.
Meanwhile, humanitarian personnel continue to come under attack in the eastern part of the country. Earlier this month on 4 January, in Djugu territory, in Ituri, armed men attacked a truck carrying WFP food. It broke down and was stuck on the road. The truck was burned, and food that was being transported to Bunia was looted.
Also, in Ituri province, peacekeepers sent a patrol to Panza yesterday in response to clashes between the CODECO armed group and the Zaire militia.
Following the clashes, civilians sought refuge and protection near a temporary MONUSCO base in Drodro, which is next to Djugu.
The Mission is monitoring the situation and peacekeepers are continuing to patrol the area until the situation stabilizes.

UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN’s Refugee Agency are launching jointly this year’s humanitarian and refugee response plans for Ukraine.
The event will be held in Geneva on Monday.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, and the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, will co-host Monday’s event.
This year’s response plans will require a combined $4.2 billion to support some 10.8 million people in Ukraine and the region.
Nearly two years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, 14.6 million men, women and children need humanitarian assistance in the Ukraine – about 40 per cent of the population. More than 6 million people have fled the country itself.

ECUADOR
The UN team in Ecuador, led by Resident Coordinator Lena Savelli, met with the authorities yesterday and offered to boost support as the country addresses critical security challenges.
As part of the ongoing efforts, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is supporting the Government in collecting data and tracking the dynamics of illicit crops, from their production to trafficking. UNODC is also providing technical assistance for the forthcoming National Strategy Against Organized Crime.
For their part, UN Women, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and UNODC are working with authorities to strengthen the institutional capacities, with funding from the UN’s Peace Building Fund.
UNDP and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are also working on strategies to increase job opportunities for youth and to help young people transition from informal to formal employment.

CABO VERDE
Cabo Verde has been certified as a malaria-free country by the World Health Organization.
It is the third country – after Mauritius and Algeria - to be certified in the African region. In total, 43 countries and one territory have been certified malaria-free by WHO worldwide.
WHO says the systems and structures built for malaria elimination in Cabo Verde have strengthened the health system and will be used to fight other mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever.
Travellers from non-malaria endemic regions can now travel to the islands of Cabo Verde without fear of local malaria infections.

GLOBAL TEMPERATURE
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has officially confirmed in a statement today that 2023 is the warmest year on record, by a huge margin. The annual average global temperature approached 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The UN Secretary-General is quoted in that statement that we must respond to record-breaking temperature rises with path-breaking action. “We can still avoid the worst of climate catastrophe,” he says. But only “if we act now with the ambition required to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius and deliver climate justice.”
For her part, Professor Celeste Saulo, who became WMO’s Secretary-General on 1 January this year, said we must drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources.
WMO will issue its final State of the Global Climate 2023 report in March of this year.

HONOUR ROLL
Canada and Norway paid their regular budget dues in full for 2024. The Honour Roll has reached nine members.

GUEST TODAY
The noon briefing guest is Dominic Allen, the UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Representative for the State of Palestine.