HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 2024
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVEL
The second meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan ended a few hours ago. During the meeting, participants discussed the Independent Assessment, mandated by the Security Council and led by the Special Coordinator, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, as well as the way forward.
Speaking to media after his final session, the Secretary-General said the participants agreed they want an Afghanistan in peace - peace with itself and peace with its neighbours. He described a consensus among participants on the vision of an Afghanistan with inclusive institutions, in which its diverse groups all feel represented. There was also a consensus on the concerns about respect for human rights and, in particular, the rights of women and girls.
The Secretary-General said the special envoys agreed to continue holding these meetings at different levels, adding that he hopes the de facto authorities will join the discussions in the future.
Also today, the Secretary-General had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. He thanked Qatar for hosting the meeting of Special Envoys and also expressed his deep appreciation for the country’s continued mediation role regarding the expansion of humanitarian aid to Gaza, an interruption of hostilities and the release of hostages.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed met today in Bangkok with Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Interior of Thailand, to discuss the critical role of local and regional governments in advancing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including the support of the United Nations for the Government’s efforts.
Ms. Mohammed then chaired the United Nations Regional Collaborative Mechanism for Asia and the Pacific, where they discussed regional-level efforts to effectively support the SDGs acceleration and the UN Resident Coordinators and UN country teams in 23 countries.
Meeting with the UN Resident Coordinators in the region, they discussed how to accelerate progress and support governments and other stakeholders in shaping just transitions and investment pathways for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the country level.
Also on Monday, Ms. Mohammed held meetings with senior UN officials and the country team.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that negotiations are ongoing to evacuate remaining patients from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where an Israeli military operation is ongoing.
Yesterday, OCHA – along with the World Health Organization and the Palestine Red Crescent Society, visited the hospital and evacuated 14 patients.
Meanwhile, the situation in Al Amal Hospital – also in Khan Younis – remains critical, following a four-week siege by the Israeli military. Food supplies have reportedly been nearly exhausted, and fuel reserves are dwindling.
As the bombardment of Gaza continues, public health concerns are mounting – with women hardest hit. UNFPA has warned that everyone in Gaza is hungry, including some 50,000 pregnant women.
The United Nations and partners are doing all they can to provide food assistance across the Gaza Strip, despite major challenges to the humanitarian response, including ongoing airstrikes and heavy fighting.
Last week, more than a dozen partners reached 1.5 million people – with nearly one-third of food supplies going to Rafah Governorate, 28 per cent to Deir al Balah, just over a quarter to Khan Younis and 14 per cent to the north.
To do more, the UN needs secure and uninterrupted humanitarian corridors in Gaza. More trucks and fuel are needed inside Gaza to ensure a consistent and dependable food supply.
GAZA
Today, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, visited the Gaza Strip. He spoke with internally displaced families and listened to their stories. He met with UN and NGO personnel doing the very difficult work to deliver vital humanitarian assistance to those in need.
He also reviewed the operational and security challenges, including the breakdown of law and order, facing the entry and distribution of humanitarian goods. It’s clear that more needs to be done. The UN needs the tools to deliver on the ground, including the need for Israel to allow entry of items critical to UN operations and to improve deconfliction.
Mr. Wennesland described the situation in Gaza as disastrous, saying that you can easily recognize the despair and fear felt by the people.
He added that there are nearly 1.4 million Palestinians crammed in Rafah with barely any resources, hardly any access to medical care, nowhere to sleep, and nowhere safe to go. He warned that a full-scale Israeli military operation into Rafah may lead to a far more perilous situation.
SIGRID KAAG
Sigrid Kaag, the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, spoke to the European Union Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels today, and she told reporters afterwards that she had briefed foreign ministers on the facilitation, expedition and acceleration of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, as well as negotiations around the establishment of a mechanism which is supposed to verify and monitor assistance.
She said that strong support was issued for the mission and for UN efforts on the ground.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, Catriona Laing, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), briefed the Security Council on the situation in Somalia. She noted that the Federal Government of Somalia has made solid progress in recent months in the implementation of its priorities, including the completion of a critical security roadmap. On Ethiopia and “Somaliland” announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding, which reportedly grants Ethiopia a 50-year lease on 20 kilometres of coastline, she echoed the words of the Secretary-General who has recalled that the Security Council has repeatedly affirmed its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Somalia, and called for all parties to engage in peaceful and constructive dialogue and to refrain from inflammatory words or actions that could further escalate tensions.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that a surge of hostilities over the weekend in front lines areas in Ukraine led to civilian casualties, as well as the damage and destruction of civilian infrastructure.
In the Donetsk Region, in the east, local authorities reported at least a dozen civilian casualties and damage to more than 150 homes and civilian facilities damaged, including a school. In the Kharkiv Region, also in the east, intensified fighting led to more civilian casualties and damage to homes, three education facilities and a medical institution. That’s according to local authorities.
Humanitarian organizations are mobilized and have provided materials for emergency repairs of damaged houses.
Meanwhile, the United Nations, alongside its partners, are supporting the response to address the impact of the oil spillage on water sources in Kharkiv City after a strike on the oil storage facility on February 9th.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) says it remains deeply concerned by the renewed escalation of hostilities in the eastern part of the country. The peacekeepers reiterate their call on the M23 to cease its offensive and to respect the Luanda Roadmap.
Meanwhile, the UN Mission continues to support the Congolese army by defending major routes leading to the key towns of Sake and Goma in North Kivu province.
Due to the deteriorating security situation around Sake and Goma, the Mission is reinforcing its presence there by bringing in peacekeepers from its Force Intervention Brigade, based in Beni, in the northern part of the province.
The Mission also met with the FARDC Coordinator in North Kivu over the weekend, to coordinate joint military action in the defence of Sake and Goma. It also expressed concern over recent disinformation campaigns targeting peacekeepers, which is hampering mandate implementation efforts.
UN peacekeepers are continuing to facilitate safe passage of civilians fleeing the fighting to more secure areas, including around its Kitchanga base, where some 25,000 civilians have sought shelter.
SOUTH SUDAN
The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, is in South Sudan for a joint visit to the region with Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa. The focus of the visit is on assessing progress made on the peace process and the preparations underway for the upcoming December elections, the country’s first since independence.
Speaking upon his arrival in Juba yesterday, he said this is an important time for South Sudan and his visit is an expression of the UN family’s solidarity with the country. He added that it is clear the region is facing many challenges, including hostilities in Sudan, which are having an impact on South Sudan, intercommunal tensions in Abyei, as well as also other phenomenon such as the impact of climate change on communities.
Mr. Lacroix and Ms. Tetteh are expected in neighboring Abyei later this week.
SUDAN
The World Food Programme is warning that at least 25 million people across Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad are struggling with soaring rates of hunger and malnutrition as the crisis in Sudan sends shockwaves around the region – at a time the Agency is facing an almost $300 million funding gap for the next six months.
WFP says that people who are crossing to South Sudan or Chad are hungry and arriving with no resources. WFP had to prioritise scarce resources to the new arrivals, this means pre-existing refugees no longer receive assistance.
The UN has been sounding the alarm for months now regarding the humanitarian situation in Sudan. There are 18 million acutely food insecure people within the country, most are trapped in areas of active fighting where WFP and other aid agencies are struggling to maintain consistent access.
To avoid a hunger catastrophe as the lean season approaches, UN agencies need to be able to provide support to families in Sudan.
NOON BRIEFING GUEST – TOMORROW
Tomorrow, Mr. Bruno Lemarquis, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), will brief journalists on the humanitarian situation in the DRC.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Mozambique paid its dues in full, bringing us to 61 fully paid-up Member States.
