HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 5 MARCH 2024
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Humanitarian Coordinator, Jamie McGoldrick, continued his two-day visit to Gaza. Today, he was in the Misq and Layan Camp in Al Mawasi, where he spoke with displaced women. They told him of the impact of the war and of their needs, which include privacy, security, hygiene and their inability to prepare for Ramadan. He will speak to you virtually as the guest at the noon briefing tomorrow.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that last week – between 26 February and 3 March– 17 humanitarian partners reached a daily average of some 245,000 people with food assistance. This included food parcels and hot meals – 42 per cent of which went to people in Rafah, with the rest being distributed in Deir Al Balah, Khan Younis, Gaza city, and northern Gaza.
The UN partners are reporting a lack of food to distribute, as what is entering into Gaza is very limited compared to the needs. The UN continues to call for reliable entry points that would allow humanitarians to bring aid in from all possible crossings, including to northern Gaza.
Continuing airstrikes and heavy fighting in Gaza also continue to impede safe and efficient humanitarian operations. Humanitarians need security assurances and unimpeded passage to distribute aid, at scale, across Gaza.
UN humanitarians working on water, sanitation and hygiene in Gaza are reporting extremely challenging conditions amid high levels of displacement an overcrowding in shelters. According to their latest assessment, about 340 people are sharing a single toilet, and there is one shower for roughly 1,300 people on average. More than 80 per cent of households in Gaza lack safe and clean water.
UNICEF has been providing fuel to operate public and private water wells and desalination plants. And UNICEF also delivered more than 50 emergency health kits for more than half a million people and enough newborn kits for 8,700 newborn babies.
Yesterday, Pramila Patten, Secretary-General Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict reported back on her mission to Israel and the Palestinian Territory.
Also, Philippe Lazzarini the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) briefed reporters following his remarks to the General Assembly on the dire state of UNRWA, and said that it was at a breaking point.
HAITI
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the escalation of violence in several neighbourhoods in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, has led to some 15,000 people being forced to flee their homes. Most of these people had already been displaced previously.
Despite the security constraints, the UN’s humanitarian partners on the ground have begun to respond to these new displacements by providing food; hygiene and health kits; mattresses, blankets, sheets and lamps.
The World Food Programme and its partners have delivered some 5,500 hot meals to some 3,000 people living in the three new displacement sites, while the International Organization for Migration also started distributing emergency shelter material to more than 300 families.
The humanitarian community in Haiti calls on all sides to put an immediate stop to the violence; to allow safe access to the people in need; and to respect human rights, humanitarian norms and standards.
Some 5.5 million people - nearly half of the country’s population - need humanitarian assistance.
This year’s $674 million Humanitarian Needs Response Plan for Haiti is currently just 2.5 per cent funded, with $17 million.
Tomorrow afternoon, the Security Council is scheduled to hold a private meeting on the situation in Haiti. Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, Maria Isabel Salvador, is expected to brief on the United Nations behalf.
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Port-au-Prince. He calls for urgent action, particularly in providing financial support for the non-UN Multinational Security Support mission, to address the pressing security requirements of the Haitian people and prevent the country from plunging further into chaos.
He also calls on the Government of Haiti and other political actors to swiftly agree on the necessary steps to advance the political process towards the restoration of democratic institutions through the holding of elections.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) reports that heavy clashes between the M23 and the Congolese army resumed today in the area of Kihondo, close to Nyanzale in North Kivu.
A number of civilians have reportedly been killed, including by mortar shells that landed at a camp for displaced people in the area. As a result, civilians have fled the area.
Mortar shells also landed near a UN peacekeeping base in Nyanzale yesterday, prompting peacekeepers to return fire towards M23 positions. No peacekeepers were wounded.
The Mission reiterates its deep concern at the escalating violence and calls on the M23 to immediately cease its offensive and to respect the Luanda Roadmap.
Peacekeepers are doing their utmost to protect civilians and are continuing to maintain positions around Sake and Goma.
Elsewhere, in the province of Ituri, peacekeepers responded to a CODECO attack on a market, located in south-east Djugu. They are maintaining a presence in the area through patrols to prevent further attacks.
SOUTH SUDAN/SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, briefed Security Council members on the situation in South Sudan. He underscored that the peace agreement remains the only viable framework to achieve peace and stability in the country.
He also briefed members of the Council on the outcome of his visit to South Sudan and Abyei that took place last month.
AFGHANISTAN
Tomorrow morning the Security Council will hold a meeting on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
Following this meeting, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, is expected to speak with reporters at the Security Council stakeout.
CYPRUS
The Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín, will be in London on 7 and 8 March for meetings with UK officials. This comes after her meetings in Athens and Ankara in February, concluding her first visits to the three guarantor powers.
From London, she will continue to Cyprus, where she is expected to meet with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Nikos Christodoulides and Ersin Tatar, respectively. During her stay on the island, Ms. Holguín will also continue her engagements with a broad range of interlocutors, with a continued focus on listening to the concerns and aspirations of local actors.
DEPUTY SECRETAY-GENERAL/TRAVEL
The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed is in Beirut today with Under Secretary-General Guy Ryder to attend the Arab Regional Forum on Sustainable Development.
In her opening remarks, the Deputy Secretary-General stressed the interdependent nature of sustainable development and peace. She also called for more ambitious action on financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and for solidarity to reform global governance at the Summit of the Future.
On the sidelines of her visit, Ms. Mohammed also held bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib.
The Deputy Secretary-General and Under Secretary-General Guy Ryder will meet with Resident Coordinators of the Arab Region and hold a townhall meeting with UN staff before leaving for Dubai tonight.
MYANMAR
Regarding Myanmar, the conflict there now spans vast swathes of the country, with a serious deterioration of the situation in Rakhine, where fighting between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar Armed Forces is affecting the capital Sittwe.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that since late February, there has been an increase in military shelling from bases in Sittwe Town, near residential areas. Displacement is surging and healthcare is now seriously interrupted.
Since the breakdown of the year-long informal ceasefire on November 13th, nearly 149,000 people have been newly displaced in Rakhine and Paletwa (pal-AY-wuh) in Chin, according to humanitarian partners. This takes total displacement in Rakhine to more than 350,000 people. Closure of roads and waterways has also led to shortages and increased prices of essential goods in markets and food scarcity.
Internet connectivity and telecommunication networks remain disrupted or unavailable, severely impacting operations and communication with humanitarian partners and affected people on the ground.
Assistance is continuing wherever possible, mainly with the help of camp-based staff and volunteers due to movement restrictions.
Amid access challenges, UN agencies have been working with local organizations to conduct joint distributions of essential assistance that are ongoing in hard-to-reach areas of the Northwest.
The 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan seeks $994 million dollars to support 5.3 million people. The Plan is currently just 3 per cent funded.
CLIMATE
Two new reports on climate were published today.
The first one, from the Food and Agriculture Organization, says that climate change is disproportionately impacting the incomes of rural women, people living in poverty, and older populations, as their capacity to react and adapt to extreme weather events is unequal.
Called the Unjust Climate, the report suggests that addressing these challenges requires targeted interventions to empower various rural populations to engage in climate-adaptive measures.
And the second one, by the World Meteorological Organization, says that the 2023-24 El Niño has peaked as one of the five strongest on record.
It is now gradually weakening but it will continue to impact the global climate in the coming months, fuelling the heat trapped by greenhouse gases from human activities.
Above normal temperatures are predicted over almost all land areas between March and May.
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
In Geneva yesterday morning, Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, presented his global update to the Human Rights Council, covering about 40 countries, including rapidly spiraling crises.
With 55 conflicts flaring around the world, the High Commissioner focused on the right to peace as “the mother of all human rights”, as well as on the open space needed for societies to flourish, particularly as half of the world's population live in countries with scheduled elections in 2024.
DISARMAMENT AND NON-PROLIFERATION
Today is the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness. In his message, the Secretary-General says that global leaders must invest in peace by strengthening the systems and tools that prevent the proliferation and use of deadly weapons.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Mô Bleeker of Switzerland as his Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect.
Ms. Bleeker will succeed George William Okoth-Obbo of Uganda, to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful.
Ms. Bleeker most recently served as Special Envoy for Dealing with the Past and Prevention of Atrocities at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, where she has been working in different positions since 2003.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Maldives paid its dues in full, bringing the total number of paid-up Member States to 75.
