HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FLORENCIA SOTO NIÑO,
ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 20 MARCH 2024
SECRETARY-GENERAL/BRUSSELS
Today, in Brussels, the Secretary-General attended a working lunch organized by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission.
Before the lunch, they had a joint press encounter on which the Secretary-General said they are meeting at a particularly dark moment, when Europe’s role on the global stage is more important than ever.
Turning to the situation in Ukraine, the Secretary-General reiterated his call for a just peace – respecting the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders.
And turning to Gaza, he said that as more than half of the population – over a million people – are facing catastrophic hunger, he called on the Israeli authorities to ensure complete and unfettered access for humanitarian goods throughout Gaza and for the international community to fully support our humanitarian efforts.
We must keep doing everything to stop the killing, reach an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and secure the unconditional release of the hostages, he added.
Beyond these wars, mistrust and division rule the day, Mr. Guterres said. Multilateralism and solidarity are in the DNA of the European Union. And as we prepare for the UN Summit of the Future in September, he urged the EU and its Member States to keep pushing for a more inclusive, effective, and resilient international system.
Also today, the Secretary-General had meetings with Hadja Lahbib and Caroline Gennez, respectively the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Development Cooperation of Belgium, as well as with Jutta Urpilainen, the EU Commissioner for International Partnership.
And tomorrow, at the opening of the European Council, the Secretary-General will attend a working lunch with the Heads of State and Government of the European Union. He is also scheduled to meet the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and others.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council held a briefing in which it heard from Edem Wosornu, the Director of Operations and Advocacy at Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, who warned Council members of a far-reaching and fast-deteriorating situation of food insecurity in Sudan – a situation driven by 11 months of brutal and unremitting conflict. She said that in Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan – which are home to 90 per cent of people facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity – there has been no respite from the fierce fighting for 340 days.
Ms. Wosornu noted that our humanitarian partners estimate that in the coming weeks and months, somewhere in the region of around 222,000 children could die from malnutrition.
Also, briefing Council members was Carl Skau, the World Food Programme Deputy Executive Director, and he said that across the region, nearly 28 million people face acute food insecurity, with 18 million in Sudan, 7 million in South Sudan, and nearly 3 million in Chad. Despite the World Food Programme's efforts, he said that the emergency relief operation is being severely hampered by a lack of access and a lack of resources.
For his part, the Deputy Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Maurizio Martina, warned that the spread of conflict to Al Jazirah poses a significant threat to national food production, given that the state accounts for about 50 per cent of wheat and 10 per cent of sorghum, essential crops for the country.
All these remarks were shared with you and of course, our guest will be able to elaborate more on that.
UN RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST/REVIEW
The independent review group that is assessing whether the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made. This interim report will be officially presented to the Secretary-General later today by Catherine Colonna.
The review is led by Ms. Colonna, who is working with three research organizations: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
And yesterday, the group presented the Interim Report findings and recommendations to the Secretary-General in person, and as you know, it will be done officially today. The interim report found that UNRWA has in place a significant number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with the Humanitarian Principle of neutrality, and the group has also identified critical areas that still need to be addressed.
The review group will now develop concrete and realistic recommendations on how to address these critical areas to strengthen and improve UNRWA. The group will present the final report on the 20 April and this report will be made public.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that the Israeli military operation in and around Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City continued for a third straight day. OCHA continues to call for civilians -- including sick and wounded patients and medical staff -- to be protected. Hospitals and health care facilities should not be targeted.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has documented 410 attacks on health care in Gaza since 7 October – that’s as of a week ago. These attacks reportedly caused hundreds of casualties, damaged nearly 100 facilities and affected more than 100 ambulances.
And in the West Bank, the World Health Organization has documented 403 attacks on health care since 7 October, during the same period.
These attacks reportedly killed nearly a dozen people, injured almost 70 others and affected nearly 50 health facilities and 275 ambulances.
WHO calls for civilians and health care to be protected – and international law to be respected.
Meanwhile, the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, is in Cyprus today and tomorrow to for talks on maritime shipments of aid to Gaza.
HAITI
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that we were able to bring in by air more than 800 kilos of medicine, including blood bags, and other medical supplies, in addition to humanitarian staff. These supplies have been critical for the health response by UN agencies and NGOs, with health facilities being severely affected by the violence.
This has also allowed humanitarian organizations to have sufficient staff in the country to continue to deliver aid.
And also, the World Food Programme distributed more than 8,400 hot meals yesterday to people forced to flee their homes in Port-au-Prince.
HAITI/REFUGEES
The UN Refugee Agency today issued new legal guidance to ensure that international refugee protection is provided for Haitians who need it. UNHCR’s new guidance aims to assist States with their assessment of asylum claims considering the stark realities facing Haitians today.
In the new guidance, the UN Refugee Agency considers that, in line with the 1951 Refugee Convention, Haitians who should be deemed eligible for refugee protection may include political activists, journalists, judges, lawyers and others fighting corruption and crime, among other risk profiles.
Furthermore, Haitians may also be eligible for refugee protection under the 1984 Cartagena Declaration’s regional refugee definition. Under this definition, this is applied by many countries in the region, refugee protection should be extended to individuals affected by circumstances that seriously disturb public order in the country and by generalized violence in areas impacted by gang activities.
And I would refer you to UNHCR if you want more information on that.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that ongoing hostilities continued to severely impede the delivery of humanitarian aid and services in January and February, particularly in front-line communities. That’s according to OCHA’s latest assessment of humanitarian access.
The delivery of aid to people in territories occupied by the Russian Federation remains especially challenging. For example, getting aid to civilians in Avdiivka, in the eastern region of Donetsk, has been impossible since the occupation of the city in February.
OCHA notes that most residents there are heavily reliant on humanitarian assistance, and the security situation has also made it more difficult to reach neighbouring communities hosting people displaced by the hostilities.
Humanitarian workers in Ukraine also continue to face threats to their security. In January and February alone, aid organizations in the country reported at least 24 incidents impacting humanitarian access, with two aid workers killed and 10 others injured. There were also more than a dozen incidents in which humanitarian assets and facilities were damaged.
MYANMAR
In Myanmar, where the conflict continues to drive humanitarian needs and pose grave protection threats, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that in Rakhine, the civilian population bears the brunt of the continued fighting between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar Armed Forces, with deadly aerial bombardment and heavy shelling in residential areas. Forced recruitment is also a growing concern. Humanitarian organizations are sounding the alarm over water scarcity in sites housing displaced people, as the area soon faces the driest weeks of the year. Some aid is reaching affected communities through local efforts, but it is not enough. Stockpiles of life-saving supplies are dwindling, with the cyclone season just around the corner.
In the southeast of the country, airstrikes and shelling have also been reported over recent days in Hopong and Hsihseng townships in southern Shan, reportedly injuringseveral civilians and damaging homes.
In the Northwest, clashes are severely affecting civilians in the township of Kale in Sagaing. Some 28,000 people have been displaced since the escalation of fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces and People’s Defense Forces in this area in late February. This includes some 7,000 people who were newly reported as displaced in the last week alone.
And also in the Northeast, more than 20,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in 10 townships in Kachin since the Kachin Independence Army launched a new wave of offensive attacks on 7 March.
This has worsened humanitarian needs among an already vulnerable population.
And as you know, funding continues to remain a major challenge to response efforts. Our Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for this year seeks $994 million, and it is just 7 per cent funded at $74 million. So, additional resources are urgently needed.
PEACEBUILDING
The Secretary-General’s report on the Peacebuilding Fund for 2023 was released today. Responding to national demand for peacebuilding support, the Fund approved $202 million last year to support communities and institution-building in 36 countries and territories.
Across the three priority windows of the Fund’s 2020– 2024 Strategy, it approved more than $24 million for supporting cross-border and regional approaches, $38 million for facilitating UN transitions and $57 million for women’s and youth empowerment.
Overall, support fell significantly short of demand and below the targeted level due to reduced financing. With increased demand from Member States despite a decline in contributions, the Fund has reached its lowest liquidity level since its inception. We need to invest now in sustainable peace for tomorrow.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Today is the International Day of Happiness, which recognizes the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives.
And today, is also French Language Day.
WHATSAPP CHANNEL
And two more things. This is more of a housekeeping note. You will have seen that we emailed all of you details of a new platform our office launched, which is our WhatsApp Channel.
You can now follow us there to get notifications about the noon briefing, including the highlights and transcripts. We will also ping you about what is happening with stakeouts, press encounters and more.
This is just another way to make sure you’re getting information from us as easy and as fast as possible. Make sure you turn on your notifications, because otherwise you won’t know that we have posted new things.
BRIEFING GUEST
Tomorrow, Thursday, we will be joined virtually by our guest, Ulrika Richardson, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti. She will brief on the situation there.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Trinidad and Tobago and Vanuatu paid their dues to the regular budget.
***The guest at the Noon Briefing was Rein Paulsen, the Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization Office of Emergencies and Resilience. He briefed reporters on the food insecurity situation in Sudan.
