HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 3 APRIL 2024
GAZA
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that we have suspended night-time movements within the Gaza Strip for 48 hours to allow for further evaluation of the security issues that affect the safety of our personnel and the civilian population, following the tragic incident on Monday where staff from the World Central Kitchen were killed.
That’s the night-time movement. During the day, the World Food Programme (WFP) said that operations continue, including our daily efforts to send convoys to the north. People are dying and it is essential that we provide assistance to them, they say. And as famine closes in, we need humanitarian staff and supplies to be able to move freely and safely across Gaza.
For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that today, it once again requested that Israeli authorities facilitate a mission to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city. As we told you yesterday, multiple requests to reach the hospital over the past two weeks were denied, delayed or impeded.
WHO teams were also planning to visit two other hospitals in northern Gaza today – Sahaba and Ahli. However, they did not receive permission to move.
We can only underscore once more that delays and denials of humanitarian missions not only prevent us from reaching those in need – they also impact other operations and deliveries by diverting scarce resources.
The UN and its humanitarian partners will continue to do all we can to get life-saving assistance to civilians across Gaza.
Meantime, OCHA is working with the Palestine Red Crescent Society to assist in the repatriation of the remains of those international staff members from World Central Kitchen.
GAZA/DAMAGE REPORT
An interim report - released jointly by the United Nations and the World Bank estimates the cost of damage to critical infrastructure in Gaza is at around $18.5 billion.
An estimated 26 million tons of debris and rubble were left after the destruction, an amount estimated to take years to actually remove.
The “Interim Damage Assessment” report used remote data collection sources to measure damage to physical infrastructure in critical sectors incurred between October 2023 and end of January this year.
It also points to the impact on the people of Gaza; where 75 per cent of the population is displaced, and 100 per cent of children are out of school. The report also identifies key actions for early recovery efforts.
And just to say that a more comprehensive assessment will be completed as soon as the situation allows, and the losses and needs are expected to be significantly higher than that of the interim assessment.
CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICT
This morning, Virginia Gamba, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, briefed Security Council members on the consequences of denying humanitarian access to children.
She said that in 2022, the UN verified 3,941 cases of the denial of humanitarian access, making it one of the highest verified violations. The highest figures were verified in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Mali.
Ms. Gamba added that since 2019, the numbers have increased exponentially, and data being gathered for the forthcoming 2024 report shows we are on target to witness a shocking increase of the incidents of the denial of humanitarian access across the world.
Ms. Gamba called on all parties to allow and facilitate safe, timely and unimpeded humanitarian access, as well as access by children to services, to assistance, and to protection, and to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and assets. Ms. Gamba also called for the parties that are preventing children from receiving lifesaving assistance to be held accountable.
Also briefing was the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Ted Chaiban.
MIDDLE EAST/PALESTINE REFUGEES
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is urging its partners to continue supporting the Palestine Refugees in Syria, and those who have fled to neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan because of the 13-year conflict ongoing in Syria.
To carry on its humanitarian operations in the Middle East region, UNRWA is appealing for US$ 415.4 million for its chronically underfunded operations in these countries. These funds will help UNRWA continue cash and food assistance, as well as health care, education, technical and vocational training.
And just to show you the calamity of the situation, funding for UNRWA’s emergency appeals for these three countries decreased over recent years, with a dramatic fall to only 27 per cent coverage last year.
SECURITY COUNCIL/IRAN
Yesterday afternoon, Khaled Khiari, the Assistant Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, briefed Security Council members on threats to International Peace and Security. The meeting was called for following the attack on Iranian diplomatic premises in Damascus.
Mr. Khiari appealed to the Council to continue to actively engage all concerned parties to prevent further escalation and the worsening of tensions that undermine regional peace and security.
HAITI
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that health facilities in Port-au-Prince metropolitan areas continue to be impacted by the ongoing violence – further restricting access to life-saving care for people in and around the capital.
Two health care facilities – Delmas 18 Hospital and Saint Martin health centre – were looted by armed groups on 26 and 27 March.
La Paix University hospital remains open – and the World Health Organization continues to support the facility, including with the provision of medicine, medical supplies and fuel. However, due to the closure of the State Hospital in Port-au-Prince, La Paix is facing significant strain amid increased workloads for staff.
OCHA also report that last week, 10 pharmacies in the capital were looted, making it even more difficult for people to get their medication.
Meanwhile, our response efforts continue. Yesterday, the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed hot meals to more than 27,000 people in Port-au-Prince. And last week, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and local partners carried out nearly 600 medical consultations in displacement sites through their mobile clinics.
Also, last week, UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and partners distributed 300,000 litres of water from 23 March through 1 April. Partners have also delivered hygiene kits in displacement sites.
Also on Haiti, today is the sad 24th anniversary of the killing of Jean Dominique, who was the husband of Michele Montas, our predecessor, and that crime is yet to be solved.
UKRAINE
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, condemned in a statement yesterday the deadly strike that hit Dnipro City, in the east of the country. Local authorities and humanitarian workers on the ground report that dozens of civilians, including children, were injured. Several education facilities and residential buildings were also damaged.
Aid organizations provided immediate humanitarian assistance, including food and hot meals, and psychological and legal support. They also distributed emergency shelter kits to cover damaged windows.
Meanwhile, hostilities yesterday and today in front-line and border areas in eastern, northeastern and southern Ukraine caused several civilian casualties, including children, as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Sumy were impacted. That is what local authorities are telling us. Humanitarian workers on the ground are providing support where access is possible.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
And ahead of Mine Action Day, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) cautions that the threat from explosive ordnance has increased significantly in the country since 2020. The Mission says that they have recorded more than 190 incidents since 2020, including 78 last year alone. However, the proportion of explosions is decreasing, due to more devices being found and reported.
The Mission has also deployed new capabilities for the neutralization and removal of explosive devices and training for peacekeepers in detection and investigation. The Mission also conducted hundreds of educational sessions on mines in 2023, reaching tens of thousands of people, including many children who are particularly at risk of unexploded ordnance.
In addition, a pilot project between January and March of this year in the country’s north-west targeted more than 5,000 people in 17 remote villages to increase awareness.
GUESTS TOMORROW
And tomorrow, is the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance.
The noon briefing guests will be Ilene Cohn, the Director of UNMAS, the United Nations Mine Action Service. She will be joined by Giles Duley, the UN Global Advocate for persons with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding situations; and Paul Heslop, a Ukraine Programme Manager for the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
They will be joined by the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Cambodia, Ambassador Tithiarun Mao, and the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland, Adrian Dominik Hauri.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) reports that they continue to support the Government’s efforts to re-integrate ex-combatants of former groups members.
Yesterday, they launched the reintegration of 144
ex-combatants, including three women, at the Kasando site near Lubero in North Kivu.
The ex-combatants are participating in projects coordinated by the Mission in Lubero and Beni, with the first project being launched in Kanyabayonga on 1 April.
UGANDA
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, today expressed his dismay at the decision by Uganda’s Constitutional Court to uphold the discriminatory Anti-Homosexuality Act.
He urged the authorities to repeal it in its entirety, together with other discriminatory legislation.
Mr. Türk called on the Ugandan authorities to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. “Uganda’s own constitution and international human rights treaty obligations demand nothing less than equal treatment and non-discrimination for all,” Mr. Türk said.
MALAWI
In Malawi, the World Food Programme (WFP) is urging for global support as the country faces a looming food crisis triggered by El Niño.
WFP today appealed for $70 million to provide emergency food assistance to two million people for three months, delivering a combination of in-kind and cash assistance to impacted households.
The El Niño is worsening the devastating effects of the climate crisis in Malawi and the country is still suffering from the impacts of tropical storms and cyclones in 2022 and 2023 and the compounded effect is to push up to 40 per cent of Malawi’s population into hunger, threatening both lives and livelihoods.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Eritrea paid its dues to the regular budget in full. There are now 97 Member States who have paid up in full.
