HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

WEDNESDAY, 15 MAY 2024

SLOVAKIA   
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the shocking attack carried out today against the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico.  
The Secretary-General’s thoughts are with the Prime Minister and his loved ones at this difficult moment. 
 
OMAN
The Secretary-General met in Muscat today with Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, Foreign Minister of the Sultanate of Oman.  
The Secretary-General recognized Oman’s leadership in promoting dialogue and multilateral cooperation in the region and beyond, including in Yemen. The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister also discussed developments in Gaza, as well as ongoing developments in Yemen.  
Later that morning, the Secretary-General met with His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Sultan of Oman. The Secretary-General thanked the Sultan for his active personal commitment to promoting dialogue and diplomacy throughout the region and beyond. Among other issues of mutual concern, the Secretary-General and the Sultan discussed efforts in Gaza to secure an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid.   
And yesterday in Oman, the Secretary-General visited the National Museum of Oman and then Youth Center of Muscat, which works in partnership with UNESCO and World Intellectual Property Organization. During the Youth Center tour, the Secretary-General saw how young people are given opportunities to create start-up companies, learn about new technologies and engage in creative activities.  
 
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 
Turning to the situation in Gaza, our colleagues from the UN Relief and Works Agency - UNRWA - say that as of today, some 600,000 people – a quarter of Gaza's population – have been displaced from Rafah since 6 May, as the Israeli ground operation there continues.  
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says ground incursions and heavy fighting also continue to be reported in Deir al Balah, in central Gaza, as well as in Jabaliya, in northern Gaza.  
Many of the families now on the move once again have already been displaced repeatedly since October. 
Regardless of whether they move or stay, civilians in Gaza must be protected. All parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times. This also means civilians’ essential needs – including food, shelter, water and health – must be met, wherever they are. 
Access to critical health services in Gaza continues to shrink as additional evacuation orders are issued and military operations intensify. 
According to our partners working on the health response, the Indonesian Field Hospital in Rafah is out of service as of today. There are now eight functional field hospitals, including one just established by the International Committee of the Red Cross, in coordination with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, to help address the overwhelming scale of needs in Rafah.  

UNRWA 
The Deputy Spokesperson said we have received questions about a video that seems to show armed militant activity at a compound belonging to the UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA. 
UNRWA is unable to verify the authenticity or the content of this video and does not have any information on the timing or the exact location of the video.  
The agency says that it is likely that the video is from an UNRWA warehouse in Rafah that was evacuated the week of 6 May following the evacuation orders from the Israeli authorities. UNRWA staff were informed to depart the facility for their safety. Flour and UNRWA vehicles were left in the facility when it was abandoned.  
UNRWA condemns the use of UN facilities by any party to the conflict for military purposes. It has repeatedly called for independent investigation and accountability for the blatant disregard of UN staff lives, premises and operations. 
We reiterate our call on all parties to the conflict to respect the sanctity and neutrality of UN installations. 

UKRAINE  
Turning to Ukraine, the Humanitarian Coordinator there, Denise Brown, is visiting Kharkiv City and yesterday condemned the unrelenting attacks, both in the city and the region. 
On 14 May alone, repeated strikes in Kharkiv City and across the region have injured civilians, including children, as well as damaging a school and numerous homes. This is according to the authorities and our humanitarian partners.   
Since 10 May, humanitarian organizations have been assisting people who fled to Kharkiv City in search of safety as evacuations from border and front-line communities in the Kharkiv Region continue.  
We, along with our partners, have supported hundreds of people with transportation, accommodation, distribution of hot meals and ready-to-eat food packages. We also pre-registered people for cash assistance and provided mental health and psychological consultations. 
Ms. Brown has approved the release of $3.75 million from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund to strengthen the ongoing response. 
   
SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE 
Yesterday afternoon, the Security Council held a meeting on the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.  
Briefing Council members, Lisa Doughten, the Director of Financing and Partnerships Division of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, noted that relentless hostilities continue in communities along the north-eastern border with the Russian Federation and on the frontline.   
She added that strikes have also been reported inside the Russian Federation, reportedly also resulting in several civilian casualties and damage to residential homes and other civilian infrastructure.   
Ms. Doughten said the intensification in hostilities is making the delivery of humanitarian assistance more dangerous.  
Nevertheless, she said, the UN and its humanitarian partners are doing everything we can to reach people in need of support, despite the enormous tasks.  
  
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 
Our peacekeeping colleagues in the Central African Republic are telling us that the Head of MINUSCA, Valentine Rugwabiza, met yesterday with key local officials, prefectures and mayors in Bangui, following the national conference we mentioned on Monday - on the seasonal migration of cattle and people.
She reiterated our commitment to support the implementation of the recommendations made at this conference.  
Ms Rugwabiza said that the heaviest consequences of conflicts and crime linked to this seasonal migration are borne by the civilian population, as well as revenue losses for the State.  

NIGERIA 
Turning to Nigeria, our team there, along with the government and our partners, have launched a $306 million appeal to support 2.8 million people in the country’s northeast. 
The region – comprising the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe – is facing a food security and a nutrition crisis during this lean season, which runs from May to September. 
The crisis is primarily due to continued conflict and insecurity combined with the impacts of climate change.  
The prices of staple foods, such as beans and maize, have increased by 300 to 400 per cent over the past year. 
According to the Government, some 4.8 million people in these three states are estimated to be facing food insecurity, the highest level in seven years. 
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, released $11 million from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund to kick start the response and he called for additional resources. 

RWANDA  
The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals that all fugitives indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for crimes committed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda have now been accounted for.    
All fugitives indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia have been accounted for since 2011.   
He commends the efforts of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals to complete this important part of its functions in pursuit of international justice. 
  
BURUNDI  
In Burundi, our team there, led by Resident Coordinator Violet Kakyomya, is providing support to people impacted by recent floods and landslides.  
These natural disasters have left over 300,000 people in need of humanitarian aid, with 36,000 displaced in the country. 
Our team is assisting with health services including mobile clinics, access to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services. It is also assessing the immediate needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Additionally, educational materials and supplies are being distributed to restore damaged schools, while child protection services are being provided, along with water, sanitation, and hygiene kits, emergency shelters and food assistance through cash-based transfers to support immediate needs. 

HAITI    
Turning to Haiti, we have an update on the assistance provided by our colleagues in the country.  
On Monday and Tuesday, the World Food Programme distributed close to 10,000 hot meals to about 5,000 people displaced in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.  
IOM also distributed water to two sites hosting displaced people and provided health services through a mobile clinic in one site in Port-au-Prince. 
Following assessments in Gressier – after the violent incidents there that we mentioned – WFP, the World Food Programme, is planning to begin hot meal distributions in this community tomorrow.  
In the capital, WFP started to transition from hot meals distributions to cash-based transfers for the displaced. So far, more than 37,000 people received cash.  In the coming weeks, WFP is planning to provide cash assistance to over 95,000 displaced people.    
In addition to this, WFP continued food distributions in Cité Soleil.  
Over 65,000 people have received food since last Friday, and the agency’s goal is to reach 95,000 people by the end of this week.  
As part of its school meal programmes, WFP has reached 195,000 school children throughout Haiti. 

BRAZIL 
In Brazil, the UN team - led by the Resident Coordinator Silvia Rucks - has deployed expertise in humanitarian settings to support the national and local government response to the floods, especially considering the needs of at-risk groups on the ground as heavy rains still batter the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul and temperatures fall as winter advances.  
The UN team is also providing hygiene kits, mattresses, blankets, cooking supplies, water purifiers, emergency housing units, food and water to the affected population.  
While the emergency response is underway, the UN team also stands ready to work with national authorities on planning for rebuilding. 
 
DARIEN GAP  
The UN Children’s Fund today said there has been a significant increase in the number of children migrating through the Darien Gap.  
UNICEF estimates that 160,000 children could cross the route this year, up 34 per cent from 113,000 in 2023. 
UNICEF said that child migration through the jungle of the Darien Gap has become a protracted crisis, with many people who make the crossing likely to require critical humanitarian assistance. 
Of the 30,000 children on the move so far this year, nearly 2,000 of them were unaccompanied or separated from their families. The number of unaccompanied and separated children tripled in comparison to the same period in 2023. 
More information is online. 
 
SENIOR PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENT 
The Secretary-General designated James Swan of the United States as his Acting Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).   
Mr. Swan will act as Special Representative for a temporary period following the departure of Catriona Laing of the United Kingdom, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedicated service in UNSOM and Somalia at a challenging time. 
Mr. Swan is an experienced diplomat with a long career in African countries facing complex political transitions.  Most recently, he served as Special Representative for Somalia and Head of UNSOM from 2019 to 2022.  
Prior to that, he served in the United States Government as Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2013 to 2016, Special Representative for Somalia from 2011 to 2013, and Ambassador to Djibouti from 2008 to 2011. 

DAY OF FAMILIES  
Today is the International Day of Families.  
This day highlights that families and family-oriented policies and programmes are vital for the achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals. 
 
GUEST 
The Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami briefed reporters on the humanitarian situation in the country. 

BRIEFING TOMORROW 
Tomorrow, at 12:30 p.m., there will be a briefing by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs to launch the World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2024.  
The report will update the global and regional economic forecasts released in January and will be available at desapublications.un.org. 
The briefers will be Shantanu Mukherjee, DESA’s Director of Economic Analysis and Policy Division, along with Hamid Rashid, DESA’s Chief of the Global Economic Monitoring Branch in the Economic Analysis and Policy Division.