HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 21 MAY 2024
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Today, the Secretary-General addressed, via video conference, the Artificial Intelligence Summit that is ongoing in Seoul, in the Republic of Korea.
He said that Artificial Intelligence systems are still being deployed with little oversight and little accountability and he warned that we cannot sleepwalk into a dystopian future, where the power of AI is controlled by a few people, or worse, by opaque algorithms beyond human understanding.
The Secretary-General called for universal guardrails and said the Summit of the Future that he will convene in September is an opportunity to build the foundations of Artificial Intelligence governance.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
In Gaza, UNRWA [UN Relief and Works Agency] reports that today, the agency’s distribution centre, as well as the World Food Programme’s warehouse – both in Rafah – are now inaccessible due to ongoing military operation.
UNRWA says that its health centres have not received any medical supplies in the past 10 days. Despite this, health-care staff continue to provide thousands of medical consultations each day at health centres that are still operational.
Meanwhile, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed deep concern over the safety of patients and hospital staff remaining at Al Awda Hospital in northern Gaza. In a social media post, he said the facility has been under siege since Sunday, with no one allowed to leave or enter.
SECURITY COUNCIL
Yesterday afternoon, Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said the situation in Rafah is becoming increasingly desperate and dangerous for the already besieged population.
He urged the parties to redouble all efforts and return to the negotiating table immediately and in good faith. Mr. Wennesland expressed concern that the failure to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and a large-scale military operation in Rafah increases the risk of escalating regional tensions.
For her part, Edem Wosornu, the Director of Operations and Advocacy for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told Council members that living conditions continue to deteriorate because of heavy fighting, particularly in the Jabalaya and eastern Rafah areas of Gaza, as well as Israeli bombardment from land, air and sea.
Among other things, she said that as of 18 May, just 10 bakeries are operational out of 16 that are supported by our humanitarian partners. However, it is expected that these will run out of stock and fuel within days if no additional supplies are received. An estimated 14,000 critical patients currently require medical evacuation out of the Gaza strip.
Today, the Security Council is holding its annual briefing on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
Briefing Council members on our behalf was the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Nderitu. In her remarks, she raised the alarm about the ongoing situation in Sudan, adding that the situation there today bears all the marks of a risk of genocide.
She said it is imperative to expedite all possible actions to protect innocent civilian populations.
Joyce Msuya, the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator also briefed Council members. She reminded Council Members that the situation of civilians in armed conflict in 2023 was dire.
Also, to note - the seventh edition of the Protection of Civilians week is taking place this week, with 17 side events to amplify the voices of civilians impacted by armed conflict.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Security Council’s considering the protection of civilians as an item on its agenda, and the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Convention.
AFGHANISTAN
The Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, visited Afghanistan from 18 to 21 May. That is today. She met with the de facto authorities, the diplomatic community in Kabul, and representatives of civil society. The meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan that the United Nations is organizing in Doha on 30 June and 1 July was the centre of her discussions.
She extended to the de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, an advance invitation from the Secretary-General to participate at the forthcoming meeting of Special Envoys. The meeting aims to increase international engagement with Afghanistan in a more coherent, coordinated and structured manner.
Ms. DiCarlo discussed with her interlocutors the various challenges that Afghanistan is facing.
Among other topics, she discussed the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, particularly the restrictions on the education of women.
AFGHANISTAN/HUMANITARIAN
And on the humanitarian front, as you will recall the floods that struck the Northeastern and Northwestern areas of the country over the past two weeks.
The World Food Programme (WFP) says that these floods have impacted more than 80,000 people, and are likely to intensify in the coming months, with a significant impact on food security.
WFP is warning that the affected districts, most of which are "hunger hotspots”, are already in crisis levels of food insecurity.
The food Agency is saying that it is investing in climate adaptation projects designed and built by communities to shield them from the impacts of the climate crisis. These include protective walls, dams and irrigation.
HAITI
On Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs continue to sound the alarm about the impact of the crisis on education.
Since the beginning of May, armed groups have taken control of several neighbourhoods in the capital, Port-au-Prince, as we have been telling you. That has led to the looting and burning down of schools.
According to our education partners, 30 attacks on schools have been recorded since the start of this year.
Between July of last year and mid-May of this year, violence has forced the closure of nearly 900 schools in Port-au-Prince and in the Artibonite province. This has impacted nearly 200,000 young people who are yearning for an education and 4,000 teachers.
Elsewhere in the country, we and our partners continue to support children. For example, as we mentioned previously, the World Food Programme and its partners continue to operate the school meals programme. They have reached nearly 400,000 school children since the beginning of the year.
UKRAINE
In Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that we and our partners are continuing to support civilians impacted by attacks and active fighting in the Kharkiv region.
In Kharkiv City itself, which hosts a transit centre for evacuees, humanitarian workers assisted some nearly 9,000 people who have been recently displaced. Our partners have also helped more than 800 evacuated people, including 170 people with limited mobility, hosted in premises provided by the authorities.
At the same time - as attacks in front-line areas continue - power cuts impacted 190,000 people in Kharkiv City this morning. That’s what the Energy Ministry of Ukraine are telling us.
In the Sumy Region, in the north-east, people are also fleeing attacks in the communities on the Ukraine–Russia border.
BURKINA FASO
In Burkina Faso, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has allocated $5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support the emergency response in Burkina Faso.
The funds will support 150,000 people in the Sahel, Centre-Nord and Est regions with life-saving assistance. The funds will also facilitate humanitarian air operations.
Nearly 3 million people across Burkina Faso are expected to face acute food insecurity – that is known officially as IPC Phase 3 [and above]- during the lean season - from June to September - and will require humanitarian assistance.
This year’s $935 million is needed for our Humanitarian Response Plan. It is less than 13 per cent funded with only $119 million in the bank.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our humanitarian colleagues say that clashes over land in the province of Tshopo in the country’s northeast have resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians since the end of April.
According to humanitarian organizations, more than 740 civilians have been killed and over 75,000 people displaced in Kisangani due to clashes over land since February of last year.
Humanitarian organizations are mobilized to provide health care to the injured and the displaced. Aid workers are also aiming to provide shelter, access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation.
An assessment mission led by our humanitarian coordinator colleagues found that food, health care and shelter are the top needs for people who have been displaced.
They tell us that addressing the root causes of land conflicts is crucial to prevent an escalation of intercommunal violence in Kisangani, which is home to 1.4 million people.
OCHA reiterates its call on all involved to work together to end the violence, protect civilians and find a sustainable solution to the conflict in the area of Kisangani.
SOUTH SUDAN
In South Sudan. UN peacekeepers report that they facilitated a joint visit with state authorities to Boro Medina in Raja County, near Sudan’s border, to assess the security and humanitarian situation in the area where hundreds of refugees and returnees continue to arrive every day. The Peacekeeping mission has increased its presence, including patrols, in the area.
Just to give a little bit of context with regards to Boro Medina, this town is the first major stop for thousands of refugees and returnees crossing into Western Bahr El Ghazal state since the start of the conflict in Sudan. Currently, more than 5,000 asylum seekers and a little above 7,000 returnees have added to the strain on already scarce livelihood resources, which has led to increased tensions with the host communities in South Sudan.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Two international days to flag.
It is the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. This Day celebrates the richness of the world’s cultures.
It is the International Tea Day. Fun fact: Tea is the world’s most consumed drink after water. This drink has been with us for a long time and is the main source of income for some of the world’s poorest countries.
NOON BRIEFING GUEST
Peggy Walters, the Spokesperson and Director of the Department of Media and Communications at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), briefed reporters on IOM’s International Dialogue on Migration.
