HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 5 JUNE 2024
CLIMATE
This morning, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York city, the Secretary-General delivered a special address on climate action.
He said that, according to the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, May 2024 was the hottest May in recorded history. This marks twelve straight months of the hottest months ever.
“Our planet is trying to tell us something. But we don't seem to be listening,” he said, adding that we are at a moment of truth. If we don’t accelerate climate action, the entire carbon budget will be busted before 2030. The truth is that global emissions need to fall nine per cent every year until 2030 to keep the 1.5 degree limit alive.
However, he underscored that while we are the problem, we are also the solution.
He reminded us that stepping over the 1.5-degree threshold for a short time does not mean the long-term goal is shot. It just means we need to fight harder.
It’s climate crunch time, the Secretary-General said, adding that during the next 18 months countries – especially the G20 - must slash emissions, boost climate finance, and clamp down on the fossil fuel industry.
The Secretary-General called on leaders in the fossil fuel industry to understand that if they are not in the fast lane to clean energy transformation, they are driving their business into a dead end – and taking us all with them.
He also urged financial institutions to stop bankrolling fossil fuel destruction and start investing in a global renewables revolution. And he called on advertising and PR companies to stop taking on new fossil fuel clients, and on news media and tech companies to stop taking fossil fuel advertising.
Today is World Environment Day. This year’s theme is “land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience.” In his message, the Secretary-General says that all over the world, a toxic cocktail of pollution and climate chaos are turning healthy lands into deserts. He warns that we are trapped in a deadly cycle and it’s time to break free.
SDG STIMULUS LEADERS GROUP
This morning, the Secretary-General launched the 10-member SDG Stimulus Leaders Group to advocate at the highest level for equipping developing countries with the financial resources they require to invest in the Sustainable Development Goals.
The membership of the Leaders Group includes the Heads of State and Government of Barbados, Brazil, Canada (co-chair), France, India, Italy, Jamaica (co-chair), Kenya, South Africa and Spain.
At their first meeting, the Group discussed recommendations and actions needed to address the dire financial conditions holding back developing economies from accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the next year, the Leaders Group will proactively seek to advance the SDG Stimulus. It will act as an alliance, bringing alignment and prioritization to the agenda.
In addition, it will connect decision-making bodies and convening processes critical to the SDG Stimulus agenda.
The Secretary-General said that we need a surge in action now for the SDGs. Developing countries — and billions of people — are facing the worst economic outlook in more than a generation, he added. He also said that financing is the fuel of development, and we must ensure that countries are not forced to run on empty.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that since 7 October, more than 500 Palestinians – nearly a quarter of them children – have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The vast majority were killed by Israeli forces, with 10 others killed by Israeli settlers. During the same period, more than 5,100 Palestinians were injured in these areas.
OCHA has also recorded more than 940 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 7 October.
Over the past nearly eight months in those areas, Israeli authorities have also demolished, confiscated or forced the self-demolition of more than 900 Palestinian structures – nearly 40 per cent of which were inhabited homes – displacing more than 2,000 people.
Meanwhile in Gaza, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) say the ongoing Israeli military operation in Rafah is directly hindering the ability of aid agencies to bring critical humanitarian supplies into Gaza, as well as the ability to rotate critical humanitarian staff.
UNRWA has maintained a presence in Rafah, with a focus on continuing missions to Kerem Shalom to retrieve fuel and aid commodities.
In the five-day period between 28 May and 1 June, UNRWA says that only 232 trucks of humanitarian aid entered via Kerem Shalom – a significant reduction compared to before the Rafah military operation.
IRAQ
This morning, Ana Peyró Llopis, the Acting Special Adviser and Head of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD), updated Security Council members on the Team’s 12th and final report. You will recall that Resolution 2697 extended the mandate of the Investigative Team for a final one-year non-extendable term, until 17 September 2024.
Ms. Peyró Llopis said that the team has initiated its liquidation for withdrawal from Iraq. She added that all the evidence and material the team collected will remain and that Member States could consider them in the future to hold ISIL perpetrators accountable for crimes committed in Iraq. Ten years since Da’esh declared itself a caliphate - in 2014 - the calls for accountability to hold those responsible for the crimes they committed in Iraq remain, she said.
SOUTH SUDAN
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) says that the security situation in Malakal in Upper Nile state, is currently calm, though still fragile, following an outbreak of violence there last week. If you recall, tensions heightened in the UN Protection of Civilians Site next to the Mission’s base in the state and among communities in Malakal town.
The Mission says it continues to work closely with government authorities to maintain the calm and has proactively deployed peacekeepers in and around the UN Protection of Civilians Site to ensure that displaced people remain safe. In the meantime, government security forces are patrolling in Malakal town and the curfew imposed by the state government in the immediate aftermath of the incident was lifted yesterday.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) report that, as part of its efforts to protect civilians, MINUSCA has intensified patrols in the country's east, including the Ouada-Ouandja-Sam Ouandja triangle in Haute-Kotto prefecture , while, as we mentioned last week, peacekeepers are continuing their work to rehabilitate the Obo-Bambouti axis in Haut-Mbomou prefecture to facilitate delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid, ahead of the rainy season.
A UN electoral needs assessment team has arrived in the country, at the request of the government. The team will consult widely to determine potential areas of support for forthcoming elections expected to take place in 2025 and 2026.
SOUTHERN AFRICA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and its partners warned today that millions of people in the region could be pushed into acute hunger during the next lean season which runs from October to February.
The region faces a severe rainfall deficit due to the El Niño phenomenon. This has led to the driest month of February in 100 years, with only 20 per cent of the usual rainfall expected for this period received.
Even before the drought, the levels of food insecurity and humanitarian needs were high in the region, driven by socio-economic challenges, high food prices, and the compounding impacts of the climate crisis.
The window of opportunity to avert a large-scale humanitarian crisis is rapidly closing, as communities face imminent harvest failures. It is urgent to provide humanitarian assistance and support communities to recover and build resilience for the future.
REFUGEES
A new report released today by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), estimates that almost 3 million refugees worldwide will need resettlement next year.
This is mainly driven by the emergence of new conflicts and the impacts of climate change.
Refugee resettlement involves the relocation of refugees to a country that has agreed to admit them and grant them permanent settlement. The resettlement is offered by states at their discretion. UNHCR is calling on states to redouble their efforts to ensure that those who need resettlement the most have access to it.
For the ninth consecutive year, displaced Syrians continue to have the highest resettlement needs, with almost a million refugees expected to require support through resettlement. This is followed by refugees from Afghanistan (558,000), South Sudan (242,000), Rohingya from Myanmar (226,000), Sudan (172,000) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (158,000). Resettlement needs have also risen sharply in the Americas.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Today is the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. Fish is an important commodity for the achievement of food security. However, efforts to ensure the sustainability of fisheries are being seriously compromised by illegal and unregulated fishing activities.
GUEST
Today, the noon briefing guest is the World Food Programme Country Director (WFP) in Haiti, Jean-Martin Bauer. He will be joining from Port-au-Prince to brief on the humanitarian situation in Haiti.
