Noon briefing of 19 June 2024

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

WEDNESDAY, 19 JUNE 2024

In Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that people continue to be displaced amidst active fighting and bombardment.
Currently, UNRWA estimates that 65,000 people remain in Rafah. This is in stark contrast to six weeks ago, when Rafah hosted 1.4 million displaced before the Israeli evacuation orders and military operations.
UNRWA also tells us that for more than 8 months now, 625,000 children have been out of school because of the hostilities. Humanitarian partners are lending support by offering psychosocial activities, but children need to resume their schooling.
Meanwhile, OCHA reports that for the first time since early June, five trucks of fuel entered Gaza. However, the supplies remain scarce as no fuel had been delivered in the Strip for the past two weeks.

LIBYA
Stephanie Koury, the Deputy Special Representative for Libya, briefed the Security Council on her consultations with Libyans today, and she said that overwhelmingly, citizens conveyed the need for a political agreement so that credible national elections can be held to restore legitimacy to all institutions. She discussed the need for an inclusive Libyan-led process to overcome the political impasse and support the Libyan people in achieving their aspirations for peace, stability, prosperity and democracy.
Ms. Koury said that many Libyans continue to express deep concerns, which she shares, about the de facto division of the country and parallel governing institutions. These developments undermine economic, security and stability, as well as Libya’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, amidst concerns about the impact of geopolitical tensions on Libya.
She commended the work of the Presidential Council and the House of Representatives Justice and Reconciliation Committee for agreeing on one draft law that upholds victims’ rights and adheres to international standards. She calls on all relevant bodies to engage in the same spirit so that this vital legislation can be adopted based on consensus.

SECURITY COUNCIL
As you know, yesterday afternoon, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, briefed the Security Council on Ukraine. She noted that this past weekend, many world leaders came together in Switzerland to build consensus on the elements of a just peace in Ukraine. Those discussions took place in the wake of a sharp escalation of hostilities and an appalling increase in civilian casualties.
Ms. DiCarlo said that in Switzerland, over the weekend many voices stressed the need to adhere to the principles of the UN Charter. She stressed that these principles are as valid today as they were in 1945.
Ms. DiCarlo added that the Secretary-General has been consistent and clear, calling for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant General Assembly resolutions. The United Nations welcomes and is ready to support all meaningful efforts and initiatives towards this end.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
This morning, the Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed spoke at the General Assembly Annual Review of HIV/AIDS on behalf of the Secretary-General.
She said that on HIV and AIDS, we have an inspirational story to tell with more than three quarters of those living with HIV receiving live-saving treatment – that’s almost thirty million people globally.
Access to antiretroviral therapy has expanded massively across sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia and the Pacific – which together are home to more than 80% of people living with HIV.
She added that if progress is maintained, we are on course to reach a key global milestone next year: 34 million people receiving HIV treatment.
Ms. Mohammed urged countries to continue with this progress by supporting low-and middle-income countries so they can expand their national health and HIV investments.

HAITI
We have an update on displacement in Haiti. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that nearly 580,000 people are now internally displaced across the country. This, they say, represents a 60 per cent increase since March.
In addition to the displacement in and around the capital Port-au-Prince, violence has pushed ever greater numbers of people to flee to neighboring provinces. As a result, in the Southern region, the number of internally displaced men, women and children has gone from 116,000 to 270,000 in the last three months.
Most of those displaced are currently hosted by communities already struggling with overburdened social services and poor infrastructure. IOM says this is particularly acute in the country’s southern areas, already weakened by the 2021 earthquake.
In the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, two thirds of the people displaced live in spontaneous sites with very limited access to basic services.
Since the end of February, IOM has provided nearly 5 million litres of clean water to some 25,000 people and rehabilitated 22 water hand pumps. More than 37,000 people have been provided with relief supplies including blankets, water containers, solar lamps, kitchen sets and plastic sheets. Mobile clinics have also been deployed to provide medical assistance and psychosocial support has been made available, including through a free hotline.

SUDAN
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who today concluded his second visit to Sudan since the outbreak of war last year, warned that without concerted peace efforts, many more people will flee the brutal war in Sudan and into neighbouring countries.
Mr. Grandi visited refugee camps and displacement centres in Kosti, in Sudan’s White Nile State, where over a million people have sought shelter since the fighting started. He noted that the level of suffering is truly unconscionable, adding that Sudan is the definition of a perfect storm: shocking human rights atrocities, with millions uprooted by this insane war and other wars that came before it.
Mr. Grandi warned that a terrible famine is looming, and severe floods will soon hamper aid deliveries even more. He expressed deep alarm at the scale of the humanitarian emergency. Violence has escalated in El Fasher, North Darfur, and atrocities have been reported against civilians in Al Jazira State.
The UN Refugee Agency and partners have scaled up response efforts in White Nile and other areas. Since the start of the conflict, UNHCR has reached some 800,000 displaced Sudanese with protection assistance, services and referrals, cash, core relief items and emergency shelter.

AIR POLLUTION
The UN Children’s Fund, in partnership with the Health Effects Institute, an independent U.S.-based nonprofit organization, today released a report that says air pollution is having an increasing impact on human health, becoming the second leading global risk factor for death.
The report found that air pollution accounted for 8.1 million deaths globally in 2021. The report also says that children under five years old are especially vulnerable, with health effects including premature birth, low birth weight, asthma and lung diseases. In 2021, exposure to air pollution was linked to more than 700,000 deaths of children under five years old, making it the second-leading risk factor for death globally for this age group, after malnutrition. A staggering 500,000 of these child deaths were linked to household air pollution due to cooking indoors with polluting fuels, mostly in Africa and Asia.
More information online.

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, which this year focuses on healthcare. In a message for the day, the Secretary-General points out that conflict-related sexual violence is a devastating form of attack and repression, which has lasting, harmful effects on survivors’ physical, sexual, reproductive, and mental health, and destroys the social fabric of communities.
This past year has seen harrowing reports of sexual violence from Sudan to Haiti and Israel, he notes, adding that far too often, the perpetrators walk free while survivors spend their entire lives in recovery.
On this International Day, the Secretary-General calls on all to pledge to eliminate this scourge, stand in solidarity with survivors, and reaffirm our commitment to protecting hospitals and healthcare facilities during conflict.

And today, the Department of Peace Operations has launched the report “Preventing and Responding to Conflict-related Sexual Violence: 2023 Annual Summaries of Activities and Good Practices by United Nations Peacekeeping Operations”. The report is available online.

GUESTS TOMORROW
Tomorrow, guests at the noon briefing will be UN Development Programme (UNDP) Global Director for Climate Change, Cassie Flynn and Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Oxford, Stephen Fisher. They will launch the second edition of the People’s Climate Vote (PCV) - the largest ever poll of public opinion on global climate action.