HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

THURSDAY, 20 JUNE 2024

CYBERSPACE 
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke to Security Council members on the evolving threats in cyberspace.   
He said that breakthroughs in digital technologies are happening at warp speed and revolutionizing economies and societies. The Secretary-General warned that while instant connectivity is bringing people together, it can also leave people, institutions and entire countries deeply vulnerable.  
He said that malicious activity in cyberspace is on the rise by both State and non-state actors, and by outright criminals and that the misuse of digital technology is becoming more sophisticated and stealthy.  
The Secretary-General underscored that there should be strong frameworks in line with international law, human rights and the UN Charter, and focused efforts by all States to prevent the extension and escalation of conflicts within, and through, cyberspace. He also encouraged Council members to integrate cyber-related considerations into their workstreams and resolutions.   
His full remarks are online.  
 
LEBANON 
The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, visited UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura today and met today with the Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro, and with UN peacekeepers deployed in south Lebanon.  
She visited the Blue Line and said afterwards that it is crucial for all sides to stop the firing and for the parties to commit to sustainable solutions in line with Security Council Resolution 1701. There is no inevitability to conflict, she said. 
The Special Coordinator and the Force Commander both reaffirmed that the parties can choose negotiations and peace and that the UN remains committed to engaging with all parties and international partners to restore peace, security, and stability in Lebanon, Israel, and the broader region at this crucial juncture.  
 
OPT 
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that hundreds of thousands of displaced people in southern Gaza suffer from poor access to shelter, health, food, water and sanitation. 
From 7-14 June, OCHA led humanitarian assessments in displacement sites in the south of Gaza: in Deir al Balah, two in Khan Younis and two in the Al Mawasi area of Rafah. Our colleagues found people living in overcrowded makeshift shelters and tents which are in dire need of repair and do not offer any protection from extreme heat. 
Access to water is critically low, and people have to queue for long hours to collect it and are forced to rely on sea water for domestic use. There is a continuing spread of communicable illnesses, amid sewage overflow, the proliferation of insects, rodents and snakes, and a near-total lack of hygiene items and sanitation facilities. 
Many households report having only one meal every day, with some having one meal every two or three days, relying mostly on bread, food sharing with other families, and rationing stocks. 
Meanwhile, OCHA tells us that access constraints continue to severely undermine the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance and services across Gaza. Between 1-18 June, out of the 61 coordinated humanitarian assistance missions to northern Gaza, 28 – or 46 per cent-  were facilitated by Israeli authorities, eight – or 13 per cent- were denied access, 16 – or 26 per cent- were impeded, and nine -or 15 per cent- were cancelled due to logistical, operational or security reasons. 
Once again, we want to underscore that humanitarian operations in Gaza must be fully facilitated and all impediments must be lifted. 
 
CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICO   
We have an update on flooding and landslides that hit Mexico and Central America between June 15 and 17. 
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that according to forecasts, up to 75 centimeters of rain is expected by the end of this week. That is because there is a broad area of low pressure centered over northern Central America and southern Mexico, in a pattern that is known as a Central American Gyre.  
The countries and areas most impacted by heavy rainfall at the beginning of the week are El Salvador, Guatemala, northwest Nicaragua, southwest Honduras, and the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca. According to official reports, at least 20 people have died in the affected countries.   
Separately, the first tropical storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season, Alberto, made landfall in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas today and is expected to bring heavy rain and coastal flooding to northeastern Mexico.  
The forthcoming Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be more active than usual due to several factors, including near-record water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and the development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific. 
The UN teams in Mexico and in the three Northern Central America countries of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, led by the Resident Coordinators, are monitoring the situation closely, together with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. We remain in close contact with the Governments and stand ready to provide further guidance and support. 
The 2024 Humanitarian Response Plans for the region require more funding. The appeal for El Salvador seeking $87 million, is just 13 per cent funded, while the $125 million plan for Guatemala is 18 per cent funded and the appeal for Honduras, seeking $203 million, is currently 21 per cent funded. 
 
WORLD REFUGEE DAY 
Today is World Refugee Day, and this year’s theme is “For a World Where Refugees Are Welcomed.”  
In a message for the Day, the Secretary-General notes that from Sudan to Ukraine, from the Middle East to Myanmar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond, conflict, climate chaos and upheaval are forcing record numbers of people from their homes and fueling profound human suffering. The latest figures, he says, show that over 120 million people around the world are forcibly displaced, including 43.5 million refugees.  
The Secretary-General calls on all to pledge to reaffirm the world’s collective responsibility in assisting and welcoming refugees, in upholding their human rights including the right to seek asylum, in safeguarding the integrity of the refugee protection regime, and ultimately, in resolving conflicts so that those forced from their communities can return home. 
For his part, Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said that today, we honour the millions of people around the globe who are forced to flee violence and persecution. We celebrate their remarkable fortitude and capacity for renewal, despite the daunting challenges they face. He stressed that there must also be safe and legal ways for refugees to settle elsewhere, whether through work visas, scholarships or resettlement in another country. Without these options, more people will turn to smugglers in a desperate search for hope and opportunity. 
  
GUESTS 
Cassie Flynn, the UN Development Programme’s Global Director for Climate Change and Stephen Fisher, Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Oxford, briefed reporters on the launch of the People’s Climate Vote - the largest poll of public opinion on global climate action.