HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 22 AUGUST 2024
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
Today in Apia, Samoa, the Secretary-General told journalists that like many Pacific countries, Samoa is caught in a storm of rising prices, rising seas, and rising geopolitical tensions – compounded by an ailing ocean and woefully insufficient finance.
“These challenges demand resolute international action. The climate crisis is the gravest threat facing this country and this region – and, quite possibly, the world,” he said, noting that the region contributes only 0.02 per cent of global emissions and yet it’s on the front lines of the climate crisis, dealing with extreme weather events from raging tropical cyclones to record ocean heatwaves.
The Secretary-General called on G20 countries – the biggest emitters – to act by phasing out fossil fuels – fairly and ending fossil fuel expansion – immediately.
The United Nations stands with the Pacific in calling for justice and change, he said. His remarks were shared with you.
And earlier today, he visited the Aleipata district which has been impacted by sea level rise, storms and the 2022 tsunami. He heard from members of communities that have been forced to move inland due to sea level rise. He also visited a sea wall that has been rebuilt three times in the past 20 years and he noted that this is a sign of determination and strength of Samoa to fight climate change.
The Secretary-General also met with the Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa and discussed the impacts of climate change on Samoa, the reform of the international financial system and forthcoming Pacific Islands Forum meeting. He also took part in a traditional ‘ava ceremony. And tomorrow he will meet with civil society representatives including women and youth before he heads to Auckland, New Zealand and then to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
Our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Women’s Forum, she emphasized that building a world free of inequality for women and girls is not just an ideal — it is our collective responsibility, and it is crucial for addressing the most pressing issues of our time, including climate change and poverty.
Ms. Mohammed also stressed that the World Women’s Forum is a timely gathering to chart a path towards the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, where progress on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action will be assessed.
Throughout the day, she held a bilateral meeting with the President of Mongolia, Khürelsükh Ukhnaa.
She also met the Chairman of the Parliament and Member of the State Great Khural, Amarbayasgalan Dashzegve, as well as several female members of Parliament. They discussed Mongolia-UN cooperation and actions to accelerate progress toward the SDGs.
On the sidelines of her trip, the Deputy Secretary-General also held bilateral meetings with the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, and Türkiye’s Minister for Family and Social Services, Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş. Additionally, she met with the UN country team and participated in a town hall meeting with UN staff.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, briefed Security Council members.
He stressed that an immediate ceasefire is needed, and a political horizon must be re-established that will end the occupation and achieve a two-State solution based on the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both.
Mr. Wennesland referred to the developments across the Blue Line and beyond, warning that any spark or miscalculation could set off a series of uncontrollable escalations.
He underscored that the UN remains committed and ready to scale up humanitarian assistance in Gaza during a ceasefire and supporting implementation of a deal.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, today noted that there has been an average of one evacuation order every two days this month forcing as many as a quarter of a million Palestinians to uproot their lives - yet again.
In a statement, Hadi said that if these evacuation orders are meant to protect civilians, they are in fact doing the exact opposite: They are forcing families to flee again – often under fire and with the few belongings they can carry with them – into an ever-shrinking area that is overcrowded, polluted, lacking services, and – like the rest of Gaza – unsafe.
The impact on the humanitarian work is also immense.
Many of the UN personnel have been forced to move because of these directives, which affect their premises, warehouses and other facilities.
Alongside the people of Gaza, the UN and its humanitarian partners are reaching the point of having no place left to go.
Gilles Michaud, the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, says that mass evacuations are the latest in a long list of unbearable threats to UN personnel. He added that the UN and humanitarian facilities and guesthouses are in the areas affected by the most recent evacuation orders, with crucial UN security infrastructure in adjacent areas. He stresses that we need a safe space from which to operate as we deliver life-saving assistance.
The World Food Programme has now lost access to its warehouse in Deir al Balah, in central Gaza.
This was the third and last operational warehouse in Gaza’s middle area. Five community kitchens operated by WFP have also been evacuated, as the agency seeks new locations for them.
According to OCHA’s latest update on the humanitarian response in Gaza, multiple evacuation orders for Khan Younis and Deir al Balah issued between August 8th and 17th alone have deprived people of essential health services.
In total, 17 health facilities were affected – with the areas impacted by the orders located one kilometre or less from four key hospitals.
With diseases spreading in Gaza, access to health services and to safe drinking water is especially critical.
There’s also a shortage of chlorine for water disinfection – with reserves expected to last for just one more month. Given the presence of hepatitis A – and now polio – in Gaza, this is deeply alarming.
Despite this and other challenges – including active hostilities, ongoing insecurity, and access constraints – the UN and humanitarian organizations continue to do everything possible to provide life-saving health care to Palestinians in Gaza.
In the two weeks prior to August 18th, nearly three dozen health partners reached some 337,000 people across Gaza. Meanwhile, 16 emergency medical teams are supporting the local health-care workforce.
Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, kitchens supported by WFP are providing hot meals.
This first delivery last week is part of the agency’s efforts to ensure that nutritious produce can supplement the emergency food rations that families have been surviving on for months.
So far in August, bakeries in Gaza supported by WFP have produced more than 1.9 million bread bundles – that’s nearly 4 metric tons. Out of 18 bakeries, a dozen are still operational.
LEBANON
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says that the situation along the Blue Line remains very tense, with daily exchanges of fire that have left destruction and claimed lives on both sides.
As part of their support to the communities in areas impacted by exchanges of fire, UNIFIL peacekeepers, in collaboration with NGOs, hosted a health campaign for women in Souk El Khan in southeastern Lebanon.
The campaign aimed to support women in a conflict-affected area by providing essential health services, including cancer awareness sessions and personalized healthcare consultations.
YEMEN
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, today held discussions with the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jabir, in the Saudi capital – Riyadh. Their discussions focused on de-escalation efforts in Yemen amid regional tensions.
Separately, Mr. Grundberg also met in Riyadh with Ambassadors of the P5 members of the Security Council.
He underscored the critical need for a unified approach to support efforts toward a political process and a ceasefire in Yemen. He also emphasized the importance of sustained advocacy for the release of the detained UN personnel.
The Office of the Special Envoy for Yemen stresses that while the UN continues the work and advocate for the release of the detainees, our work for peace in Yemen continues relentlessly.
HAITI
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that persistent underfunding for the humanitarian response – amid growing needs and rising violence – means that millions of Haitians are missing out on the essential support they need. Stepped-up and sustained funding is needed to stem the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country.
Displacement has nearly tripled in the last 12 months, with more than 578,000 people having fled their homes in search of safety. Half of the newly displaced escaped the capital, Port-au-Prince, to the south of Haiti.
Some five million people – half of the population – are not getting enough to eat. Many lack access to the health care they need with just one in four hospitals in the country still functioning.
Nearly 1.5 million children have seen their education disrupted over the past school year, while hundreds of thousands of out-of-school children face the risk of being recruited by armed groups.
OCHA warns that without additional funding, Haiti’s humanitarian crisis will only grow even more severe. Eight months into the year, the 2024 humanitarian appeal – which calls for $674 million – is just over a third funded, with $227 million received. This is the same low level of funding that we have seen for the humanitarian response in Haiti over the past five years, in a country where needs have increased substantially.
And while additional resources are urgently needed to stem the crisis, it is critical to find sustainable solutions to the humanitarian, development, security and other challenges that Haiti is facing.
MPOX/UNICEF
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today warned that children and vulnerable communities are facing the worst impacts of an expanding outbreak of Mpox in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Cases have been detected across five countries in the region – Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa – with the new variant of the virus identified in all except in South Africa.
UNICEF notes that Burundi is currently reporting the region’s highest number of Mpox infections, with children and adolescents below 20 years of age constituting nearly 60 per cent of cases detected.
The risks for children in Burundi are heightened because of the simultaneous occurrence of measles outbreaks.
UNICEF is currently appealing for an urgent $16.5 million to scale up the response and preparedness across the impacted region.
INTERNATIONAL DAY
Today is the International Day commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.
In a message for the Day, the Secretary-General says that, around the world, individuals and communities face violence based on religion or beliefs, stressing that we must urgently combat this scourge.
The Secretary-General urges all to reaffirm our commitment to creating a world where everyone can live free from fear, stigma, and persecution. He calls on governments to protect all people and places of worship, implement comprehensive anti-discrimination laws, and invest in education initiatives that foster inclusion and equal rights.
NEW RESIDENT COORDINATOR
The Secretary-General has appointed Yesim Oruc of Türkiye as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Moldova, with the host Government’s approval. She starts today.
Ms. Oruc has more than 25 years of experience in development. Previously she served as Resident Coordinator in Guyana and in several high-level positions with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Washington, Albania and Romania. She holds a master’s degree in Middle East studies from the American University in Cairo and a bachelor's degree in political science from Yale University.
