HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 28 AUGUST 2024
SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVELS
The Secretary-General is in Dili, in Timor Leste, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Popular Consultation in the country.
Earlier today he met with President José Ramos-Horta. In a joint press conference with the President, the Secretary-General said the anniversary of the Popular Consultation calls for unity in celebrating the country’s past, paying tribute to those who overcame differences by converging in resistance, and in paying tribute to those who dreamed of independence but are no longer with us.
Today, less than a generation later, he said I am here as a witness to a nation that has asserted itself and prevailed. He praised Timor-Leste for the progress it has made since independence and urged it to continue in areas like climate action.
The United Nations and the Timorese people stood side by side at a time when the country took its destiny into its own hands, the Secretary-General said, adding that the UN will continue to support the aspirations of the Timorese people on its journey.
And tomorrow, he is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão and will then take part in a live panel discussion with President Ramos Horta and Prime Minister Gusmão where they’ll reflect on the 25th Anniversary of the Referendum.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the West Bank, the Spokesman said we have been following the developments since this morning with great concern and are very worried about what we are seeing.
Out humanitarian colleagues at OCHA are warning that people there are increasingly exposed to deadly warfare tactics that seem to exceed international standards for law enforcement.
Today, at least nine Palestinians, including children, were killed, and others injured, in the governorates of Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas - located west of the Jordan Valley. The operations involved Israeli helicopters, drones, and ground forces.
Most of the people killed were killed hit by airstrikes, while others were subject to sniper fire and other lethal methods. Military bulldozers have been observed destroying infrastructure, with initial indications that damage has been caused to roads and electricity equipment. This resulted in a power outage across the Jenin refugee camp.
Israeli forces also conducted operations in close proximity to four hospitals – two in Jenin and two in Tulkarm.
Hospitals have been surrounded and all movement in and out of those facilities have been affected, particularly medical teams.
To put this in context, since October 7th, more than 630 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Over 140 of them were killed in about 50 airstrikes, up from six fatalities in airstrikes in 2023 before October 7th. Most of the fatalities in this period were killed by Israeli forces but at least 11 were killed by settlers. During the same period, 15 Israelis, including nine members of Israeli forces and five settlers, were killed by Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. And in Israel, attacks by Palestinians from the West Bank resulted in the killing of ten Israelis and seven Palestinian perpetrators.
Our human rights colleagues remind us that, in the West Bank, Israeli forces must adhere to international policing standards, where lethal force and firearms are a last resort that can only be used against imminent threats of death or serious injury.
Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warn that humanitarian operations are still heavily restricted by hostilities, insecurity, and mass evacuation orders affecting aid transport routes and facilities.
Despite these challenges, we and our partners continue to work.
And I also want to flag that yesterday evening, a clearly marked UN humanitarian vehicle - part of a convoy that had been fully coordinated with the IDF - was struck 10 times by IDF gunfire - including with bullets targeting front windows. The two staff members in the vehicle were thankfully unharmed. This shows you I think, we had a senior colleague talk to you about the need for armoured cars and this is clearly why, it saved the lives of our two colleagues.
This is the latest incident to underscore that systems in place for coordination are not working; we continue to work with the IDF to ensure that incidents like that do not happen again.
We reiterate that parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times. This means that civilians must be protected, and their essential needs – including food, water, shelter and health – must be met, wherever they may be in Gaza. This applies to those under evacuation orders regardless of whether they move or not. And, those who leave must have enough time to do so, as well as a safe route and safe places.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council approved the extension of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in southern Lebanon [UNIFIL] by a full year.
Also this morning, our Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, briefed Security Council members by video conference on the situation in Syria.
He told members of the council that the political process must be Syrian-owned and Syrian-led. But he underscored that this requires the unified and cooperative support of key international stakeholders.
On the humanitarian front, the Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant-Secretary-General for OCHA, Joyce Msuya, said that the humanitarian needs continue to reach record levels, while hostilities in the north-east and the north-west continue to deepen people’s suffering.
She added that within Syria, 7.2 million people – or a third of the population – are displaced.
Nine months into the year, however, less than $1 billion of the $4.1 billion required for the response for Syria has been received. We need adequate funding to continue our humanitarian response.
Also, this afternoon, the Security Council will hold an open briefing on Ukraine. The Assistant Secretary-General in the Department of Political Affairs [for Europe, Central Asia and Americas], Miroslav Jenča, will brief on behalf of the Secretariat.
CHAD
Moving to Chad, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that all of Chad's 23 provinces are now affected by floods following heavy rains which started earlier in the Summer, in June.
According to local authorities, 145 people have lost their lives. More than 960,000 people have been impacted, with some 70,000 homes destroyed.
Agriculture has, of course, also been severely affected. Chadian authorities had already declared a national food security and nutrition emergency back in February. Nearly 3.4 million people living in Chad face acute hunger.
Chadian authorities, UN agencies and humanitarian partners are mobilizing and distributing emergency aid, but high waters are hampering delivery. Some affected areas are currently only accessible by canoe.
UN partners estimate they need $64 million to respond to help people affected by the floods. So far, only about 10 per cent of these resources have been made available to us.
Response capacity is already severely strained in Chad by the ongoing crisis in the country’s east, where large numbers of Sudanese refugees have fled to escape conflict in neighbouring Sudan.
Across Chad, our humanitarian partners were already working to respond to the humanitarian needs before the floods. The 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan seeks $1.1 billion for aid operations across the country but is only 35 per cent funded today at $393 million in the bank.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Turning to the nearby Central African Republic, the Head of our peacekeeping mission there - MINUSCA - Valentine Rugwabiza, attended today the 8th coordination meeting in Bangui on the joint implementation process of the 2019 peace agreement, as well as the joint road map for peace in the Central African Republic of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
At the meeting, Ms. Rugwabiza emphasized that the Mission’s support addresses several aspects of the peace agreement. As an example, she said, the support to committees at the prefectural level has significantly contributed to countrywide efforts in conflict prevention and resolution.
She also reiterated that local elections are a critical component of the peace agreement.
Efforts are currently underway to ensure that local elections take place early next year. These elections, the Special Representative stressed, represent a unique opportunity for the inclusion of marginalized groups—women, certain communities, long-term displaced persons, and those returning from refugee camps in countries neighbouring the Central African Republic.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/PARALYMPICS
The Secretary-General has released a message for the International Disability Inclusion Conference that is taking place at UNESCO, just ahead of the Paralympic Games, which are kicking off today.
The Secretary-General said that the Paralympic Games demonstrate the power of sport to unite people across cultures, and that they highlight the potential of the more than one billion men, women and children with disabilities worldwide.
Mr. Guterres emphasized the need to overcome barriers to the full and meaningful inclusion of persons with disabilities in sport, through sport, and in all aspects of life.
NOON BRIEFING GUEST – THURSDAY
Tomorrow, the guest at the noon briefing will be Rik Peeperkorn, who is the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Gaza. That briefing will take place virtually from Gaza and it will be focused on the polio vaccine campaign and more generally about the health situation in Gaza and what the UN team on the ground is doing.
