HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2024
**Gaza
Sigrid Kaag, the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, told the Security Council today that time is slipping away as a man-made humanitarian crisis has turned Gaza into the abyss. She said that we need an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and continuous humanitarian access to deliver aid at scale throughout the Gaza Strip.
Ms. Kaag said she visited Gaza a week and a half ago, and she reported that agreed pauses in fighting allowed parents and children to safely visit health centres and clinics, providing them with a brief glimpse of relief and respite. This was during the polio vaccination campaign.
She added that the campaign shows that, even in the direst circumstances - with sufficient political will, and real time political commitment - humanitarian action is indeed possible.
Despite the complexity of the situation, Ms. Kaag said that her mission has negotiated and strengthened supply systems and additional routes to facilitate humanitarian delivery in a transparent and expedite way. But she added that effective humanitarian operations require the right quality, quantity, and a broad range of goods to meet the daily needs of civilians in Gaza. That goal is not being met, she said. Also briefing was the Executive Director of United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Jorge Moreira da Silva.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that ongoing issuance of mass evacuation orders without ensuring that those displaced have a safe and adequate places to stay continue to worsen the already dire humanitarian situation of hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza.
As of today, over 55 evacuation orders remain in effect, covering over 85 per cent of the population of Gaza. The latest evacuation order was issued in northern Gaza on Saturday. Repeated displacements are also separating families, eroding social protection systems, particularly for women and children.
Despite the high surge in needs to protect women and children, multiple evacuation orders are also affecting the response and have delayed or interrupted support to people facing gender-based violence, by forcing the closure or relocations of services.
The World Food Programme (WFP) for its part says that on 14 September, which was Saturday, five out of six bakeries halted operations for 12 hours due to fuel shortages. Four bakeries resumed operations at a reduced capacity yesterday after the Agency reallocated reserve fuel from its warehouse in the north of Gaza. One bakery remains out of business and the current fuel supply is sufficient for two more days at this limited capacity. Unless fuel is allowed into the north, all five bakeries remaining will be forced to stop.
For the first two weeks of September of the 94 planned humanitarian missions coordinated with the Israeli authorities for northern Gaza, only 37 were facilitated. That is or 39 per cent. In southern Gaza, just 50 per cent of the 243 coordinated humanitarian movements were facilitated. OCHA has not been able to access northern Gaza for 28 days. Aid convoys are being fired at or otherwise exposed to life-risking conditions, stopped or delayed for hours in combat zones.
Turning to the West Bank: Over the weekend, OCHA and UNRWA, the Relief and Works Agency, carried out a preliminary assessment in Tulkarm Refugee Camp, following the deadly operations carried out by Israeli forces there last week. The team observed the extensive damage, thought to have been caused by shoulder-fired explosive projectiles and explosives. Nearly 40 residential structures were destroyed, displacing some 200 people, including 90 children. And at least 500 other structures were damaged.
The assessment team has mobilized humanitarian organizations from the UN and beyond to respond to people’s need for shelter, health, food, education and other basic necessities.
** Sudan
In a statement issued yesterday, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, called for parties to the conflict to refrain from targeting El Fasher and to protect civilians.
This comes following reports of large-scale fighting there late last week. Initial reports indicate that health-care facilities and displacement camps were impacted. The International Organization for Migration (IOM)says that it estimates that at least 250 people were displaced in this latest round.
El Fasher is home to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people who are at risk of famine, including in the Zamzam camp, where famine has already been confirmed.
** Ukraine
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that hostilities over the weekend in front-line communities in Ukraine resulted in more than 80 civilian casualties and widespread damage to civilian infrastructure. This is according to local authorities.
OCHA says that the regions of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson, and Sumy have been particularly hard hit.
In Kharkiv City we, along with our humanitarian partners, provided emergency assistance after an attack on 15 September, which damaged sections of a multi-story residential building with several civilian casualties, including children. That is what local authorities are telling us. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the attack and said that it is unacceptable that civilians and their homes continue to be hit.
Aid workers provided medical and psychological aid, as well as hot meals. They also distributed emergency shelter materials to cover the damage.
In the south of Ukraine, aid workers provided support to impacted people in the Odesa Region, following an attack on 14 September. Aid workers also distributed materials to cover the roofs and windows and organized the distribution of hot meals.
** Nigeria
A quick update on the flooding in Nigeria, which follows the collapse of the Alau Dam about one week ago.
A joint mission made up of UN agencies and NGOs, together with the Nigeria Red Cross Society, visited the main city in the region Maiduguri over the weekend and met with people who have been impacted - many of them had already been displaced multiple times by conflict and insecurity in the area.
The UN and its partners are providing them with hot meals, are facilitating air drops of food in hard-to-reach areas cut off by flood waters, and we are also trucking in water. The UN is also providing water and sanitation hygiene services and water purification tablets to stem disease outbreaks. This is in addition to supplying hygiene and dignity kits for women and girls, as well as emergency health and shelter services. The Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, announced a $6 million from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is also working closely with donors to secure additional funding.
Across Nigeria, flooding has damaged more than 125,000 hectares of farmland and that was just before the harvests time, and at a time when 32 million people in the country are facing severe food insecurity.
** Typhoon Yagi
Moving into Southeast Asia, where UN teams are assisting communities impacted by Typhoon Yagi.
In Viet Nam, the UN is supporting the coordination and provision of essential supplies, including food, drinkable water and water purification tablets. Health partners are procuring and distributing emergency medicine kits and supporting the restoration of essential health care services, such as immunization. They are also working closely with the authorities to monitor and prevent waterborne disease over the coming weeks and months
As of yesterday, the local authorities reported that more than 292 people have been killed, with 38 people missing and more than 1,900 people injured since the typhoon made impact 10 days ago.
In Myanmar, the remnants of the typhoon resulted in significant flooding and damage in various parts of the country.
Humanitarians are providing emergency assistance there which included food and water, sanitation and other types of emergency aid. They will also continue to assess the situation and stand ready to scale up the response.
Humanitarian response efforts in Myanmar remain hindered by underfunding. Twenty-five per cent of the $994 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has only received $252 million. More money is urgently needed.
** SDG Advocates
The Secretary-General welcomes today four new members to the SDG Advocates Group.
They are Massimo Bottura, a Michelin-starred chef and Co-Founder of Food for Soul; Diane von Furstenberg, a philanthropist and founder of her fashion house; Monica Geingos, Executive Chairperson of One Economy Foundation and Chancellor of Kepler University in Kigali; and Lilly Singh, award-winning entertainer and Founder of Unicorn Island Fund.
The SDG Advocates, as you know, are influential international leaders who support the Secretary-General in raising global ambition and action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The group is co-chaired by Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada.
Some Advocates have completed their terms, but they will continue to stay engaged as members of the Emeritus Group, co-chaired by President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Erna Solberg, the former Prime Minister of Norway.
Those who have finished their terms are Richard Curtis, the filmmaker, His Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano in Nigeria, the group BLACKPINK, Eddie Ndopu, Valentina Muñoz Rabanal, Kailash Satyarthi, and Forest Whitaker. The Secretary-General thanks them for their dedication and for driving impactful action for the SDGs.
** New Resident Coordinators
The Secretary-General has appointed new Resident Coordinators to Guyana and North Macedonia, followed by host government approval.
Jean Njeri Kamau of Kenya will be the UN's Resident Coordinator for Guyana. Ms. Kamau brings more than 20 years of experience in human rights, development and political governance. She recently served as Kenya’s Ambassador for Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union.
The Secretary-General has also appointed Rita Columbia of the US as the UN Resident Coordinator in North Macedonia.
Dr. Columbia brings over 20 years of experience in international development, humanitarian assistance and management. She has served previously as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)Representative in Moldova and Iraq.
** International Days
Today is the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. In his message, the Secretary-General says that the ozone layer, once an ailing patient, is on the road to recovery. The Montreal Protocol unites the world to phase out the consumption and production of different ozone depleting substances. The Protocol stands out as a powerful symbol of hope.
And today is also the International Day for Interventional Cardiology. Diseases such as cancer and diabetes have serious social and economic consequences, and cardiovascular disease management interventions must be included in universal health coverage packages.
And today is also the International Day of Science, Technology and Innovation for the South. It is an important step in reaffirming our commitment to leave no one behind.
** Briefings Tomorrow
Tomorrow, at 11:00 a.m., there will be a briefing from our colleagues in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) and they will be presenting their 2024 edition of the United Nations E-Government Survey – entitled “Accelerating Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development.”
The Survey explores key trends and innovations that are shaping the future of public administration, with a focus on building resilience and inclusive digital infrastructures among the UN Member States and the most populous city in each country.
Then at noon, the noon briefing guest will be Yasmine Sherif, the Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW). She will brief on ECW's Annual Results Report. And tomorrow there will be the inaugural briefing by Sharon Birch, the new spokeswoman for the president of the General Assembly.
** Financial Contributions
Guinea and Nigeria’s payment to the Regular Budget brings the number of fully paid-up Member States to 135.
