HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 11 NOVEMBER 2024
Climate
The Secretary-General has landed a few hours ago in Baku, in Azerbaijan. He is attending the 29th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, better known as COP29.
Today, he met with the President of Azerbaijan, President Aliyev. He expressed his full cooperation and support for the presidency to have a successful COP with an ambitious result. He also met with COP President Mukhtar Babayev.
Tomorrow, as he does every year, he will address the leaders during the opening ceremony where he will remind them that, unless emissions plummet and adaptation soars, every economy will face the impacts of climate change.
He will urge leaders to focus to increase their efforts to slash fossil fuel production and consumption, agree with the rules for a fair and effective carbon market and to take fundamental step-changes on climate finance across the board, among other measures.
In particular, Mr. Guterres will have a message for G20 countries, asking them to lead, as they have the tools and the resources needed by all countries for climate action.
Tomorrow, he will speak at the High-Level Dialogue on Loss and Damage, and Africa’s “Green Momentum” event. And he will also meet with various leaders who are attending the COP29.
UNIFIL
UNIFIL is continuing to follow with concern the exchanges of fire between Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah.
The increasing impact on civilians is of grave concern and we condemn the ongoing loss of lives that we have seen.
Parties to the conflict must adhere to international law and protect civilians as well as civilian infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, is heading to Lebanon. He will begin tomorrow a three-day visit to the country.
During this visit, Mr. Lacroix's priorities include expressing solidarity and support for peacekeepers, troop-contributing countries and other partners, as well as for the communities served by our peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL). He will amplify calls by the United Nations and the international community for de-escalation and a ceasefire.
In Beirut, he is scheduled to meet with senior Lebanese officials, including with the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati; the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri; the caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Bou Habib; as well as caretaker Minister of Defense, Maurice Sleem; the head of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Joseph Aoun; as well as members of the diplomatic corps present in Lebanon.
Mr. Lacroix is also scheduled to visit the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in Naqoura, in Southern Lebanon, and other positions along the Blue Line to meet with Mission leadership, and of course meet with peacekeepers themselves, and personally thank them for their dedication in carrying out their work under extremely difficult conditions.
Lebanon/Humanitarian
The United Nations and its partners are continuing to support the Ministry of Public Health by distributing medicine to some 40 primary health centres across the Bekaa and Baalbeck El-Hermel Governorates.
The World Health Organization and its partners are also providing support to areas impacted by the conflict, such as Baalbek, Nabatieh and South Governorates, where facilities have either limited capacity due to hostilities or healthcare workers have been forced to move.
For its part, as of yesterday, the World Food Programme delivered millions of cooked meals – they have done so since September 23rd of this year, reaching more than 440,000 people across Lebanon.
The conflict has devastating impacts on civilians on both sides of the Blue Line.
OCHA underscores that, under international humanitarian law, parties to the conflict must take all feasible precautions to avoid and minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects. Civilians, including children, must be protected at all times - wherever they are – whether they choose to stay in an area or whether they are forced to flee.
Our humanitarian colleagues also tell us that the total number of child fatalities in Lebanon, since October 2023, jumped to more than 200. Just over the weekend, a strike hit Byblos, in Mount Lebanon Governorate, killed at least 23 people, including 7 children, in a home sheltering displaced people. That is what the Lebanese Public Health Ministry has told our colleagues on the ground.
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that access to North Gaza governorate is still extremely limited. Over the weekend, our colleagues were unable to enter the area.
OCHA is worried about the fate of Palestinians remaining in North Gaza, as the siege there continues, and urgently calls on Israel to open up the area to humanitarian operations at the scale needed, given the massive needs, as you well know.
In a new report published today, our OCHA colleagues say that in October, humanitarian organizations submitted 50 requests to the Israeli authorities to enter North Gaza governorate. Thirty-three of those requests were rejected outright, and eight were initially accepted but then faced impediments along the way.
Attempts to coordinate the evacuation of one of our injured colleague from the Jabalya area was also denied, with Israeli authorities suggesting that this person could attempt to be carried out on foot by relatives waving white flags to identify themselves.
Humanitarian access to northern Gaza broadly has also been extremely limited. In October, OCHA registered 98 attempts to coordinate movements to the north via the checkpoint along Wadi Gaza. 85 per cent of the requests were denied or impeded.
Over the past three days, teams led by OCHA – alongside other humanitarian colleagues, as well as the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Mine Action Service – have been assessing the needs of hundreds of displaced families across nine sites in Gaza city – including people who are newly displaced from North Gaza.
The sites include both UNRWA and public schools, makeshift sites, abandoned structures and a sports stadium.
The teams say that some displaced families have sought shelter in abandoned homes or destroyed clinics, while others are staying out in the open in streets or open fields, where they are exposed to the elements.
In one location, more than a dozen families – including people with disabilities and those in urgent need of medical care – were found sheltering in the basement of a severely damaged structure. The space lacked electricity and was full of sewage. For those staying in schools, conditions are also dire. There are nowhere near enough bathrooms to support the people sheltering there, with many people forced to relieve themselves in the very locations where they sleep. Those displaced said they are afraid of stray dogs at night, as the schools lack secure walls.
The assessment teams say that urgent assistance is needed, including medical treatment and essential medications. Palestinians in Gaza city also need blankets, warm clothing, shoes, heaters, and fuel as winter approaches. Tarpaulins and flood-resistant tents are needed to protect displaced families against the weather. The sewage system also needs repairs, and a reliable supply of safe drinking water is essential to improve sanitation and to avoid the spread of waterborne diseases.
Syria
Turning to the situation in Syria, UN humanitarian officials are sounding the alarm over the lack of financial resources needed to respond to the needs of people in the country.
In a joint statement issued a short time ago, our Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Adam Abdelmoula – as well as the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, Ramanthan Balakrishnan – warned that with less than two months left in the year, the Humanitarian Response Plan for Syria is just over 27 per cent funded, with only $1.1 billion received of the $4.1 billion actually needed.
This comes at a time when two out of every three people in Syria are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile, the emergency appeal launched in September to support hundreds of thousands of people arriving in Syria from Lebanon is also severely underfunded, with just $32 million received of the $324 million that is needed.
Mr. Abdelmoula and Mr. Balakrishnan called on the donor community to significantly and urgently increase support for humanitarian efforts in Syria, warning the costs of inaction would be enormous.
Ukraine
Turning to Ukraine, our colleagues from Humanitarian Affairs also inform us that, according to authorities, attacks over the past five days across the country have resulted in more than 100 civilian casualties, including children, and widespread damage to civilian infrastructure.
Our humanitarian colleagues note that a deadly attack in Zaporizhzhia on Saturday - the second in five days - caused dozens of casualties, including children. The attack destroyed a number of residential buildings. Authorities also report an increase in drone strikes in the south of the country, especially in the regions of Odesa, Mykolayiv, and Kherson, leading to scores of civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, which include heating and gas facilities.
Aid workers have responded swiftly, providing hot meals, materials to cover damaged windows, blankets, solar lamps, and hygiene kits, as well as cash and psychosocial support.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that in some front-line communities, basic food is becoming scarce as many shops have stopped functioning. To address this, the World Food Programme has supplied ovens, dough-kneading machines and generators, among others, to 14 bakeries in six of the war-affected regions of Ukraine. In September alone, these bakeries produced more than half a million loaves of bread for communities near the frontlines.
Haiti
The Secretary-General urges all Haitian stakeholders to work constructively together to advance the political transition, as agreed upon on 11 March in Jamaica. Overcoming their differences and putting the country first remains critical to that end.
The Secretary-General appeals to all Member States to sustain and increase their security support for Haiti, including through the Multinational Security Support mission (MSS) ensuring that it receives the financial support it needs to successfully implement its mandate and to expand its deployment and operations.
Haiti Children
On that note, Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, issued a statement today, warning that children are at the heart of the crisis in Haiti and particularly vulnerable to armed gangs.
Her office estimates that between a third and a half of armed gang members are children - under the age of 18.
She added that the recent trends in Haiti concerning sexual violence against children, particularly girls, are deeply alarming, with verified UN figures showing an increase from 41 cases last year to over 400 in 2024.
Ms. Gamba urges all parties in Haiti to do everything they can to prevent grave violations against children. She also calls on gangs to immediately release children fom their ranks and hand them over to civilian child protection groups.
Sudan
On Sudan, just a quick note that the World Food Programme in Sudan tells us that a convoy of WFP trucks crossed the border from Chad through the Adre crossing, heading to Zamzam IDP Camp in North Darfur, where, as you know, famine was confirmed this year.
The trucks are carrying vital food and nutrition supplies for about 12,500 people. WFP emphasizes that this assistance must reach desperate families in Zamzam Camp safely and quickly.
WFP underscores that the Adre corridor is a vital lifeline to get urgent assistance into the hands of desperate families across the Darfur region. Through this crossing, WFP has now transported over 5,600 metric tonnes of food and nutrition supplies – which is enough for nearly half a million people – and that has gone in just 3 months since 20 August.
It is crucial that this crossing remains usable and open for humanitarians to ramp up aid and get a steady supply of aid to communities facing extreme hunger.
Meanwhile, WFP also continues to get food into the hands of people facing famine in Zamzam, through a network of local retailers under contract with WFP. With this approach, WFP has so far supported 100,000 people out of the 180,000 men, women and children the Agency plans to reach in Zamzam.
Chad
Leonardo Santos Simão, the Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, is in Chad starting today until 16 November.
He is there to take part in the 15th meeting of Envoys and Representatives for the Sahel, which is taking place today and tomorrow in N’Djamena.
He will also undertake a joint high-level visit to countries of the Lake Chad basin with Abdou Abarry, the Head of our Office for Central Africa. This mission aims to reaffirm our support to Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria’s efforts to fight terrorism.
