HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 27 NOVEMBER 2024
Secretary-General/Portugal
Today, in Lisbon, the Secretary-General just now held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro. The Secretary-General spoke to the press afterward, and you will have seen what he said on WebtV and we will share those remarks.
Yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General also met with the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. They discussed international peace and security issues, including the war in Ukraine and the Middle East. The Secretary-General and the President exchanged views on climate action following COP29 and discussed Portugal’s cooperation with the United Nations.
The Secretary-General expressed gratitude for Portugal’s contribution to UN Peacekeeping and for hosting the 10th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.
Lebanon/Israel
In a statement issued last night, the Secretary-General welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. He hopes that this agreement can put an end to the violence, destruction and suffering the people of both countries have been experiencing.
The Secretary-General urges the parties to fully respect and swiftly implement all of their commitments made under this agreement.
The Secretary-General also urges the parties to undertake immediate steps towards the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).
The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) both stand ready to support the implementation of this agreement, in line with their respective mandates.
The Special Coordinator, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said that it is clear that the status quo ante of implementing only select provisions of Resolution 1701 (2006), while paying lip service to others, will not suffice. Neither side can afford another period of disingenuous implementation under the guise of ostensible calm.
Lebanon
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, said today in a social media post that Lebanon is in the midst of its most devastating humanitarian crisis in a generation and that the ceasefire is our greatest hope for bringing an end to the immense suffering.
Our colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs note that humanitarian needs in Lebanon remain unprecedented, and that we need swift, safe and unhindered access so that aid can reach those in need.
The conflict has devastated lives, with more than 3,800 people killed, 15,800 injured and nearly 900,000 displaced internally, alongside over half a million fleeing across borders, according to the authorities. The devastation of homes, healthcare and livelihoods is staggering.
This morning, on the first day of the ceasefire, 11 trucks from the UN Refugee Agency delivered emergency supplies to more than 3,000 people in Baalbek, including blankets, mattresses, winter jackets, plastic sheets, solar lamps and sleeping mats. Since 23 September of this year, UNHCR has delivered more than 330,000 relief items to more than 190,000 people.
For its part, UNICEF continues to support children who have been heavily impacted by the conflict and is providing emergency psychological support to thousands of children and caregivers.
Since 23 September, UNICEF has reached more than 9,000 children and their caregivers with psychological first aid.
Occupied Palestinian Territory
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the World Food Programme says that all bakeries in central Gaza have shut down due to severe supply shortages. Bread is a lifeline for many families in Gaza; it’s often the only food they can access.
Now, even that is slipping out of reach.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns of a worsening nutrition situation across Gaza. Of the total number of children admitted for outpatient treatment of acute malnutrition since the beginning of 2024, two thirds were recorded in the past five months. Our nutrition partners report that between 1 and 23 November, more than 3,400 children were admitted for outpatient treatment of acute malnutrition.
Despite the challenges that aid organizations in Gaza continue to face – the World Health Organization and a partner, Relief International, recently established a new stabilization centre for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in Deir al Balah. This means there are now still only four such centres operational throughout the Strip – one in Khan Younis, one in Gaza city and two in Deir al Balah.
In North Gaza, however, the stabilization centre at Kamal Adwan Hospital has been closed since the start of the Israeli siege more than seven weeks ago, despite spiraling needs in the governorate.
New reporting from health partners reveals that only five out of 486 health service points in Gaza were fully operational last month. Over half were entirely non-functional, while 233 were partially operating. The health sector is grappling with critical shortages of medicines, supplies, fuel, food, and water.
Despite these challenges, health partners have delivered supplies and are working to establish additional health service points in displacement sites in Gaza City, following a multi-partner assessment over the weekend.
Syria
Turning to Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is sounding the alarm over the impact that ongoing hostilities in different parts of the country are having on civilians and aid operations.
In a statement today, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Adam Abdelmoula – alongside the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, Ramanathan Balakrishnan – called for the protection of civilians and civilian assets, including humanitarian workers. This follows the killing of a Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer in an air attack on Ad Dabousiyah border crossing in Homs earlier today. Civilians were killed in this attack and others were injured.
Following today’s attack, all humanitarian operations at border crossings in Syria have been suspended.
Meanwhile the Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, David Carden, expressed deep concern over the impact of the recent escalation of hostilities in north-west Syria on civilians, particularly children.
Yesterday, three boys under the age of 14 were killed, and more than a dozen other children were injured in artillery shelling in Idlib and western Aleppo. All of the children were in an educational institution at the time of the attack.
Our partners are trying to verify the number of people who may have been displaced by the latest violence.
As of today, at least 35 Non-Governmental Organizations report they suspended humanitarian operations in the area. Health partners say that services are no longer operational in at least 14 health facilities, primarily in areas along the front line, due to the fighting.
Private and public schools have also closed, as well as several main roads in Idlib and western Aleppo.
The Bab Al-Hawa border crossing remains operational for aid deliveries, with 10 trucks carrying supplies from the World Health Organization, the UN Refugee Agency and UNICEF crossing into Idlib from Türkiye this afternoon.
Security Council
This morning, Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, briefed Security Council members on Ukraine. He said that in recent days we have seen alarming signs of further escalation in the already explosive war between Ukraine and Russia, referring to the launch of a ballistic intermediate-range Russian missile that hit the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on 21 November. Mr. Jenča said the use of ballistic missiles and related threats are a very dangerous escalatory development. Under international humanitarian law, parties are required to “take all feasible precautions in the choice of means and methods of attack with a view to avoiding, and in any event to minimizing, incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects,” he said.
Mr. Jenča added that the cost of this war is already too high for the people of Ukraine, and for the world, and that we must reverse the dangerous cycle of escalation. This requires genuine political will and inclusive diplomatic efforts towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.
Ukraine/humanitarian
And on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, our colleagues tell us that attacks and hostilities continued to ravage Ukrainian towns along the frontline, yesterday and today, with local authorities reporting scores of civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. In the Mykolayiv Region in the south, authorities reported yesterday that someone died, and three other people were injured in an attack, which also struck an aid distribution site.
Meanwhile we and our partners continue to support the humanitarian response across the country. Yesterday, a convoy delivered portable power stations, medicine, warm clothes and hygiene supplies, among other supplies, to a community in the Kherson region.
This year we and our partners have delivered - through 42 inter-agency convoys - humanitarian supplies to nearly 70,000 people in communities in front-line regions in the east, south and south-east of Ukraine.
Chad
Today the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, arrived in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, where he met with the Prime Minister, Al-Lamaye Halina, and other senior officials.
They discussed the humanitarian situation in Chad and the impact of the ongoing influx of refugees fleeing conflicts in Sudan and other neighbouring countries.
Mr. Fletcher commended the enormous generosity of Chad, where communities are hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people, including refugees, at a time when resources are severely stretched.
Sudan
In Sudan, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warn that fighting continues to harm civilians and hamper the delivery of assistance in El Fasher, in North Darfur.
Since April, more than 400,000 people have been displaced by the violence, with some fleeing to Zamzam and other nearby sites. OCHA reports that El Fasher town is still under siege and inaccessible – although a limited number of humanitarian partners are on the ground and working with UN agencies to deliver assistance and services.
The World Health Organization delivered more than 17 metric tonnes of supplies for three humanitarian partners last month. For its part, UNICEF has been supporting water trucking and the maintenance and operation of 120 water sources in and around El Fasher, including in Zamzam camp. UNICEF is also providing support to six outpatient nutrition treatment projects in El Fasher and Abu Shouk camp. Approximately 3,000 metric tonnes of UNICEF’s education, health, nutrition, and water, sanitation and health supplies have reached North Darfur since January of this year.
Meanwhile, OCHA is supporting relief efforts in El Fasher through the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, which has enabled our partners to provide shelter and non-food items; health-care services; food, nutrition and livelihoods support; water and hygiene assistance; and protection services.
South Sudan
Moving to South Sudan, where Nicholas Haysom, the head of our peacekeeping mission, UNMISS, is urging state Governors to take concrete action to create an open civic and political space so that people can freely participate in preparations for the country's first democratic elections, now scheduled for December 2026.
Speaking at the annual Governors’ Forum in Juba, Mr. Haysom stressed to state leaders, who are on the frontlines of tackling root causes of conflict, that they must prioritize delivering basic services to their people within an effective and accountable public financial management system.
In addition, he called for training to begin for the second batch of the Necessary Unified Forces and agreements to improve security across the country, particularly ahead of elections.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Our peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has recently provided training to 400 newly recruited soldiers of the Congolese Armed Forces. This took place in Ituri province prior to the soldiers’ deployment in the mission area.
The training included the issues of humanitarian law, human rights, and the protection of children in situations of armed conflict.
In close cooperation with provincial authorities, MONUSCO has successfully trained 1,000 Congolese soldiers in 2024, including 200 from the Special Forces.
Central African Republic
In the Central African Republic, the UN and the national authorities have reaffirmed their joint commitment to addressing violence against women and girls, as part of the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence – and as the country prepares for upcoming elections.
Launched by the country’s President, [Faustin-Archange Touadéra] and supported by our peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, efforts aim to tackle violence that has historically hindered women’s participation in elections. The initiative seeks to increase women’s voter registration and participation in local elections, with a goal of raising women’s representation in municipal leadership from the current 4 per cent to 35 per cent.
Myanmar
In Myanmar, the humanitarian crisis there continues to deteriorate, with mounting civilian casualties caused by the conflict. Twelve of the country’s 15 states and regions have been impacted by the fighting.
People have been forced to flee their homes in record numbers, with 3.4 million people now internally displaced countrywide, according to UN figures.
Humanitarian partners have reached nearly 3 million people with assistance in the first three quarters of this year, but severe underfunding prevented them from delivering more aid. As the year draws to a close, the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which calls for nearly $1 billion, is just one third funded, having received $334 million. We appeal to Member States for an urgent contribution of funds.
Briefings
There will be no briefing tomorrow, Thursday, given that it is a national holiday in our host country, Thanksgiving.
And, on Friday, the office and the building will be open, but we will just post highlights. There won’t be a noon briefing that day. The office will be staffed in case of anything urgent.
And then we will see you back here on Monday, December 2nd for the Noon Briefing.
On that day, at around 1pm, the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Ambassador Bob Rae, along with UNICEF’s Executive Director, Catherine Russell, will brief you on the situation in Haiti.
This press conference is organized in connection with the ECOSOC Special Meeting on “Haiti’s Children Cannot Wait”, which will take place on Monday, 2 December at 10 a.m. in the ECOSOC Chamber.
Then, at 2pm, there will be a briefing by the United States Representative and President of the Security Council for December, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and she will brief on the Council’s programme for the month.
