HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 16 JANUARY 2025
Secretary-General/Lebanon
The Secretary-General has just arrived in Beirut, for a solidarity visit to Lebanon. Upon his arrival, he will be meeting with the Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou Habib.
Tomorrow, Friday, the Secretary-General will head to Naqoura in the south, where he will visit the UN peacekeeping force. On Saturday he will be meeting with the political leadership in the country.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, is concluding his visit to Lebanon today. In a press conference, he said that in his discussions with the new President, Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate, Nawaf Salam, he offered his Office’s assistance in support of their commitments on the key reforms needed to strengthen the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.
Deputy Secretary-General - Trip Announcement
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia later today, where she will convene a retreat with the Executive Secretaries of the Regional Economic Commissions (RECs). The retreat, which will continue until Sunday, will focus on accelerating efforts to deliver on the 2030 Agenda and implementation of the Pact of the Future.
While in Ethiopia, the Deputy Secretary-General will also meet with senior government officials to discuss the UN-Ethiopia relationship and regional cooperation for peace.
Ms. Mohammed will return to New York on Monday, 20 January.
Gaza
The Secretary-General welcomed the announcement of a deal to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza. He called on all relevant parties to uphold their commitments and ensure that this deal is fully implemented.
The Secretary-General said that our priority must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict. The United Nations stands ready to support the implementation of this deal and scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer. It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza so that we can support a major increase in urgent lifesaving humanitarian support. The humanitarian situation is at catastrophic levels.
The Secretary-General called on all parties to facilitate the rapid, unhindered, and safe humanitarian relief for all civilians in need. From our side, we will do whatever is humanly possible, aware of the serious challenges and constraints that we will be facing. We expect our efforts to be matched by other humanitarian actors, the private sector and bilateral initiatives.
And he urged the parties and all relevant partners to seize this opportunity to establish a credible political path to a better future for Palestinians, Israelis, and the broader region. The full statement is online.
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Meanwhile, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, said that in preparation for the ceasefire, humanitarian agencies have been mobilizing supplies to scale up aid delivery across the Strip.
Mr. Fletcher urged all parties to adhere fully to international humanitarian law. This means protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure; allowing aid workers safe, unfettered access to people in need whoever and wherever they are; and removing all obstacles to the entry of essential aid. It will also be critical to enable entry of commercial supplies.
Mr. Fletcher urged the Security Council to use its collective voice and weight to insist the ceasefire is sustained, international law is respected, and that obstacles to saving lives are removed.
Meanwhile, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs continues to receive reports of Palestinians killed due to the ongoing bombardment of Gaza.
Yesterday, the World Health Organization and its partners facilitated the medical evacuation of 12 patients and nearly three dozen companions from the Strip. Most are suffering from cancer and immunological disorders – and they’ll now receive treatment in Albania, France, Norway and Romania.
WHO stressed that as the ceasefire takes hold, it is urgent that more countries step forward to receive additional patients for specialized treatment. More than 12,000 people are awaiting medical evacuation outside Gaza, where, as you know, the health system has been shattered by more than 15 months of conflict.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme said it has 80,000 tons of food waiting outside Gaza or on its way in – enough to feed more than one million people. WFP noted that while the ceasefire brings hope, we need unrestricted movement of humanitarian teams and supplies to reach those in need.
And the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported today that more than 1,070 UNRWA health staff continue to work in health centres, temporary clinics and medical points across Gaza, providing more than 16,000 health consultations in a day.
The agency’s medical teams are also ensuring specialized support for patients. On 11 January alone, they provided care for nearly 1,100 pregnant and post-natal women at high risk, dental and oral health services for almost 600 patients, and physiotherapy for more than 300 patients.
Syria
In Syria, this afternoon, 18 trucks carrying food for over 40,000 people from the World Food Programme crossed through the Bab Al-Salam border crossing from Türkiye to northern Aleppo.
Also today, OCHA completed a cross-border mission to Azaz in northern Aleppo to assess two displacement camps hosting more than 500 families living in tents. Our partners have provided food assistance to the camps; however, the aid has been significantly reduced last year due to underfunding. People have told us that they want to return to their homes, but are unable to as their villages have been destroyed in past hostilities.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that some parts of Aleppo governorate continue to face hostilities, including in the vicinity of the Tishreen Dam, as well as challenging humanitarian access.
In the city of Menbij, in northeast Aleppo, humanitarian access remains constrained as NGOs operating in the region continue to face restrictions. OCHA reports a dire need for fuel, flour and staffing, following a joint assessment mission to Menbij with WFP last Thursday. Most essential services – including electricity, waste management, health and bakeries – are non-functional. Our education partners also report that 350 schools remain closed in the city and rural areas, impacting more than 125,000 students and 3,500 teachers.
Yemen
The United Nations and its partners yesterday launched the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for the country, where 19.5 million people need vital aid and protection. This is an increase of 1.3 million people compared to last year.
This year’s plan seeks $2.5 billion to provide 10.5 million of the most vulnerable people with life-saving assistance, including food, clean water and healthcare.
The Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator in Yemen, Julien Harneis, said that humanitarian action has been effective in alleviating the worst impacts of the country’s crisis. But he stressed that we cannot do this alone – and much more is needed to reduce needs, achieve peace, revive the economy, and build the resilience of communities.
In 2024, donors provided $1.4 billion to the Yemen humanitarian appeal, enabling some 200 aid agencies – two-thirds of them local Yemeni organizations – to reach more than 8 million people.
Ukraine
Turning to Ukraine, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, together with the Government of Ukraine today in Kyiv launched the humanitarian and refugee response plans for 2025. They appealed for $3.3 billion to support 8.2 million people affected by the crisis within the country and across its borders.
Mr. Fletcher paid tribute to the humanitarian workers in Ukraine, calling them heroes who work under pressure and in dire conditions. Our humanitarian colleagues note that some 600 of our partner organizations – more than two thirds of them Ukrainian – work tirelessly to deliver critical aid to millions of people.
Mr. Fletcher pointed out that relentless attacks against energy systems, homes and other civilian infrastructure have rendered many hospitals inoperable, reduced people’s access to their livelihoods, deprived people of heat and water during the winter, and hindered children’s access to education.
For his part, Mr. Grandi said that countries hosting Ukrainian refugees abroad have done incredible work over the last 3 years to provide safety and a sense of normalcy to support these refugees in restarting their lives in their new communities, all the while hoping for conditions to change in Ukraine to allow them to go home. We must continue to sustain this hope, he noted.
As the world enters 2025 and Ukraine is approaching a fourth year of full-scale war, Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Grandi said the people of Ukraine, both at home and abroad, need the world to stay the course with them to rebuild their lives and preserve hope for a better future.
Security Council
This afternoon, the Security Council will hold a briefing on Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine. Rosemary DiCarlo, our Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, is expected to brief Council members.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the joint human rights office there tell us that two years after the start of an inter-communal conflict in the Tshopo province, cohabitation remains difficult between the communities involved– the Mbole and Lengola, This, they say, could pose a major risk to the province's stability
In a report published today, the human rights joint office says that at least 300 civilians have been victims of serious human rights violations and abuses in this inter-communal conflict since February 2023. They have established that violations and abuses, such as summary executions, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, sexual violence, abductions and the systematic looting and destruction of property and villages, have been committed by all parties to the conflict.
According to government and humanitarian sources, at least 107,000 people have been displaced and are living in precarious conditions in 3 sites, in the town of Kisangani and in the municipality of Lubunga.
South Sudan
The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is deeply concerned by reports of clashes between armed forces in Western Equatoria which have resulted in civilian casualties and displacement.
UNMISS called for intervention from the highest levels of Government to prevent further deterioration of the security situation.
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS, Nicholas Haysom said that this incident also highlights the need to urgently progress the deployment of Necessary Unified Forces across the country.
Kosovo
In a statement issued today, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in Kosovo, Caroline Ziadeh, expressed concern about the actions against Serbia-funded institutions across Kosovo yesterday. The Mission notes that the actions resulted in the closure of several institutions, including post offices, provisional institutions’ buildings and social welfare centres.
Ms. Ziadeh is concerned about the impact of these closures on the daily lives of individuals, especially those from non-majority communities, who directly depend on these institutions. She stressed that such unilateral actions risk further erosion of trust between communities and Kosovo authorities.
Ms. Ziadeh reiterates her calls for outstanding issues to be discussed constructively, in open communications and in good faith within the EU-facilitated Dialogue. She urges all to work towards negotiated and sustainable solutions for the well-being and security of all people in Kosovo as the only acceptable path ahead.
China
In China, UNICEF is providing urgently needed emergency relief supplies for children and families affected by the earthquake that struck Dingri County of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China last week. This follows a request from the local government.
At least 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured, with over 30,000 people relocated to temporary settlements. In the two counties where UNICEF is providing support, over 10,000 children below the age of seven have been affected. They are in a mountainous region where nighttime temperatures can drop to -17℃.
UNICEF is delivering 40 tonnes of supplies for newborns, young children and pregnant women in the affected areas. This includes thousands of diapers for babies and toddlers, warm winter clothes for children below the age of seven, and quilts and winter jackets for pregnant women. The first batch of supplies arrived yesterday.
UNICEF is also working with local partners to provide longer-term psychosocial support to affected children.
Financial Contributions
Armenia and Iceland paid their dues in full to the Regular Budget. This brings the number of Member States on the Honour Roll to 10.
Guests today and tomorrow
Today, our guest will be Axel Van Trotsenburg, the Senior Managing Director for Partnerships and Development Policy for the World Bank Group. He will join us shortly to provide an update on the World Bank Group’s evolution, as well as highlight the impacts of the Group’s International Development Association (known as IDA21) replenishment.
And, tomorrow, we will be joined here by Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). He will brief you on the situation in Gaza.
