HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 2025
SECRETARY-GENERAL/AFRICAN UNION
The Secretary-General is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he will take part in the 38th African Union Summit. Today, he met with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, and he also met with our UN colleagues.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will have a series of bilateral meetings with the leadership of the African Union Commission, as well as heads of State and Government from the continent. He is also scheduled to take part in meetings of the AU Peace and Security Council at the level of Heads of State and Government, on the situation in Sudan and on the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Secretary-General will deliver remarks during the opening session of the African Union Summit on Saturday, and he is also scheduled to hold a press conference – at 3:00 pm, Addis time that day.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the killing of a Tunisian peacekeeper of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) during the night of 11 February by an unidentified armed person near the village of Zobassinda.
The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. He calls on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this tragedy so that they can be brought to justice swiftly.
Regarding the peacekeeper who was tragically killed in the Central African Republic on Tuesday, his name is Seifeddine Hamrita from Tunisia. Once again, the UN extends its deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all members of the peacekeeping mission.
SECURITY COUNCIL/YEMEN
This morning, our Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, briefed Security Council members on the situation in the country. He stated that the tentative reduction in hostilities, along with the release of the crew of the Motor Vessel Galaxy Leader, is a welcome relief, and we must build on this opportunity as a foundation for further de-escalation.
Mr. Grundberg said that over the past month, he continued his active engagement with all regional and international actors. His message to all remains that only a political settlement of the conflict will support the Yemenis in their aspirations for lasting peace.
For his part, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, says that almost 20 million Yemenis are in dire need of our support, right now. He asked the Council to back us to return UN operations to full capacity and give us the money to deliver for those we serve. The UN reiterates its calls for the immediate and unconditional release of those arbitrarily detained by the Houthi de facto authorities.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stresses once again that sustaining the ceasefire in Gaza is crucial to keep life-saving humanitarian work going.
The World Food Programme (WFP) says that 25 WFP-supported bakeries are now operating across Gaza. Today, another bakery reopened in Rafah with WFP support. Earlier this week, WFP reopened a kitchen in Beit Lahiya that can produce 20,000 meals per day. In Rafah, the agency has opened a kitchen serving 1,500 meals each day.
WFP also notes that every week, dozens of kitchens are providing hundreds of thousands of hot meals to people across the Strip – in the north, WFP is working to further expand capacity. We and our humanitarian partners also continue to provide shelter support to people across Gaza.
Today and tomorrow, shelter bedding kits are being distributed to some 400 families living in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and Jabalya in North Gaza governorate. Meanwhile in central Gaza this week, one of our shelter partners distributed more than 400 sealing-off kits and mattresses for displaced families at a site in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis.
And turning to the West Bank, OCHA continues receiving reports of Palestinian casualties in the northern areas due to the ongoing operations by Israeli forces. To date, 44 fatalities have been recorded since the start of those operations on 21 January. Although the operation in Tubas ended yesterday, Israeli forces continue to operate in both Tulkarm and Jenin.
OCHA warns that thousands of Palestinians have been displaced during these operations. Overall, 19,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Tulkarm, with 3,000 others displaced in Tubas. In Jenin, more than 17,000 people have been displaced; this number includes those displaced during a previous operation by Palestinian forces.
SYRIA
In Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are sounding the alarm. As of today, OCHA says that the UN has received less than 10 per cent of the $1.2 billion needed to assist 6.7 million Syrians through March.
The UN and its partners continue to provide assistance as conditions and funding allow, including winter aid to northern Syria, where the weather is particularly harsh at this time of the year. UN partners have provided emergency repairs to roads and sewage systems that were affected by past flooding in the north-west. Nine markets are currently being rehabilitated near displacement camps. And since December, more than 260,000 children in Idlib and northern Aleppo have been supported with heaters, winter clothes, and other aid.
Winter kits were also distributed to hundreds of children in Qamishli in Al-Hasakeh governorate. During the same period, health partners have deployed mobile medical teams, provided mental health support and reinforced facilities with heating and insulation, reaching 800,000 people in the north-west.
Nearly two million people remain displaced in the north-west with many of them living in overcrowded sites and frail tents. This includes more than 600,000 people who remain displaced across the country since they fled their homes after 27 November. The majority are in Idlib and Aleppo. Meanwhile, OCHA says that more than 825,000 people who were displaced within Syria have returned to their areas of origin since December.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The World Food Programme (WFP) today said that a recent market assessment they carried out in and around Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo found a severe disruption in market prices.
Nearly half of the shops remain closed, and the prices of essential commodities have surged significantly compared to pre-crisis levels. The price of maize flour - a key staple - has risen by nearly 67 per cent. Meanwhile, the cost of salt has shot up by about 43 per cent, and palm oil increased by 45 per cent. Peanut oil has shot up by 21 per cent, while the cost of rice increased by 17 per cent.
With the rising prices, nutrition remains inaccessible for many.
WFP’s operations in Goma and North Kivu remain paused, but the agency has staff on the ground ready to resume operations as soon as it is safe to do so. WFP is also actively prepositioning supplies, and is ready to resume our operations as soon as it is safe to do so.
WORLD RADIO DAY
Today is World Radio Day. The theme for this year is “Radio and Climate Change.”
In a message, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay, says that with frequencies that can travel across continents and receivers that use very little energy, radio can reach even the most remote locations. This makes radio a unique tool in crisis situations; by acting as an early warning system, it can reduce disaster risk and save countless lives.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
France paid its full dues to the regular budget, taking us to a total of 53 fully paid-up Member States.
***The guest at the Noon Briefing was Jorge Moreira da Silva, the Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS). He briefed journalists after spending the day in Gaza.
