Noon briefing of 20 February 2025

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 20 FEBRUARY 2025
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
 

On Sunday, the Secretary-General will arrive in Geneva, where he will take part in the opening of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, which is scheduled to kick off on Monday morning. 
In his remarks, the Secretary-General is expected to say that without respect for human rights, sustainable peace is a pipedream. 
He will also state that breathing life into the work of the Human Rights Council and the Pact for the Future can help end the suffocation of human rights that we see around the world. 
The Pact calls for peace processes and approaches rooted in the key pillars that reinforce human rights — from the Universal Declaration to international law and the UN Charter, he is expected to add. 
Later in the day, he is also expected to address the high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament. He is expected to call on Member States to seize the fresh momentum provided by the Pact for the Future to make tangible progress on disarmament issues. 
While in Geneva, he is expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings. 
He will be back in New York on Monday night. 

SECRETARY-GENERAL/CARICOM 
Before he heads to Geneva he has to conclude his trip to Barbados, he is currently in Bridgetown as you know he is attending the 48^th Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, also known as CARICOM. 
This morning, he participated in a closed session with CARICOM Heads of Government, where he exchanged views on pressing issues in the region, such as finance, climate and security, with a focus on Haiti. 
Last night, at the opening ceremony, the Secretary-General said that the exquisite beauty of the Caribbean is famed the world over, but that there is trouble in paradise. He noted that wave after wave of crisis is pounding the people of the Caribbean and their islands – with no time to catch their breath before the next disaster strikes. 
Stressing that international solutions are essential to create a better today and a brighter tomorrow for the wonderful region and for the world, the Secretary-General said that he sees three key areas where, together, we must drive progress. First, he said, unity for peace and security, particularly to address the appalling situation in Haiti – where gangs are inflicting intolerable suffering on the people of Haiti.
The Secretary-General added that he will soon report to the Security Council on the situation in Haiti, including proposals on the role the UN can play to support stability and security and address the root causes of the crisis. 
The Secretary-General further highlighted unity on the climate crisis and sustainable development as areas where progress is needed. 
Also yesterday, he held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Mia Mottley the host of the meeting, where they exchanged views on regional and global issues, particularly the situation in Haiti and climate change. He commended Barbados for spearheading efforts to advance reforms to the international financial architecture through the Bridgetown Initiative 3.0. 
And this morning, he also met with the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, with the Presidential Adviser of the Transitional Presidential Council of Haiti, Laurent Saint-Cyr, and with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland. 
He will be heading back to New York this afternoon.

HAITI 
Staying on Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that armed violence in the country’s capital continues to drive displacement and worsen humanitarian needs. 
According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 6,000 people have been displaced in just over three weeks in and around the capital. 
An outbreak of violence in Kenscoff, on the city’s outskirts, on 27 January is still ongoing and has displaced more than 4,000 people. Meanwhile, violence in other parts of the city has displaced almost 2,000 people just since 14 February. 
Partners also report that last week, armed groups set fire to the University Hospital in Port-au-Prince. The hospital had been closed since February 2024 due to attacks. Nationally, only 27 per cent of health facilities with beds are fully functional. An estimated 4.2 million men, women and children, more than a third of Haiti’s population, will require humanitarian health assistance this year.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
Our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she is representing the Secretary-General at the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting. 
On the margins of the meeting, she visited the Nelson Mandela Foundation, where she met with Dr. Naledi Pandor, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, and she also took part in a roundtable discussion on social cohesion in South Africa. 
Ms. Mohammed held a series of bilateral meetings, including with Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa, to discuss the G20 presidency, as well as Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, for an exchange on G20 priorities and pertinent global and regional issues.
She also met with Mauro Vieira, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, to discuss Brazil’s own priorities and preparations for COP30, which Brazil will host later this year. 
Tomorrow, she will attend the second and final day of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting. 

SOUTH SUDAN
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, arrived in Juba in South Sudan. While there, he met with officials and discussed with them the challenges facing South Sudan, the ongoing peace process and of course things our peacekeeping mission can do to support to it. 
Prior to South Sudan, Mr. Lacroix was in Port Sudan where he held discussions there with high-level officials of the Government, focusing on strengthening cooperation and coordination to support peacekeeping efforts in the Abyei region, which Mr. Lacroix will also visit.

LIBYA
Today, Ms. Hanna Tetteh arrived in Libya where she will officially assume her duties as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). 
Recognizing that a lasting solution must be Libyan-owned and Libyan-led, she said in a statement that she intends to actively engage with all Libyans across the political spectrum and work with regional and international actors to preserve Libya’s national unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty, and to enable Libyan institutions to hold inclusive elections. 

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 
From the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Food Programme tells us it has partially resumed food assistance in parts of Goma, delivering vital nutrition supplies for the treatment of moderate acute malnutrition in children. With major access routes blocked, and Goma International Airport also closed, WFP’s priority is to resume operations fully as soon as it is safe to do so.
The WFP-run UN Humanitarian Air Service - which provides humanitarians with critical access and support across the country - urgently requires $33.1 million to sustain operations in the country this year. Without additional contributions, air operations could be suspended as early as the end of March.
And I just wanted to read into the record that yesterday afternoon, the Special Representative for the Secretary-General for the DRC, Bintou Keita, and the Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, Huang Xia, briefed Security Council members on the situation in the DRC. They both warned of the risks of the current violence escalating into a wider conflict in the region.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 
This morning, Valentine Rugwabiza, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Central African Republic and Head of the UN Mission in the CAR, briefed Security Council members. 
She said that the forthcoming local, legislative, and presidential elections this year in the CAR represent a significant opportunity to consolidate progress achieved in the extension of State authority, and to lay the foundation for decentralized governance. 

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 
Turning to Gaza. Today, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, visited the Gaza Strip, alongside the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, Amy Pope. They went to several areas in the south and spoke to residents, who said they urgently need shelter support. 
Mr. Hadi and Ms. Pope also met with humanitarian partners, staff and heads of UN agencies to discuss the ongoing response. Meanwhile, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the scale-up of humanitarian assistance in Gaza continues. Since the ceasefire came into effect, we and our partners have reached nearly everyone in Gaza with food parcels, with most families receiving more than one month of rations.
We are also preparing to support the third polio vaccination campaign across Gaza, which is set to resume on Saturday. 
The World Health Organization and UNICEF have warned that the current environment in Gaza creates ideal conditions for further spread of the poliovirus, as transmission can happen in overcrowded shelters and when water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure is damaged. Also, we and our partners are helping health facilities across Gaza restore their services and increase capacity.
WHO is supporting with supplies and equipment, ensuring a three-month stock. In North Gaza, Kamal Adwan Hospital has now opened an outpatient department.
And the UN Population Fund reports that nearly 2,400 postpartum kits have been distributed to all hospitals that provide maternity services over the past two weeks. 
Turning to the northern areas of the West Bank, to support displaced Palestinian families due to the military operations, the Humanitarian Fund for the Occupied Palestinian Territory this week redirected funding for existing projects to provide cash assistance, rental subsidies and essential items, including food. 

ISRAEL/PALESTINE
Also just to note on the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel. We have seen how Hamas handed over the bodies of a mother and two children from the Bibas family, as well as that of an 84-year-old man.
I can tell you that the Secretary-General condemns the parading of bodies and displaying of the coffins of the deceased hostages in the manner seen this morning, which is abhorrent and appalling.
Under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.
The Secretary-General reiterates his appeal to the parties to abide by their commitments and continue the full implementation of the ceasefire and hostage release deal.
He urges the parties to the conflict to respect the remains of the dead and to return them to their relatives, consistent with applicable obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law.
We have long been calling for, as you know – the release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire and irreversible progress towards a two-State solution.

UKRAINE
Moving to Ukraine. Today, a UN inter-agency convoy delivered medicines in Kherson region, as well as blankets, hygiene items, solar lamps and clothing to the communities there. This marks the fourth convoy to Kherson region just this year. 
People living in that region continue to be severely impacted by ongoing hostilities. Homes and critical infrastructure have been damaged, and livelihoods disrupted, aggravating an already dire humanitarian situation during a harsh winter. 
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, condemned the attack and called for respect for international humanitarian law. 
The mission was part of a project to support evacuations funded by the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund. According to the NGO, this was the 65th incident involving its assets or personnel since the escalation of the war in 2022. 

WORLD DAY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
Today is the World Day of Social Justice. 
Amina Mohammed, our Deputy Secretary-General, said today that social justice is at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals. On this Day, she added, let us work together to build a fairer and more inclusive world with equal opportunities for everyone. 

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Lithuania paid up its budget dues and this takes us to 63 fully paid-up nations.    

GUESTS
The guests at the noon briefing were Abdallah Al Dardari, the United Nations Development Programme Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States, who briefed virtually, and Sudipto Mukerjee, UNDP’s Resident Representative in Syria. They briefed on the socioeconomic impact of 14 years of the conflict in Syria.