HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2025
SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVELS
Earlier today, in Geneva, the Secretary- General delivered remarks at the opening of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council.
He began by recalling that today’s session was held under the weight of a grim milestone, the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in violation of the UN Charter. The Secretary-General reiterated his call to the international community to spare no effort to bring an end to this conflict, and to achieve a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.
Turning to the work of the Security Council, the Secretary-General said that without respect for human rights, sustainable peace is a pipe dream.
Human rights are the oxygen of humanity, he added, but one by one, they are being suffocated.
As the recently adopted Pact for the Future reminds us, Mr. Guterres said, human rights are, in fact, a source of solutions – by advancing human rights through development, through climate action, through stronger, better governance of technology and through the recognition that the rule of law and human rights go hand-in-hand.
For his part, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned that decades of human rights progress are currently under strain. He called on everyone to act to make sure human rights remain foundational to our societies and our world. He added that to be effective, they require leadership from the heart, rooted in facts, the law and compassion.
In the afternoon, the Secretary-General also spoke to a high-level session of the Conference on Disarmament.
He reiterated that the nuclear option is not an option at all and reminded participants that, in the Pact for the Future, Member States recommitted to nuclear disarmament and to the final objective of complete disarmament.
UKRAINE
The Secretary-General issued a statement in which he affirmed that the war in Ukraine stands as a grave threat not only to the peace and security of Europe but also to the very foundations and core principles of the United Nations.
After three years of death and destruction, he once again calls for urgent de-escalation and an immediate end to the hostilities. The Secretary-General welcomes all efforts towards achieving a just and inclusive peace. The United Nations stands ready to support such efforts.
This afternoon, at 3pm, Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, will brief the Security Council on Ukraine.
SUDAN
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned at the announcement by the Rapid Support Forces and affiliated civilian actors and armed groups of a political charter that expresses an intention to establish a governing authority in Rapid Support Forces areas of control. This further escalation in the conflict in the Sudan deepens the fragmentation of the country and risks further entrenching the crisis. Preserving Sudan’s unity, Preserving Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remains key for a sustainable resolution of the conflict and the long-term stability of the country and the wider region.
The Secretary-General also condemns the persistent violence perpetrated against civilians across Sudan by both parties to the conflict, including ethnically motivated attacks. Sudanese women, Sudanese children and men are paying the heaviest price for the continued military offensives by the belligerents in this conflict.
The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, is engaging the warring parties and all other relevant stakeholders to achieve progress on a cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and humanitarian access and to promote de-escalation.
SUDAN/HUMANITARIAN
The ongoing hostilities, insecurity and attacks on healthcare facilities in Sudan continue to increase the risks of disease outbreaks across the country. OCHA says that cases of cholera in White Nile State are rising. According to health authorities, over 1,600 cases - including 63 deaths - have been recorded in recent days. Yesterday alone, 289 cases - including five deaths - were reported. A likely source of the infection is the White Nile River, where families have been collecting water during a major power outage following drone attacks on power facilities in the area, according to partners. On 21 February, the Sudanese Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and UNICEF launched a 6-day cholera vaccination campaign in the localities of Kosti and Rabak in White Nile.
They aim to reach more than 1 million people with oral cholera vaccines. Since the start of the cholera outbreak in July of last year, more than 55,000 cases of cholera, including nearly 1,500 deaths, have been reported from 12 out of Sudan’s 18 states, according to authorities and the health partners.
The UN reiterates the appeal for all sides to adhere to international humanitarian law and ensure that civilians and critical civilian infrastructure are protected.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Nairobi, Kenya. In preparation for the second Food Systems Summit Stocktaking (UNFSS+4), she is meeting with Member States, as well as representatives from the private sector, youth and civil society, to bring out the progress, challenges, and opportunities needed to ensure that the July Stocktake is action-oriented, driving food system transformation and securing global food security.
As part of her visit, she toured the Food for Education Giga Kitchen, which provides over 63,000 students with meals daily from a single kitchen and over 500,000 across all its kitchens in Nairobi. This organization has scaled up from feeding 10,000 children per day two years ago to 500,000 children per day today.
She also visited the UN Office in Nairobi, where she met with the UN Country Team to discuss how to strengthen our impact in Kenya and deliver more effectively on the Sustainable Development Goals.
WEST BANK
The Secretary-General is alarmed by the escalating violence, attacks and large-scale Israeli security forces operations in the occupied West Bank’s northern governorates, including the deployment of Israeli tanks for the first time in over two decades. He is deeply concerned by the increasing number of fatalities, mostly Palestinian and including children, the mounting numbers of displaced Palestinians and broadening scope of civilian infrastructure destruction.
He is appalled that children continue to be victims of violence. These attacks and mounting violence must end.
He urges security forces to exercise maximum restraint and use intentional lethal force only when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life.
He firmly rejects statements by Israeli officials indicating the intention to remain in some northern occupied West Bank areas for an extended period and to refuse the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes.
He calls on Israel to comply with its relevant obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law as applicable, and to take measures to protect civilians and ensure their safety.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that the ongoing operations by Israeli forces are having severe humanitarian consequences.
Yesterday, military tanks and additional forces were deployed to Jenin, reportedly with orders to prevent residents from returning. On Friday, a 13-year-old girl was shot and killed near the camp. In Qabatiya city, Jenin Governorate, residents have been ordered not to leave their homes, while bulldozers have razed roads – leading to electricity blackouts for some 40 per cent of the population.
OCHA says the continued use of lethal war-like tactics in residential areas is extremely concerning. It appears to exceed law enforcement standards and has already resulted in dozens of casualties since the onset of the operation on 21 January. Tens of thousands of Palestinians remain unable to return home, requiring large-scale humanitarian assistance in their current temporary locations.
In Gaza, on the polio vaccination campaign, which started on Saturday, by the second day of the campaign, UN agencies reached more than 450,000 children under ten. This is more than three quarters of the target population. Day three of the campaign is ongoing.
Since the onset of the ceasefire, and as of yesterday, the UN and its humanitarian partners have provided tents to families across Gaza, mostly in the north. UN partners are also distributing sealing materials and tarpaulins to support those living in damaged buildings.
UN partners working on food security tell us that the number of bakeries operating across Gaza through support by the World Food Programme has risen from five before the ceasefire to 25 now. Additionally, some 780,000 hot meals are distributed daily.
Since last month, the humanitarian partners have screened over 80,000 children aged six to 59 months for malnutrition, admitting those in need for appropriate treatment.
And just last week, partners distributed hygiene kits to nearly 8,000 households, and water jerrycans to 3,500 families.
OCHA stresses that sustaining these scaled-up humanitarian operations requires both generous funding and for the ceasefire to be upheld.
PEACEKEEPING
The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, wrapped up his trip to Sudan, Abyei and South Sudan today.
In South Sudan, USG Lacroix met President Salva Kiir earlier today. Wrapping up his visit, he held a press conference, stating that the primary purpose of his visit was to reaffirm the UN’s continued support and commitment to South Sudan, particularly as the country enters the fourth extension of its transitional period in the face of a dire economic and humanitarian situation, as well as rising violence.
Mr. Lacroix expressed hope that the parties to the Revitalized Peace Agreement will overcome political deadlocks through consensus and move swiftly to ensure that this latest extension leads to elections under the best possible circumstances. The UN stands ready to assist.
On the weekend, he visited Abyei, where he met with local and international stakeholders, including the Sudan- and South Sudan-appointed administrations, traditional leaders, civil society representatives, women groups, UN agencies and UNISFA peacekeepers. Discussions focused on UNISFA's protection efforts in Abyei, the proliferation of arms and the escalating humanitarian crisis driven by the Sudan conflict and flooding in South Sudan.
In Port Sudan, Mr. Lacroix met with the Minister of Defence, with high-level officials of the Sovereignty Council and of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with UN agencies.
From Juba, USG Lacroix will travel to New Delhi to attend the 2025 Women, Peace and Security Conference, titled “Enhancing the Role of Women in Peacekeeping: A Global South Experience.”
HAITI
The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the death of a Kenyan Police Officer yesterday [23 February] serving under the Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti. The officer was injured during an anti-gang operation in the Artibonite department and subsequently succumbed to his injuries.
The Secretary-General expresses his sincere condolences to the officer’s family, the MSS and the Government and people of Kenya. \
DR CONGO/HUMANITARIAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says it is deeply concerned by this surge in crime and insecurity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has led to ongoing civilian casualties in the east, including deaths of humanitarian workers, and widespread human rights violations.
In Lubero Territory, north of Goma, clashes last week forced more than 100,000 people - about half of them children - to flee their homes. Several local health facilities had to suspend activities. Partners also report that there have been widespread human rights violations during the clashes, including rape.
In Goma, partners report rising crime in recent days, including home invasions and kidnappings, in some cases leading to deaths. Several humanitarian organizations have reported attempts to seize their vehicles.
A similar increase in crime and insecurity in South Kivu, where there has been an uptick in home invasions and killings in Bukavu. And in the city of Uvira, also in South Kivu, local sources report multiple incidents of violence, rape and looting in recent days.
In North Kivu, a humanitarian aid worker was hit by a stray bullet during clashes on 20 February near a hospital in Masisi Territory, about 80 kilometers west of Goma. He died from his injuries on Saturday, bringing to six the number humanitarian workers killed in eastern DRC since January of this year. The same clashes reportedly killed three other civilians and injured a child.
OCHA calls on all parties to conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
DR CONGO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, peacekeepers say that the security situation in North and South Kivu remains unstable and highly unpredictable in territories seized by the M23, with reports of further advances by the group towards Lubero.
The Mission’s ability to deliver on its mandate continues to be significantly restricted in M23-controlled areas in North Kivu. However, the Mission continues to provide protection to thousands of people who have sought refuge within its various bases while seeking ways to ensure their safe transfer out of Goma. And this morning, the Mission facilitated the medical evacuation of 19 troops from the Southern African Development Community Mission in the country (SAMIDRC) from Goma.
MOZAMBIQUE
Turning to Mozambique, the deputy heads of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Programme are on a joint visit to Mozambique to press for continued global support for Mozambicans. Conflict and increasingly frequent and extreme weather events are driving humanitarian needs to unprecedented levels in the country.
The Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, and WFP’s Deputy Executive Director, Carl Skau, will meet with Government officials, affected communities, donors, and representatives from international and regional financial institutions. They will discuss how to continue to collaborate and find practical ways to scale up humanitarian operations.
Mozambique is facing overlapping crises, with some five million people – or one in seven people - across the country in need of urgent humanitarian assistance to cope with the effects of cyclones, conflict and drought.
COLOMBIA
The UN Human Rights Office today released a report urging the Colombian government to protect civilians during ongoing violence by armed groups.
The report, which covers 2024, details how armed groups use violence to exert control over the population, furthering their own economic interests and undermining governance. The situation disproportionately affects Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant communities and peasants.
UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk, said that the escalation of fighting in the Catatumbo region since mid-January, where more than 52 people were killed and tens of thousands forcibly displaced, highlights the ongoing suffering of civilians caught in the midst of violence and armed conflict.
