HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2025
SECRETARY-GENERAL/BANGLADESH
Every year, the Secretary-General does a Ramadan solidarity visit, where he likes to visit and fast with a Muslim community, which is facing distress. He began this tradition when he was High Commissioner for Refugees. In his own words, the Secretary-General said that Ramadan embodies the values of compassion, empathy and generosity. It is an opportunity to reconnect with family, with community and a chance to remember those less fortunate. These missions are to remind the world of the true face of Islam.
This year, the Secretary-General will be going to Bangladesh from the 13-16 March. He will travel to Cox’s Bazaar to join an Iftar and meet with Rohingya refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their homes in Myanmar, and also, of course, with the host Bangladeshi communities who have been generously in hosting the refugees from Myanmar.
During his visit, he will also be in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, where he will meet with the Chief Adviser for the interim government, Professor Muhammed Yunus, as well as with young women and men and representatives from civil society.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/RAMADAN MESSAGE
In his annual message at the start of Ramadan, the Secretary-General expressed a special message of support to all those who will spend this sacred time in displacement and violence. From Gaza and the wider region, to Sudan, the Sahel and beyond.
The Secretary-General stands with all those who are suffering and joins those observing Ramadan to call for peace and mutual respect.
TÜRKIYE
On the reports coming out of Türkiye regarding Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party, the PKK, and his message calling for fighters to lay down their arms and the PKK to dissolve itself, the spokesperson said that the Secretary-General welcomes this important development. This represents a glimmer of hope, which would lead to the resolution of a long-standing conflict.
HAITI
The World Food Programme (WFP) today said that, as part of their emergency response in Haiti, they continue to provide critical food assistance, cash-based transfers, and hot meals across the Artibonite, Nord, and Ouest departments. This includes $1.2 million in cash assistance, as well as nearly 3,000 meals distributed in border regions to Haitians deported back to their country.
Last week, the WFP organized the first of two humanitarian cargo flights from Panama City to Port-au-Prince. This was the first humanitarian cargo flight to land at the Port-au-Prince airport since its closure lastNovember.
The flight carried medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies for eight humanitarian organizations. A second flight is scheduled in about one month.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that the Donetsk region has been the focus of hostilities over the past three days. According to local authorities, attacks on the cities of Kostiantynivka and Kramatorsk have caused civilian casualties, including among children. They also damaged more than 100 homes, as well as two educational institutions and several shops, and have disrupted basic services. Aid workers are providing emergency assistance, including by distributing shelter materials.
OCHA notes that more than 40,000 people, including more than 200 children, remain in 17 communities in areas of active hostilities, while evacuations continue in the Donetsk region.
Since the launch of the mandatory evacuation of children with their families from high-risk areas in April 2023, more than 13,000 children have been evacuated from more than 250 towns and villages in Ukraine-controlled parts of the region. That is according to local authorities.
As the security situation continues to deteriorate, authorities urge residents to leave for safer regions, either through Government-led evacuations supported by humanitarian organizations or on their own.
More than three years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, more than 1.2 million people have fled Ukraine-controlled areas of the Donetsk Region, while approximately 300,000 people remain.
SUDAN
Today, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, expressed her extreme concern about recent reports of civilians being unable – and in some cases actively prevented – from leaving conflict areas. She said in a statement that they are basically being held hostage in areas of active fighting, reminding that the passage of civilians fleeing to safety must be ensured, as called for under International Humanitarian Law.
Ms. Nkweta-Salami said that in the Zamzam displacement camp, where famine conditions were confirmed as you well know, there are tens of thousands of people – the majority of whom are women, children and elderly – who have been facing intermittent conditions of siege, shelling and ground attacks. They are hungry and children are malnourished.
Ms. Nkweta-Salami urged all parties to the conflict to de-escalate. The ongoing fighting is affecting civilians and civilian facilities, she added.
The UN reiterates once again that international humanitarian law must be respected across Sudan and elsewhere. Civilians, including humanitarian workers, must be protected and humanitarian operations must be facilitated by all parties.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO/JEAN-PIERRE LACROIX
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, arrived in Kinshasa today. Accompanied by a delegation from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), he met with Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka; the Deputy Prime Minister for Interior Affairs, Jacquemain Shabani; the Deputy Prime Minister for Defense, Guy Kabombo, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner. Their discussions focused on the security situation in the eastern part of the country, as well as the ongoing diplomatic and political efforts aimed at achieving an immediate cessation of hostilities in North and South Kivu. Mr. Lacroix advocated for the implementation of Resolution 2773, particularly regarding the respect for the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and an end to the M23 offensive.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Earlier today, also in Kinshasa, the UN and its partners, and the Congolese Government jointly launched the 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan. The plan seeks $2.5 billion to provide life-saving assistance and protection for more than 11 million men, women, and children, including 7.8 million internally displaced people within their own country.
For years, the DRC has faced a complex humanitarian crisis, driven mainly by conflict, natural disasters, and epidemics. As you can imagine, escalating violence in the East in recent months has pushed this crisis to unprecedented levels, severely aggravating humanitarian needs which are already dire. The Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Bruno Lemarquis, said that all warning signals are flashing red.
Adapting humanitarian operations to the dynamic crisis in the East, the goal remains to deliver vital aid to the most vulnerable people, wherever they are.
Last year, humanitarian partners mobilized $1.3 billion – a record amount – and assisted more than 7 million people. The UN is grateful for donors’ generosity and hope this can be sustained.
Humanitarian organizations are urgently calling on all those who can help to do everything they can to provide funding, access and the support needed to assist people in need this year in the DRC.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The polio campaign in Gaza concluded yesterday, reaching more than 600,000 children under the age of 10. The World Health Organization (WHO) also provided supplies to three hospitals and five health partners that will serve 250,000 people across the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, in Gaza city, this week WHO supported the expansion of the triage and emergency departments in Al-Shifa hospital with tents and an additional 20 beds.
For its part, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) this week delivered essential health kits, pediatric medicines and newborn supplies for more than 20,000 people at the Al Awda Hospital, which is in North Gaza.
The UN and its partners on the ground continue to scale up the provision of aid. UN partners working on food security say that as of the third week of February, some 860,000 cooked meals prepared in around 180 kitchens were being distributed daily – that is an increase of more than 10 per cent compared to 780,000 meals in the second week of February.
The World Food Programme (WFP) says that subsidized bread is now available at 24 retail shops in the South, so families have safe access to basic staples without overcrowding. At least four food distribution points have been re-established in North Gaza to ease the burden on families forced to travel long distances for food with increased transport costs and protection risks. For the past two days, work towards improving access to water and sanitation, we have been telling you, is continuing.
Two water points were established and expanded in North Gaza governorate. Two sections of water networks were also repaired to support long-term water provision to communities in Khan Younis. Also, on an equally important point, as of yesterday, 100,000 children have enrolled in school following the start of the new academic year, which started on 23 February. To date, 165 public schools across Gaza have reopened across Gaza.
For most of these children, this will be their first time returning to in-person learning in 16 months.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces’ operations are continuing in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas, leading to further casualties and displacement and hindering access to healthcare, water, electricity and other critical services.
Overall, the situation across the West Bank remains deeply alarming. The UN once again stress that international law must be respected and civilians must be protected.
LEBANON
The Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, congratulated the Prime Minister of Lebanon, and pointed out that we look forward to a new phase of Lebanese unity and hope it will entail the consolidation of peace and security, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701, alongside the advancement of recovery and reconstruction efforts.
And on that Resolution, the Special Coordinator met earlier today with the acting head of the Lebanese Armed Forces Commander, Major General Hassan Audi, to discuss the army’s ongoing efforts to extend state authority and facilitate the implementation of the Resolution.
STAFF SECURITY
At least five peacekeeping and associated personnel were killed in malicious attacks during 2024, the United Nations Staff Union Committee on staff security said.
Scores were injured - from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Central African Republic to Lebanon. A related press release is available.
***The guest at the Noon Briefing was Ulrika Richardson, Deputy Special Representative, Resident Coordinator, and Humanitarian Coordinator for Haiti. She briefed reporters on the current situation in Haiti.
