HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 11 MARCH 2025
COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the Town Hall meeting with Civil Society on the occasion of the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
He thanked participants for being on the frontlines during these difficult times to deliver gender equality.
“I stand with you – now and always,” Mr. Guterres said.
He added that together “we must push countries and governments to invest in equality for women and girls, push for greater support for women’s rights organizations and for action to tackle misogyny online and close the digital gendered divide.”
In these days of danger, civil society is the driver that makes the difference, the Secretary-General said, before hearing from various members of civil society on their views.
And you will have seen that yesterday Member States adopted by consensus the Political Declaration, committing to respect, to protect and to promote the rights, equality and empowerment for all women and girls.
FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT
Yesterday, the first draft of the outcome document for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development was published by the co-facilitators, those are the Representatives of Mexico, Nepal, Norway and Zambia. The document recognizes that the world is in a sustainable development crisis, and that financing challenges are at the heart of this crisis, with a growing SDG financing gap of $4 trillion.
The document sets out commitments for an impact-focused sustainable development investment push and for ambitious international financial architecture reform. Negotiations among Member States will get underway on 24 March ahead of the actual [International] Conference [on Financing for Development], which, as you all know, will take place in Sevilla, in Spain – a lovely place - from 30 June to 3 July.
SYRIA
We welcome the agreement signed by the leaderships of the Caretaker Authorities in Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces that took place on Monday, 10 March.
Our Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, hopes that the agreement can support and feed into a broader, credible and inclusive political transition process, in line with the key principles of Security Council resolution 2254, that leads to a new constitution and free and fair elections.
Mr. Pedersen strongly encourages key international stakeholders, including the United States, Türkiye, and regional partners, to support their Syrian partners. That includes supporting a nationwide ceasefire and ensuring genuine compromises that enable peace and stability to take hold in the northeast part of Syria.
SYRIA / HUMANITARIAN
On the humanitarian front, we obviously remain very concerned about the impact of the recent violence we saw in coastal areas in Syria. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that power outages continue to disrupt water services in Latakia Governorate, and schools in Latakia and Tartous have been suspended.
And you may know, you saw that our High Commissioner for Human Rights, our friend Volker Türk, welcomed the announcement by the caretaker authorities of an independent investigation committee and we call on them to ensure that the investigations undertaken are prompt, that they are thorough, independent and that they are impartial.
Meanwhile, on a more positive note, the delivery of cross-border assistance from Türkiye into north-west Syria is continuing.
Today, 31 trucks from the World Food Programme, the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency went through the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Türkiye into Syria, delivering more than 600 metric tons of aid supplies, including food, shelter repair and hygiene kits.
This very much needed aid comes as we and our partners continue to try to mobilize assistance for people in need, including for those displaced by the recent violence.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Gaza, our humanitarian colleagues warn that the cargo closure imposed by Israeli authorities over the past 10 days is already reversing progress made during the first six weeks of the ceasefire.
OCHA reports that the Kerem Shalom crossing also remains closed for the collection of cargo for the 10th consecutive day. This is cargo that had entered Gaza prior to the closure, which we have been unable to access.
OCHA says fuel for backup generators at water and health facilities is running low, cooking gas prices are rising again, and distributions of flour, fresh produce and shelter materials have been disrupted.
In a statement he issued yesterday, Muhannad Hadi, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said that a sustained supply of aid is indispensable for the survival of over two million Palestinians who have endured unimaginable conditions for many months.
He underscored that the ceasefire must hold; the parties must fulfil their obligations under international law; hostages must be released; and humanitarian assistance must be allowed in again.
Despite the challenges, the UN and our partners in Gaza are using every opportunity provided by the ceasefire to deliver aid with the stocks available.
This past week, UNICEF delivered baby kits to hospitals in northern Gaza to help protect newborns from cold injuries and hypothermia.
UNICEF is also providing CPAP devices to hospitals, giving vulnerable newborns a fighting chance.
Since the ceasefire took effect, and as of 6 March, the Food and Agriculture Organization has delivered over 1,000 tons of animal feed concentrate – helping to protect remaining livestock, restore food production, and reduce families’ dependence on external food aid.
In the West Bank, OCHA reports that Israeli forces continue their operations in the north, with further casualties, destruction and displacement in recent days. The UN and our partners are addressing people’s needs by providing food and water, as well as hygiene and bedding kits for all those that have been displaced.
SUDAN
Turning to Sudan, another tragic situation. Our humanitarian partners in North Darfur are reporting an extremely dire health situation, particularly in the state capital of El Fasher and displacement camps in surrounding areas.
Currently, more than 200 health facilities in El Fasher are not functioning, and there are severe shortages of medical staff and critical shortages of medical supplies.
Our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that the continued hostilities have caused waves of displacement, overwhelming an already fragile healthcare system that is struggling even to meet people’s basic needs. On top of that, the insecurity and access constraints continue to impede our partners’ attempts to provide essential medical supplies.
The picture is bleak, but sadly, not only in El Fasher. We told you yesterday about how the outbreak of diseases in White Nile State for instance deepen the humanitarian crisis. Across areas impacted by the hostilities in Sudan, the World Health Organization reports that over 70 per cent of hospitals and health facilities are no longer operational, leaving millions without healthcare. Sudan’s health system has also come under relentless attack. As of mid-February, WHO recorded nearly 150 attacks on health care centers in Sudan since the war there began – but the real figure is most likely be far higher.
We appeal - yet again - for the parties to the conflict to ensure safe, sustained and timely humanitarian access to reach people in need of critical support.
Civilians have to be protected, and the essential needs for their survival have to be met.
ROHINGYA REFUGEES
UNICEF says there has been a 27 per cent surge over the past year in the number of children needing emergency treatment for severe acute malnutrition in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.
In Cox’s Bazar, where the Secretary-General will be over the weekend, and where over one million Rohingya refugees are living – including more than half a million children – , over 15 per cent of children in the camps are now malnourished – the highest levels recorded since the mass displacement of Rohingya refugees back in 2017.
UNICEF said the surge in malnutrition is fueled by multiple factors, including prolonged monsoon rains last year, which triggered spikes in severe diarrhea and outbreaks of cholera and dengue; the impact of intermittent food ration cuts over the previous two years; and a growing number of families fleeing violence and seeking shelter in the camps in recent months.
Last year, UNICEF provided life-saving treatment to nearly 12,000 children under the age of five. Of those treated, 92 per cent of them recovered, but without urgent and sustained intervention, severe acute malnutrition can be fatal. UNICEF said it is determined to stay and deliver for children, but without guaranteed funding, critical services are at risk.
MOZAMBIQUE
In Mozambique, OCHA says that Tropical Cyclone Jude - the third such storm to hit the country in less than three months – made landfall yesterday in Nampula province in the north, with winds of up to 140 kilometers per hour. According to what authorities are telling us, at least 780,000 people could be impacted by high winds and torrential rains in the provinces of Nampula and Zambezia. As part of the UN-backed Anticipatory Action Framework, the Central Emergency Response Fund rapidly released $6 million three days before the latest cyclone hit. These funds are being used to ensure communities are made aware of the emergency, as well as to support temporary accommodation centers and provide emergency supplies.
The Government of Mozambique is leading the response, with OCHA having deployed staff members to Nampula on Sunday to support our partners and the authorities to coordinate the humanitarian response. Our humanitarian colleagues warn that aid stocks have not been replenished following the humanitarian responses to cyclones Chido and Dikeledi, which impacted 700,000 human beings. The $134 million Flash Appeals for the two cyclones is less than 1 percent funded, with $1 million in the bank.
SECURITY COUNCIL / AFGHANISTAN
For the record, yesterday afternoon, Roza Otunbayeva, our Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Mission in the country briefed Council members on the situation in that country and the text is with you.
CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT
Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, is launching a new campaign today.
Called ‘Prove It Matters’, it aims to uphold the spirit of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to bring the voices of children up front.
The campaign was launched in Geneva, a few minutes ago. In a video, the Secretary-General said that children caught in the grip of war represent one of the most heartbreaking and shameful tragedies of our time, adding that when the world came together to adopt the Convention on the Rights of the Child, they made the promise that children’s rights should be upheld at all times, even in war. Children are calling for peace, he said, it is time to listen, and to prove it matters.
The event is available on UNwebtv – and there is more information on the website of the office for Children and Armed Conflict.
**Briefings
The guest at the noon briefing was William O’neill, the High Commissioner’s Designated Expert on Human Rights in Haiti.
At 9 a.m. Wednesday, 12 March, the Secretary-General will brief reporters on the launch of his UN80 Initiative, which has a large focus on reform issues.
The guest at the noon briefing on Wednesday will bte Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
And at 2 p.m., there will be a briefing in the press briefing room sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations with the NGO Karama, and that is linked to the Commission on the Status of Women.
