SYRIA
Tomorrow at 8 a.m., the new three-starred Syrian flag will be raised, next to the flags of the other 193 Member States and the two permanent observers. If you have any questions about media coverage, please ask the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit (MALU). They will facilitate that. And just to stay on Syria, Geir Pedersen will be here to brief the Council tomorrow and he will be speaking to you at the stakeout afterwards.
BRIEFINGS TOMORROW
Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., there will be a hybrid press briefing by Ambassador Jürg Lauber, the President of the Human Rights Council.
And our Noon Briefing guest will be Ulrika Richardson, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Haiti, who also serves as the Deputy Special Representative and Resident Coordinator for Haiti. She will brief us virtually on Haiti.
SECRETARY-GENERAL
This evening, the Secretary-General will be traveling this evening to Rome, where on Saturday he will attend the funeral of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General will sign the Book of Condolences for the Pope at the Observer Mission of the Holy See.
On Tuesday, the UN flag will fly at half-mast to honour the passing of the late Pontiff.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
Our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, continues her visit to Washington, D.C., for the World Bank/IMF Annual Spring Meetings.
This morning, she took part in a Women Lead Breakfast with over 50 female leaders, which was hosted by the World Bank Managing Directors. Amina Mohammed highlighted women’s labour and economic participation as one of the most powerful forces driving inclusive and sustainable development, and she called for women’s leadership to be placed at the centre of decision-making.
Later, she participated in the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, where she underscored the importance of advancing reforms to the international financial architecture to make it more inclusive and responsive.
This afternoon, she will deliver remarks at the 111th meeting of the World Bank/IMF Development Committee and continue her engagements with senior government officials and other key stakeholders. She will be on her way back later today.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that the total blockage of aid and any other supplies – now nearing two months – has led to the depletion of essentials such as fresh food and tents and to the near-exhaustion of other critical supplies for Palestinian civilians. Children are going hungry. Patients remain untreated. People are dying. It is time to lift those restrictions immediately.
The complete restrictions has driven up the price of essentials, according to the latest analysis. Food prices have increased by between 29 per cent to as much as 1,400 per cent above pre-ceasefire levels, with many essential items like dairy, eggs, fruits and meat no longer available on the market.
On average, in April, prices rose 50 per cent over March levels. Shortages of cash and reduced purchasing power have pushed many people deeper into hunger.
Yesterday, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Suzanna Tkalec – together with a team from OCHA– visited Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. In Khan Younis, they visited the main desalination plant for southern Gaza, which has been operating at only 15 per cent of its usual capacity since early March, due to electricity cuts imposed by Israel. As a result, people’s access to clean water is extremely limited. They also visited two makeshift displacement sites to assess the living conditions of families staying at these crowded locations.
In Deir al Balah, they visited an inclusive community kitchen run by the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, which provides food, skills training and social support for youth and women, including people with disabilities.
Meanwhile, emergency shelter partners report severe shortages of tents, of tarpaulins and essential materials.
Warehouses are almost depleted, which is limiting shelter assistance to just a fraction of what is needed to survive.
For its part, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the agency’s partners continue to address gender-based violence and deliver supplies and services critical for sexual and reproductive health across Gaza. This week, 10 reproductive health kits – enough to reach more than 6,900 people – were distributed to six health partners in the Gaza Strip. Key hospitals were also provided with emergency supplies. More than 900 women and girls received dignity kits, menstrual hygiene supplies and other items – and 245 sessions on gender-based violence were held, with 200 new case files opened.
U.N.I.F.I.L.
Moving north to our colleagues who serve along the Blue Line, the Force Commander for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro, met with President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon to discuss the situation in the Mission’s area of operation. Lt. Gen. Lázaro also briefed the President on how UNIFIL is realigning its efforts to deal with current and evolving challenges and support the parties in implementing Security Council resolution 1701.
The Mission, together with the Lebanese Armed Forces, continue efforts to locate and address unauthorized weapons and ammunition caches as well as tunnels. In the past week, UNIFIL discovered weapons and ammunition caches on three occasions and referred those to the Lebanese army as they are mandated to do.
Meanwhile, UNIFIL is undertaking assessment of 272 markers that dot almost half of the 120-kilometres of the Blue Line. Some of these markers have been damaged or destroyed during the recent hostilities.
While this exercise continues, the mission has found so far that 188 of the markers are intact and it has prioritized 10 others for immediate refurbishment.
YEMEN
A quick update on Yemen, where I can tell you that our Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, was in Oman today where he met with senior Omani officials, members of Ansar Allah leadership and representatives of the diplomatic community.
Their discussions centered on the necessity to stabilize the situation in Yemen to allow all Yemenis to live in dignity and prosperity and to address the legitimate concerns of all stakeholders including the region and the international community.
Discussions also focused on our continuous calls to Ansar Allah for the immediate and unconditional release of detained UN staff, as well as staff of NGOs and civil society and diplomatic personnel.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our peacekeeping colleagues tell us they welcomed the signing of the Joint Declaration on 23 April, that would be yesterday and that was issued in Doha, by representatives of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Alliance Fleuve Congo/Movement of March 23, known as the AFC/M23. The signing marked a significant step toward de-escalating the conflict in the eastern part of the country.
The agreement, facilitated by Qatar, reflects a shared commitment to establishing a truce as a foundation for an effective ceasefire. The Mission commends the renewed resolve demonstrated by both parties to prioritize dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution, not only within the DRC but across the wider region.
We are also encouraged by the declaration’s emphasis on inclusive engagement, calling on all sectors of society, including citizens, religious leaders and the media, to promote messages of unity and of hope.
We urge all parties to seize this opportunity to advance the peace process, placing the protection and well-being of civilians at the center of all efforts.
HAITIAN MIGRANTS
Just to flag a dramatic situation that is Haitians in the Dominican Republic, our colleagues at the International Organization for Migration tell us that there’s been an increase in the number of vulnerable individuals among those deported from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, particularly women—including pregnant and lactating women—children, and newborns.
On 22 April alone, IOM staff at the Belladère border crossing in Haiti received 416 deportees, including 11 pregnant women and 16 women who are still breastfeeding. While IOM teams are not present during the deportation process itself, their efforts focus on the needs of deportees upon arrival, many of whom arrive in precarious and highly vulnerable conditions, often without any resources.
IOM provides immediate humanitarian assistance, including food, water, hygiene kits with dignity items, as well as first aid, medical referrals, and psychosocial support.
Special attention is given to maternal health, and temporary accommodations are arranged for those women who are breastfeeding when necessary.
HAITI
And within Haiti, our humanitarian warn that rising violence and recent funding cuts are undermining essential services and worsening the humanitarian situation, particularly in the Centre Department.
Escalating violence by armed groups has triggered mass displacement, with more than 51,000 people – over half of them children – fleeing recent attacks. Many are now stranded at makeshift sites or seeking safety in neighbouring departments.
The University Hospital of Mirebalais – a major referral facility with about 300 beds, has suspended operations following a wave of insecurity in the area. Armed attacks, a mass prison break and the destruction of public infrastructure forced the hospital to gradually shut down. Before its closure, it served nearly 850 patients each day, including through maternal care and advanced cancer treatment.
Two other hospitals in the area – St. Therese in Hinche and Albert Schweitzer Hospital in the Artibonite – are now coming under increased strain and face critical shortages, including oxygen and emergency medical kits. Since the closure of the University Hospital in Mirebalais, they have treated more than 200 patients for gunshot wounds, strokes, suspected cholera and malnutrition. St. Therese alone has received more than 3,500 internally displaced people – tripling its outpatient caseload.
UNICEF and our humanitarian partners are working to relieve pressure on the health system in the Centre Department. In coordination with the Government and Caritas, mobile clinics are being deployed to reach 30,000 people in host communities and displacement camps.
Four months into the year, our Humanitarian Response Plan – which requires $908 million to support 3.9 million people in Haiti – is only 6 per cent funded, with only $57 million in the bank so far. For the health response, partners require $43.5 million, but less than $7 million has been received to date.
We are committed to keep providing aid as security and funding allow.
UKRAINE
Moving to Ukraine and the worrying developments there. Our Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator there, Matthias Schmale, strongly condemned last night’s large-scale attack by the armed forces of the Russian Federation on residential areas in Kyiv and surrounding regions, which killed and injured civilians, including women and children, which is what local authorities are telling us.
Mr. Schmale called it yet another appalling violation of international humanitarian law and underscored that civilians must never be targets.
In Kyiv, attacks were reported in more than a dozen locations across the city. And some 20 residential buildings were damaged, authorities are telling us.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that at least nine regions of Ukraine – including Kharkiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Zhytomyr and Kherson – were also hit by strikes overnight, with local authorities reporting more than 170 civilian casualties. We and our humanitarian partners rapidly mobilized to provide emergency aid and other services.
MYANMAR
In Myanmar, in response to the devastating earthquakes that struck the country almost a month ago, humanitarian agencies have been working to save lives in a new environment – characterized by Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher as a “humanitarian reset.” This has included moving the response closer to those we serve and partnering with local organizations to reach those in need, including the delivery of medical care, shelter, clean water, sanitation support and food.
As part of this reset, we are stepping up support for local responders, who have long been the backbone of the humanitarian response in Myanmar. The UN’s close partnership with them includes providing flexible support through the Myanmar Humanitarian Fund. In the first allocation from this pooled fund in 2025, we channeled 80 per cent of the $20 million provided to 66 local partners, including $4.7 million for the earthquake response.
As part of our efforts to reach those most in need, we have secured access to some hard-to-reach areas in Sagaing for the first time. We now have a coordination mechanism in Sagaing and are planning a UN presence there to be scaled up, as this was one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquakes. We've also been able to reach areas that had previously been difficult to access in Mandalay. We hope to have the acting Resident Coordinator for Myanmar brief you next week.
IMMUNIZATION WEEK
World Immunization Week starts today. It aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. As you well know, increasing outbreaks of highly infectious diseases are a concern for the whole world – and we all saw in recent years during Covid how vaccines saves lives.
The World Health Organization, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, however, warn that immunization efforts are under growing threat, as misinformation as well as the funding cuts jeopardize progress, thus leaving millions of young people and adults at risk.
The UN agencies and their partners are calling on people and governments around the world to strengthen support for immunization.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Today is the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. The Pact for the Future is a great example, it reaffirms our commitment to peace and protection of human rights.
Today is also International Girls in ICT Day. On this Day, and every day indeed, we encourage girls and young women to purse their education and careers mainly in fields such as science and technology.
