HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY ERI KANEKO,
ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 1 JULY 2021
SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Secretary-General today was in Valencia, in Spain, where he toured the UN Information and Communications Technology Facility. The Secretary-General was there to mark the 10th anniversary of the base, which delivers technology services and solutions for the UN and its partners.
Just to let you know, the UN base operates, maintains, and supports 197 centrally hosted applications for approximately 65,000 users. It operates in three different satellites and delivers a bandwidth of information to Peacekeeping and Special Political missions.
The centre is also an environmentally-friendly facility. It has 700 solar panels, infrastructure that reduces cooling needs in the summer and heating requirements in the winter and a rainwater harvesting tank for landscape irrigation, among other features.
After the tour, at a press encounter, the Secretary-General thanked Spain for its support and for the expansion plans for the Facility. We shared those remarks with you.
And a few moments ago, he met with students at the Centre for Arts and Science. The Secretary-General had a frank discussion with the students about the global challenges we face today.
He thanked them for their commitment to calling for more climate ambition. He encouraged them to keep up the pressure and also focus on the needs relating to finance, adaptation and resilience in the run-up to COP26 to ensure that these concerns are high on the political agenda.
ETHIOPIA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the situation in Tigray remains volatile and unpredictable. Major towns, including Mekelle, Adigrat, Adwa, Axum and Shire, remain calm, but there are unconfirmed reports of clashes in the Southern and North-Western Zones.
Electricity and telecommunications are still cut off throughout the region. There are no flights or road transportation in or out of the region.
Despite this, humanitarian partners continue to operate, in line with humanitarian principles. For example, yesterday, the UN Migration Agency delivered fuel to operate water pumps, as well as firewood for cooking in a few displacement sites in the Mekelle area, benefiting several thousand people. Partners are continuing to bring water into Shire and displacement sites in Mekelle. An international NGO partner continues to provide medical services in Samre town, in the South-Eastern Zone.
The UN, along with partners, is assessing access along main roads to several areas to resume aid delivery. Our colleagues say it is urgent to get additional staff and supplies into Tigray, to restore electricity and telecommunications, and ensure that cash and fuel are available throughout the region for the continuity of humanitarian operations.
SYRIA
The UN is concerned about reports of another disruption of the water supply in Syria - from Alouk water station to Al-Haskakeh - which shut down on June 23rd. This is the 24th such disruption recorded by our humanitarian colleagues since November 2019. This latest disruption follows months of reduced functionality.
Up to one million people in the region are affected when Alouk ceases to operate, including 460,000 people who rely on Alouk as a direct water source and an additional 500,000 people served by water trucking supplied by the station sources, including people in Al Hol and other camps and settlements. Other critical infrastructure, including at least 30 health facilities in Al-Hasakeh, rely on Alouk for water.
UN agencies and humanitarian partners are trucking in emergency water supplies and installing reverse osmosis pumps in Al-Hasakeh city to address the most pressing needs, but significant gaps remain.
COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Syria, and with limited access to vaccines, access to adequate clean water and sanitation remains a vital first line of defence for communities to further stem transmission of the pandemic, and to also ward off other health risks, such as outbreaks of waterborne and water-related diseases.
With no other current viable solution to Alouk, it is imperative that the station resumes its water supply to the area.
We urge the parties to ensure the safe and rapid access of technical teams to Alouk and its related infrastructure. We call on all parties to find a sustainable solution to ensure the continued operation of the water station.
MYANMAR
In Myanmar, the UN Country Team today said they are alarmed that the death toll for women has increased between May and June. In many cases, our team on the ground said, the women were not directly targeted but rather they were victims caught in the crossfire of shootings and other violent attacks.
An estimated 177,500 people have been displaced in the south-eastern parts of Myanmar due to violence, armed clashes and insecurity since the military takeover of the Government on February 1st, and that is according to the UN Human Rights Office.
Our team in Myanmar warns that the increasing numbers of displaced people in areas affected by armed conflict will worsen the current humanitarian crisis, especially for the most vulnerable, including pregnant women, children, and the elderly.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
In response to questions about the recent judgments concerning Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Spokesperson said the Secretary-General has taken note of the delivery yesterday of the retrial judgment by the Trial Chamber of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which convicted Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović for aiding and abetting crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war committed by Serb forces following the takeover of the municipality of Bosanski Šamac in Bosnia and Herzegovina in April of 1992.
The Secretary-General’s thoughts are with the victims, survivors and their families who have suffered from these crimes.
The Secretary-General commends the judges and staff of the Residual Mechanism involved in this case for their unfaltering dedication and hard work as the Mechanism progresses towards the completion of its current judicial work.
PRESPA FORUM
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Miroslav Jenca, delivered a message on behalf of the Secretary-General today to the First Prespa Forum Dialogue underway in the Republic of North Macedonia.
The Secretary-General applauded the people and government of North Macedonia for creating this Forum, with the aim of building bridges across the region.
He recalled how, three years ago, Skopje and Athens signed an agreement, showing that intractable issues can be solved when there is political will.
Leadership by example can pave the way for goodwill gestures that build mutual understanding and trust – the most essential elements to resolve differences.
COVID-19/HONDURAS
On Sunday, Honduras has received 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Government of the United States, through COVAX.
Honduras is the first of 14 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean receiving vaccines donated by the United States through COVAX.
With this latest shipment, Honduras has now received more than 1.9 million doses through COVAX. The country aims to vaccinate over 7 million people above the age of 12.
The Pan-American Health Organization, or PAHO, worked with the Governments of the United States and Honduras on the logistical arrangements for the safe arrival of these vaccines. The PAHO Representative in Honduras, thanked the United States for the generous donation through COVAX and said she hoped this would encourage other world leaders to boost solidarity to fight the pandemic and donate more doses of vaccines.
COVID-19/POVERTY
The UN Development Programme said in a new report that cash assistance policies significantly reduced the number of people who might otherwise have fallen into poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report found that in the 41 countries for which data is available, 80 per cent of people – or 12 million out of 15 million people – who would have fallen below the $1.90 poverty line did not as a result of social assistance measures.
However, the study revealed this impact was largely found in high and upper middle-income countries, as richer countries could afford to spend more on social protection measures.
For low and middle-income countries, social assistance spending was not sufficient to prevent an increase in the number of poor people, and in low-income countries it could not prevent income losses at all.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Paraguay has paid its dues in full to the United Nations.
HYBRID BRIEFING
At 3:00 p.m., Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière, the President of the Security Council for the month of July and Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations will brief reporters from the Press briefing room.
