SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT 
Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Joanna Wronecka of Poland as his new Special Coordinator for Lebanon.
Ms. Wronecka succeeds Ján Kubiš of the Slovak Republic to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his commitment and leadership. 
Ms. Wronecka brings over 25 years of experience to diplomacy, international security and Middle East affairs. As you know, she has served since 2017 as the Permanent Representative to the UN - including during Poland’s two-year stint on the Security Council in 2018 and 2019, and before that as the Under Secretary of State for Arab and African countries, development cooperation and Polish-UN relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw.
 
SYRIA 
I have an update for you on the cross-border operation, which the Secretary-General spoke about earlier this week and underscored the importance of.
In March, 920 trucks carrying humanitarian assistance crossed from Turkey into northwest Syria through Bab Al-Hawa. This is the only crossing open to the UN at this point. Over 1,000 trucks of UN assistance cross through Bab al-Hawa every month, as authorized by the Security Council. 
We along with our humanitarian partners delivered assistance to 2.4 million people, on average, every month in 2020, including food for 1.7 million people through the cross-border operations. 
We provide most of the emergency food assistance, of which 70 to 80 per cent is delivered through the World Food Programme. 
Aid deliveries also complement and support programmes of international and Syrian non-governmental organizations providing indispensable assistance and services to millions of people, such as health services. There are no Government services in some of these areas. 
Despite the large cross-border operation underway, needs continue to outstrip the response. We estimate that people are worse off today than they were nine months ago when the cross-border access was last reviewed.  
The number of people in need has increased by over 20 per cent this year to 3.4 million people. Some 1.6 million people live in camps and informal settlements, with COVID-19 continuing to spread and the price of a basic food basket rising by 200 per cent in Idleb over the last year.
The Secretary-General has said that all channels should be made, and kept, available to deliver life-saving aid to people in need across Syria. A sustained, large-scale cross-border response remains necessary to address the enormous humanitarian needs of people in northwest Syria. 
The renewal of the cross-border authorization in Security Council resolution 2533 of 2020 for an additional 12 months is essential. 

MIDDLE EAST 
Staying in the region, the Special Coordinator for the peace process, Tor Wennesland, today welcomed progress made towards the Palestinian elections. 
He said he is encouraged by the completion of the candidate submissions to the Central Elections Commission. He called this an important step in the nomination process for the forthcoming Palestinian Legislative [Council] elections. 
He called for all to respect the electoral process and to resolve any disputes in a peaceful manner through official legal mechanisms. He stressed that all people must work towards protecting the people’s right to vote and to decide on their own political future, particularly young people. 
The Special Coordinator added that the holding of credible and inclusive elections across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in East Jerusalem, is a crucial step towards renewing the legitimacy of national institutions, reestablishing Palestinian unity and charting a way back to meaningful negotiations to realize a two-State solution. 
We will continue to support this election process. 

YEMEN 
The humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to worsen. With fuel and food prices at double or even triple the pre-conflict averages and the depreciation of the Yemeni Rial, the threat of hunger for millions is a reality. 
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is warning that by June this year, half the Yemeni population, that is 16.2 million human beings, will be facing crisis levels of food insecurity. Some 50,000 Yemenis are already facing famine-like conditions.  
Against this backdrop, the spread of COVID-19 is rapidly on the rise, with some of the highest number of cases reported since the pandemic began. We, along with other humanitarian partners, are providing food assistance to 9 million Yemenis a month - along with water, sanitation and hygiene, health, nutrition and other aid. However, the operation needs immediate support address the funding gap. 
To date, the 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan has only received 12 per cent of the $3.85 billion needed to fund the aid operation. We call on all donors to immediately disburse their pledges and scale up their fundings and those who have not pledged, to do so. 

MYANMAR 
The UN Human Rights Office for South-East Asia today called on States in the region to protect all people fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar.  
The Office also called on countries to ensure that refugees and undocumented migrants are not forcibly returned, given the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation inside the country. 
It said that more than 500 peaceful protestors have been killed by security forces and 2,600 others have been detained since February 1st. New fighting has also flared between the military and some ethnic armed organizations, including in Kayin state, where recent airstrikes have forced thousands of civilians to flee. 
For its part, UNHCR also urgently calls on countries across the region to offer refuge and protection to all those fleeing for safety. It is vital that anyone crossing the border, asylum seekers in another country, can access it. 
The agency stresses that it is a proven fact that humane border practices can be upheld amid public health and other border control measures, to ensure that people in need of protection can access territory and asylum. 
 
NIGER 
A follow-up to the situation in Niger and the survivors of last week’s deadly attack in the Tahoua region. The UN Refugee Agency says that most of the victims were internally displaced people who had already fled violence. Six refugees from Mali were also among the 137 people killed, according to the latest reports. Shelters and granaries were burned to the ground during the attack. Cattle were stolen or killed. 
An estimated 1,400 people from the area are now on the move, trying to escape the threat of violence. 
UNHCR and its partners are continuing to gather information from survivors. They are also providing humanitarian aid and counselling for them. 
 
COVAX 
In Egypt, nearly 900,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses arrived last night. Egypt’s national vaccine system is prioritizing health workers, the elderly, people with chronic diseases. The UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Elena Panova, is working closely with the Government to ensure that no one is left behind in the vaccination plan. Our team will continue helping authorities implement public health and social measures, such as access to water and sanitation as well as mask wearing. 
In Suriname, the country received 24,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines earlier this week, with more set to arrive through this year to vaccinate 20 per cent of the country’s population. The first batch will go to priority groups. 
Meanwhile, in Papua New Guinea, the UN team continues to support the roll-out of the national vaccine programme. We helped with planning, training, coordination and logistics ahead of the inoculation of health workers, which started two days ago. Papua New Guinea will be receiving a first shipment of nearly 290,000 doses this month from COVAX. The UN team is also working to address misinformation on COVID-19 and the vaccine.
 
VENEZUELA 
The UN Population Fund says that more and more women and girls are facing the deadly consequences of the continuing crisis in the country. UNFPA warns that the health system is collapsing and international funding for sexual and reproductive health services is urgently needed. 
The challenges facing women and adolescent girls in Venezuela include rising rates of adolescent pregnancy, rising rates of maternal mortality, lack of access to free contraceptives and rising gender-based violence, including rape and sexual slavery, among others. 
UNFPA is asking for $26.7 million to save the lives and protect the rights of one million women, adolescents, and girls in the most vulnerable communities in Venezuela. The funds will be used for life-saving sexual and reproductive services and a multi-sectoral response to gender-based violence, including psychosocial support and post-rape treatment for survivors.  
 
WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY 
Tomorrow is World Autism Awareness Day. In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General stressed that as we work together to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, one key goal must be to build a more inclusive and accessible world that recognizes the contributions of all people, including persons with disabilities. 
The Secretary-General points out that recovery is also a chance to rethink our systems of education and training to ensure that persons with autism are afforded opportunities for realizing their potential. 
He emphasized that breaking old habits will be crucial. For persons with autism, he adds, access to decent work on an equal basis requires creating an enabling environment, along with reasonable accommodations.  

PRESS ENCOUNTER TODAY 
At 4:00 p.m. today, the President of the Security Council for the month of April, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy of Viet Nam, will brief you on the Council’s programme of work for the month.
 
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION 
Thank you to our friends in Managua as Nicaragua has paid its regular budget dues in full taking us up 83 fully paid-up Member States.