HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC​,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 3 APRIL 2023

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 
On the Central African Republic, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) continues to provide the government with technical, financial, logistical and security support to advance the national disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, and repatriation process – which is a key component of the peace agreement. Recently, MINUSCA donated vehicles and office equipment to help build the third mobile team conducting the disarmament and demobilization operations with the support of the peacekeepers.  
Since the launch of this disarmament and demobilization operations in 2018, support provided by United Nations has enabled the effective disarmament and demobilization of 4,227 ex-combatants, and that includes 254 women, from the 14 different armed groups who signed on the peace agreement.

BURUNDI 
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Government of Burundi today launched an appeal for over $194 million to reach more than 1.1 million people with humanitarian assistance this year. 
Adequate funding will be critical to address the country’s challenges which include climate change, natural disasters, internal displacement, and disease outbreaks such as cholera, measles and malaria. 
Overall, an estimated one-and-a-half million people in Burundi will need humanitarian aid this year.  
Last year’s humanitarian response plan was just over halfway funded. Despite that gap, more than 673,000 people received assistance – over 70 percent of the initial target.

MALAWI 
In Malawi, the United Nations and its partners called over the weekend for $70 million to assist over 1 million people that have been impacted by the Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which hit last month.
This new funding request comes on top of the $45 million called for earlier this year for the cholera response, bringing the revised Flash Appeal to nearly $116 million. 
The appeal aims to support the Government-led responses to floods and cholera including providing shelter, nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene support.
Since the Cyclone hit, we and our partners have reached over 370,000 peoplewith humanitarian assistance including clean water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as food assistance to complement the Government on relief efforts.

WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY
The UN observance of World Autism Awareness Day took place on Sunday a virtual event focused on transforming the narrative around autism and highlighting the positive contributions that autistic make to their families and communities, and globally. The theme of the event, which featured an all-autistic lineup of speakers, was "Transformation: Toward a Neuro-Inclusive World for All". The event was presented in four distinct segments which are now available to stream on the UN‘s YouTube channel focusing on the contributions of autistic people at home, at work, in the arts and in policymaking.

BRIEFINGS 
Tomorrow is the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. The noon briefing guests will include Ambassador Sophea Eat, the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Ambassador Krzysztof Szczerski, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland; Asako Okai, the Assistant Administrator and Head of the Crisis Bureau in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and, Ilene Cohn, the Director of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS).