SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Robert Andrew Piper of Australia as his Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacements.
This appointment is a key component of the Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement. The Action Agenda will help mobilize collective action and advance solutions for the millions of people who today find themselves displaced within their own countries.
The Special Adviser will ensure a strong emphasis on sustainable development.
As you know Mr. Piper has over 30 years of experience in international development, humanitarian response and peacebuilding at the UN. He is currently the Assistant Secretary-General and the head of the UN Development Coordination Office in the Secretary-General’s office.
NIGERIA
Quick update from Nigeria, where the Secretary-General is spending his final day on this particular trip to West Africa. He spent the day in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, and a few minutes ago, he spoke to the press after meeting President Buhari. He reiterated the importance of the partnership between Nigeria and the United Nations, adding that the country is a pillar of continental and global cooperation.
Turning to the impact of the war in Ukraine on the African continent, the Secretary-General said the conflict only makes things worse, setting in motion a three-dimensional crisis that is devastating global food, energy and financial systems for the developing world.
Addressing the issue of global food security, he said he is determined to do everything to facilitate a dialogue that can help bring back the agricultural production of Ukraine and the food and fertilizer production of Russia and Belarus into the world markets, despite the war.
Earlier in the day, he had a meeting with Jean-Claude Brou, the President of the Commission of the Economic Commission of West African States, otherwise known as ECOWAS. They discussed the organization’s efforts to address a wide range of governance and security challenges in the subregion, including the political transitions in Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso. The Secretary-General reiterates the United Nations’ support for the work of ECOWAS.
And at UN House, the Secretary-General took part in a wreath-laying ceremony to honour the memory of 23 of our colleagues and others who died in the 2011 terrorist attack on the UN House in Abuja.
The Secretary-General will be starting his migration back home to New York and he’ll be here tomorrow in the morning.
UKRAINE
Turning to Ukraine, a few updates for you. Our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that hostilities have been reported in Donetska, Kharkivska and Luhanska oblasts in the east as the overall security situation continues to deteriorate. More fighting and shelling is also being reported in southern Ukraine, including in Khersonska oblast.
Missiles reportedly struck power and water stations in Lviv in the west yesterday evening. On the same day a missile attack on railway infrastructure in central Ukraine was also reported – this is a major junction for trains evacuating civilians to the western part. Our humanitarian colleagues note the availability of fuel is declining, impacting people’s ability to move to safer areas. It has also impacted aid deliveries, especially in the hard-hit areas.
We, along with our partners, have reached more than 4.1 million people in need of humanitarian aid and protection to date since the start of this war. As of today, for example, 472,000 people have been reached with cash assistance, with nearly $65 million disbursed. Compared with two weeks ago, the number of people receiving cash has almost doubled and as you’ll recall during his visit to Ukraine the Secretary-General stressed that we would very much scaling up our operations.
UKRAINE/IMPACT OF WAR ON WOMEN
A joint report released today by UN Women and the NGO CARE shows that after more than two months of war in Ukraine, women and minorities are facing immense hardship when it comes to health, safety, and access to food as a result of the crisis. The report notes that women are increasingly becoming heads of households and leaders in their communities as men are conscripted, yet they remain largely excluded from formal decision-making processes related to humanitarian efforts, peace-making, and other areas that directly impact their lives.
UN Women and CARE said that with schools closed, high demand for volunteer work, and the absence of men, women’s unpaid care burden has increased significantly. Backtracking on gender equality is already evident in the ongoing crisis.
The report warns that the war is increasing unemployment among the entire population and will likely push women into the unprotected informal sectors of the economy and increase poverty.
UKRAINE/SCHOOLS
UNICEF said today that at least one in six UNICEF-supported schools in eastern Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed since the start of the war. The organization said that two schools have been hit by attacks in the past week alone.
UNICEF noted that the start of the academic year in Ukraine was one of hope and promise for children following COVID-19 disruption. Instead, hundreds of children have been killed, and the school year ends amid the closure of classrooms due to war and the decimation of educational facilities.
Together with partners, UNICEF is working to reach as many children as possible with safe and appropriate learning facilities.
YEMEN
The head of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet today urged the immediate release of two of their staff members who have been detained since early November last year in Sana'a in Yemen.
Despite repeated assurances, as early as last November, by the Ansar Allah Houthi movement that the two staff members would be immediately released, their whereabouts remain unknown. UNESCO and the High Commissioner’s Office are deeply concerned about their well-being.
In this context, the UN Human Rights Office and UNESCO urge the Ansar Allah movement to ensure the well-being of the two concerned staff members and to release them without any further delay.
MYANMAR
On Myanmar, you will have seen that we issued a note to correspondents last night, which was a statement by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Noeleen Heyzer, on the Consultative Meeting of ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance to Myanmar.
That meeting, which is taking place tomorrow in Cambodia, will be attended by the Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator for the UN, Joyce Msuya.
Participants will discuss the escalating humanitarian needs in Myanmar and the obstacles that aid organizations face in reaching vulnerable people with vital assistance.
Our humanitarian colleagues say that aid organizations need greater and more consistent access for the delivery of life-saving support to vulnerable men, women and children, particularly in contested areas in the country’s northwest and southeast.
MALDIVES/COVID-19
A quick update from the Maldives where our UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Catherine Haswell, is doing to help authorities tackle the multiple impacts of COVID-19.
We are supporting the national vaccination campaign, with nearly 600,000 vaccines having landed in the country so far through COVAX.
More than 380,000 people – that’s nearly 85 per cent of the eligible population over the age of 12 – are fully vaccinated.
We have supplied hygiene products to health authorities, helped with the safe reopening of schools, worked to counter misinformation, strengthen social inclusion and address mental health issues.
We have also worked to help the Maldives diversify its economy, as tourism has been the main driver of economic growth in the country.
ENERGY
Lastly, today was the launch of the UN-Energy Plan of Action Towards 2025. The Plan sets out steps for collective action by 30 UN entities and international organizations to achieve the massive pledge they made at the time of the High-level Dialogue on Energy last year. That commitment included gaining access for 500 million more people to electricity, 1 billion more people to gain access to clean cooking solutions, and the creation of 30 million jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency, among other targets -- all by 2025, which is only three years away by my calculations. The aim is to achieve clean, affordable energy for all by 2030, something that is crucial to addressing the climate emergency and net-zero emissions by 2050.
In addition, a new Energy Compact Action Network was also launched to match governments seeking support for their clean energy goals with governments and businesses that have pledged over $600 billion to support these commitments through their Energy Compacts. Coalitions were already announced today to support energy access and transition in Nigeria and for the city of Santiago in Chile, and new partners joined the coalition on green hydrogen.
