HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 4 OCTOBER 2022
UKRAINE
Denise Brown, the humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, visited the front-line city of Mykolaiv, in the south of the country today.
Ms. Brown met with people whose lives have been devasted by the Russian invasion, and with aid organizations working to support them. She was accompanied by representatives of a number of UN agencies working on the ground, on the humanitarian response. She also met with local and regional authorities and was able to monitor the arrival of the first batch of an additional 28 truckloads of aid supplies provided by the UN.
Her visit comes as people in Mykolaiv face a serious humanitarian crisis. The war has destroyed the water network, leaving some 250,000 people who remained in
the city – that’s about half of its pre-war population. And those people have been struggling every day to access safe drinking water, among other struggles.
And, also, on the overall humanitarian response we, along with our partners, have provided critical support to more than half a million people since the start of the war.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, arrived in Nairobi, in Kenya, this afternoon after attending the Pre-COP27 meeting that took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and she represented the Secretary-General there.
Tomorrow, she is scheduled to meet with the newly elected Kenyan President, Dr. William Ruto. She will also attend a roundtable with Kenyan County Governors to discuss climate action.
On then on the 6th of October, she will travel to Kajiado, a county heavily impacted by the ongoing
drought in Kenya, where she will visit a vaccination and livestock feed distribution site and a hospital. As mentioned, she will then fly out to Cape Town, South Africa where, on Friday, she will deliver the Desmond Tutu Lecture.
IRAQ
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the Special Representative for Iraq, briefed the Security Council. She noted that, although calls for Iraq’s leaders to overcome their differences, and form a government, have abounded since elections were held a year ago, discord and power play have prevailed over a sense of common duty. The situation remains highly volatile, she said, describing the events of the past days.
The Special Representative emphasized the UN’s intense engagements during the past months and weeks; from participating in dialogue and holding countless bilateral meetings to drafting roadmaps and conducting shuttle diplomacy in various forms. Believe me, she said, we tried, non-stop.
The Special Representative added that it is high time for Iraq’s leaders, all of them, to engage in dialogue, collectively define core Iraqi needs and pull the country back from the ledge.
SOMALIA
The Secretary-General condemned yesterday’s attacks in Beletweyne, HirShabelle, perpetrated by Al-Shabaab. The attacks resulted in many casualties, including state officials.
The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the bereaved as well as to the Government and people of Somalia. He reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to work with regional and other international actors in supporting the people and Government of Somalia on their path toward building a peaceful country.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
We unfortunately have some sad news from our peacekeeping colleagues in the Central African Republic. The Mission tells us that three peacekeepers from Bangladesh have died after suffering severe injuries when their vehicle hit an explosive ordnance device overnight.
A fourth peacekeeper was seriously injured and is currently receiving medical treatment in Bouar, where the wounded had been evacuated. The incident happened when the troops were on patrol on the Koui – Bohong axis, about five kilometres from the mission’s temporary base in the Ouham-Pendé prefecture.
The Secretary-General conveys his deepest condolences to the families of the peacekeepers and to the people and Government of Bangladesh. We wish, of course, the wounded peacekeeper a speedy and full recovery. A more formal statement from the Secretary-General is expected soon.
ETHIOPIA
In Ethiopia, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that staff rotation movements out of Tigray have resumed. Personnel were moved today safely by road via Afar. Others, we hope, will be moved soon. The movement had been put on hold since August 24th.
We welcome this development but we also call for the resumption of the flow of life-saving supplies by road and, of course, the resumption of the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flights. Those flights have remained suspended since August 25th, halting the transportation of supplies and operational cash into the region, which is vital for operations.
Meanwhile, the situation in the northern parts of the country remains fluid, continuing to endanger and displace people. It is estimated that the fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children in parts of Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions, and is impacting the lives and livelihoods of millions living in conflict-affected areas.
Our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that large parts of Tigray region and several areas in Amhara and Afar are still inaccessible due to the reported ongoing fighting, which is hindering humanitarian access to people in need, including thousands of displaced people.
Despite security concerns, access restrictions and lack of resources, our partners continue to respond in areas they can access in the three regions. In Tigray, the remaining humanitarian stocks continue to be distributed and basic services provided, despite the very difficult operational challenges.
As of September 26th, 32 mobile health and nutrition clinics were operating in 58 health facilities and displacement sites in the region. Several essential supplies – including tents, sleeping mats, malaria kits and jerry
cans – have been distributed in the North Western zone in Tigray. In Amhara and Afar, newly displaced people are being assisted with food, water, emergency shelter and other supplies, as well as health services.
CUBA
In Cuba, the UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Consuelo Vidal-Bruce, is supporting the national authorities to tackle the needs of the people most impacted by Hurricane Ian. The Pan-American Health Organization has donated more than eight tons of health supplies and medicine, which have been distributed to the most affected areas. It also donated a kit with supplies for the health sector, including medical backpacks for health professionals serving impacted communities. And thanks to support from the Embassy of Mexico to the UN team, 20 chainsaws have recently arrived in the country to fast-track the restoration of electricity and kick-start recovery by clearing access to the most impacted areas. WFP [World Food Programme], the UN Children’s Fund and the UN Development Programme have also prepositioned food, water and sanitation supplies and shelter emergency resources.
PAKISTAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says Pakistan will need $816 million in the coming months, to help some 9.5 million people impacted by the floods that hit the country.
OCHA says that around 33 million people have been affected by the heavy rains and floods, including at least 7.9 million people who have been displaced, of whom 598,000 are living in relief camps. Nearly 800,000 refugees are estimated to be hosted in more than 40 districts.
More than two million houses were impacted, with more than 767,000 houses destroyed and nearly 1.3 million houses damaged. Eighty-nine per cent of the damage to houses are in Sindh province.
UGANDA
In Uganda, the UN team is supporting authorities following the declaration of an Ebola outbreak two weeks ago. So far, there are 43 confirmed cases and nine reported deaths in five districts.
Authorities are rolling out a $20.5 million UN-backed response plan, focusing on 20 high-risk districts with support from health partners, including WHO [World Health Organization], which deployed 21 of its staff to support the local response, providing Ebola prevention kits for health workers and supporting training and deployment for nearly 900 village health teams and contact tracers. For its part, UNICEF is supporting risk communication and community engagement, including the use of radio and engaging religious leaders.
NANSEN AWARD
And we congratulate the former Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, as today, UNHCR [UN Refugee Agency] announced that she had received the 2022 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award.
Each year, the award is given to an individual, group or organization that has gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect refugees, internally displaced or stateless people.
Under Ms. Merkel’s leadership, Germany welcomed more than 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers in 2015 and 2016 – at the height of the conflict in Syria and amid deadly violence in other places.
Filippo Grandi, the Head of UNHCR, praised her determination to protect asylum-seekers and to stand up for human rights, humanitarian principles and international law.
NOON BRIEFING GUESTS TOMORROW
The guests at the noon briefing tomorrow will be Kanni Wignaraja, Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Asia-Pacific sector for UNDP. She will be joined by Abdallah Al Dardari, UNDP’s Resident Representative in Afghanistan.
They will brief reporters on the launch of a new report on Afghanistan, entitled, “One Year in Review: Afghanistan Since 2021”.
