HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC​,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 5 MAY 2021

MULTILATERALISM 
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the General Assembly’s interactive dialogue to commemorate and promote the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. 
He said that the most important achievement of the UN system is that there was no Third World War. This has been the first time in history that, for more than 75 years, there has not been a major confrontation among superpowers, he said. 
He also noted the UN’s role at the centre of decolonization, and its status as the body where international law and human rights standards are generated.  
Similarly, Mr. Guterres said, the UN has been at the centre of the eradication of disease and the reduction of extreme poverty.  And that has continued to this day, with the UN playing a lead role in the Paris Agreement to combat climate change and in efforts to ensure vaccine equity in the fight against the coronavirus.

ETHIOPIA 
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that the security situation in Tigray remains unpredictable and volatile, with active hostilities impeding the scale up of operations in rural areas. 
Cases of COVID-19 have been reported among displaced people in Mekelle who are living in cramped conditions, with insufficient isolation centres to mitigate a large-scale outbreak.  Health challenges include the lack of essential medicines and medical equipment, including oxygen cylinders in Shire, as well as fuel shortages for ambulance services. 
Despite these challenges, humanitarian partners continue to try and reach all people that need help in Tigray. As of 29 April, the government, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Joint Emergency Operation Program had distributed more than 19,000 metric tons of food, reaching 1.1 million people in 35 districts in the region. Last week, an inter-agency humanitarian convoy reached Samre and Gijet towns in the South-Eastern Zone of Tigray, and delivered emergency food, nutrition supplies, as well as non-food items. A health clinic was also set up in Samre Hospital, which remains dysfunctional. 
Two hospitals in Adigrat and Axum are now providing psychosocial services to survivors of gender-based violence, with the UN Population Fund providing health kits for the clinical management of rape. In addition, the UN and partners have distributed 19 sexual and reproductive health kits to 8 hospitals and health facilities in 3 rural areas.  
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that additional personnel and funds, as well as unfettered and safe access, are required to scale up to the level needed to respond across the region.

NIGER
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist attacks by unidentified gunmen that took place yesterday in the Tillabéri region of Niger, which reportedly resulted in 20 deaths, including civilians. He expresses his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a swift recovery to those injured.
The Secretary-General urges the authorities in Niger to spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) said that yesterday the Minister of Justice and Human Rights in the country has issued an order establishing a Special Commission of Inquiry to investigate serious crimes, violations of human rights and international humanitarian law allegedly committed by national security forces and their allies. They will investigate alleged violations that occurred during the operations against the CPC armed group (Coalition des Patriotes pour le Changement), that took place in between December last year and the end of April this year. 
The order was issued following the Mission’s recent submission to national authorities of a list of human rights violations allegedly committed by national security forces and their allies. 
In line with its mandate, the Mission continues to monitor, help investigate, and report in a timely manner on violations of international humanitarian law and on violations and abuses of human rights committed throughout the Central African Republic.

MALI  
In Mali, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) have published their quarterly report on human rights violations.   
They say that the security situation has remained worrying in the first three months of the year. It was marked by violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms involving militias and armed groups in the northern and central regions, as well as in the south of the country. 
Human rights violations attributable to the Malian defense forces and security forces, as well as to international forces were also documented during this quarter. 
In total, the Mission’s human rights division documented 421 violations and abuses of human rights and/or international humanitarian law causing the deaths of 106 people, including five children and six women. This data represents an increase of over 11 per cent, compared to the previous quarter.

YEMEN 
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has concluded today a week-long round of meetings with Yemeni, regional and international interlocutors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Oman. 
Mr. Griffiths has been pursuing a plan to reach a nationwide ceasefire to reduce the risk to civilian lives in Yemen, including stopping the assault on Ma’rib by Ansar Allah. He has also been pursuing efforts to lift restrictions on the Hudaydah ports and open Sana’a airport to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation.  
Mr. Griffiths has consistently stressed that these measures would provide a conducive environment for the resumption of an inclusive political process that comprehensively ends the conflict in Yemen. Unfortunately, he said, we are not where we would like to be in reaching a deal.  
He will continue to engage with the parties to the conflict and all involved to offer them opportunities to find common ground to help advance the peace efforts.

MYANMAR 
From Myanmar, the UN team there today reiterated its call on the need to protect healthcare workers and facilities, warning of the impact on public health of the violence since the military takeover of the Government in February. 
Since then, there have been 158 reported attacks on healthcare workers and facilities, resulting in 11 deaths and dozens of injuries. These comprise the majority of all attacks on health care globally since the beginning of February, according to the World Health Organization. 
At least 31 health facilities across Myanmar remain occupied by the military. At least 139 doctors believed to be participating in civil disobedience have reportedly been charged. 
The acting UN Resident Coordinator, Andrew Kirkwood, said that the UN in Myanmar stands ready to continue to support the response to COVID-19. But he stressed this requires that health facilities, workers and patients are safe and that medical personnel detained while exercising their right to freedom of expression are released immediately.

COVID-19/PAKISTAN
In Pakistan, the UN country team, led by Resident Coordinator Julien Harneis, is helping authorities address the COVID-19 pandemic in the areas of health, humanitarian aid and socio-economic recovery. The UN has supported communications campaigns in multiple languages. They have reached more than 36 million people to date. 
Our team has also supported Pakistan’s national preparedness and response plan to the pandemic. The UN has developed a platform to record financial contributions received, which stand at $3.4 billion so far.
Nearly half of those funds will go towards addressing the social and economic impacts of the pandemic, while more than one third will be earmarked for the Global Humanitarian Response plan. 
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) helped assess the pandemic’s social and economic impacts, which helped the Government allocate emergency cash assistance for workers in the informal economy. 
For its part, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is helping 80,000 Afghan refugee families receive emergency cash assistance.

COVID-19/INDIA
On the COVID-19 pandemic and India, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today said that they have sent millions of items – including face shields and surgical masks – to the country. UNICEF sent the supplies from its warehouse in Dubai to New Delhi.
UNICEF’s Executive Director Henrietta Fore said that, unless the world steps up and helps India now, there will be reverberations across the region and the world in terms of virus-related deaths, virus mutations and supply delays.
As we told you last week, the agency has also supplied oxygen concentrators, oxygen plants, COVID-19 testing machines, and other equipment and supplies.

FOOD CRISES/REPORT 
An annual report launched today warns that the number of people facing acute food insecurity and needing urgent life and livelihood-saving assistance has hit a five-year high in 2020 in countries beset by food crises. The report was released by the Global Network Against Food Crises - an international alliance of the UN, the EU, governmental and non-governmental agencies working to tackle food crises together.  
The 2021 Global Report on Food Crises reveals that at least 155 million people experienced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels across 55 countries and territories in 2020. This was an increase of around 20 million people from the previous year.  
According to the report, while conflict will remain the major driver of food crises in 2021, COVID-19 and related containment measures and weather extremes will continue to increase acute food insecurity in fragile economies.

WORLD PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE DAY 
Today is World Portuguese Language Day. In a message, the Secretary-General said that this world day is a fair recognition of the global relevance of the Portuguese Language.  
With more than 265 million speakers spread through all continents, Portuguese today remains a major language of international communication and a language with a strong geographical projection, which is destined to increase.

***The guests at the Noon Briefing were the WHO’s Chief Nursing Officer, Elizabeth Iro, and the Chief Executive of the International Confederation of Midwives, Dr. Sally Pairman. They briefed reporters on the State of the World’s Midwifery 2021, a report jointly released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Confederation of Midwives.