HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2024
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Secretary-General will be heading to South Africa and Lesotho next week. On Wednesday, he will be in South Africa, where he will meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa and other senior South African government officials. Discussions will focus on global and regional issues, but especially on South Africa’s G20 Presidency and its leadership on financing for development. The Secretary-General will underscore that with South Africa taking the G20 helm and being the first African country to preside over the G20, there is a significant opportunity for the G20 to help advance Africa’s priorities.
On Thursday, the Secretary-General will proceed to neighbouring Lesotho where he will meet with the King of Lesotho, Letsie III, the Prime Minister and other officials.
The Secretary-General will seize this opportunity of this visit to show solidarity with the African continent, that has been a victim of global injustices that are denying African nations their rightful place on the world’s stage.
The visit to Lesotho is symbolic as it is a small land-locked country that has suffered the dramatic impacts of climate change, which will cost African economies billions of dollars every year.
While there, he is scheduled to address the Parliament as Lesotho celebrates the bicentenary of the founding of the Basotho nation, a moment the Secretary-General is honoured to share with the people of Lesotho. The history of this country is rich, and its location in the heart of southern Africa and commitment to sustainable development puts it in a unique position.
Prior to departing Lesotho, the Secretary-General will visit the Katse Dam which is central to the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and to water management in the broader region.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/YEMEN
In a statement issued today, the Secretary-General renewed his call for the immediate and unconditional release of the humanitarian personnel arbitrarily detained by the Houthis in Yemen. It has been six months since the detention of more than 50 personnel from the United Nations, international and national non-governmental organizations, from civil society, and diplomatic missions, in addition to the four other UN personnel detained in 2021 and 2023.
The Secretary-General acknowledged the recent release of one UN staff member and two NGO personnel recently but recalled that the continued arbitrary detention of dozens of others is unacceptable and constitutes a violation of international law.
These detentions threaten the safety of humanitarian personnel and significantly impair efforts to assist millions of people in need. These actions are inconsistent with genuine engagement in peace efforts.
The United Nations, NGOs and other relevant international partners are working through all possible channels and authorities to secure the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained.
FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT
Also today, the Secretary-General is appointing a group of prominent experts to promote actionable policy solutions and galvanize political and public support required to resolve the debt crisis. This work will inform the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), which is an intergovernmental process facilitated by the UN, which will take place from 30 June to 3 July, in Sevilla, Spain next year.
The developing world is currently facing an unprecedented debt crisis, with dozens of countries struggling under the weight of debt service that threatens economic stability, social progress, and sustainable development. And yet, to date, the global response has fallen short.
The group will be led by Mr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, the UN Special Envoy on Financing for the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and co-chaired by Mr. Paolo Gentiloni, the former European Commissioner for Economy, Mr. Trevor Manuel, the former Minister of Finance of South Africa, and Ms. Yan Wang, a Senior Academic Researcher at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center. That has been shared with you electronically as we speak.
SYRIA
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that since the escalation of hostilities in Syria, at least 370,000 men, women, and children have been displaced, including 100,000 who left their homes more than once. Most of the displaced are women and children.
OCHA said that tens of thousands of people have now arrived in north-east Syria.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and NGOs operating in the north-east estimate that between 60,000 and 80,000 human beings have been newly displaced, including more than 25,000 currently hosted in shelters.
These shelters are filling up as soon as they are assigned. With these sites now at capacity, people are sleeping on the streets or in their cars in sub-zero temperatures as winter is setting on.
The UN is working with its humanitarian partners in the north-east to assess the needs of families who have arrived at reception centres.
Meanwhile, OCHA warns that as hostilities in the north escalate and expand to other parts of the country, civilians, including humanitarian workers, are facing grave threats to their safety. The fighting also continues to cause severe damage to critical infrastructure and of course, is disrupting much needed aid operations.
According to local health authorities, hundreds of civilians are estimated to have been killed or injured over the past week – although the situation is highly fluid and exact casualty figures have yet to be confirmed.
UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON
Turning to the situation in Lebanon. We are aware of mutual accusations that have been traded by the parties about adherence to the cessation of hostilities.
We urge all actors to abide by their commitments under the cessation of hostilities and also, of course, under resolution 1701, and that commitment should be made both in letter and in spirit.
Since the announcement of the cessation of hostilities, we have been actively engaged with the parties as well as with representatives of the United States and representatives of France in support of the commitments made within the UNIFIL’s respective mandate. UNIFIL stands ready to support these efforts, together with the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), in line with the recommitment of the parties to their obligations under resolution 1701.
Peacekeepers in UNIFIL’s area of operations in south-eastern Lebanon conducted road clearing and repairing tasks last week, rehabilitating sections of two vital roads connecting the country's southeastern villages with the capital, Beirut, that were damaged by recent Israeli airstrikes.
LEBANON
Turning to Lebanon, more than a week on from the announcement of the cessation of hotilities, the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that people are continuing to return to their communities.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that more than 786,000 people have begun returning to their communities since 27 November, with the largest number in the El Nabatieh district in Nabatieh governorate, Saida district in the South governorate and Baalbek district in Baalbek-El Hermel governorate. Authorities report that collective shelters are now hosting 9,000 displaced people, down from 188,000 people before 27 November.
Delivering humanitarian aid remains challenging, with damage to civilian infrastructure hampering the response and hampering the recovery.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that damaged health and sanitation infrastructure increases the risk of disease outbreaks, while vaccination rates have plummeted and thousands of people urgently need reconstructive surgery.
Fourteen hospitals in Lebanon have been affected by the hostilities. WHO is working together with the authorities to help reopen hospitals that were forced to close.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to Gaza, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that after two months under Israeli siege, the people in North Gaza governorate continue to flee deadly violence and deprivation to areas farther south.
On Wednesday, more than 5,500 people in North Gaza were displaced to Gaza City, after Israeli forces surrounded three schools and nearby homes in Beit Lahiya. Those arriving in Gaza City reported that Israeli forces opened fire on people fleeing via Salah Ed Din Road.
UN partners say that those newly displaced from Beit Lahiya have sought safety at three shelters in Gaza City. This morning, more than a dozen families displaced from the area around Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza also arrived in Gaza City.
As of today, our partners tell us that about 8,000 people have been displaced toward Gaza City from the north since 28 November. Aid organizations on the ground have been providing the new arrivals with any available assistance.
As winter sets in, some 545,000 people in Gaza are living in damaged buildings and makeshift shelters, underscoring the urgency of ensuring that thousands of tarpaulins and repair materials can be safely brought into the Strip without delay.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) says 50 of the agency’s trucks carrying blankets, generators, medicines and surgical equipment have been stuck at the Egyptian border into Gaza, many of them for more than 50 days. We and our partners continue to call for the safe passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza, as suffering deepens across the Gaza Strip.
IRAQ
This morning, the Secretary-General Special Representative for Iraq, Mohamed Al Hassan, briefed the Security Council for the first time on the UN Mission’s work. He said that despite the many obstacles, Iraq today is more secure, more stable and more open than it was 20, or even five, years ago. He pointed to recent milestones, including the successful conduct of the national census in late November and the election of a new Speaker of the Council of Representatives on 31 October.
In a region that is “on fire”, Mr. Hassan said, Iraq’s Government has shown strong resolve to keep Iraq out of the widening regional conflict, while standing firm as a strong voice for regional stability and peace.
He added that the proposed amendments to Iraq’s Personal Status Law are a significant undertaking that could have far-reaching implications for women and children. He said that the UN Mission has extensively engaged with Iraqi stakeholders, emphasizing the need for a constructive and inclusive dialogue on this issue, and has further stressed that any reforms to the Personal Status Law should be in alignment with Iraq’s international human rights commitments.
HAITI
Turning to Haiti, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the humanitarian situation remains dire for millions of people across the country.
Insecurity continues to impact the capital with tens of thousands of people remaining uprooted since the escalation of violence in November.
OCHA also reports that ongoing floods are impacting thousands of people in both the north and the south of the country.
In the face of these challenges, the UN and our humanitarian partners are supporting authorities and providing assistance to people in need.
In the capital, over the last week, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have distributed more than 900,000 litres of water to more than 60,000 [displaced] people in 26 sites across the capital region.
For its part, the World Food Programme (WFP) has provided more than 95,000 hot meals to some 24,000 displaced people across four sites in Port-au-Prince.
And this week, mobile medical clinics operated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) were made accessible to about 14,000 people at 4 sites for displaced people.
In the south, we are continuing to support with our partners in coordinating with authorities the floods response and provide emergency aid, including hygiene kits and blankets and implementing cash transfer activities. For example, IOM provided emergency kits to 4,000 people affected by the recent flooding in Les Cayes.
Despite the ongoing efforts, our response remains impacted by lack of funding, no surprise. As we enter into the last weeks of the year, the $674 million Humanitarian Response Plan remains only 43 percent funded, with $290 million only received. We would love for Member States to show more generosity and send us cash for this and all our humanitarian responses.
We reiterate our call for additional funding to ensure that the dire situation does not further deteriorate.
SOMALIA
In Somalia, the Humanitarian Coordinator there, George Conway, allocated $5 million from the Somalia Humanitarian Fund to take action for droughts ahead of the predicted La-Niña indued rainfall deficits. The new funds will complement the recent $5 million released by the Central Emergency Response Fund of the UN and will support work in health, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene in high-risk areas.
An estimated 4.4 million human beings in Somalia are facing elevated levels of acute food insecurity as drought conditions loom. Our humanitarian colleagues add that 1.6 million children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition between August of this year and July of next year, with more than 400,000 children likely to suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition.
With just weeks left in the year, our $1.6 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Somalia is only 44 per cent funded, with $690 million in the bank.
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
This morning, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the U Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and partners launched a strategy to support the integration of refugees and migrants across 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean for the 2025-2026 period. This initiative builds on the progress made over the past 5 years, in which 4.5 million migrants and refugees have secured regular status across the region, thanks to measures from host governments and international financial support.
The new Refugees and Migrant Response Plan seeks $1.4 billion in its first year to support over 2.3 million refugees and vulnerable migrants in their socio-economic integration, as well as, of course, to assist their host communities that are generously opening their doors to them.
This year, over 1.3 million refugees, migrants, and members of host communities benefited from opportunities provided by the Response Plan.
FOOD PRICE INDEX
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported today that the benchmark for world food commodity prices rose in November to its highest level since April 2023, increasing by 0.5 percent from October, driven by surging international vegetable oil quotations.
The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index increased by 7.5 percent in November from October, marking its second large increase in two months and 32 percent higher than its year-earlier level.
AVIATION DAY
Tomorrow is the International Civil Aviation Day. In a message on the 80th Anniversary of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the Secretary-General says that the organization is a powerful example of multilateralism in action.
He added that aviation faces one of its greatest challenges, which is addressing the climate crisis. Accounting for around 2 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions, aviation is one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize. But with innovation and investment, it can be done.
