HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 8 AUGUST 2022
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP
The Secretary-General arrived in Ulaanbaatar, today – the capital of Mongolia today. This is his second stop during this current trip. As you know, Mongolia is a nuclear weapon free zone, and has also been an important interlocutor of the United Nations in relation to the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The issue of the Peninsula will come up in discussions the Secretary-General will have on his current trip. He will then go to the Republic of Korea.
Earlier today in Tokyo, the Secretary-General spoke to the media where he stressed that at a time when geopolitical tensions are rising and the nuclear threat is back in focus, nuclear-armed countries need to commit to “no first use” of nuclear weapons and must never use or threaten non-nuclear armed countries with the use of nuclear weapons.
He also said that he hoped that these requests will be taken seriously because we are witnessing a radicalization of the geopolitical situation that makes the risk of a nuclear war something we cannot completely forget.
In addition, he urged Japan to take climate action by cutting emissions, stop funding coal plants abroad and partner with countries to help them transition to renewable energy. And this afternoon, before leaving Tokyo, he met with Emperor Naruhito of Japan.
You will have seen that on Saturday, he took part in the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima. In his message there the Secretary-General said his message to world leaders is simple: Stop flirting with disaster. Take the nuclear option off the table — for good.
MIDDLE EAST
The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, is continuing to closely follow implementation of last night’s Ceasefire agreement and commitments, including the opening of Gaza for humanitarian assistance. He will be briefing the Security Council at 3:00 p.m. today on the ceasefire and developments related to the escalation.
Deputy Special Coordinator, Lynn Hastings, entered Gaza this morning, leading the UN and humanitarian response on the ground. She has spent the day meeting with UN and humanitarian agencies, families affected by the escalation, and civil society groups, in order to begin assessing the damage and needs in the aftermath of the hostilities.
Essential personnel of the UN Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) are working around the clock to monitor the
situation and ensure critical service delivery. The electricity situation in Gaza is improving and rolling daily power cuts are expected to decline from 20 to 14 hours per day, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The World Food Programme (WFP) is set to distribute cash assistance to 5,000 people in need.
Last night, the Secretary-General welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel. He is deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries, including children, from airstrikes in Gaza and the indiscriminate firing of rockets toward Israel from population centres in Gaza by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other militant groups.
The Secretary-General calls on all sides to observe the ceasefire. He reaffirms the United Nations’ commitment to the achievement of the two-State solution based on relevant United Nations resolutions, international law, and prior agreements and the importance of restoring a political horizon.
UKRAINE
The UN, along with its humanitarian partners, have today released a revised Ukrainian Humanitarian Flash Appeal. The financial requirements have increased from $2.25 billion to $4.3 billion.
More than a quarter of Ukraine’s population, that’s 17.7 million men, women and children, will need humanitarian assistance in the months ahead, that’s an increase of about 2 million compared to our estimates in April. The appeal has been extended until December due to the worsening situation.
With $2.38 billion already received toward the Flash Appeal, donor support to this emergency has been unprecedented. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, has called on the international community to continue supporting our life-saving operations.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that during the forthcoming winter, the situation can deteriorate as more people will be displaced from areas with limited access to gas, fuel or electricity. Supporting them is a priority.
During the first five months of the war, at least 2.3 million Ukrainians received cash assistance. We are also planning to scale that up to a target of 6.3 million vulnerable people by the end of the year.
Denise Brown stressed that aid groups in Ukraine will need safe and unimpeded access to all war-impacted areas. Since the war began, access has been extremely challenging in areas beyond the control of the Government of Ukraine, and she called on the parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.
CHAD
The Secretary-General addressed - by recorded video message - the signing ceremony of the Doha Peace Agreement between the Chadian Transitional Authorities and Politico-Military Groups. He thanked the State of Qatar for hosting the Doha pre-dialogue and commended the Chadian parties for their efforts in the pursuit of peace, which are bearing fruit today.
The Secretary-General said that he hopes that the Doha peace agreement will enable the participation of signatory groups in the National Dialogue, alongside men and women from all walks of life. He noted that the National Dialogue will provide a historic opportunity to put Chad on the path towards constitutional order and sustainable peace. He encourages further engagements with the groups that have not yet signed ahead of the National Dialogue to facilitate their participation in the Inclusive National Dialogue in Ndjamena, the capital of Chad.
MALI
In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, welcomed the successful conclusion of the decision-making meeting on certain aspects of the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation resulting from the Algiers Process. They particularly acknowledged the consensus reached by the parties of the integration of 26,000 ex-combatants into the defence forces and other State services, as well as institutional reforms not related to the review of the Constitution.
ETHIOPIA
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continues to provide critical assistance to millions of people across the country, which is facing its worst drought in the past 40 years. More than 16 million people are now targeted for assistance as worsening levels of malnutrition are reported, and more than 3.5 million livestock have died.
In the first half of this year over 13 million men, women and children received humanitarian assistance in drought-affected areas, including more than 7 million people receiving food aid.
OCHA notes that across Somalia, northern Kenya and southern and eastern Ethiopia, more than 21 million people are already facing high levels of acute food insecurity, following four consecutive failed rainy seasons. The failure of a fifth rainy season this autumn is also likely, according to experts.
At the same time, parts of Ethiopia face a risk of flooding in the coming weeks and more than 1.7 million people are likely to be impacted. In northern Ethiopia, humanitarian deliveries continue in the Tigray region, but our ability to distribute it has been limited by shortages of fuel and of cash.
In a positive development, 12 tankers carrying 600,000 liters of fuel arrived in Tigray on 3 August, a few days ago. However, the UN partners estimate that about 2 million liters of fuel are needed each month to sustain humanitarian operations.
In another positive development, humanitarian food assistance is being distributed in three hard-to-reach districts of Amhara’s Wag Hamra zone for the first time in over one year. A convoy with food for about 30,000 people got into the area on 27 July. Delivery of additional assistance – including nutrition and health supplies – is being planned.
For its part, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today said that it is scaling up the urgent procurement of fertilizers to help farmers in Tigray to sow their fields in the midst of a critical planting season. This is thanks to a $10 million loan recently approved by the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) today said that it has supported a community violence reduction programme titled “Tena de Tena” or Hand in Hand. The programme has helped to create socioeconomic incentives and livelihoods for 52 beneficiaries, including ex-combatants and violence-prone youth, in the city of Bria, in the Haute-Kotto prefecture.
CUBA
Regarding the reports of a major fire in the province of Matanzas in Cuba, the UN team on the ground said that the situation has worsened in the last few hours due to the collapse and explosion of two fuel tanks. According to local authorities, 4,000 people have been evacuated, although the highest concentrations of pollutants are in the area close to the fire, with a chance that it may spread.
The Secretary-General joins the UN team in Cuba, under the leadership of Resident Coordinator, Consuelo Vidal, in expressing his condolences and utmost solidarity with the people and government of Cuba. The UN team on the ground is extending their support to the Government and are following the situation closely. Authorities have been working around the clock to try to put out the fire.
COLOMBIA
The Secretary-General congratulates President Gustavo Petro on his inauguration in Colombia and welcomes the President's commitments to deepen and expand peace, to promote and protect human rights and gender equality, and foster inclusive development, to safeguard the environment and contribute to the fight against climate change.
He extends the strong support of the United Nations as the new administration takes on these key challenges and for its efforts to comprehensively implement the Final Peace Agreement and carry out a policy of "total peace" that includes the regions that have suffered the most in Colombia’s armed conflict.
SRI LANKA
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has today launched an appeal for $10.7 million to deliver lifesaving healthcare to more than 2 million women and girls in Sri Lanka in the next six months. UNFPA notes that the country is experiencing its worst socio-economic crisis since independence and its once robust health system is teetering on the edge of collapse amid debilitating power shortages and a lack of critical supplies, equipment and medicine.
