HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC​,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 2022

ETHIOPIA
I will start off with a quick update on the Deputy Secretary-General, who continues her visit to Ethiopia. Today, she was expected to meet a group of young women entrepreneurs who are part of a UN-implemented project in Addis Ababa. Tomorrow, she will visit the Afar region of Ethiopia before heading back to New York.
Yesterday, she was the Somali region in Ethiopia and she was joined by there by the President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde.
In meetings with the President of the Somali region and his Cabinet, as well as with a range of stakeholders, including pastoralists, displaced people, and community leaders, the Deputy Secretary-General pledged continuing UN support in the provision of humanitarian aid and engagement in the development sector.
As we told you recently, the Somali region is currently suffering from a prolonged drought.
Underscoring the impact of climate change, the Deputy Secretary-General encouraged the Somali region’s President to look beyond agriculture to water innovations to restore the area to prosperity.
She also expressed her deep appreciation to host communities for welcoming and supporting the many displaced people.
The Deputy Secretary-General lauded the government’s efforts to improve its education, health, water and infrastructure sectors.
She commended the Somali region for the peace that it was keeping, noting that this achievement was an example for other countries in Africa and the world to follow.

SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, in the Security Council, the Head of our UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, briefed the Security Council during closed consultations on Burkina Faso.
He stressed to Council members that the current situation in the country demands our continued attention and also that we need to help support a coordinated response.
He called for a roadmap for a consensual and reasonable transition to be put in place to restore constitutional order. This, he said, is an essential condition for meeting the many challenges the country is facing. He also added that, in the search for solutions, we must do everything to prevent the people of Burkina Faso from being unduly impacted by the current political crisis.
Finally, he also reiterated his commitment to closely coordinate his good offices work with ECOWAS to help Burkina Faso quickly emerge from this crisis.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
A quick update from the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Our peacekeeping colleagues there tell us that tensions remain high in the Ituri province following last week’s attack on the site for displaced people in Savo, 8km southeast of Djugu. There are reported movements of displaced people between Savo and Bule.
The UN peacekeeping mission and the Congolese armed forces reinforced their presence and increased patrols in the area.
On Sunday, peacekeepers had exchanged fire with a group of armed men from CODECO, which is the Cooperative for the Development of Congo, during an operation to cordon and search in the Uzi area, also in Ituri province. They forced the assailants to flee the area. Although two UN armored vehicles were hit by bullets, no peacekeepers were injured.
We continue to engage with the Governor of Ituri to find ways to address the situation.
Our human rights colleagues have also expressed their concerns about the situation there. They say the Savo attack is the latest in a string of devastating raids by this CODECO group on sites for displaced people in Ituri, where ethnic tensions between the Hema and the Lendu communities have existed for years.
They said there is a significant risk that other sites hosting displaced people could be attacked, adding there is also a risk of retaliation by the Ituri Self-Defense Popular Front armed group.
Our human rights colleagues also call on the authorities to strengthen the protection of civilians and to ensure the safety of displaced people.

SEVERE HUNGER/HORN OF AFRICA
The World Food Programme (WFP) said the Horn of Africa is experiencing the driest conditions recorded since 1981, with severe drought leaving an estimated 13 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia facing severe hunger in the first quarter of this year.
Three consecutive failed rainy seasons have decimated crops and caused abnormally high livestock deaths. Shortages of water and pasture are forcing families from their homes and leading to increased conflict between communities. Further forecasts of below-average rainfall are threatening to worsen and compound dire conditions in the coming months.
The situation requires immediate humanitarian action and consistent support to build the resilience of communities for the future, WFP said.
Across the three drought-affected countries, WFP is providing life-saving food and nutrition assistance to affected communities. Additionally, WFP cash grants and insurance schemes are helping families buy food to keep their livestock alive or compensating them for their losses.
This week, WFP launches its Regional Drought Response Plan for the Horn of Africa, calling for $327 million to respond to immediate needs of 4.5 million people over the next six months and help communities become more resilient to extreme climate shocks.

AFGHANISTAN
On Afghanistan, the UN Human Rights Office says that, nearly three weeks after their disappearances, there is still no news about the whereabouts and well-being of four women activists and their relatives who were detained or abducted in Kabul in connection with the recent women’s rights protests.
In addition to Parwana Ibrahim Khil and Tamana Paryani, who were abducted with their relatives on January 19th, two more women in Kabul – who also reportedly took part in a 16 January protest– were forcibly taken last week.
Our Human Rights Office say they are gravely concerned for the safety of the disappeared women and their family members. We continue to press the de facto authorities for information on these cases, and for an effective, transparent investigation.

TUNISIA
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, today urged the President of Tunisia, Kaïs Saïed, to restore the High Judicial Council, warning that its dissolution would seriously undermine the rule of law, the separation of powers and independence of the judiciary in Tunisia.
Ms. Bachelet said that the dissolution of the High Judicial Council is in clear violation of Tunisia’s obligations under international human rights law.
The High Commissioner stressed that all necessary measures must be taken to safeguard the security of members and staff of the Council. 

TONGA
On Tonga, our UN team there says it is continuing to help the country following last month’s volcanic eruption and tsunami, while also addressing the pandemic.
The country is currently in the middle of a 14-day lockdown. In addition to the 15,000 rapid tests that UNICEF sent, the World Health Organization (WHO) is also sending some 5,000 PCR tests.
Some 90 per cent of power has been restored in Tonga, but the damage to the undersea communications cable is greater than was first estimated. The UN team has provided small satellites and other telecommunications support to boost connectivity and communications, with more equipment on the way.

MADAGASCAR
A quick update from Madagascar, where our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the death toll from Tropical Cyclone Batsirai has risen to 21, with more than 62,000 men, women and children having been displaced.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Issa Sanogo, and our partners visited affected areas today to see the situation first-hand and support the immediate mobilization of resources for the response.
The first aerial assessment took place yesterday through a UN Humanitarian Air Service flight, which found that the main damage caused by the cyclone is concentrated around Mananjary City.
We along with our partners are supporting the Government by providing food, sanitation and hygiene and protection services.

INDONESIA
A quick update for you from Indonesia on COVID-19, where the UN Resident Coordinator, Valerie Julliand, continues supporting the response to the pandemic.
To date, COVAX has provided more than 93 million vaccine doses to Indonesia. The UN team is also helping to scale up vaccinations among the elderly, children between the ages of 6 and 11, teachers and refugees, including Rohingya refugees in Indonesia.
On the socio-economic front, the UN team is working on initiatives such as cash transfers, human rights protection services, psychosocial support, food and nutrition, and support for children orphaned by the pandemic.
We are also working to combat disinformation and misinformation.

VENEZUELAN REFUGEES 
The UN Refugee Agency, the UN Migration Agency and UNICEF released a statement saying they’re deeply saddened by the news of the death of a baby during an interception at sea off the southeast coast of the island of Trinidad on Sunday. The vessel, which was transporting Venezuelans, was intercepted by the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard when it entered its maritime territory. A woman and an infant were injured in the incident. The woman was taken to a health facility but tache infant regrettably died. 
The agencies are appealing to States to establish mechanisms that will help protect the rights of people on the move – particularly women, girls, boys, and others with specific protection needs – including the right to have access to proper regularization and asylum procedures. 

PALESTINIANS
This afternoon, the Secretary-General will speak at the first session this year of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
He will say that the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory -- including East Jerusalem -- continues to pose a significant challenge to international peace and security.
He will emphasise that we urgently need to intensify collective efforts to resolve the conflict and end the occupation in line with United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements.

HONOUR ROLL
We thank our friends in Vienna for Austria’s full payment to the regular budget. They become the 51st Member State to get in on the Honour Roll. 
And, as a reminder to the remaining 142 Member States, tomorrow will be the cut-off date for the privilege of belonging to the Honour Roll, so send in the cash today so we get it tomorrow, but we will continue to flag those Member States who pay even after the closure of the Honour Roll.