HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER 2021
AFGHANISTAN/SECURITY COUNCIL
This afternoon, the Security Council will hold a meeting on the Secretary-General’s latest report on Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security. Deborah Lyons, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, will brief the Council on the situation in the country.
In the report, the Secretary-General notes that the world is following events in Afghanistan with a heavy heart and deep disquiet about what lies ahead. He added that scenes of chaos, unrest, uncertainty and fear have caused alarm, as well as trepidation for what lies in the balance in terms of the hope, progress and the dreams of a generation of young Afghan women and girls, boys and men.
AFGHANISTAN/HUMANITARIAN UPDATE
The World Food Programme (WFP) says that it reached more than 43,800 people in Afghanistan yesterday.
WFP also said that a UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flight yesterday brought UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) staff into Kandahar.
On 6 September, a UNHAS cargo flight brought 22,440 kg of emergency medicine to Mazar-e-Sharif for the World Health Organization (WHP). UNHAS flights from Herat are also operating.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, travelled yesterday to East Africa, where she will hold meetings with senior Government officials, UN staff and senior leadership, and relevant stakeholders. Her meetings will focus on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing women’s political participation and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. She will be back in New York on Monday, 13 September.
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR PEACE OPERATIONS/ TRAVELS
After wrapping up his visit to Abyei, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, arrived in South Sudan today. He will meet senior government officials and officials from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), who are monitoring the implementation of the peace agreement. Among other issues, Mr. Lacroix will discuss the ongoing work of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to support the peace process and issues related to the UN Mission in Abyei.
In Juba, he will also meet with women's groups and civil society organizations as well as Mission personnel to thank them for their dedication, particularly as they continue to implement their mandate in the context of the ongoing pandemic.
Mr. Lacroix is expected to visit Malakal to interact with staff on the ground and meet with local authorities, and he will be back in New York on 12 September.
DAG HAMMARSKJÖLD
The Secretary-General laid a wreath today to mark the 60th anniversary of the death of Dag Hammarskjöld. He said that the late Secretary-General’s legacy lives on today as a reference for compassionate, courageous leadership; as a benchmark for integrity and idealism; and as a standard for selfless service.
Mr. Guterres said that as we look ahead to the new session of the General Assembly, let us build on his extraordinary legacy to address the challenges and seize the opportunities before us and, together, build a more peaceful and just world.
The Secretary-General also spoke at an informal event of the General Assembly, commemorating the anniversary.
ANTICIPATORY ACTION
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke in a video message to the High-Level event in New York to Advance Anticipatory Action, which was convened by the UN and the Governments of Germany and the United Kingdom.
The Secretary-General said that by acting early, we can prevent humanitarian emergencies from turning into catastrophes.
He noted that last year, the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund invested $140 million to scale-up anticipatory action in 12 countries and underscored that early investments not only protect lives but also prevent higher response costs down the road.
He called on governments and donors to increase support for preparedness, anticipatory action, and rapid emergency response at all levels and stressed the need to better understand the risks that people face, so that we can tailor our action to their needs.
INTERNATIONAL DAY TO PROTECT EDUCATION FROM ATTACK
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at a Virtual Event to commemorate the International Day to Protect Education from Attack. He stressed that attacks on schools must stop.
Mr. Guterres pointed out that between 2015 and 2020, the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack collected over 13,000 reports of strikes on education or the military use of educational facilities worldwide.
Mr. Guterres urged Member States to go beyond their commitments under international law and put in place national policies and laws that protect schools and learners. He emphasized that in every country and jurisdiction, we need to make attacks on schools unacceptable and punished.
He also called for increased global support for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which work around the clock to protect education, students, teachers and schools in some of the world’s most dangerous places.
11 SEPTEMBER
The members of the Security Council today visited the September 11 Memorial and Museum here in New York City, to mark 20 years since the 2001 attacks.
The members of the Council, in a statement issued after that visit, said that they are as united today as they were 20 years ago in their commitment to prevent and counter terrorism, in all its forms and wherever it occurs, consistent with international law.
The members of the Council also re-committed to the words set forth in the Charter to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war…and for these ends to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.”
ETHIOPIA
In the northern part of the Ethiopia, months of fighting, insecurity and inadequate access to vital services have left at least 400,000 people facing famine-like conditions.
Although the UN has not yet been able to independently verify hunger-related deaths, we have received unconfirmed reports of deaths in displacement sites.
The spillover of the conflict in Tigray into Amhara and Afar is dramatically increasing humanitarian needs across the three regions, at a moment where aid workers are already facing enormous challenges to sustain relief operations.
Since Sunday, more than 150 trucks of humanitarian assistance arrived in Tigray. However, we need at least 100 trucks to arrive in Tigray every single day if we are to meet the scale of needs on the ground. Some supplies, such as fuel, have not entered at all.
In Tigray, as a reminder, 3.4 million people received food assistance between May and August. However, a new round of distributions must start soon to make sure they will have the food they need to survive.
While welcoming their recent support for the delivery of trucks over the last few days, we urgently call on the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the regional authorities in Afar to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to Tigray, so we can have relief items delivered in the region every day.
SOMALIA
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today warned that food insecurity in Somalia is set to increase until the end of the year due to the impacts of poor rainfall and continued insecurity.
FAO said that without sustained humanitarian food assistance, 3.5 million people across Somalia are expected to face what is known as the crisis stage of food insecurity. Moreover, approximately 1.2 million children under the age of five are likely to be acutely malnourished during this period.
In addition, the desert locusts will continue to pose a serious risk to pasture availability and crop production across the country.
FIRST GLOBAL PARLIAMENTARY SUMMIT ON COUNTER-TERRORISM
Today, in Vienna, the Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have teamed up with the Inter-Parliamentary Union to hold the First Global Parliamentary Summit on Counter-Terrorism.
Parliamentarians play a crucial role in countering terrorism and violent extremism and legislators from around the world met today to look at ways they can enhance their work to prevent and counter terrorism.
In sessions throughout the day, they discussed ways that parliaments can support and protect the rights of victims of terrorism, prevent terrorist radicalization and address hate speech. They also had a session on the Sahel.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Zambia has now paid its regular budget dues, which takes us to 127 fully paid-up Member States.
***The guests at the Noon Briefing were Kanni Wig-na-ra-ja, UNDP’s Asia-Pacific Director, and Abdallah Al Dardari, the UNDP’s Resident Representative in Afghanistan. They will spoke with reporters about the poverty projections for Afghanistan.
