HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,​
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 10 AUGUST 2021

 

AFGHANISTAN 
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, today warned that the failure to stem the rising violence and human rights violations is having disastrous consequences for the people of Afghanistan. She said that since 9 July in four cities alone – Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, Herat and Kunduz – at least 183 civilians have been killed and 1,181 injured, and that includes children.  
Ms. Bachelet noted that these are just the civilian casualties they have managed to document, and that the real figures is likely to be much higher. She added that her particular concern is about early indications that Taliban are imposing severe restrictions on human rights in the areas under their control, particularly targeting women. 
The High Commissioner stressed that the parties to the conflict must stop fighting to prevent more bloodshed, and that the Taliban must cease their military operations in cities. She also urged all States to use their influence – bilaterally and multilaterally – to bring the hostilities to an end.

AFGHANISTAN/DISPLACED PERSONS 
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General, António Vitorino, said in a statement that he is extremely concerned by the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, particularly the impact on mobile and displaced populations, including returnees. He emphasized that IOM would continue to support the people of Afghanistan, providing emergency shelter, core relief items, emergency health services and protection assistance to displaced persons.  
For its part, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that amid intensified clashes in Nimruz province in the country’s south-west, nearly 200 Afghan refugees have been forced to flee to the Islamic Republic of Iran over the weekend. UNHCR warned that many more Afghan civilians may find themselves trapped if they are unable to escape from the highly volatile situation.  
It is estimated that since the beginning of the year nearly 400,000 Afghans have been internally displaced within the country – some 244,000 since May alone.

ETHIOPIA 
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partners today said that they regained access to the Mai Aini and Adi Harush camps that house Eritrean refugees in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Violent clashes in the area had prevented UNHCR staff from reaching the camps since 13 July. 
The UN Refugee Agency said that the delivery of urgently needed assistance restarted on 5 August for the 23,000 refugees that are in both camps. However, access remains limited due to the security situation and refugees continue to face dire conditions. Basic services such as healthcare remain unavailable, and clean drinking water is running out.  
UNHCR is calling for safe passage, which will allow refugees from Mai Aini and Adi Harush to be moved to the new site of Alemwach, near Dabat, which is about 135 kilometers away. 
The UN Agency is also concerned about fresh displacements they are seeing from fighting in Ethiopia’s Amhara and Afar regions. According to estimates from local authorities and the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), some 100,000 people in Amhara and 70,000 people in Afar have been displaced internally.

NIGERIA 
On Nigeria, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the UN and aid organizations have formed a task force to respond to increasing food insecurity in the country’s northeast. 
The task force is working with the Government to implement a comprehensive plan addressing food security, nutrition, health, protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene. 
This plan needs $250 million and aims to help the hardest-to-reach people receive the food they need.

LEBANON 
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, briefed the Security Council in closed consultations this morning on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).  That Mission’s mandate comes up for renewal by the end of this month.

NICARAGUA  
The Secretary-General continues to be very concerned about the situation in Nicaragua, and he condemns recent actions taken against political opposition in the country. These developments seriously undermine the public’s confidence in the democratic process ahead of the November elections.  
The Secretary-General calls on the authorities to fully respect Nicaragua’s international human rights obligations, to immediately release the political leaders and reinstitute their political rights.  
He also reiterates his call for a broad-based agreement across the political spectrum, towards holding a credible and inclusive electoral process in November.

HONDURAS 
The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Government of Honduras today launched a Humanitarian Response Plan to address the needs of 1.8 million of the most vulnerable people in the country. 
The plan will provide for health, nutrition, food security, and protection to people in need, and address displacement.  
The plan requires $222 million in funding and covers the period from August this year to December 2022. 
Today, 2.8 million people in Honduras need humanitarian assistance – nearly a third of the country’s population. That is more than twice as many people as the 1.3 million people who required assistance in early 2020. 
The Governments of El Salvador and Guatemala will also be launching their plans in the coming days. They will be available on the OCHA website.

COVAX 
Suriname today received its third shipment of COVAX-backed vaccines – more than 26,000 doses donated by Spain. The UN team in the country is helping authorities to address the multiple impacts of the pandemic, as well as the rollout of the national vaccine campaign. 
Nicaragua has also received its third shipment of COVAX-backed vaccines, with the latest batch of 100,000 doses also having been donated by Spain. This brings the total number of doses Nicaragua has received through COVAX to nearly 270,000.  
The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) thanked Spain and asked countries with excess vaccine doses to donate them to countries where coverage is still low.