YEMEN
Our colleagues in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the humanitarian situation is worsening in Yemen’s Marib governorate, with fighting continuing along multiple frontlines.
The violence has forced up to 15,000 people to flee since early February. Roughly 60 per cent of them are reportedly residing in informal settlements and crowded sites where services are overstretched.
Humanitarian organizations are providing assistance, including support to both newly displaced and existing vulnerable internally displaced people in camp-like settings.
Across Yemen, more than 20 million people – 20.7 to be exact – need humanitarian assistance, many of them at the brink of starvation. They are the ones who are paying the highest price in this war. The UN continues to call for an immediate end to hostilities and a nationwide ceasefire.
I’ve also been asked about fuel shortages in Yemen. Last month, no commercial fuel imports were allowed through Hudaydah Port. In recent years, more than half of commercial fuel imports had been coming in through Hudaydah. This is the first time since the escalation of the conflict in 2015 that we have seen the level drop to zero.
This is driving shortages and price rises. Fuel prices have doubled or even tripled in some areas. This is, in turn, pushing up, of course, the price of food, water and other goods, complicating humanitarian needs.
We call on the parties to urgently find a sustainable solution that will allow commercial fuel imports to resume through all ports.
ETHIOPIA
Turning to Ethiopia, where the situation in Tigray remains extremely concerning, with conflict continuing to drive population displacement and reports of some villages being completely emptied. Over the past week, a large influx of displaced people has reached Shire from Western Tigray.
Following the announcement by the Office of the Prime Minister that humanitarian agencies will have access to operate in Tigray on the basis of notifications to the Ministry of Peace, humanitarian partners have started to use the new email notification system to deploy international staff to Tigray, and that is, of course, a change from the system we used to have where we used to have to seek permission.
Despite some progress in accessible areas, especially in the Eastern zone, many people in need of assistance are in hard-to-reach areas due to insecurity, logistical hurdles, administrative impediments and limited capacity and resources.
Disruptions in basic services continue to pose serious challenges to humanitarian efforts, while putting people further at risk. Access to health, water, education, food and farming and livelihood opportunities is severely compromised throughout the region.
With partners able to access hundreds of thousands of people in Tigray, it is vital that additional funding be released immediately to enable humanitarians to increase the scale and scope of the response.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC ELECTIONS
The Central African Republic will have a second round of legislative elections over the weekend, and I wanted to give you some information about the support being provided by our peacekeeping mission.
Denise Brown, the Mission’s Deputy Special Representative, had discussions with the President of the National Electoral Authority to encourage the adoption of measures to facilitate electoral operations.
Meanwhile, it was reported that 96 per cent of poll workers have completed their training, with the Mission’s support; 23 per cent of them are women.
Campaigning for the elections is scheduled to end today. The Mission also calls on those involved to ensure peaceful elections, to refrain from violence and resolve any dispute through peaceful means.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC/CHILDREN
Staying in the country, our friends and colleagues at UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) are telling us that the recent spike in violence has grave consequences for children’s health.
At least 24,000 children under the age of five across 14 of the country’s 35 health districts are at risk of severe acute malnutrition.
The agencies are calling on all parties to the conflict to allow safe access to children. Despite growing insecurity, UNICEF and WFP say their teams on the ground are intensifying efforts to reach the most vulnerable children and mothers. They are pre-positioning food supplies to ensure there is no disruption in the delivery of aid. They are also deploying mobile clinics to bring health and nutrition support to remote and displaced communities. Six of these districts currently have no resources or capacity to respond to the needs of the children.
Both agencies’ programmes are, sadly, critically underfunded. Both agencies are calling for additional support.
NIGERIA
Turning to Nigeria, I can tell you the Secretary-General strongly condemns the reported abduction of another group of students in that country, this time from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in Kaduna. He understands that some of the students have reportedly been rescued by the Nigerian security forces. The Secretary-General calls for the immediate and unconditional release of those students who remain in captivity.
The Secretary-General urges the authorities to safeguard schools and to ensure the right to education in a safe environment.
As you know, attacks on schools and other educational facilities constitute a grave violation of children’s rights and human rights more broadly. The Secretary-General underscores that schools must remain safe spaces for children to learn without fear of violence or kidnapping or any other attacks on them.
MYANMAR
The head of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, expresses her deep concern over the targeted and disproportionate violence against women being recorded in Myanmar since the start of the violence.
The Executive Director said that this repressive response has already taken the lives of six women and resulted in the arrest of close to 600 women, including young women, LGBTIQ+ activists and civil society participants. In addition, those in detention are also reportedly experiencing sexual harassment and violence.
UNICEF in Myanmar today condemned in the strongest possible terms the use of force against children, including the use of live ammunition, and the arbitrary detention of children. They continue to call on security forces to immediately refrain from violence.
As of yesterday, UNICEF tells that at least nine children have reportedly been killed and at least eight have been severely wounded, while more than 700 children have been arbitrarily detained. Many of those arrested or detained are being held incommunicado, without access to legal counsel, which is a violation of their human rights.
SOMALIA
In Somalia, where we are told that 34 districts in the country are experiencing serious water shortages following poor seasonal rains in 2020. More than 83,000 people have been displaced by the water shortages since November 2020.
Humanitarian needs are also set to increase with La Niña weather conditions anticipated early in the year, on top of conflict and insecurity and other drivers of crisis.
According to our humanitarian colleagues, currently 1.6 million Somalis are facing acute food insecurity. Without sustained humanitarian assistance, this number could increase to 2.7 million through June. Water shortages may also escalate the risk of disease outbreaks.
Despite funding and security-related access challenges, humanitarian partners are delivering water to more than 300,000 people in impacted areas. In 2021, 5.9 million people in Somalia need humanitarian assistance – that’s up from 5.2 million people in 2020. Humanitarian partners require $1.09 billion to help 4 million of the most vulnerable among them. As of today, 2.5 per cent of the funding has been received.
COVAX/CABO VERDE
Some good news on COVID-19: Our UN team in Cabo Verde tells us that the country has just received 24,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility.
This is a first batch of 100,000 doses that will arrive through May of this year.
The UN Resident Coordinator, Ana Patricia Graça, said this is a time of renewed hope and a testimony of the solidarity the world needs to respond to global challenges.
The UN team will help authorities start the vaccination programme on March 18th. Health professionals, people with chronic diseases, the elderly, teachers, and others will be prioritized.
RWANDA
From Rwanda, our colleagues at UNHCR welcomed the Rwandan Government’s vaccination against COVID-19 of more than 400 refugees. This makes Rwanda one of the [first African] countries to actually vaccinate refugees.
This is a great example which we hope that other countries will follow.
MOZAMBIQUE/IDAI
Sunday, 14 March, will mark two years since Tropical Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique, which was followed by Cyclone Kenneth in April 2019. In a message, the Secretary-General will that the people of Mozambique urgently need our help to tackle the triple threat of conflict, the climate crisis, and COVID-19.
COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
The 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women starts on Monday. In light of the evolving COVID-19 situation and taking into account the latest guidance from the Secretary-General and WHO, the meeting will take place in a hybrid format with mostly virtual meetings.
The meeting’s priority theme is women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
The Secretary-General will speak at the opening on Monday, and on Tuesday he will take part in a Townhall meeting with members of civil society. It will be on WebTV.
***The guests at the Noon Briefing were Elliott Harris, the UN’s Chief Economist; Anne Nuorgam, the Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues; and Rosemary Lane, the Officer-in-Charge of the Indigenous Peoples Development Branch Division for Inclusive Social Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). They spoke to reporters virtually on the launch of the State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Volume V.
