HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

THURSDAY, 14 JULY 2022

COLOMBIA 
This morning, the Special Representative for the Secretary-General in Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, briefed Security Council members on the latest developments in the country. 
He said that over the past few months, Colombians took part in a hard-fought political campaign leading to the election of their new President, Gustavo Petro, and reiterated the Secretary-General’s encouragement over these mostly peaceful elections. 
He noted that the recent electoral outcomes increasingly reflect the diversity of the country’s vibrant society, which will include the largest ever share of women, close to 30 per cent of lawmakers.  
Mr. Ruiz Massieu said that while there are reasons for encouragement, violence continues against communities, leaders and former combatants and he called for their security to be guaranteed through the Peace Agreement. 
Also briefing the Council was Father Francisco de Roux, President of Colombia’s Truth Commission, who met with the Secretary-General yesterday. We issued a readout of their meeting.  

Mr. Ruiz Massieu and Father de Roux were the guests today at the noon briefing.

SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Secretary-General is currently on annual leave, but he spoke to you yesterday following the news out of the talks in Istanbul, in which he said that we have seen a critical step forward to ensuring the safe and secure export of Ukrainian food products through the Black Sea.  
In a world darkened by global crises, he said, we have a ray of hope.  
More technical work will be needed to materialize progress in Istanbul, he said, but the momentum is clear.   
He said that the discussions in Istanbul were an important and substantive step on the way to a comprehensive agreement. The hopeful news from Istanbul shows the importance of dialogue, he said. 
In response to questions, the Secretary-General said that we do not know when a formal deal will be finalized, but he added that he stands ready to interrupt his holidays and go to Istanbul if that is the case. 

UKRAINE
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that, this morning, an attack on the city of Vinnytsia has killed nearly 20 civilians and injured more than 50 others. This is according to authorities and health workers. Also, in the past 24 hours, strikes have resulted in casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and several parts of Donetska oblast.
Hostilities have destroyed critical infrastructure, leaving millions of people without access to health services, water, electricity and gas supplies. In Mariupol, people have limited access to drinking water, with only five litres per person every week, according to Ukrainian authorities. The Word Health Organization has warned about the high risk of cholera in the city, although no cases have been reported to date. Across Ukraine, nearly 800 settlements have no electricity, and more than 230,000 families, businesses and others, have no gas supplies. Donetska oblast is the worst affected, according to authorities.
 
SRI LANKA 
In a tweet, the Secretary-General said that he continues to follow the situation in Sri Lanka very closely. He said that it is important that the root causes of the conflict and protestors’ grievances are addressed.  
The Secretary-General urges all party leaders to embrace the spirit of compromise for a peaceful and democratic transition. 
Meanwhile, our UN team in Sri Lanka, under the leadership of Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer, reports that the crisis is affecting food security, agriculture, livelihoods and access to health services, and as outlined in the four-month Humanitarian Needs Priority (HNP) plan released last month, our humanitarian country team estimates that nearly 5.7 million people are in need of life-saving assistance. To date, only 15 per cent of the more than $47 million requested under the plan to support more than 1.5 million vulnerable people through September has been received.  
 
PANAMA 
In Panama, the UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Cristian Munduate, issued a statement on the strikes and protests currently taking place in the country, urging the Government and different actors to find consensus to restore calm and order. The closure of main roads connecting the country has affected the population's basic needs, and our team is calling for these roads to be kept open to guarantee access to food, health, education, humanitarian services and other vital needs of the people.  
We reiterate our commitment to support the country’s ongoing work to find inclusive, participatory and peaceful solutions to the situation. 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA REPORT 2022 
The UN Conference on Trade and Development – better known as UNCTAD- has published its report on Economic Development in Africa today. The report calls on African countries to diversify their exports to survive economic shocks from global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.  
UNCTAD says that despite decades-long efforts to diversify, 45 out of the continent’s 54 countries remain dependent on exports of primary products in the agricultural, mining and extractive industries. 
African countries can diversify their economies by boosting exports of high-value services, expanding private businesses’ access to financial services, tapping into new financial technologies and implementing effective policies. 
The report also underscores the critical role of the private sector – both formal and informal – to diversify and transform Africa’s economies. 
  
REPORT ON WOMEN IN THE HEALTH AND CARE SECTOR 
A joint report by the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization shows that women in the health and care sector face a larger gender pay gap than in other economic sectors, earning on average 24 percent less than peers who are men. The report notes that much of the wage gap is unexplained, perhaps due to discrimination towards women - who account for 67 per cent of health and care workers worldwide.  
The report also finds that wages in the health and care sector tend to be lower overall, when compared with other economic sectors. This is consistent with the finding that wages often are lower in economic sectors where women are predominant. 
ILO and WHO also pointed out that even with the COVID-19 pandemic and the crucial role played by health and care workers, there were only marginal improvements in pay equality between 2019 and 2020.   
 
ECOSOC 
The High-level Segment of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and ministerial segment of the High-level Political Forum today began with a session focusing on messages from the regions. The Ministerial Chairs of the Regional Forums presented the findings and recommendations from the Regional Forums on Sustainable Development.  
There was also a presentation this morning on the recent outcomes of the United Nations Environment Assembly.  
The morning session also included Voluntary National Review presentations by Grenada, Guinea Bissau, Gabon, who are first-time presenting countries, and Netherlands, a second-time presenter.  
This afternoon there will be a Ministerial Roundtable discussion on accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.  
 
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION 
Ziimbabwe is the 112th Member States to have paid its Regular Budget dues in full.