HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC.
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 18 JANUARY 2024
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Secretary-General left Davos early this morning and he is now in Thun, which is also in Switzerland, where he is spending the day with his Special Representatives and Special Envoys, who gathered for their annual retreat with him.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will leave Switzerland and will travel to Kampala, in Uganda, where two very important summits will be held over the weekend - the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and the Third South Summit of Heads of States and Governments of the Group of 77 plus China. The Secretary-General is expected to address the NAM summit on Saturday and the G77 plus China Summit on Sunday.
The Secretary-General is expected to emphasize the critical role that both the NAM and the G77 plus China play in fostering international cooperation, at a moment of deep division and the rising of geopolitical tensions.
His messages will focus on support to multilateralism and the renewed efforts for peace, financing for sustainable development and climate action, and the need for reforms of our global institutions. He will also urge governments to consider his proposal of a New Agenda for Peace.
While in Kampala, the Secretary-General is expected to have bilateral meetings with a number of attendees of the Summit, and he will also meet with the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni.
IRAN/PAKISTAN
In a statement issued this afternoon, the Secretary-General said that he is deeply concerned about the recent exchange of military strikes between Iran and Pakistan, which have reportedly caused casualties on both sides. He urged both countries to exercise maximum restraint to avoid a further escalation of tensions.
The Secretary-General underlined that all security concerns between the two countries must be addressed by peaceful means, through dialogue and cooperation, in accordance with the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and good neighborly relations.
ISRAEL/GAZA
The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of an operation to deliver additional and much-needed medicines and medical supplies to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and to deliver vital medicines to hostages currently held in Gaza.
The entry of these critical supplies and humanitarian aid to Gaza is encouraging, however much more aid needs to come into the Gaza Strip. He commends the State of Qatar and France for all their efforts.
The Secretary-General also reiterates his appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and he also reiterates his call for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and for their humane treatment.
The Secretary-General urges all relevant actors to ensure that sufficient humanitarian aid gets into and where it is needed in the Gaza Strip and calls for the reactivation of the private sector to bring basic commodities into the Gaza Strip.
The Secretary-General expresses his continued concern about heightened tensions in the region and calls for an urgent de-escalation.
GAZA
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), issued a statement after he ended his latest visit to Gaza.
He said that in southern Gaza, around Rafah, makeshift structures of plastic sheeting have mushroomed everywhere, including on the streets, with people trying to protect themselves from the cold and rain. Each one of these flimsy shelters can be home to over 20 people.
He said that the population of Rafah has almost quadrupled, to more than 1.2 million people. He added that everyone he met had a personal story of fear, death, loss, and trauma to share. Over the 100 days, the people of Gaza have moved from the sheer shock of losing everything, in some cases every member of their family, to a debilitating struggle to stay alive and protect their loved ones.
Mr. Lazzarini noted that UNRWA staff are equally impacted. Despite this, they work tirelessly to support the people around them. He said he was not able to reassure them that they, let alone their families or UN facilities, would be safe.
Initial reports yesterday indicated that a missile reportedly struck the UNRWA health clinic in Ad Daraj, in Gaza City. Further details on the impact of the projectile are yet to be established.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that telecommunications services in Gaza remain disrupted for a seventh day. As we have said repeatedly, these outages significantly hinder our efforts to adequately respond to the humanitarian crisis and to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza Strip.
The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively anywhere in Gaza Strip also remains heavily compromised by Israeli restrictions on the import of critical equipment, including appropriate communication devices.
Meanwhile, access denials for humanitarian missions to areas north of Wadi Gaza are impeding efforts to scale up the provision of life-saving assistance there, which adds significant cost to the overall response. When planned aid convoys are denied, it is also a missed opportunity for alternative missions that could be undertaken to other areas of the Gaza Strip.
SYRIA
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that they are deeply concerned by ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure and the safety of civilians in the north-east of Syria, as the security situation there deteriorates.
Over the past week, multiple airstrikes in Al Hasakeh have led to civilian casualties and caused significant damage to several civilian facilities, including power stations and oil production fields, which could negatively impact the availability of gas, fuel and electricity going forward.
Meanwhile, in north-west Syria, OCHA warns that increased flooding is putting displaced populations at risk. More than 1,500 family tents have been damaged by floods over the past two weeks, including shelters provided to survivors of last year’s devastating earthquakes.
Humanitarian partners also report that tents in Afrin and Salqin were particularly affected by persistent rainfall. They say that additional shelters, food, ground insulation, heating materials, and road repairs are urgently needed. Muddy conditions are disrupting children’s access to school and families’ ability to reach critical services within the displacement camps.
We and our partners on the ground are carrying out assessments and providing essential relief items, including tents, repair kits, and plastic sheeting for insulation. Psychosocial support is also being mobilized for affected families.
However, the humanitarian response is significantly underfunded. We have received just one-third of the $160 million needed for last year and for this year to help provide winter assistance to more than two million people in Syria.
SUDAN/UN FACT-FINDING MISSION
The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan began its work this week. Speaking after several days of talks with officials and civil society organizations, Mohamed Chande Othman, the chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, said today that investigations into human rights and international humanitarian law violations are now underway.
The UN Human Rights Council, as you will recall, established the Fact-Finding Mission in October of last year to investigate all alleged human rights violations in the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as well as other warring parties, and their mandate allows them to look into violations that have occurred since 15 April of last year. The Mission will pay particular attention to violations targeting women and children, especially those concerning sexual violence.
The Mission also called on all parties to cooperate with their investigations. It invited individuals, groups and organizations to confidentially submit relevant information on human rights violations in Sudan.
The Mission is due to present an oral update on its initial findings to the Human Rights Council’s fifty-sixth session in June-July 2024.
RED SEA
During a meeting with shipping industry representatives that took place today at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London, the Secretary-General of the International, Arsenio Dominguez, warned that seafarers are innocent victims in the volatile Red Sea situation and that seafarer safety is paramount.
He also emphasized that freedom of navigation must be upheld, to guarantee global trade and the flow of goods by sea. He stressed that there must be caution and restraint to avoid further escalation in the situation in the area.
REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that the Republic of Congo is grappling with the worst flooding in 60 years, and that has impacted 1.8 million people.
The Government declared a state of emergency on December 29th and announced that more than 350,000 people need urgent life-saving assistance.
The Government, with the support of UN agencies on the ground, is rolling out a humanitarian response plan which urgently needs financial support. Humanitarian organizations are carrying out assessments to clarify what's needed, where, and how to deliver aid.
Yesterday, Martin Griffiths, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, allocated $3.6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to address the most pressing needs of 270,000 people.
CHILDREN
A report released today by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that nearly half a million children across Europe and Central Asia live in residential care facilities, including large-scale institutions. This is double the global average.
UNICEF said there has been little progress in these regions for children with disabilities who are far more likely to be placed in residential care facilities than children without disabilities. Children living in large-scale institutions often face emotional neglect and higher rates of abuse and exploitation, exposing them to mental health problems, psychological distress, and trauma, the report said.
UNICEF called for adequate investments to support early identification and early intervention for children at risk, family support services to prevent unnecessary family separation, and quality foster care for children in need of protection.
AFGHANISTAN
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan today released a report depicting a bleak socio-economic scenario for the country, since August 2021. The report
notes that restrictions on women's rights and an almost collapsed banking system are identified as major areas of concern, needing international cooperation.
According to the report, the [proportion] of women in employment across all sectors has dropped dramatically, nearly halved from 11 per cent in 2022 to just 6 per cent in 2023. UNDP also points out that seven out of ten Afghans are unable to fulfil their basic needs for food, healthcare, employment and other daily requirements.
ECUADOR
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the killing of Ecuadorian prosecutor César Suárez yesterday in Guayaquil. He sends his heartfelt condolences to his family and colleagues.
The Secretary-General reiterates his concern over the security situation in Ecuador.
DEPARTMENT OF GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS
The Department of Global Communications´(DGC) Meetings Coverage Section (MCS) – those are the people who produce these very useful daily round ups of the open meetings - has published in English and French its 2023 work summary of the Security Council.
Organized thematically, this summary offers an overview of the issues discussed in the 271 Security Council´s official meetings in 2023 during which 50 resolutions and 6 presidential statements were adopted.
Useful for delegations and the media alike, these summaries feature highlights of the debates, texts adopted and emerging issues addressed by Member States.
***The guest at the Noon Briefing was Edem Wosornu, OCHA’s Operations and Advocacy Director. She briefed reporters on the humanitarian situation in Niger.
