HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 19 JANUARY 2023
 

SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVEL 
The Secretary-General has left Davos and has travelled to Yverdon-les-Bains, which is also in Switzerland. He will take part in the Seventeenth Seminar of his current Special and Personal Representatives and Envoys. 
  
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 
The peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) said there was another attack by CODECO militia overnight. This time, the attack took place at the Plaine Savo camp for displaced people, 9km east of Djugu, in Ituri province. Seven people were reportedly killed and many others fled the site. 
UN peacekeepers deployed immediately to secure the camp and deter further violence.  
This attack comes almost a year after the last violent attack there – which left close to 60 people dead in February 2022.  
It also follows the discovery of mass graves containing the bodies of 49 civilians, including women and children, in Nyamamba and Mbogi villages, following CODECO attacks over the weekend.  
These incidents are the latest in a string of violent attacks on civilians over the past few weeks, severely impacting civilians and humanitarian operations in Djugu and neighbouring Mahagi. This adds to an already dire humanitarian situation in Ituri Province which currently hosts 1.5 million displaced people.  
Since early January, at least 12 humanitarian organizations have reduced their presence and operations in these territories due to insecurity.  
MONUSCO is closely following developments on the ground and advocating with the relevant authorities to ensure the protection of civilians, especially those in displacement sites. We are also liaising with humanitarian partners to provide assistance as soon as security permits.  

LEBANON 
Around 2 million people in Lebanon, including 1.29 million Lebanese residents and 700,000 Syrian refugees, are currently facing food insecurity. That’s according to the country’s first ever Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) acute food insecurity analysis, officially launched today by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme and Lebanon's Ministry of Agriculture. 
The study predicts that the situation is expected to worsen in the coming months. It notes that currency depreciation, the lifting of subsidies, and the rising cost of living are preventing families from obtaining enough food and other basic needs each day. 
The agencies warn that without urgent action, the consequences for the health and well-being of these vulnerable populations will be severe. 

MADAGASCAR 
In Madagascar, the United Nation’s team, led by Resident Coordinator Issa Sanogo, continues to support people impacted by the ongoing drought in the south of the country.  
The UN team has supported 53,000 households and farmers by providing more than 30 water tanks and by constructing irrigation channels which allow farmers to shift their full attention to their crops instead of securing water. For its part, the World Food Programme (WFP) continues distributing food and cash to more than 1 million people.  WFP also just launched an initiative to establish solar-powered hubs, a sustainable water source and telecommunications in remote areas. These allow for the provision of essential services such as energy, water, and digital platforms to members of the community.
The team on the ground is concerned that 12 out of 21 districts in the Grand Sud risk seeing the situation deteriorate into a food security crisis this spring, with nearly 480,000 children currently at risk of acute malnutrition and needing urgent support. 
 
HUMAN RIGHTS 
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said today that proposed amendments to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill should adequately ensure respect for the rights of victims, survivors and their families, noting that the draft legislation as it stands appears to be incompatible with the UK’s international human rights obligations. 

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION  
Liechtenstein has paid its dues in full, bringing the Honour Roll to 5.