DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
This morning, the Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed spoke on behalf of the Secretary-General at the joint High-level Dialogue on "The Africa We Want – Reconfirming the Development of Africa as a Priority for the United Nations."
She said that the United Nations shares the vision of the “Africa We Want” as outlined in the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which is that of a continent shaped by its own narrative, informed by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force on the world stage.
However, she said that Africa’s development gains are at risk, as a consequence of the current three ongoing crises: the pandemic, climate change and the war in Ukraine. She outlined measures to tackle these in the region and underscored that the Africa we want is still within reach, but that to get there, we need to change our mindsets and turn the triple crisis into an opportunity.
SDG ADVOCATES
The Secretary-General today has announced Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Chobani, as a Sustainable Development Goals Advocate.
The Secretary-General said that with the clock ticking and multiple crises driving us further off track, we must do everything in our power to deliver the SDGs. He said he was pleased to welcome Mr. Ulukaya into this group of Advocates as an “inspiring leader in business and humanitarian aid.”
Originally from Turkiye, Hamdi Ulukaya is a businessman, activist, and philanthropist dedicated to the global integration of refugees and the accessibility of good quality food for all. His foundation, Tent Partnership for Refugees, mobilizes the private sector to provide economic opportunities to more than 25 million refugees worldwide.
AFGHANISTAN
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan today released a report outlining the human rights situation in Afghanistan over the 10 months since the Taliban takeover. Despite an overall, significant reduction in armed violence, between mid-August 2021 and mid-June 2022, the UN Mission recorded 2,106 civilian casualties - 700 killed and 1,406 wounded.
The report notes that the majority of civilian casualties were attributed to targeted attacks by the armed group self-identified as “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province” against ethnic and religious minority communities in places where they go to school, worship and go about their daily lives.
According to the report, while the de facto authorities have taken some steps seemingly aimed at the protection and promotion of human rights - such as the amnesty for former government officials and security force members, the 3 December decree on women’s rights and a code of conduct relating to prisoners - they also bear responsibility for a broad range of human rights violations. The UN Mission points out that the erosion of women’s rights has been one of the most notable aspects of the de facto administration to date.
The UN Mission is also concerned about the impunity with which members of the de facto authorities appear to have carried out human rights violations.
SUDAN
In Sudan, our Humanitarian Coordinator there, Khardiata Lo Ndiaye, said she is deeply concerned following the killings of dozens of civilians and the displacement of thousands of women and girls in a wave of recent inter-communal violence in Blue Nile state. She calls on all parties to stop the violence and to seek mutually acceptable solutions.
Humanitarian workers have reached more than 560,000 people with assistance between January and March of this year in Blue Nile. Aid organizations are providing health and medical supplies, as well as food, and are being asked to expand the capacity of a field hospital to treat the injured.
These latest clashes come at a time when humanitarian needs in Sudan are already at an all-time high. More than 14 million people currently require some form of life-saving aid. The 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan, which calls for $1.9 billion, is only 20 per cent funded.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
The UN Mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, continues to work to protect civilians and to expel armed groups through its presence in several areas of the country.
Over the past week, peacekeepers carried out a total of 1,191 patrols. The Mission also reports that it reinforced its presence in Birao, which is in the Vakaga prefecture, as an early warning measure in response to rumours of violence.
Today, in the presence of the Prime Minister and Health Minister of the Central African Republic, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Valentine Rugwabiza, donated 50,000 litres of fuel for use in eight health centres to help with fuel shortages in the country.
SYRIA
Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, today briefed the Security Council on the work being done by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to obtain the necessary information about Syria’s chemical weapons programme.
She said that at this stage, because of gaps and omissions, the declaration submitted by the Syrians on the nation’s chemical weapons programme cannot be considered accurate and complete. The OPCW’s work is ongoing.
REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS
According to the first report by the World Health Organization on the health of refugees and migrants, millions of them around the world face poorer health outcomes than people in their host communities.
Refugees and migrants are not inherently less healthy than host populations. It is, rather, the impact of the various suboptimal factors, such as education, income, housing, access to services, compounded by linguistic, cultural, legal and other barriers and the interaction of these, that are behind poor health outcomes.
In the report, WHO calls for urgent and collective action to ensure they can access health care services that are sensitive to their needs. They say the report also illustrates the pressing need to address the root causes of ill health and to radically reorient health systems to respond to a world increasingly in motion.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Today is International Moon Day, which marks the anniversary of the first landing by humans on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 lunar mission.
And today is also World Chess Day, which recognizes the important role of the International Chess Federation in supporting international cooperation for chess activity and aiming to improve friendly harmony among all peoples of the world. The Day also aims to provide an important platform to foster dialogue, solidarity and a culture of peace.
