SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVELS
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will head to Brussels to attend a session with the members of the European Council, which will include a working lunch.  Among the topics to be discussed are Ukraine, climate change and the Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals, notably the global economic and financial situation, as well as reform of the international financial architecture. The Secretary-General will return to New York on Thursday.

AFGHANISTAN
Turning to Afghanistan. In a tweet, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan noted that as the new Afghan school year starts this week, more than a million Afghan girls will be barred from attending classes. UNAMA reiterated its call to de facto authorities to reverse all discriminatory policies against women and girls. 
The UN Mission in Afghanistan said that these policies not only impede the aspirations of half of the population but are causing great damage to Afghanistan.
In a statement, the UN Children’s Fund Executive Director, Catherine Russell, stressed that girls and adolescents, including those with disabilities, have the right to an education. She warned that preventing girls from learning will also have far-reaching consequences for the country’s economy and health system.

SYRIA/TÜRKIYE
On Syria, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, is in Damascus today, where he met with President Bashar Al-Assad and Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad. 
Mr. Griffiths emphasized the need for continued expanded humanitarian access and scaled-up aid operations to address the growing needs throughout Syria, where the impact of the February 6th earthquakes has worsened the already dire humanitarian situation.
Earlier today, Mr. Griffiths was in Jordan, where he met with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to discuss the current humanitarian and refugee situation in the region. Tomorrow, Mr. Griffiths will continue his visit to Syria, where he will meet with national and international NGOs.
This is Mr. Griffiths’ second trip to the region following the February earthquakes. He visited Ankara, Gaziantep, Aleppo and Damascus last month.
In Türkiye, we, along with our partners are reaching 1.25 million people every day with hot meals, as we continue to support the Government-led response to last month’s earthquakes. Nearly 623,000 people have received water, sanitation and hygiene support. We and our partners continue to provide emergency aid, including more than 46,000 tents and hundreds of thousands of tarpaulins, blankets, bedsheets, mattresses, cooking equipment and hygiene kits. 
Meanwhile, the deadly flash floods that hit southern Türkiye could heighten the risk of disease outbreaks in temporary settlements. Our flash appeal for Türkiye is less than 19 per cent funded. 

UKRAINE
Turning to Ukraine. Our humanitarian colleagues are again sounding the alarm about the heavy toll the escalation of hostilities in the Donetsk region is taking on civilians, particularly in the areas of Avdiivka and Bakhmut. The front-line town of Avdiivka has been under constant bombardment in recent days. Ukrainian authorities are calling on the 2,000 people who remain there to urgently leave to safer areas. 
Our humanitarian colleagues note that the situation has drastically worsened over the past months. Most of the 32,000 civilians who used to live there before February 2022 have already fled. Those who remain are facing shelling that is reportedly destroying houses, hospitals and schools. The town has no adequate access to water, electricity and gas supplies, with health services having been decimated, markets disrupted and access for aid workers and even volunteers being extremely challenging.
In Bakhmut, fighting has also intensified over the past few days. The town had already been under constant bombardment since mid-February. Most of the 3,000 civilians who remain in the town reportedly spend their time in basements, with almost no access to essential services. 
They have limited supplies of food or hygiene items, according to humanitarian organizations. There is no piped water or electricity, and schools, hospital and markets are non-functional, leaving the people remaining in the town – including around 30 children – dependent on aid to survive.

PAKISTAN
UNICEF says that six months after catastrophic floods struck Pakistan, more than 10 million people, including children, living in flood-affected areas remain deprived of safe drinking water. That leaves families with no alternative but to drink and use potentially disease-ridden water.
Even before the floods, UNICEF says that only 36 per cent of the water was considered safe for consumption. The floods damaged most of the water systems in affected areas, compelling more than 5.4 million people, including 2.5 million children, to solely rely on contaminated water from ponds and wells.

SOMALIA
Tomorrow afternoon, the UN and the African Union will hold a joint high-level meeting on financing for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, or ATMIS, and resourcing for the Somali security transition. The meeting will begin at 3:30 pm in the ECOSOC Chamber. 
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia supports the implementation of the Somali Transition Plan, which foresees a handover of security responsibilities to the Somali security forces by 31 December 2024. However, financing for the Transition Mission and resourcing for the security transition continues to be a significant challenge. A sustainable and predictable funding mechanism for ATMIS is a critical element for a successful security transition.
The high-level event will be co-chaired by the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Bankole Adeoye, and the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo. Mr. Hussein Sheikh Ali, the National Security Adviser of the Federal Government of Somalia will also participate in the event. 

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
We have an update from our peacekeeping colleagues in the Central African Republic, where a joint operation with the country’s internal security forces led to the arrest of Hussein Damboucha, regional commander of the armed group FPRC (Front populaire pour la renaissance de la Centrafrique) and member of the CPC (Coalition des Patriotes pour le Changement).
This happened on Saturday, about 300 kilometres North of Bria, in the Hautte-Kotto prefecture. 
The detainee is named in reports of the Group of Experts on the Central African Republic as a perpetrator of human rights and international humanitarian law violations. He is currently in the custody of Central African authorities, following his transfer to the capital, Bangui, with the support of the peacekeeping mission.  
In a statement, MINUSCA reiterated its continued support to the Central African judicial authorities in the fight against impunity. 

MOZAMBIQUE
Turning to Mozambique, our colleagues there tell us that the number of people impacted by Tropical Cyclone Freddy has risen to more than 886,000. They are very concerned about the spread of cholera and other waterborne diseases – particularly in the city of Quelimane, where the water supply has been disrupted.
We and our humanitarian partners in Mozambique will be appealing for more funding to reach people in need.
In addition, our colleagues tell us that more than 1,000 schools have also been damaged and UNICEF is supporting Government efforts to provide school kits and temporary learning spaces.

INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Today we mark a few international days: In his remarks to the General Assembly event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination a short while ago, the Secretary-General said that racial discrimination is a deeply damaging and pervasive abuse of human rights and human dignity that affects every country. He underscored that we must take action to address racism wherever and whenever it arises, including through legal channels.
Today is also World Down Syndrome Day, World Poetry Day and the International Day of Forests. 
And today is International Day of Nowruz. In his message, the Secretary-General said as we celebrate Nowruz, let us choose hope and compassion, embrace the opportunities that lie ahead, and work together to build a more peaceful, more sustainable and more inclusive world for all.

HYBRID BRIEFING TOMORROW
I’d also like to point out in terms of briefings that tomorrow is World Water Day. At 3 p.m., there will be a hybrid briefing here entitled Turning the tide: A Call to Collective Action by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. And today I would like to basically give the first question to anyone who’s being admitted into the New York Journalism Hall of Fame. Anyone?