HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2021

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
We’ll start off with an update from our colleagues at the World Food Programme (WFP) who have sent us the following update following that tragic security incident that took place on 22 February:
The security incident involved a group of seven people travelling in two WFP vehicles on the road from Goma to Rutshuru in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they were planning to visit a WFP school feeding project. 
The group comprised five employees of the WFP who were accompanying the Italian Ambassador to Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as his security escort. 
The group left Goma at approximately 9:00 a.m., local time.  
At approximately 10:15 a.m., local time, the two vehicles were stopped by an armed group and all passengers were forced to disembark from the cars. The WFP driver of one of the vehicles, Mustapha Milambo, was killed at this time. 
The remaining six passengers were then forced into the surrounding bush at gunpoint where there was an exchange of fire.
During the exchange of fire, the Italian Ambassador, Luca Attanasio, and his security escort, Vittorio Iacovacci, were mortally injured and subsequently died. 
The four other passengers in the group – all World Food Programme staff – evaded their abductors and are safe and accounted for. They include the WFP Deputy Country Director in the DRC, Rocco Leone; WFP School Feeding Programme Assistant, Fidele Zabandora; World Food Programme Security Officer, Mansour Rwagaza; and the World Food Programme driver, Claude Mukata. 
The UN Department of Safety and Security is leading a detailed review of the incident.

CLIMATE CHANGE
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke to members of the Security Council on the topic of “Maintenance of international peace and security: climate and security.”
He told them that, while the science of climate is clear, our duty is even clearer: we need to protect the people and communities that are being hit by climate disruption. The Secretary-General stressed that, unless we protect those most exposed and susceptible to climate-related impacts, we can expect them to become even more marginalized, and their grievances to be reinforced.
High levels of inequality can weaken social cohesion and can lead to discrimination, scapegoating, rising tensions and unrest, increasing the risk of conflict. Those who are already being left behind will be left behind even further, he added.
He also emphasized the role that big emitters have in tackling the climate crisis, saying we look to them to lead by example in the coming months. This is a credibility test of their commitment to people and planet, he said. He also urged Council members to use their influence during this pivotal year to ensure the success of COP26 and to mobilize others, including international financial institutions and the private sector, to do their part.

SUDAN
I have a statement for you regarding the looting of the Saraf Umrah site in Darfur. The site, as you may know, had formerly been a base for two formed UN police units. When the joint UN-AU mission (UNAMID) ended its mandate at the end of December, the site was closed and then handed over to North Darfur State authorities as scheduled on 21 January, with assurances that it would be transformed into a vocational centre. Instead, the site was looted on 18 February.
The Secretary-General condemns the looting of the first site, Saraf Umrah in Darfur, handed over to the Sudanese authorities following the end of the UNAMID mandate in December of last year.  At a time when community needs in Sudan are increasingly pressing, the site was intended to serve as a vocational training centre. Unknown assailants have dashed that opportunity. 
The Secretary-General calls on the Sudanese authorities to investigate the incident and ensure sufficient security presences for subsequent handovers so that facilities are preserved for civilian use as intended.

NIGER
Turning to Niger, the Secretary-General commends the Government and people of the Republic of Niger for holding the run-off presidential election on 21 February, despite significant security and humanitarian challenges, as well as, of course, the pandemic.
The Secretary-General condemns the killing of election officials in the Tillabéri and Diffa regions on Election Day. He also condemns the sporadic attacks mounted by armed gunmen against election officials in parts of the country. He conveys his deep condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured.
The Secretary-General reiterates the commitment of the UN to accompany the Government and people of Niger in their efforts to pursue stability and sustainable development. 

MYANMAR
On Myanmar, you will have seen that, in a Tweet, the Secretary-General called on the Myanmar military to stop the repression immediately and stressed the need to release the prisoners, end the violence and respect human rights and the will of the people.
Also on Myanmar, the International Labour Organization (ILO) today said it has received allegations that the police and military are conducting door-to-door searches for unionists in Yangon.
The ILO urges the military authorities to cease all acts of harassment and intimidation against these workers, particularly young female workers, and ensure that all workers can exercise their rights to freedom of expression.
Also expressing concern was the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which warned that the instability could disrupt essential services to meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of women and girls, including safe pregnancy and childbirth.
UNFPA said this will have serious, even life-threatening implications if timely access to emergency obstetric and newborn care is compromised or not provided in general, and for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable communities in particular.

LIBYA
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Libya, Ján Kubiš, has continued his meetings and telephone calls with Libyan and international officials.
During his calls this past week, he welcomed the progress achieved so far by the Libyan stakeholders in different areas and stressed the importance of all relevant institutions to respect the Roadmap and continue working for its full implementation.
Among those calls, on Sunday, he spoke with the Minister of the Interior, Fathi Bashaga, to express grave concerns over the serious security incident that targeted his convoy.
  
AFGHANISTAN
A report released today by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office warns that there was a rise in civilians killed and injured in Afghanistan following the start of peace negotiations in September. Nevertheless, overall numbers for 2020 were down due to lower civilian casualty rates earlier in the year.
The total number of 8,820 civilian casualties in 2020 fell below 10,000 for the first time since 2013 and was down 15 percent from 2019. The UN Mission said that, while the reduced numbers are welcome, documentation shows that the lower levels of overall harm were partially offset by an uncharacteristic increase in civilian harm in the last quarter of 2020.
The UN Mission pointed out that a distressing feature of the conflict remains the shocking and disproportionate impact on Afghan women and children. They make up 43 per cent of all civilian casualties.
More women were killed in the conflict in 2020 than any other year since UNAMA began systematic documentation in 2009. Afghanistan remains among the deadliest places in the world to be a civilian.

MALI
The Humanitarian Response Plan for Mali was launched yesterday by the UN, our humanitarian partners, and the Malian Government. The plan seeks $563 million to assist 4.7 million people in immediate need – that’s 1.1 million more people than last year.
Last year, violence and insecurity spread from the country’s north to the central regions and across the border into Niger and Burkina Faso. Growing instability has led to a new surge in internal displacement.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Mali, Mbaranga Gasarabwe, urged relevant parties to address the needs of affected communities adequately. She stressed the importance of increasing funding and having timely financial contributions to assist populations in need and strengthen their resilience to shocks.

MONGOLIA/VACCINES
Today marks a major milestone in Mongolia, which rolled out its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines today.
Our UN team there, led by Resident Coordinator Tapan Mishra, has been supporting authorities to prepare for this and for Mongolia’s inclusion in the COVAX facility.
The UN team played a key role supporting the national vaccination plan and ensured that the vaccine will reach priority groups, including health care workers and others at risk first.
We are helping authorities to secure vaccines to cover 60 per cent of Mongolia’s population this year—that’s some 2 million people.
WHO helped to coordinate the vaccination plan and also trained health and front-line workers.  UNICEF provided support for cold and supply chains, as well as in working with communities to counter misinformation and build trust in vaccines and in the health system.

UNICEF/VACCINES
UNICEF has sent 100,000 syringes and 1,000 safety boxes for COVID-19 vaccination operations to the Maldives by air freight – that’s from their warehouse in Dubai.
This is part of the first wave of COVID-19-related syringe shipments to begin rolling out in the coming days. Others in the first wave of shipments include Côte d'Ivoire and São Tomé and Príncipe.
  
SECRETARY-GENERAL/VACCINE
The Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, is scheduled to receive his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine this Friday at a school in the Bronx.
He received his first dose on the 28 January and we are thankful for our New York City partners for their help in facilitating this second dose.

CENTRAL AMERICA
Turning to Central America, WFP today said that hunger in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua has increased almost fourfold over the past two years. That’s from 2.2 million people in 2018 to close to 8 million people in 2021. This is as a result of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic and years of extreme climate events.
WFP said it plans to assist 2.6 million people in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua in 2021 and requires $47.3 million over the next six months.

HAITI
Yesterday afternoon, Helen La Lime, the head of the UN Mission in Haiti, told Security Council members that, as the country prepares to enter a tense pre-electoral period, the polarization that has defined most of President Jovenel Moïse’s term in office has become more acute. Signs of a shrinking civic space abound and an already alarming humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, she added.
The country’s progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals appears to have stalled or backslid, Ms. La Lime said. She also expressed her deep concern with the resurgence in kidnappings.
Only a democratic renewal, resulting from the prompt holding of credible, transparent, and participatory elections, can provide Haiti with the opportunity to overcome its protracted political crisis, she said.
   
WORLD EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL OUTLOOK REPORT
The ILO today released its latest World Employment and Social Outlook 2021. According to the report, digital labour platforms have increased five-fold worldwide in the last decade.
ILO noted that the challenges for platform workers relate to working conditions, the regularity of work and income, and the lack of access to social protection, freedom of association and collective bargaining rights. Half of online platform workers earn less than $2 per hour and some platforms have significant gender pay gaps.
The report says that the COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed many of these issues.

ETHIOPIA/SUDAN
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that some 7,000 people have fled escalating violence in Ethiopia’s Benishangul Gumuz region to seek safety in Sudan’s Blue Nile State over the last month.
UNHCR says tensions have been high in the Metekel Zone since 2019,  with the situation having rapidly escalated in the past three months. The federal Government of Ethiopia declared a state of emergency in the area on 21 January of this year.
UNHCR is working closely with Sudanese authorities and partners to assess the situation and help the newly-arrived people, many of whom arrived in hard-to-reach areas along the border.
Benishangul Gumuz is in western Ethiopia, and the current displacement is not directly related to conflict in the northern Tigray region.

EDWARD LUCK
Yesterday afternoon, we issued a statement on behalf of the Secretary-General in which he expressed his sadness at the passing of our former colleagued, the UN Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, Ed Luck, who passed away on 16 February 2021.
During his tenure as Special Adviser from 2008 to 2012, Mr. Luck was instrumental in advancing the conceptual and institutional development of the commitment of the international community to protect populations from genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Has a prestigious scholar, author and leading expert on the United Nations who contributed to the UN in many ways.
The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to Mr. Luck’s family and friends, and I know those of you who have known him will join him in that.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Just ending on some good news: Today, we thank Chad, Croatia and Serbia for their payments in full to the 2021 budget. We are up to 54 Member States who have paid their regular budget dues in full.