HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2022
UKRAINE
The Secretary-General spoke in the General Assembly today and said we are facing the biggest global peace and security crisis in recent years – certainly in his time as Secretary-General.
He told General Assembly members that the decision of the Russian Federation to recognize the so-called “independence” of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the follow-up are violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principles of the Charter.
He also added that the Minsk Agreements were surviving in an intensive care unit thanks to a number of life support devices. But those devices have now been disconnected.
He added that it is time for restraint, reason and de-escalation. There is no place for actions and statements that would take this dangerous situation over the abyss. It is high time, he said, to establish a ceasefire and return to the path of dialogue and negotiations to save the people of Ukraine and beyond from the scourge of war.
UKRAINE/HUMANITARIAN
On the humanitarian front, the UN continues to receive reports of hostilities impacting civilians and their properties, as well as infrastructure, on both sides of the “contact line”. Once again, the UN calls on all parties to take all measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Despite the volatile security situation, the UN, along with its humanitarian partners in eastern Ukraine, are making all efforts to respond to the needs of people on both sides of that line.
Response efforts are however constrained due to limited funding. As of today, the existing Humanitarian Response Plan for 2022 has been funded by less than 10 per cent.
We are calling on donors to prioritize their support to this plan, which seeks $190 million to address the needs of 1.8 million of the most vulnerable people on both sides of the “contact line”.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
In a statement, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the arrest of four members of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic. As we told you yesterday, they were arrested at Bangui’s airport on Monday, while escorting a senior UN military officer of the Mission.
The Secretary-General emphasizes that, pursuant to the 2014 Status of Forces Agreement between the UN and the Government of the Central African Republic, these members of the UN Mission enjoy privileges and immunities, which are held in the interest of the organization.
He recalls that the 2014 Status of Forces Agreement establishes a specific procedure in cases where members of the Mission are suspected by the authorities of the Central African Republic of having committed an offence. He also notes that this procedure has not been followed in this present case.
The Secretary-General calls upon the Government of the Central African Republic to abide by all of its obligations under international law, including the Status of Forces Agreement, and release our four colleagues unconditionally and without delay. The Secretary-General reaffirms the solidarity and continued support of the United Nations to the people of the Central African Republic.
MIDDLE EAST
Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed Security Council member on the Israeli-Palestine situation today.
He warned that across the West Bank, daily violence continues; tensions in East Jerusalem and the refugee camps are mounting and settler violence remains a serious concern. He also said that illegal settlements and planning processes are steadily advancing, alongside demolitions and evictions, including in and around East Jerusalem.
Mr. Wennesland added that in Gaza, a fragile calm currently prevails. But that absent fundamental change, this is only temporary.
In a Tweet, Mr. Wennesland said today he was gravely concerned by yesterday’s killing of a 14-yr old boy, Mohammed Shehadeh, by the Israel Security Forces in Bethlehem. He offered his deepest condolences to the family and said that the Israeli Security Forces must exercise maximum restraint and may use lethal force only when strictly unavoidable to protect human life.
DRC
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of the Peacekeeping department, continued his trip in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he is representing the Secretary-General.
This morning he travelled to the capital, Kinshasa, and met with President Felix Tshisekedi, as well as Prime Minister Sama Lukonde.
Mr. Lacroix also met with representatives of political parties and civil society.
Discussions today focused on the political and security situation in the country, including the ongoing activities of armed groups in the country’s East and their impact on the population living in the impacted provinces.
Mr. Lacroix reiterated the UN’s commitment to work with Congolese authorities and relevant stakeholders towards peace and security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
MADAGASCAR
In Madagascar, Tropical Cyclone Emnati made landfall overnight in the village of Mangatsiatra, in an area already impacted by Tropical Cyclone Batsirai. Our colleagues say that this is the fifth extreme weather event to impact Madagascar this year, and we are still only in February.
Over 44,000 people had been evacuated to 130 shelters sites ahead of the cyclone, according to the authorities. Stocks of food and non-food items were also pre-positioned by the Government, as well as our UN and humanitarian partners in Mananjary and Manakara to enable immediate response to the affected areas.
The World Food Programme, together with the authorities, is planning the distribution of food in sites for displaced people. Partners are already visiting impacted areas to identify the communities' most immediate needs.
Aerial assessments by the Government and our own humanitarian partners are expected to begin tomorrow.
In the meantime, the now weakened weather system is still bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the south-east of Madagascar, including in the Grand Sud region, which has been suffering an extremely severe drought. Given how dry the land is in these areas, we have great concerns about the risk of flash floods, with new rains coming in.
AFGHANISTAN
A delegation of senior UN and NGO representatives, who are part of the Emergency Directors Group of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, is currently in the country on a five-day mission. They will see first-hand the humanitarian situation on the ground as well as the ongoing aid response to the dire situation in the country. The team is meeting with frontline aid workers, healthcare professionals, and humanitarian coordination teams in Kabul and at humanitarian projects in Kandahar, Panjwai, and Spin-Boldak.
They are also meeting with women and men directly impacted by decades of conflict and displacement, climate events including recurrent droughts, and the severe economic decline in Afghanistan since August of last year.
SYRIA
The Syria Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2022 has now been published and says that, this year, some 14.6 million people – that’s 9 per cent more than last year - are in need of humanitarian assistance in the country.
Overall, people’s ability to meet basic needs is decreasing, with a disproportionate impact on female-headed households, older persons without family support, persons with disabilities, and children. More households are turning to negative ways of coping, including child labour, child marriage and the sale of productive assets.
We continue to provide life-saving aid, but we also emphasizes the need for resilience and recovery assistance.
BRAZIL
In Brazil, the UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Silvia Rucks, launched a partnership with the inter-state consortium that includes all nine states of the Amazon to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. This initiative includes the creation of an SDG monitoring mechanism and the development of proposals to raise funds to finance sustainable development activities. Currently, there are 16 [UN] entities working in the Amazonian states, and the new partnership will integrate their lines of action. By working with all Amazonian states, we will reach the 30 million people that live in the area to boost our capacity to contribute to the work of curbing deforestation, while promoting human and economic development.
COLOMBIA
In Colombia, the UN, along with partners, today launched the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan aiming to help 1.6 million vulnerable people at a cost of about $283 million.
The plan focuses on health, malnutrition and food insecurity, and ensuring protection for the most vulnerable, particularly indigenous communities.
The plan also contributes to addressing violence against civilians - particularly women and children - the movements of migrants and refugees, and climate.
POPULATION GROWTH
The Department of Economic and Social Affairs today released a new report, which analyzes how rapid population growth adds to the challenges of achieving sustainable economic and social development.
Our projections suggest that the global population could grow to a peak of almost 11 billion people by the end of this century.
The report also highlights that the rise in per capita income has been more important than population growth in driving increased production and consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases.
The report is the first in a series on major demographic trends to provide reliable data, accessible information and analysis of population patterns and trends to help guide policymaking.
FINANCE INSTITUTIONS
The UN Human Rights office today released a report which calls on development finance institutions to adopt a proactive approach to human rights violations.
The report notes that initiatives supported by these institutions often lead to adverse social and environmental impacts on individuals and communities.
WILDFIRES
In a new report, the UN Environment Programme and the NGO GRID-Arendal warn that climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense. The report projects that there will be a global increase of extreme fires of up to 14 per cent by 2030, 30 per cent by the end of 2050 and 50 per cent by the end of the century.
UNEP calls for a radical change in government spending on wildfires, shifting their investments from reaction and response to prevention and preparedness. The report also calls for a combination of data and science-based monitoring systems with indigenous knowledge and for a stronger regional and international cooperation.
The report was released ahead of the resumed 5th session of the UN Environment Assembly, which gets under way, sarting on the 28th of February, in Nairobi.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
We now have 61 Member States fully paid up. Maldives has paid its dues in full.
