HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 24 AUGUST 2021
AFGHANISTAN/SECRETARY-GENERAL
In a video message to the UN personnel in Afghanistan, the Secretary-General thanked the staff for everything that they are doing to support the Afghan people in this time of crisis.
He also noted that most of the UN personnel, especially humanitarians, want to stay and deliver to respond to the dramatic needs of the Afghan people. But, he added, he shares their concern, anxiety and pain, stressing that the safety of all United Nations personnel in Afghanistan is his top priority.
The Secretary-General said that we are doing everything in our power, namely through the permanent engagement with all relevant actors, and will continue to do so to ensure staff safety and well-being, and to find external solutions where they are needed.
AFGHANISTAN/ UN AGENCIES
The World Health Organization said it has been distributing life-saving supplies to health facilities and its partners in Kabul, Kandahar and Kunduz. However, WHO said that it now only has enough supplies in-country to last for one week and that yesterday, 70% of the supplies were released to health facilities.
According to WHO, more than 500 metric tonnes of medicines and supplies remain in their warehouses in Dubai. They were ready and planned to be delivered to Afghanistan this week, but Kabul airport remains closed to commercial flights, and based on operational and security constraints, countries sending in empty planes to pick up evacuees do not feel they are able to help at this point.
For its part, the World Food Programme said that operations have been underway at all World Food Programme Afghan field offices as well as Kabul. However, WFP also warned that it is due to run out of some food stocks such as wheat flour as early as October, and it requires immediate upfront funds to support the millions of people depending on them to deliver food.
The UN Development Programme, for its part, also continues to deliver assistance to people in Afghanistan. UNDP has distributed corn, tomato, cucumber, squash, okra and 40 kg of fertilizer to 600 farmers in rural Nangahar for the next cropping season so that they can continue selling in local markets.
AFGHANISTAN/HUMAN RIGHTS
this morning, in a special session on Afghanistan, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said that in recent weeks, her Office has received harrowing and credible reports of the impact on civilians of violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law, by parties to the conflict. Ms. Bachelet said that in particular, her Office has received credible reports of serious violations taking place in many areas under the effective control of the Taliban.
She noted that many people now fear reprisals by the Taliban against those working with the Government or the international community, people who have worked to advance human rights and justice, or those whose lifestyles and opinions are simply perceived to be opposed by the Taliban ideology. She underscored that international human rights law is immutable, and that enjoyment of human rights is not subject to changes in control of territory or de facto authority.
Her full remarks were shared with you.
HAITI
Ramesh Rajasingham, the acting Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, continues to visit Haiti today to see the impact of the earthquake and the international humanitarian response in the most impacted parts of the country.
He is meeting with local authorities and affected people in the community of Maniche, located north of Les Cayes in the Sud Department. About 2,600 houses there were destroyed or severely damaged.
As you can imagine, additional human and financial resources are needed to respond to the crisis and tomorrow, a flash appeal for Haiti will be launched in Port-au-Prince.
On Thursday, Mr. Rajasingham and Bruno Lemarquis, the humanitarian coordinator for Haiti, will be guests at the noon briefing. They will brief journalists remotely from Haiti.
SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council had an open meeting on Syria.
Briefing Council members virtually, the Special Envoy, Geir Pedersen, said that regrettably, there has been an escalation in fighting in many parts of Syria, including in Deraa governorate.
He stressed the need to work towards a nationwide ceasefire, pointing to the intensification in Russian mediation efforts in recent days.
He also noted that the issues facing Syrians are far from solely being in the hands of the Syrians, stressing that a constructive international diplomacy is plainly needed.
Mr. Pedersen also said last month’s adoption by the Security Council of Resolution 2585 was important. He urged Council members, who came together for that resolution, to keep working in that same direction: to help facilitate a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of the men and women of Syria, and restores Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity, as envisioned in resolution 2254.
Also speaking was the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths.
He said that ongoing hostilities, economic crisis, water shortages, and COVID-19 are driving humanitarian needs for millions of already vulnerable people to some of the highest levels since the start of the conflict.
He also emphasized the need to improve the protection of civilians, alleviate the economic crisis, address the water crisis, and curb the spread of the virus to boost humanitarian access.
He also announced that he would be travelling to Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey in the near future.
YEMEN
The UN Refugee Agency warned of alarming levels of humanitarian needs among displaced people as fighting continues in Marib.
UNHCR says that, since the beginning of the year, nearly 24,000 people have been uprooted by armed clashes, shelling and air strikes in Marib, a region that is already hosting a quarter of Yemen’s four million internally displaced people.
UNHCR says conditions at settlements for displaced people are deplorable, being overcrowded and having been damaged by floods and fires due to open-fire cooking.
Only 21 per cent of the residents are reachable by aid organizations due to the fighting. UNHCR is calling on all parties to the conflict to ensure unimpeded access to the settlements and to guarantee the safe delivery of lifesaving assistance.
More on the website.
COVID-19/BRAZIL
In Brazil, the UN team there, led by the Resident Coordinator, Silvia Rucks, continues to help increase medical capacity, including through the purchase medical supplies, personal protective equipment, and medicine.
In the north of the country, we provided 1.3 million personal protective items in Amapá state and helped procure medicine in the state of Rondônia.
UNICEF and UN Women, together with local indigenous organizations, held workshops on gender-based violence, sanitation, hygiene, and COVID-19 treatment for more than 500 indigenous people in Roraima and Pará states.
UN Women also provided food and agricultural tools to indigenous women in Roraima, Amazonas, and Maranhão states, while the UN Refugee Agency helped refugees get documents, including indigenous people from Brazil and Venezuela.
UNFPA, for its part, provided birth support kits to help 1,400 midwives in the state of Amazonas.
CHILDREN
UNICEF warned today that the first day of school has been indefinitely postponed for some 140 million first-time students around the world due to the pandemic.
For some eight million of these students, the wait for their first day of in-person learning has been over a year and counting, as they live in places where schools have been closed throughout the pandemic.
UNICEF said the associated consequences of school closures – learning loss, mental distress, missed vaccinations, heightened risk of dropping out, child labour, and child marriage – will be felt by many children, especially the youngest learners in critical development stages.
The agency is urging governments to reopen schools for in-person learning as soon as possible, and to provide a comprehensive recovery response for students which includes support for teachers and remedial learning to help students catch up on lost time.
