HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 24 MARCH 2023
UN WATER CONFERENCE
At 4:30 pm, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at the closing of the UN 2023 Water Conference.
He is expected to reiterate that our hopes depend on bringing to life the Water Action Agenda forged this week, adding that this means game-changing, inclusive and action-oriented commitments to put safe, secure, sustainably and smartly managed water and sanitation within reach of every person on earth.
UKRAINE
The UN, the World Bank, the European Union and the Government of Ukraine launched yesterday afternoon the second Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment. It shows that after a full year of war, direct damage to infrastructure and people’s lives is calculated at more than $135 billion and social and economic losses amount to $290 billion.
Over the past 6 months the UN has produced more than 20 sectoral assessments in partnership with line ministries that informed these calculations. Housing, energy and the social sector are priorities for recovery and reconstruction, as well as addressing the damages and losses to the agricultural sector, which alone is estimated at $40 billion. According to the assessment, 80 per cent of this amount is related to productive loss in the agricultural sector and caused by destroyed equipment and mined farming land.
Also on Ukraine, today the UN Human Rights Office released two reports. One on the human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine and the other on the treatment of prisoners of war. These reports are available online.
TÜRKIYE/SYRIA
In Türkiye, the UN and its partners continue to support the Government-led response to last month’s earthquakes.
To date, UN agencies and humanitarian partners have reached nearly 535,000 people with shelter support. The International Organization for Migration estimates that 3 million people were displaced by the earthquakes in Türkiye.
About 1.7 million people are living in informal settlements, some of which lack proper water and sanitation services. Approximately 1.4 million people have received water, sanitation and hygiene support – and about 47,000 people have been provided with health services.
There are more than 345 organizations on the ground distributing hot meals to about 1.25 million people every day.
We urgently need additional funding to help more than 5 million people affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye. As of today, our flash appeal is about 20 percent funded.
And in Syria, the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to scale up our response in earthquake-affected areas across the country.
As of today, 1,035 trucks carrying humanitarian aid from seven UN agencies have crossed into northwest Syria from southern Türkiye, via the three available border crossings.
Our humanitarian partners in Al-Hassakeh and Ar-Raqqa governorates say flooding has damaged the tents of 270 families in collective shelters and informal settlements. At least 100 other families were also affected by the recent rains, with some having to temporarily relocate.
Affected families are receiving emergency ready-to-eat rations, mobile medical services, and other items from our humanitarian partners.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
In the Central African Republic, today, the peacekeeping mission, MINUSCA, facilitated a high-level conference between the Central African government and prefects aimed at promoting greater decentralization and regional ownership of the peace process.
The meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister, Felix Moloua. When she addressed the meeting, the head of the peacekeeping mission, Valentine Rugwabiza, reiterated our commitment to support national authorities to keep the momentum and accelerate efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability in the country.
SUDAN/SOUTH SUDAN
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei – otherwise known as UNISFA, the International Organization for Migration, the Food and Agriculture Organization and Concordis International, an NGO, has facilitated a successful meeting between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya of the disputed Abyei Box that lies between the borders of Sudan and South Sudan.
The ownership of land and access to water and grazing areas over the decades have been the cause of conflict between the two communities.
The four-day conference ended yesterday in Todach. At the end of the meeting, they agreed on a number of key areas, including cessation of hostilities and regular engagement and dialogue, ensuring freedom of movement within the Abyei Box without restrictions, the withdrawal of all militias and armed units from the Abyei Box and the reactivation of the Peace Committee.
SOMALIA
In Somalia, the rainy season, which normally runs from April to June, made an early start this year, bringing heavy rains to some parts of the country. According to UN partners on the ground, flash floods have killed 14 people, displaced thousands and destroyed properties.
Several displacement sites have also been inundated, raising concerns about living conditions in overcrowded settlements and inadequate shelters.
Humanitarian colleagues also tell us that the rains come amid disease outbreaks, including cholera, which are likely to increase due to the risk of people drinking contaminated water and lack of sanitation and hygiene services. We, along with our partners, are working closely with local authorities to identify needs and facilitate the response. Partners are supporting newly arrived families by providing shelter materials and hygiene kits, among other types of aid.
THE GAMBIA
The UN team in The Gambia, led by Resident Coordinator Seraphine Wakana, is helping to fight violence against women and girls through the establishment of a system that streamlines the reporting of gender-based violence cases securely and confidentially via a digital platform and a 24-hour helpline.
Since its launch in January, the “Gender Information Management System” (GIMS) has already received reports of 91 cases. The Gender Information Management System centre is supported by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), International Trade Centre (ITC), UN Development Programme (UNDP), and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), in close collaboration with national authorities.
Affected individuals are referred to essential support services, such as psychological and psychosocial support, legal support, and medical care. The UN team there will continue supporting the creation of a robust evidence base on gender-based violence and offering survivors the necessary care and support for healing and recovery.
YEMEN
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has sounded the alarm today saying that after eight years of conflict in Yemen, 11 million children are in need of one or more forms of humanitarian assistance.
The agency underscored that children in Yemen have grown up knowing little but conflict. Providing them with some room for hope of a peaceful future is absolutely critical.
UNICEF warned that millions of children there could face greater risk of being malnourished without urgent action, and said it urgently requires $484 million to continue its life-saving humanitarian response for children in Yemen in 2023. If funding is not received, UNICEF might be forced to scale down its vital assistance to vulnerable children.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Today is the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations, to pay tribute to those who have devoted their lives to promote and protect human rights for all.
And today is also World Tuberculosis Day, which aims at raising public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB.
NOON BRIEFING GUESTS
The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, and Henk WJ Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sherpa for the UN 2023 Water Conference, briefed reporters on the closing of the UN 2023 Water Conference.
