HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 26 JANUARY 2023
SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council had an open debate today on the theme of investing in people to enhance resilience against complex challenges. The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, said that rethinking our efforts towards achieving sustainable peace is an absolute necessity.
There is only one route to durable peace, and it is the route of sustainable development, she added. It is also humanity’s ultimate prevention tool that can break through cycles of instability to address the underlying drivers of fragility and humanitarian need.
Ms. Mohammed urged Council members to keep in mind that the success of our efforts to advance sustainable peace will depend on adequate investment in peacebuilding.
SUDAN
Yesterday afternoon, the Security Council met on Sudan. Karim Khan, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, presented his latest report on the situation in Darfur.
MIDDLE EAST
Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said in a statement earlier today that he was deeply alarmed and saddened by the continuing cycle of violence in the occupied West Bank. The deaths of Palestinians, during an Israeli arrest operation in Jenin, is another stark example, he said.
Since the beginning of this year, Mr. Wennesland said, we are continuing to witness high levels of violence and other negative trends that characterized 2022. It is crucial to reduce tensions immediately and prevent more loss of life.
He urges, and remains actively engaged with, Israeli and Palestinian authorities to try to de-escalate the current tensions, restore calm, and avoid further conflict.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The U.N., along with partners today launched a $502 million appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory to help 1.6 million of the most vulnerable people who live there.
The 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan estimates that 2.1 million Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territory need humanitarian assistance. They represent 58 per cent of the population in Gaza and one quarter of people living in the West Bank.
The plan comprises more than 200 projects, which will help people access essential services, such as food, water, health care and education, as well as ways to earn a living and support to improve their mental and physical wellbeing.
PERU
In a statement on Peru, the Secretary-General said he is concerned about the number of deaths reported in the context of the protests in Peru, and he urged the authorities to conduct prompt, effective and impartial investigations into these deaths.
As demonstrations continue, the Secretary-General also urged restraint to avoid a further escalation of violence and reiterated his call on the authorities to comply with international human rights law.
He also highlighted that it is critical to generate conditions for meaningful and inclusive dialogue to address the current crisis.
COLOMBIA
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, just concluded a visit to Colombia, where he signed a new Host Country Agreement with the Government of Colombia, extending the presence of the UN’s Human Rights office in Colombia until 2032.
During his visit, Mr. Türk met with government officials including President Gustavo Petro as well as civil society representatives and representatives of indigenous and Afro-Colombian peoples. He underscored that we must all support efforts to put an end to the discrimination and levels of violence that many communities experience.
Mr. Türk will now go on to Venezuela where he will be until Saturday. He will also hold a news conference in Caracas at approximately noon on Saturday. More details can be found from our Human Rights colleagues.
HAITI
In Haiti, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has confirmed that almost 800,000 people, mainly in the capital, Port-au-Prince, have received one dose of the cholera vaccine, and that half of the people vaccinated are under 15 years old.
Cholera cases have now been confirmed in every departments of Haiti.
The UN continues to provide support to the Haitian-led effort to fight cholera, despite the challenging security situation and lack of fuel supplies. UNICEF is providing logistical support to dispatch cholera vaccine doses including portable temperature-controlled vaccine carriers and fuel to maintain the cold chain.
The International Organization for Migration is providing cholera services to people displaced by violence and the humanitarian air service is providing air service.
BRAZIL/YANOMAMI
The UN team in Brazil has been following closely the situation regarding the Yanomami people in the Amazon Rainforest. This week, after Brazilian authorities’ visit to the region, the Resident Coordinator for the UN, Silvia Rucks, met with the Minister of Human Rights to coordinate assistance with the Brazilian Government. Twelve UN agencies are preparing a proposal for an integrated response to the situation of the Yanomami people, offering immediate lifesaving support to meet the emergency needs of those communities, including initiatives targeting health and food security needs.
As you may have seen in press reports, the situation is rather dire for the Yanomami. One of the priorities is also to tackle environmental threats, including addressing grave concerns of high concentrations of mercury contamination in several rivers in the region. Mercury, as you well know, is highly toxic and is used by illegal miners to clean up gold from other sediments.
The team also offered international experts to boost support to national and local authorities.
Since last year, our colleagues in Brazil have conducted two missions to the area, to assess the needs of the Yanomami people, in coordination with national partners.
Regarding the Amazon region in general, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN on the ground has prioritized the delivery of protective and life-saving support to indigenous peoples, including migrants from neighbouring countries, in coordination with local authorities.
UKRAINE
Turning to Ukraine. On the humanitarian side, our colleagues on the ground tell us that a new wave of airstrikes this morning killed and injured civilians and damaged civilian infrastructure, mainly energy, in the capital Kyiv and at least five other regions of Ukraine.
Millions of people are facing additional power outages, mainly in Kyiv, Odesa and Vinnitsa regions. The targeting of energy infrastructure may constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
In Odesa, our colleagues on the ground say the entire city of roughly 1 million people was temporarily left without water. As fighting continues, the consequences of the airstrikes for civilians are dire. Across Ukraine, more than 18 million people need humanitarian aid.
Our Humanitarian Coordinator, and head of the UN presence in Ukraine, Denise Brown, has announced the release of $50 million from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund to support critical activities in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
We thank our donors for their contributions to this Fund.
In 2022, the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund received more than $327 million, making it the largest Country-Based Pooled Fund managed by OCHA.
And also on Ukraine, you will have seen that yesterday, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO decided to inscribe the Historic Centre of Odesa on the World Heritage List.
And Filippo Grandi, the High Commissioner for Refugees, is in Ukraine. In a Tweet, he said that he told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he was shocked by the destruction he saw, but was deeply impressed by the unbreakable spirit of the people of Ukraine.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN peacekeeping mission there reports that the situation in the country’s east remains tense, with reports of clashes between the Congolese armed forces and the M23 south and south-east of Kitchanga, in North Kivu province. Clashes were also reported in Kishishe - about 25 km north-west of Rutshuru - including the use of heavy weapons.
This follows a series of assaults two days ago by the M23 on positions of the Congolese army west of Rutshuru. This resulted in the displacement of about 4,300 households.
About 450 people sought shelter in and around the UN base in Kitchanga, where they were provided with tents, food, water and first aid. UN peacekeepers are carrying out regular patrols around the base and the neighbouring villages to deter armed groups from causing harm to civilians.
Yesterday, the Mission also reported an explosion in the city of Beni. At least 18 civilians, including 13 women, were wounded, four of whom are in critical condition. The UN Mine Action Service sent a specialized team to the scene to investigate.
NIGER
In Niger, the deputy humanitarian chief, Joyce Msuya, visited Ouallam yesterday, which is in the Tillabéri region, on the border with Mali and Burkina Faso.
Ms. Msuya said she was moved by the resilience and unity of the people she met, including internally displaced people, refugees and members of the host community.
This year, we are appealing for US$584 million to provide humanitarian assistance to people in Niger. The total number of people in need in Niger has more than doubled in the past few years, from 1.9 million in 2017 to 4.3 million in 2023. The needs are driven by displacement due to violence, the climate crisis, high poverty and low levels of development.
As we mentioned earlier, Ms. Msuya participated in the third Lake Chad Conference where more than US$500 million was announced by donors to support people facing the crisis in that area. She continues her visit in Niger today where she is meeting Government officials, partners and civil society.
MYANMAR
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime today released its newest survey on opium cultivation. The agency estimates that poppy cultivation in Myanmar has increased by 33 per cent in the first season since the military takeover. The survey also points towards more sophisticated farming practices and concentration of opium poppy cultivation.
The UN agency says that economic, security and governance disruptions that followed the military takeover have converged, and farmers in remote, often conflict-prone areas have had little option but to move back to opium cultivation.
National yield estimates indicated an average of 19.8 kilograms of opium per hectare of poppy. That’s the highest-ever estimates in Myanmar since UNODC started measuring a few years ago.
MYANMAR HUMANITARIAN
Also on Myanmar, the UN and its partners have launched an appeal for $764 million to provide life-saving support to people this year.
Acting UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Ramanathan Balakrishnan predicted a challenging year ahead for both crisis-affected people and the responding aid workers. One third of those we are aiming to help are children, 13 per cent live with a disability, and 1.6 million are displaced internally.
Last year, we assisted 3.9 million out of 6.2 million people targeted – or more than 60 per cent of the people we were trying to reach.
UNOPS
The Spokesman provided an update regarding the UN Office for Project Services -UNOPS.
Following allegations of possible misconduct concerning Vitaly Vanshelboim, the former Assistant Secretary-General and S3i Chief Executive at UNOPS, the Secretary-General initiated an internal accountability process, last year, in accordance with our own legal framework.
The accountability process has now been concluded. Mr. Vanshelboim has been separated from service with the United Nations.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Mojankunyane Gumbi of South Africa as his Special Adviser for Addressing Racism in the Workplace
The Special Adviser will provide strategic advice to the Secretary-General on addressing racism and racial discrimination, as well as oversee the implementation of the long-term Strategic Action Plan adopted by the UN in 2022 to address racism in the workplace
HONOUR ROLL
Algeria and Luxembourg have paid their contribution to the regular budget and are on the honor roll.
