HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 27 JULY 2021
 

KOREAN PENINSULA
I was asked earlier this morning about the latest developments on the Korean Peninsula.
I can say that the Secretary-General welcomes the announcement by the two Koreas of the resumption of the Panmunjom and inter-Korean liaison office communication channels today, as well as the reconnection of the military hotline.
The Secretary-General fully supports the continued efforts of the parties towards the improvement of their relationship, sustainable peace and complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

GUATEMALA
Also, the Secretary-General has learned of the sudden dismissal by the Guatemala’s Attorney General of Juan Francisco Sandoval, the lead prosecutor of the anti-impunity unit that worked closely with the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, known as CICIG.
It is of great concern that, since the CICIG was closed, a growing number of former prominent prosecutors have needed to leave the country - to all appearances, because of their work on accountability and justice.
The ability of prosecutors to perform their functions without intimidation and improper interference is an essential prerequisite for addressing and preventing corruption and impunity.
The Secretary-General calls on the Guatemalan authorities to enhance their efforts in strengthening the rule of law, and to respect and ensure the safety and security of justice operators, in accordance with international standards. 

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/PRE-SUMMIT FOR THE FOOD SYSTEMS SUMMIT
Moving to Rome, where the Pre-Summit for the Food Systems Summit is on its second day, this morning, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, spoke at the Ministerial Roundtable on Transforming Food Systems for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Deputy Secretary-General highlighted that the Food Systems Summit has been designed to provide national governments and other key stakeholders an opportunity to ensure that food systems are inclusive, that they are transformative and that they are fit for future generations.
Ms. Mohammed noted that, despite COVID-19 and the multiple challenges that have been associated with launching the process on a tight timescale, we have seen more than 145 governments that have appointed national dialogue conveners. She added that we hope to continue the journey with them as we move from discussions to implementation.
The Deputy Secretary-General today also met with several Government officials, food producers, indigenous people and youth representatives, among others.
Tomorrow, which is the last day of the Summit, Ms. Mohammed will take part in the event’s closing plenary and will also hold a final press briefing with the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio.
 
FOOD SYSTEMS
And to stay on the same subject: In a joint statement, the heads of UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), Henrietta Fore and Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, are calling for stronger food systems that promote healthy diets and improve nutrition for children and young people.
Globally, they said, one in three children is not growing well due to malnutrition.
They are calling on governments and decision-makers to scale up measures such as incentivizing healthy diets through price policies and improving the nutritional quality of food through mandatory fortification of staple foods.
Their full statement is online.

SECURITY COUNCIL
The Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, Atul Khare, updated the Security Council on the closure of the United Nations-African Union hybrid mission in Darfur, whose mandate was terminated at the end of 2020.
Mr. Khare told the Council that all uniformed personnel, except for a uniformed Guard Unit, have been withdrawn.
The former Mission headquarters and team sites have been closed and handed over to local authorities for civilian use in Central, South and North Darfur States.

PAKISTAN
Turning to Pakistan, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report that about half a million people in parts of Balochistan Province are facing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity. Another 100,000 people need immediate life-saving assistance due to severe drought-like conditions.
The dry spell and reduced water availability have destroyed crops and threaten livestock survival.
Balochistan is also still reeling from the effects of multiple recent disasters, including a harsh winter, a locust infestation and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Together with provincial disaster management authorities, the UN and food security sector partners are supporting livelihood projects in some of the affected districts. Assessments are ongoing.
Pakistan’s Humanitarian Response Plan, which is targeting 4.3 million people out of 11 million people in need, requires $332 million but is just 18 per cent funded.
 
ETHIOPIA
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today said that it is extremely worried about the fate of thousands of Eritrean refugees currently trapped in two refugee camps in Ethiopia’s Tigray region as fighting between armed groups escalates in and around the camps.
UNHCR says an estimated 24,000 Eritrean refugees in Mai Aini and Adi Harush camps are facing intimidation and harassment and living in constant fear. They are also cut off from humanitarian assistance.
The agency implores all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international law.
UNHCR says its staff have lost all access to the refugee camps for the last two weeks, stressing that trapped refugees need urgent life-saving assistance. Clean drinking water is running out, no healthcare services are available, and hunger is a real danger. The last food distribution to both camps was done in late June, providing rations for one month.
You can read more about this on UNHCR’s website.
  
INDONESIA/COVID-19
From Indonesia, the UN team there, led by Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand, has accelerated its COVID-19 response amid a surge in new infections and deaths in the country.
WHO has recently helped to strengthen the monitoring of movement restrictions. WHO has also trained 31,000 frontline responders.
The UN Children’s Fund continues to help the Government address the immediate and longer-term effects of the pandemic on children through ensuring that education continues and that children are protected.
More than 16.2 million vaccine doses have arrived in Indonesia through COVAX. Our team is helping to distribute these vaccines and has trained health workers on monitoring the vaccine supply chain.
 
AFRICA/COVID-19
Also on COVID-19, some updates from our colleagues in Africa.
Liberia received more than 300,000 vaccine doses from the United States through COVAX. This will allow Liberia to resume its vaccination campaign.
The UN team, led by Niels Scott, continues supporting authorities, including by helping with the transportation and customs clearance of the vaccines, as well as supporting the cold chain system.
We are also working to strengthen contact tracing and expand the capacity of laboratories.
Also recently receiving vaccines from the US through COVAX was Tanzania, which will distribute these doses in the regions most affected by the virus.
WHO and UNICEF have been helping develop national and regional vaccination plans and are engaging with communities to provide accurate information and dispel misconceptions.
In addition, the UN team also helped to improve infection prevention and control and raised funds to increase oxygen therapy capacity.