HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2024
 

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT 
The Secretary-General will be travelling to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday, for an official visit to the country and to attend the Eighth Summit for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).  
At the opening of the summit on Friday, he will highlight the importance of solidarity in the region to find solutions to common problems such as armed conflict and organized crime, getting countries back on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and addressing the climate emergency.  
The Secretary-General is expected to meet with the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent, Ralph Gonsalves, and other leaders attending the event.  
He will also visit an area impacted by the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano and see some of the ongoing reconstruction efforts, including infrastructure, housing and reforestation.  
 
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT   
Tonight, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel to São Paulo, Brazil, to attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting.  
The meeting comes at a critical time when the economic outlook across countries is diverging, with many of the world's poorest countries struggling to service their debts. 
In São Paulo, the Deputy Secretary-General will advance the Secretary-General’s calls for reform of the international financial architecture, and support for an SDG Stimulus to enable countries to recover from the setbacks to development caused by recent shocks to the global economy.  

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO  
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has handed over a first base to the government, as part of its disengagement plan from South Kivu. 
The base was established in Kamanyola in 2005 and will now be managed by the Congolese National Police. 
The Head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, praised the commitment and work of the Pakistani peacekeepers who, for 19 years, have worked to protect civilians, in coordination with the national defence and security forces. In Kamanyola, MONUSCO has supported the establishment of local protection committees bringing together communities working alongside the local authorities on issues of security and protection of civilians. A community early warning system is also now in place there.             
The joint memorandum signed in November last year by the Congolese government and the UN peacekeeping mission identified South Kivu as the first province from which it is to withdraw as part of its orderly, responsible and phased withdrawal from the country. 

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 
United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reports that, in response to incidents and alerts in Zémio and its surroundings in Haut-Mbomou prefecture in the southeastern part of the country, UN peacekeepers, working in close coordination with the Central African armed forces, took immediate steps to protect civilians in these localities and help restore calm.  
The situation deteriorated in Zémio following a recent attack on Kere village by Azande militia, which killed five civilians. There are also reports of intercommunal tensions and risk of clashes between Azande militia and another armed group.   
Meanwhile, peacekeepers on patrol detected the presence of armed individuals near the Bilibili village close to the town of Am-Dafock in the Vakaga prefecture. The individuals fled the area, towards the Sudanese border, when confronted by peacekeepers.
The Mission recently established a temporary operating base in the town of Am-Dafock, close to the border with Sudan, to secure the area, protect civilians and help reduce tensions. 
 
SUDAN 
A shipment of wheat donated by Ukraine to the UN World Food Programme’s Sudan operation has arrived in Port Sudan and is being loaded onto WFP trucks for emergency food distributions. The shipment – part of Ukraine's humanitarian 'Grain from Ukraine' initiative – was made possible by the German Federal Foreign Office, which covered entire operating costs of €15 million.  
The 7,600 tonnes of flour will be provided to families, many of whom have fled their homes due to the fighting and are struggling every day to meet their food needs.  
WFP notes that currently nearly 18 million people face acute food insecurity in Sudan, of which nearly 5 million are in emergency levels of hunger (IPC4). WFP has already provided around 7 million people with emergency food and nutrition support since the conflict began last April yet needs continue to grow. 
 
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 
In a briefing yesterday afternoon, Ramesh Rajansingham, Director of Coordination for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told the Security Council that currently, at least 576,000 people in Gaza – one-quarter of the population – are one step away from famine; with one in six children under 2 years of age in northern Gaza suffering from acute malnutrition and wasting; and practically the entire population of Gaza is left to rely on woefully inadequate humanitarian food assistance to survive.  
He said that we continue ceaselessly to plan, search and call for solutions to overcome the hurdles that would allow us to scale up food delivery and health services. In the immediate term, this includes clearer security guarantees; a better humanitarian notification system to minimize risks; fewer restrictions on telecommunications equipment; the removal of unexploded ordnance; and the use of all possible entry points. 
Carl Skau, the Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), told Council members that Gaza is seeing the worst level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world. He said that WFP is ready to swiftly expand and scale up operations if there is a ceasefire agreement.  But in the meantime, the risk of famine is being fueled by the inability to bring critical food supplies into Gaza in sufficient quantities, and the almost impossible operating conditions faced by staff on the ground. 
 
NOON BRIEFING GUEST 
Noon briefing guest today is Ms. Ulrika Richardson, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti.