HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

FRIDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2018

 

UNRWA
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees, better known as UNRWA, said today in a press release that the Ministerial Meeting that was held yesterday raised a remarkable $122 million for the agency. Kuwait, the European Union, Germany, Norway, France, Belgium and Ireland announced additional funding commitments. 
The meeting represented a crucial step in the efforts to overcome the Agency’s remaining shortfall of $186 Million and sustain UNRWA’s operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. 
The agency’s Commissioner-General, Pierre Krähenbühl, thanked Member States for their extraordinary support and said the meeting was a moment of commitment and solidarity with Palestine refugees. He said the results of the New York meeting added to the support received from other partners this year, representing a very significant achievement.  

PACIFIC ISLANDS
The Secretary-General this morning spoke at the meeting of Pacific Islands Forum Leaders.
He noted the Pacific Islands are on the front line of climate change, which he sees as an absolute priority, adding that the region’s voices and experiences are pivotal.
The Secretary-General recognized that the Pacific region is vulnerable to disasters, commending recent government-led responses to such tragedies.
With several countries moving closer to meeting the graduation criteria from the category of Least Developed Countries, he stressed that the UN system is committed to ensuring that these countries continue to have to the support to continue a sustained path to development and prosperity.

NIGERIA
In a statement issued last night, the Secretary-General expressed his sadness to learn of the loss of life in flooding caused by heavy seasonal rains in Nigeria. The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Nigeria. 

SYRIA
Our humanitarian colleagues in Syria tell us that the military campaign against Da’esh in the northeastern rural Deir Ezzour  area of the country has resulted in the displacement of 30,000 people since June.
The situation of internally displaced people in makeshift camps is reportedly dire, with lack of access to healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene, and other services. 
Displaced people are reportedly in poor health and need urgent medical care. Some children and women are reportedly suffering from Dyspnea, difficult or laboured breathing, due to dust and heat.  
The UN continues to provide assistance to those in need. This Wednesday, the UN dispatched food, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene assistance, sufficient for 5,000 people who are internally displaced in the area. Additionally, on the 25th, a mobile clinic provided health services to the Gharanij area.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
Yesterday, the Deputy Secretary-General spoke on behalf of the Secretary-General at the third High-level Meeting on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, which is responsible for some 70 percent of deaths globally.
The Deputy Secretary-General noted that with an increasingly globalized world, longer life expectancy, a rapidly changing climate and an increasing level of urbanization, the world is witnessing shifts that are increasing the burden of non-communicable diseases.
Also yesterday, the Deputy Secretary-General made remarks at a High-level Dialogue on Africa’s Health and Finance, where she expressed her pride in the tremendous improvements in health across the African continent, but also noted the progress has been slow and uneven. 

DRC
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is gravely concerned for the safety of tens of thousands of civilians in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with attacks by armed groups on the rise in Beni, North Kivu Province, and further north, in Ituri Province.
In August alone, some 13,000 people fled their homes in Beni; an attack in the area by the ADF-NALU [Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda] last weekend killed more than 20 people, most of them civilians. 

SOUTH SUDAN
In a new report released today, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) say relentless conflict and insecurity throughout South Sudan’s annual lean season has pushed 6.1 million people - nearly 60 percent of the population – in extreme hunger.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report found that large-scale humanitarian assistance in many areas of the country was the only factor that prevented an even more devastating outcome. 
The three agencies called for a sustainable peace across South Sudan, and unhindered, safe access to all areas where people need life-saving assistance.

CLIMATE
Last night, the UN Climate Change Secretariat announced 15 recipients of the 2018 UN ‘Momentum for Change’ climate action award who will be recognized at the Climate Conference in Poland in December. 
The winners include: the creators of a mobile app that promotes the fight against food waste, a football club in the United Kingdom promoting sustainable behavior, and an initiative in Sri Lanka to preserve the mangrove forests. 

INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Today is the International Day for Universal Access to Information, which calls for ensuring public access to information and protection of fundamental freedoms. It also encourages countries to adopt legislation and develop policies for multilingualism and cultural diversity in the cyberspace and ensuring that women and men with disabilities are integrated.
Today is also World Rabies Day, which seeks to raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight the progress in defeating this horrid disease.