HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 29 APRIL 2021

CYPRUS
Today, in Geneva, the Secretary-General concluded the informal 5+1 talks on the Cyprus issue. 
At a press briefing, the Secretary-General said that they had conducted extensive consultations in a succession of bilateral meetings and plenary meetings in order to try to reach common ground. 
He told journalists that they had not yet found enough common ground to allow for the resumption of formal negotiations, but he stressed that he has not given up. 
My agenda is very simple, António Guterres said, and that is to fight for the security and well-being of the Cypriots, of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots, that deserve to live in peace and prosperity together.  
The next step, the Secretary-General added, is for him to convene, in the near future, another meeting of the 5+1 with the objective to move in the direction of reaching common ground to allow for formal negotiations to start.  
In addition to the Cyprus meetings, the Secretary-General also met staff representatives in Geneva.

RUSSIA
The Secretary-General will travel to Moscow next month, on 12 May, at the invitation of the Government of the Russian Federation.

LIBYA
The Special Envoy for Libya, Ján Kubiš, has been back in Libya since Monday. Mr. Kubiš is briefing the members of the Security Council in an informal session today.
In recent days, he has met with Libyan interlocutors and officials to advance the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement and the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) Roadmap, leading up to the holding of national elections on 24 December 2021. That has included meetings with the country’s prime minister, deputy prime minister and foreign minister.
On Tuesday, Mr. Kubiš was received by the Joint Military Commission (JMC) at its Headquarters in Sirte. The Special Envoy and the Joint Military Commission members held a fruitful exchange on wide range of issues, notably focusing on how to advance the full implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement signed in Geneva on 23 October 2020.

ETHIOPIA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that the complex and unpredictable security situation continues to impede the freedom of humanitarian movement to reach people in need in Ethiopia, in the Tigray region.
Nearly six months into the conflict, most rural areas remain cut off from communications and electricity, impacting access to health services and water supply, among others. Food insecurity remains dire, with an estimated 4.5 million people in need of food assistance across Tigray.
The UN, along with its humanitarian partners, continue to scale up its response, including identification and support to gender-based violence survivors.
Since the end of March, the World Food Programme (WFP) has distributed nearly 9,000 metric tonnes of food, reaching nearly 529,000 people in North Western and Southern Zones. WFP have also distributed food to nearly 34,000 people in the towns of Edgahamus and Atsibi. More than 700,000 people were reached with water trucking services last week.
So far, UN partners have reached 285,000 displaced people with shelter and non-food items – only 10 per cent of the targeted population. Meanwhile, the preparation of a displacement site in Mekelle with capacity for more than 19,000 people is ongoing, including building shelters, access roads and latrines.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that the response remains inadequate to the needs. Additional capacity, funds, as well as unimpeded and safe access, are needed to scale up to the level needed to respond across Tigray.

BURUNDI
At the end of a two-day visit to Burundi, the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said he was encouraged to see an increased focus on finding solutions for refugees, especially for Burundians.
Since 2017, at least 145,000 Burundian refugees have received help to return home. On average, 2,000 people are being assisted to voluntarily return each week from Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania.
The High Commissioner reiterated the commitment of the UN Refugees Agency (UNHCR) to continue facilitating the return of Burundian refugees.
In February, UNHCR, together with the Government of Burundi and 19 partners, launched the Joint Refugee Return and Reintegration Plan. The plan is seeking $104.3 million to assist returnees and the communities where they are returning. It is less than 10 per cent funded.

MADAGASCAR
The World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that unrelenting drought in southern Madagascar is forcing hundreds of thousands of people to the brink of famine.
At least 1.35 million people need emergency food and nutrition assistance.
Acute malnutrition in children under five has almost doubled over the last four months. A recent assessment conducted by the Ministry of Health states that 16.5 per cent of children in the South are suffering from malnutrition. In one district, the malnutrition rates have crossed 27 per cent.
Currently, up to 80 per cent of the population in certain areas in the south is resorting to desperate survival measures such as eating locusts, raw red cactus fruits or wild leaves.
The 2021 harvest prospects are poor. Food production this year is expected to be less than 40 per cent of the last five-year average.
WFP has been progressively assisting up to 750,000 people through food and cash distributions each month. The agency is calling for $74 million to finance operations for the next six months.

COVAX/ALBANIA
Albania received its second shipment of COVAX doses earlier this month. More than 430,000 people have been vaccinated in the country since January.
Albania will receive enough doses from COVAX to vaccinate 20 per cent of its population by the end of this year.
The UN team has helped with communications campaigns to boost vaccinations and prevent the spread of COVID-19. The International Labour Organization (ILO) is supporting women who have been impacted by the pandemic, including by providing cash to women who lost their jobs in the textile industry.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also been supporting education through an online platform geared towards the most vulnerable children, while the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has been distributing food and counseling to refugees and others.

COVID-19/BHUTAN
In Bhutan, the UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Gerald Daly, has helped the Government vaccinate everyone eligible in the country in one week, with 30 per cent of the people vaccinated within the first two days.
The UN fully support Bhutan's equitable approach to the vaccination programme, with doses made available to every eligible resident – both citizens and non-citizens.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) helped authorities prepare for and apply for COVAX assistance, as well as procuring cold chain equipment and training health workers. The UN team also helped to develop the national vaccine plan and an online portal to register for vaccines.
For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) has helped to raise awareness on the importance of vaccinations.

TIMOR LESTE/FLOODS
In the wake of heavy flooding in Timor-Leste, the UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Roy Trivedy, is continuing to support the Government’s response while also working to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UN and our partners have provided more than $10 million for the flood response. More than 30,000 households have been affected across the country and more than 2,000 hectares of farmland producing food have also been affected by the flooding.
Nearly 4,000 people remain temporarily displaced across the capital, Dili, alone. Health and water and sanitation remains a priority.

REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) today warned of the continued increase of refugee and migrant deaths at sea after the latest reports of at least 17 people dying in the North Atlantic while attempting to reach the Canary Islands.
UNHCR and IOM noted that according to initial reports, the Spanish search-and-rescue teams came to the aid of a vessel in distress detected some 500 kilometres south of the Canary Island of El Hierro on 27 April afternoon. A Spanish Air Force helicopter found only three survivors on board the vessel, two men and a woman, and 17 bodies on the deck of the boat.
The UN agencies noted that some 200 people are estimated to have lost their lives at sea this year along the route to the Canary Islands and the Western Mediterranean route to Spain. Of those, nearly 90 perished at sea en route to the Canary Islands, including at least eight children and six women.
 
UN POPULATION FUND 
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has been informed that the Government of the United Kingdom intends to implement an approximate 85 per cent cut to UNFPA Supplies, the UNFPA flagship programme for family planning, this year.
UNFPA’s Executive Director, Dr. Natalia Kanem, said these cuts will be devastating for women and girls and their families across the world.
UNFPA recognizes the challenging situation facing many donor governments, yet deeply regrets the decision of its longstanding partner and advocate to step away from its commitments at a time when inequalities are deepening and international solidarity is needed more than ever.
UNFPA calls on all of its partners and allies to come together and secure the vitality of UNFPA Supplies and of all its programmes.

CONTRIBUTIONS
Bangladesh, Qatar and Uzbekistan have now paid their regular budget dues. This takes the number of fully paid-up Member States to 97.