TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
On Saturday, the Secretary-General will begin a Ramadan solidarity visit to Senegal, Niger and Nigeria, during which he will also highlight the impact of the Ukraine war on the African continent.
The Secretary-General will meet and share an Iftar dinner with President Macky Sall of Senegal, who assumed the Presidency of the African Union earlier this year. He will also take part in Eid celebrations with President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger and he is scheduled to meet President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria.
In the three countries, the Secretary-General will have meetings with senior government officials as well as civil society representatives, including women, youth groups and religious leaders. He will meet families deeply affected by violence and instability in the Sahel, including people internally displaced and refugees. Mr. Guterres will also see first-hand the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and will assess progress and challenges to the COVID-19 recovery.
The Secretary-General began annual Ramadan solidarity visits when he was High Commissioner for Refugees, but the tradition was interrupted by the pandemic. This year, he will also use the visit to express his solidarity with victims of terrorism in the region.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/UKRAINE
The Secretary-General left Kyiv earlier today, and we shared yesterday afternoon the transcript of the press encounter he had with President Zelenskyy following their meeting.
In his press remarks, the Secretary-General told the Ukrainian people that “the world sees you, hears you, and is in awe of your resilience and resolve.” He added that words of solidarity are not enough, and that he was in Ukraine to zero in on needs on the ground and scale up operations.
He discussed our efforts to provide cash assistance to two million people by August and to expand food aid to reach six million people by June.
And he added that as we keep pushing for a full-scale ceasefire, we will also keep striving for immediate practical steps to save lives and reduce human suffering, including through effective humanitarian corridors, local cessation of hostilities and safe passage for civilian and supply routes.
Later, the Secretary-General met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal and they discussed the stepping up of UN humanitarian support to Ukraine.
JORDAN
The Secretary-General spoke by phone today to H.E. Mr. Ayman Safadi, the Foreign Minister of Jordan. They discussed the situation in Jerusalem, recognizing that it had improved. The Secretary-General called on all to do their utmost to ensure that calm continues, especially during the holy days. The Secretary-General reiterated the need to keep the status quo around the Holy Sites and to avoid any provocation.
UKRAINE
Also on Ukraine, the International Organization for Migration today appealed for $514 million to support its continued response to the humanitarian needs of war-affected people in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. IOM notes that since the start of the war, more than 7.7 million people have been internally displaced in Ukraine and more than five million refugees and at least 233,000 third country nationals have sought safety across the border in neighbouring countries.
The IOM Flash Appeal aims to reach more than eight million people in Ukraine and two million people who have fled the country.
AFGHANISTAN
The United Nations in Afghanistan condemned in the strongest terms today’s deadly attack in a Sufi Mosque in the Darulaman area of Kabul, which reportedly resulted in scores dead and wounded.
Today’s attack on the Khalifa Sahib Mosque is the latest in a series of indiscriminate assaults on civilian targets in the capital and provinces, and directly affected at least two UN staff members and their families who were inside the mosque at the time of the attack.
Mette Knudsen, the UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, noted that today’s attack, carried out on the last Friday of the Holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of the Eid-ul-Fitr, totally disregards human lives and religious sanctity. She said that no words are strong enough to condemn this despicable act, targeting a place of worship, as Muslims across Afghanistan prepare to celebrate the Eid.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Our colleagues from the UN peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic report that combatants from two armed groups, the UPC and FRPC attacked members of the central African armed forces in Nzacko in the Mbomou prefecture. The attack resulted in the killing and wounding of several soldiers and also caused the displacement of civilians.
The UN Mission dispatched a patrol to assess the situation and help restore security in the area.
Meanwhile, the UN Mission received reports that, in the Ouham Prefecture on Wednesday, other security personnel present in the Central African Republic conducted an operation near Kouki against anti-Balaka and MPC/FPRC combatants, allegedly killing and injuring civilians.
Peacekeepers have been on the ground since yesterday, and the mission is launching an investigation into the incident.
ETHIOPIA
In Northern Ethiopia, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that assistance continues to be delivered to people impacted by the conflict. Since 1 April, 142 trucks of food aid, and 10 fuel tankers, have arrived in Tigray in three convoys via the road from Semera in Afar.
So far, about 3,400 metric tons of food have been brought into Tigray with these convoys. These deliveries have been dispatched to priority districts and two refugee camps, as well as Mekelle. Distribution is ongoing, but these supplies remain far below what is required to meet the level of need.
Response is also ongoing in the conflict-affected areas of Amhara and Afar and neighbouring Tigray. Since late December, 10 million people have received food aid delivered by the Government, the UN, and NGO partners.
In Amhara, over 104,000 people were assisted by the UN and partners during the past week and in the Afar region, 83,000 people received food assistance in the past week.
Close to 700,000 people have been assisted under the current round of food distribution.
SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council has been meeting this morning on the question of Syria’s reported chemical weapons programme. Members were briefed by Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.
Prior to that, the Security Council unanimously extended the mandate of the UN Mission in Libya by three months, until the end of July.
CENTRAL AND WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN
The UN Refugee Agency today said that more than 3,000 people died or went missing while attempting to cross the Central and Western Mediterranean and Atlantic last year to Europe. UNHCR called for urgent support to prevent deaths and protect refugees and asylum seekers who are embarking on dangerous journeys by land and sea.
According to UNHCR, of the 2021 total, 1,924 people were reported dead or missing on the Central and Western Mediterranean routes. An additional 1,153 people perished or went missing on the Northwest African maritime route to the Canary Islands.
The UN Refugee Agency noted that most of the sea crossings took place in packed, unseaworthy, inflatable boats – many of which capsized or were deflated leading to the loss of life. UNHCR added that land routes also continue to be highly dangerous, where even greater numbers may have died on journeys through the Sahara Desert and remote border areas, in detention centres, or while in the captivity of smugglers or traffickers.
CHINA/COVID-19
Our UN team in China, led by Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee, is contributing to the country’s COVID-19 response. The World Health Organization is implementing a joint vaccination campaign with authorities, with the UN team boosting outreach on prevention and vaccination, guidance on mental health and physical activity during the pandemic and parenting tips during lockdowns. Our team is also supporting stronger, more accessible and sustainable health and social protection systems that focus on vulnerable groups. This includes boosting women-led small and medium enterprises, cash assistance to refugees and asylum-seekers, while ensuring they are vaccinated and have personal protection equipment. The team is also supporting the Global Humanitarian Response Hub in Guangzhou, helping raise $3.5 million to support nutrition improvement initiatives in China, Cambodia, and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Our team is also providing guidance to the education sector, including for persons with disabilities. For its part, UNICEF is helping deliver COVAX-backed Chinese vaccines to several countries, including Syria and Yemen.
ENVIRONMENT
A new report from the UN Environment Programme and partners found that the glacier-capped mountains of South Asia, which provide billions of people with drinking water, are warming at an alarming rate.
According to the report, the region, known as the Third Pole for the massive amount of ice it contains, has been warming at almost twice the global mean. While the area is getting wetter for now, experts fear that in the decades to come, the retreat of glaciers may lead to water shortages across South and East Asia.
HOLIDAY
Monday as you know, is Eid al-Fitr, and the UN will be closed. We will, as always, be available to you via electronic means, but we will see you back here on Tuesday.
And, on Tuesday at 12:45 p.m., the United States Representative and President of the Security Council for the month of May, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, will be in this room to brief you on the Council’s programme for the month of May.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
And to round out the week, we have had a payment to the regular budget from the Philippines. Salamat po. Thanks to that we have reached 94 fully paid-up Member States.
