HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 29 JULY 2022
SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE
The Security Council held an open meeting this morning on Ukraine. The Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, noted that the war that was triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine is over five months old and shows no signs of ending. Instead, the fighting is intensifying.
Ms. DiCarlo said that in the face of such a grim prospect, the agreement signed on 22 July in Istanbul to facilitate the safe transportation of grain and foodstuffs from the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny constitutes a “beacon of hope” for humanity, as the Secretary-General put it. She added that the grain agreement is a sign that dialogue between the parties is possible in the search to ease human suffering. The UN is now making every effort to support the parties in operationalizing the initiative, starting with the inauguration of the Joint Coordination Centre two days ago.
Ms. DiCarlo stressed that avoiding incidents such as the recent strikes on Odesa and creating enabling conditions will be key for the initiative to succeed. It is, therefore, imperative that the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Türkiye work in partnership to effectively implement the agreement.
Ms. DiCarlo added that as the conflict enters a more protracted phase, attention is increasingly turning to its longer-term humanitarian, recovery, reconstruction, and socio-economic impact. As Summer wanes, she said, the need for winterization planning is also becoming pressing. Regrettably, she added, political dialogue has virtually ground to a halt.
Also on Ukraine, this morning, in a Tweet, Osnat Lubrani, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, said that she is in Odesa today, together with G7 ambassadors and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ms. Lubrani said that she is very hopeful for the movements of ships to take place soon, taking much needed grain and related foodstuffs from Ukraine to countries that need them the most. She added that it was an honour to talk to President Zelenskyy and to reaffirm the UN’s support to Ukraine.
As she is ending her assignment in Ukraine today, Ms. Lubrani said that her successor, Denise Brown, will take up her post tomorrow.
AFGHANISTAN
The UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, strongly condemns this afternoon’s atrocious attack at Kabul International Cricket Stadium, which has reportedly caused casualties among those attending the match. Numbers are not confirmed at this stage.
Local hospitals have reported receiving many victims.
Dr. Alakbarov who was present at the stadium at the time of the attack to address the National Cricket Association sends his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and those affected, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery. He calls for a thorough and transparent investigation, with perpetrators brought to justice.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, will arrive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo today. It will be an opportunity for him to take stock of the situation and to meet with national authorities. Mr. Lacroix will also express his solidarity with peacekeeping colleagues who are working in extremely difficult and volatile circumstances as well as share his deepest condolences with the colleagues and friends of the Indian and Moroccan peacekeepers who lost their lives during the demonstrations. Mr. Lacroix will be accompanied on the visit by the Military Adviser, General Birame Diop, and UN Police Adviser, Luis Carrillo.
The overall situation is calm in Goma today, although threats of violence against our peacekeeping bases and personnel continue to circulate on social media.
In Kiwanja, North Kivu, security forces prevented two attempts by demonstrators to breach the base and, in Nyamilima, north-west of Rutshuru, the armed forces of the DRC intervened to prevent an attack against the MONUSCO base and arrested youths carrying petrol bombs and stones. Our Mission remains on high alert.
And we also wish to acknowledge a Government meeting yesterday on the attacks against MONUSCO, that was chaired by the Prime Minister, and during which the participants called for calm and dialogue.
IRAQ
In a note to correspondents issued yesterday, the Secretary-General noted that freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental rights that must be respected at all times.
The UN has consistently called for demonstrations in Iraq to be peaceful and on the security services to exercise restraint. It is further incumbent upon all security actors to cooperate with the Government of Iraq in its efforts to ensure peaceful assembly and the protection of all state institutions, diplomatic missions and personnel in Iraq, and to deal with any verified security breaches in an effective and appropriate manner, while guaranteeing full respect for human rights.
TÜRKIYE
The Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, wrapped up a five-day visit to Türkiye today.
In Gaziantep and Hatay, Ms. Msuya met with displaced Syrian women, as well as with humanitarian partners, UN staff, donors and Turkish Government authorities involved in the UN cross-border aid response.
Ms. Msuya applauded the Government of Türkiye for supporting humanitarian work and expressed appreciation to Türkiye, which is the world’s largest refugee-hosting country, for hosting 3.7 million refugees.
As we have told you, 4.1 million people in north-west Syria rely on UN aid to meet their basic needs. Every month, we deliver food and other aid from Türkiye, reaching 2.4 million people in Syria. We are also hoping that there will be increased investment in early recovery and livelihood projects.
The current cross-border authorization will expire in six months — at the peak of winter — if the Security Council does not grant an additional extension. While efforts are under way to increase the delivery of cross-line aid from Syria, at present, such deliveries cannot replace the scope and scale of the cross-border operation.
During her visit to the UN Trans-shipment Hub in Hatay, Ms. Msuya saw the rigorous monitoring process involved in the cross-border response, stressing how this mechanism is making a real difference.
SOMALIA
From Somalia, a group of senior humanitarian directors representing UN agencies and our partners wrapped up a visit yesterday to the country, where the threat of famine is looming, with more than 7 million people already facing acute food insecurity.
The team met with people affected by the food insecurity as well as aid workers in Baidoa in South West State and Baardhere in Jubaland State. They saw the increasingly alarming situation in displacement sites, where large numbers of people continue to arrive due to a lack of water and food, as well as conflict and insecurity.
Women, children and elderly people are bearing the brunt of the crisis, with a growing number of unaccompanied children among the displaced and there being increased risks of gender-based violence in crowded displacement sites.
More than 4 million drought-affected people have been reached with assistance, but humanitarian workers face mounting challenges including insecurity and severe shortfalls in funding.
So far, 62 per cent of the nearly $1 billion required for life-saving drought response activities in Somalia has been received.
Of the more than 7 million people who are acutely food insecure, more than 200,000 of them are experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity and hundreds of thousands of young children are acutely malnourished.
Across Somalia, northern Kenya and southern and eastern Ethiopia, more than 21 million people are affected by the drought, following four consecutive failed rainy seasons. The failure of a fifth rainy season this autumn now looks increasingly likely. Funding is urgently needed to prevent a large-scale loss of life.
PROTECTION SERVICES FOR REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS
In a report released today, the UN Refugee Agency said that protection services are severely lacking for refugees and migrants making journeys from the Sahel and the Horn of Africa towards North Africa and Europe.
The report provides tailored information for refugees and migrants on services that are currently available on the different routes.
The report also highlights the gaps in available protection services, notably in shelter, access to justice, identification of survivors and the provision of responses to gender-based violence, trafficking, and for unaccompanied and separated children.
To support and assist survivors, UNHCR urges the introduction of community-based shelters and safe spaces, better access to legal services; and differentiated services for children and female survivors of trafficking and gender-based violence.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Tomorrow is the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. This year’s theme is “Use and Abuse of Technology”. In a message for the Day, the
Secretary-General notes that human trafficking is a horrific crime and an all-out assault on people’s rights, safety and dignity. Tragically, he says, it is also a problem that is growing worse — especially for women and girls, who represent the majority of detected trafficked persons globally.
The Secretary-General says that as this year’s theme reminds us, while technology can enable human trafficking, it can also be a critical tool in fighting it. He stresses that we need governments, regulators, businesses and civil society joining forces to invest in policies, laws and technology-based solutions that can identify and support victims, locate and punish perpetrators, and ensure a safe, open and secure internet for all.
The Secretary-General calls on the world to give this issue the attention and action it deserves and work to end the scourge of human trafficking once and for all.
And tomorrow is also the International Day of Friendship.
BRIEFINGS ON MONDAY
On Monday, at 1:15 p.m., there will be a briefing by Ambassador Gustavo Zlauvinen of Argentina, President-designate of the Tenth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
After that, at around 2:00 p.m., there will be a briefing by Dr. Robert Floyd, the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).
And at 4:00 p.m., there will be a briefing by Ambassador ZHANG Jun, the Permanent Representative of China and President of the Security Council for August. He will of course brief on the Council's programme of work for the month of August.
