NOON BRIEFING GUEST
Good afternoon. I see our friend Ramiz is already on the line. Ramiz Alakbarov is - as you know - is the Deputy Special Representative in the UN’s Mission in Afghanistan and he’ll be here to brief you about the humanitarian situation in Aghhanistan and he’s live from Kabul.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
A senior appointment. Today, the Secretary-General is announcing that Oscar Fernandez-Taranco of Argentina will take over the job as Assistant Secretary-General for Development Coordination.
He succeeds Robert Piper of Australia. The Secretary-General is deeply grateful for Mr. Piper’s dedicated service and commitment and his steadfast stewardship in operationalizing the new Development Coordination Office.
Mr. Fernandez-Taranco has over 30 years of experience in the UN System, having worked at Headquarters and in the field - managing development, political, peacebuilding, human rights and humanitarian operations in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific as well as Europe. He is currently Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Development Coordination. And we give a big hearty congratulations to our friend Oscar.
ETHIOPIA
The Secretary-General is on his way to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, where he will arrive in the coming hours. As we told you yesterday, he will take part tomorrow in the 6th session of the African Union-UN annual conference. Those discussions will be co-chaired by the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
In Addis Ababa, he will also have an early morning meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and he will also meet the Federal President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde.
Also on Ethiopia, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed conflict, Virginia Gamba, today said the peace agreement brokered by the African Union is a milestone that provides an important opportunity to prioritize the protection of children, including by incorporating their rights and needs in the mediation process and peace discussions.
CHINA
In a statement we issued a few hours ago, the Secretary-General said he was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the former President of the People’s Republic of China, Jiang Zemin.
Jiang Zemin was a steadfast advocate for international engagement. His tenure was marked by substantial economic progress and China’s successful accession to the World Trade Organization. Under his leadership, China hosted the landmark 4th World Conference on Women in 1995. In September 2000, he participated in the Millennium Summit here at the United Nations.
The Secretary-General said he will never forget Jiang Zemin’s personal warmth and openness, as well as the excellent cooperation that he enjoyed when he was Prime Minister of Portugal to ensure the smooth transition of the handover to China of the administration of Macau.
The Secretary-General offered his sincere condolences to Jiang Zemin’s family and to the Government and people of the People’s Republic of China.
MALI
Quick note from Mali where the UN peacekeeping mission in the country reports that a Malian individual contractor was killed earlier today by an Improvised Explosive Device in the town of Kidal. The civilian, who works with the UN Mine Action Service, was riding a motorbike. The Mission strongly condemned the attack and conveyed its condolences to the family of the deceased.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Turning to the Central African Republic, the peacekeeping mission there expressed its availability to support the Government’s investigation into the explosions heard near a military camp in Bossangoa, in the Ouham prefecture, that took place in the early morning of 28 November.
The Mission reinforced the security of its camp in Bossangoa and dispatched patrols to observe the situation.
NIGERIA
In Nigeria, our humanitarian colleagues are calling on the Government and the donor community to urgently unlock resources to support children amid a deteriorating nutrition crisis.
Nearly 6 million children under the age of five in the north of the country are estimated to suffer from acute malnutrition from May until April 2023. More than 512,000 pregnant and lactating women are also estimated to suffer from acute malnutrition. In addition, more than 650,000 hectares of farmland were damaged in the recent flooding that impacted Nigeria. We and our partners are concerned that this will aggravate the situation.
The Food and Agriculture Organization will scale up the production and distribution of supplementary food powder to 10,000 households with funding from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.
FAO also plans to distribute food vouchers for 5,000 families, distribute poultry, goats and feed to over 8,000 households, and support 14,000 other households with dry season food production kits.
We are calling for resources to sustain and scale up these humanitarian interventions. Currently, the humanitarian response plan for the north-east is currently less than 50 per cent funded.
GLOBAL WAGE REPORT
Quick note that the International Labour Organization today released a report showing that the severe inflationary crisis combined with a global slowdown in economic growth – driven in part by the war in Ukraine and the global energy crisis – are causing a striking fall in real monthly wages in many countries. The organization estimates that global monthly wages fell in real terms to minus 0.9 per cent in the first half of this year – the first time this century that real global wage growth has been negative.
The report says that inflation is also biting into the purchasing power of minimum wages. Estimates show that despite nominal adjustments taking place, accelerating price inflation is quickly eroding the real value of minimum wages in many countries for which data is available.
INTERNET
Also out of Geneva, the International Telecommunication Union today released its Facts and Figures, the annual worldwide overview on the state of digital connectivity. It shows that in 2022, the Internet has become more affordable in all regions of the world and among all income groups.
Cost, however, remains a major obstacle to Internet access, especially in low-income economies. For the first time, ITU's Facts and Figures also features global and regional estimates for mobile phone ownership, revealing that almost three-quarters of the global population aged 10 and over own a mobile phone in 2022. Mobile phones are the most common gateway to Internet use, with the percentage of ownership serving as an indicator of Internet availability and access.
DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ALL VICTIMS OF CHEMICAL WARFARE
Today is the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare.
In a tweet posted earlier today, the Secretary-General noted that the shadow cast by chemical weapons has claimed countless victims across the globe. He stressed that on this Day, we must honour them, and reaffirm our commitment to achieve a world free from this threat.
HYBRID BRIEFING TOMORROW
Tomorrow at 12:30 p.m., there will be a hybrid briefing by the Permanent Representative of India Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, who as you know is the President of the Security Council for the month of December. She will brief you on the Council’s programme for the month.
BAGUETTE
And despite the loss today by France it’s not a complete loss for France because our colleagues at UNESCO have had the wisdom to recognize that the venerable Baguette belongs on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. As the UNESCO citation says, Baguettes are recognized for “their crisp crust and chewy texture that result in a specific sensory experience.” Exactly, alright Edie. Ask me anything about baguettes in New York.
