HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 22 APRIL 2024
UNRWA
As we said earlier today, the Secretary-General expresses his gratitude and appreciation to Ms. Catherine Colonna, who on Saturday submitted to him her Final Report as Chair of the Independent Review Group on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), entitled “Independent review of mechanisms and procedures to ensure adherence by UNRWA to the humanitarian principle of neutrality."
The Secretary-General is also grateful to the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, the Chr. Michelsen Institute, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, for the essential research that they conducted.
The Secretary-General accepts the recommendations contained in Ms. Colonna's report. He has agreed with Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini that UNRWA, with the Secretary-General’s support, will establish an action plan to implement the recommendations contained in the Final Report.
In this regard, the Secretary-General counts on the cooperation of the donor community, the host countries and the staff to fully cooperate in the implementation of the recommendations. Moving forward, the Secretary-General appeals to all stakeholders to actively support UNRWA, as it is a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said over the weekend that he is gravely concerned by the heightened violence across the West Bank. He said that we must avoid further escalation and that attacks on civilians must stop, including settler violence. As the war in Gaza continues and regional instability mounts, West Bank stability is essential to keep alive prospects for peace, Mr. Wennesland added.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, visited Gaza yesterday for the first time since his appointment to see the situation on the ground and meet the humanitarian team. He visited sites in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah, including a shelter for the displaced and a health centre, and he spoke with members of the community.
He saw firsthand the catastrophic situation in Gaza and how the ongoing hostilities are affecting people. He spent the night in Rafah, where 1.4 million people are sheltering in dire living conditions, lacking basic necessities, including water, food, shelter and health care.
On the humanitarian response, last week, 16 of the UN partners were able to provide food assistance across Gaza – including hot meals, bread, and flour. For its part, the World Food Programme reports that four bakeries in northern Gaza have resumed their operations. Across Gaza, WFP continues to provide fuel, wheat flour and other necessary resources to 16 bakeries.
On the health front, in the past week, two emergency medical teams have been deployed to North Gaza to support Kamal Adwan and Al Awda hospitals. At present, there are 20 emergency medical teams across Gaza, including two in northern Gaza.
Meanwhile, fuel continues to be distributed daily to water and sanitation facilities, but the quantities are insufficient and inconsistent, including in northern Gaza.
FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the follow-up of the Economic and Social Council Forum on Financing for Development.
He said that while financing is the fuel of development, many developing countries are running on empty and this is creating a sustainable development crisis.
The Secretary-General underscored that right now the world is facing an annual financing gap of around $4 trillion to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. This is a sharp rise from the $2.5-trillion gap one year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that we need a surge of investment to bridge the financing gap and give developing countries a fighting chance to build better lives for their people, as well as a reform of the international financial system.
DEPUTY SECRETAY-GENERAL/TRIP
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed is in Abuja, Nigeria today to take part in a High-level African Counter-Terrorism Meeting convened by the Government of Nigeria with support from the UN Office of Counter Terrorism. Speaking during the opening session, she stressed the need to address the root causes that lead to terrorism – notably the lack of development and social inclusion. She also highlighted the importance of rebuilding the social contract, promoting African-led solutions, and fostering regional cooperation and solidarity in the fight against terrorism in Africa. I also want to note that the head of the Counter-Terrorism office, Vladimir Voronkov, also spoke at the opening of the conference and his remarks are online.
Tonight, the Deputy Secretary-General will travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the 10th session of the African Regional Forum for Sustainable Development.
She will be accompanied by Guy Rider, the Under Secretary-General for Policy and she is scheduled to meet with senior Government Officials, engage with the UN staff and other stakeholders based in the region to accelerate action on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) following the SDG Summit last year and in the lead up to the Summit of the Future in September.
After Addis, the Deputy Secretary-General will stop briefly in the United Arab Emirates, where she will meet with senior government officials to advance action on the Sustainable Development Goals in the lead up to the Transforming Education Stocktake and the Summit of the Future.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. Briefing Council members, Caroline Ziadeh, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the Mission, noted that during recent months, tensions have simmered, with one major explanation being an inability to address long standing issues through adequate communication and dialogue, whether this be between Pristina and Belgrade, or between the Kosovo Serb communities and the Pristina central authority.
Ms. Ziadeh stressed that the full implementation of the EU-facilitated agreements has become an ever more pressing priority, in order to help alleviate the continuing series of crises that have emerged in Kosovo.
And this afternoon, the Security Council will reconvene to discuss the situation in Haiti. The Head of the political mission in the country, Maria Isabel Salvador will brief Council members, as well as Ghada Waly, the Executive Director of the Office on Drugs and Crime – UNODC-, and Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s Executive Director.
SECURITY COUNCIL TOMORROW
Tomorrow, the Security Council will hold an open debate on Conflict related sexual violence. Pramila Patten, the head of the Office on Sexual Violence in Conflict will present the Secretary-General’s annual report on the same topic.
Also, ahead of tomorrow’s open debate, UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate – or CTED- have published a report on the outcome of consultations they have organized with civil society organizations that support victims of sexual and gender-based violence linked to terrorism.
These consultations were part of ongoing efforts to better understand the gaps, challenges and ways in which States could improve compliance with their counter-terrorism obligations.
HAITI
Turning to Haiti, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that despite the difficulties, the United Nations and its partners continue to support the most vulnerable people.
Since the beginning of March, UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration and the humanitarian partners have facilitated the delivery of 5.3 million liters of drinking water to more than 60,000 displaced people across 29 sites in the capital.
They also distributed thousands of hygiene kits to displaced sites.
On the health front, with the support of the Pan American Health Organization, Haiti continues to strengthen its surveillance for early detection of cholera and other potentially epidemic diseases.
And also, Carl Skau, the World Food Programme Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, has just concluded a visit to Haiti. He went to Cap Haïtien where he visited resilience projects, including a farmer association that produces bananas, beans and vegetables that WFP buys for the school meals programme in the area. He also met with displaced people who fled violence in the capital and are currently receiving food assistance. Mr. Skau will be the noon briefing guest on Thursday.
ARMENIA/AZERBAIJAN
The Secretary-General has been closely following the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He has welcomed the agreement reached on 19 April between the respective State Commissions on the delimitation of the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He encourages the parties to continue the delimitation and demarcation of the remaining sections of the border and tackle all outstanding bilateral issues toward achieving full normalization of relations.
UNICEF/EXPLOSIVE WEAPONS
On to the impact of conflicts on children worldwide, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is saying that between 2018 and 2022, explosive weapons were responsible for nearly half of the more than 47,500 instances of children killed and maimed that were verified by the United Nations, in more than 24 conflict zones globally. The vast majority of these instances occurred in populated areas.
Countries are meeting this week in Norway, at the first international follow-up conference to the Political Declaration on the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas, which was adopted in Dublin in November 2022. This will provide a crucial opportunity to better protect children, their families, and communities from armed conflict.
RESIDENT COORDINATOR - INDONESIA
The Secretary-General has appointed Gita Sabharwal of India as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Indonesia, with the host Government’s approval. Her starting day is today.
Ms. Sabharwal brings close to 30 years of experience in development supporting climate transition, sustainable peace, governance and social policy. Previously, she served as UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand and as Peacebuilding and Development Advisor at the United Nations in Sri Lanka.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
The head of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Valentine Rugwabiza, offered the UN’s condolences to the families, the Government and People of the Central African Republic following the sinking of a boat on the Oubangui River, which killed dozens of people. The UN also wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
Ms. Rugwabiza also reiterated the solidarity of the entire UN system and readiness to support efforts to assist the families.
EARTH DAY
Today is International Mother Earth Day. In his message, the Secretary-General said humanity is acting like Mother Earth’s delinquent child. “We depend on nature for the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. Yet, we have brought chaos to the natural world: poisoning our planet with pollution, wiping out species and ecosystems with abandon, and destabilising our climate with greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
The Secretary-General added that together, we must restore harmony with nature, embrace sustainable production and consumption, and protect ourselves from harm – creating jobs, reducing poverty and driving sustainable development as we do so.
GUEST TOMORROW
Tomorrow, Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), will be the noon briefing guest.
