UKRAINE
The Secretary-General welcomes the discussions and reported commitments reached in Saudi Arabia by the United States, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
Reaching an agreement on freedom of navigation in the Black Sea to ensure the protection of civilian vessels and port infrastructure, will be a crucial contribution to the global food security and supply chains, reflecting the importance of trade routes from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation to global markets.
The United Nations has been working consistently, especially following the letters the Secretary-General sent to Presidents Zelenskyy, Putin and Erdogan on 7 February 2024 putting forward a proposal for the safe and free navigation in the Black Sea.
The United Nations also remains closely engaged in the continued implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Russian Federation on facilitating access of Russian food and fertilizers to global markets to address global food security.
The Secretary-General's good offices remain available to support all efforts towards peace.
The Secretary-General reiterates his hope that such efforts will pave the way for a durable ceasefire and contribute to achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions and in full respect of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
That statement is now being shared with you electronically.
UKRAINE/SECURITY COUNCIL
Further on Ukraine: Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya briefed Security Council members this morning and said that since 1 March, not a day has passed without an attack harming civilians in that country. She said we are particularly appalled by the strikes countrywide on 7 March that killed 21 civilians and injured many more, making it one of the deadliest days this year.
Across Ukraine, Ms. Msuya said, almost 13 million people need humanitarian assistance. More than 10 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes, including 3.7 million of them who are internally displaced. This displacement is disproportionately affecting women and girls, heightening their exposure to gender-based violence and hindering their access to support services, she told the members of the Security Council. She told that recent funding cuts have led to a reprioritization of Ukraine response efforts that will be announced in the coming weeks. Continued financial support will be essential to maintain our operations there.
UKRAINE/HUMANITARIAN
Further on Ukraine from the ground, our colleagues in Ukraine tell us that today, an inter-agency convoy delivered vital aid to one of the most affected communities in the Donetsk region. This is the fourth convoy to front-lines communities in the region this year.
Humanitarians brought in six metric tonnes of medical, hygiene and other critical supplies, including those for older people, to help some 1,500 residents remaining in the community of Kostiantynivka.
Local residents there face daily shelling. Homes and critical civilian infrastructure have been damaged and electricity, water and the gas supply have been disrupted.
PACT FOR THE FUTURE
Today, the Secretary-General this morning addressed an informal meeting of the General Assembly on the implementation of the Pact for the Future.
He reiterated that the adoption of the Pact last September was the beginning of the process and not the end.
Today, the Secretary-General shared an update on the work done in the past six months. But – as you can imagine, he highlighted the work ahead, focusing on four key areas: peace and security, finance for development, youth and future generations, as well as technology.
We face a long list of challenges, Mr. Guterres told Members States, geopolitical divisions and mistrust are blocking effective action, with some actively questioning the value of international cooperation and the multilateral system itself.
But, he added, that it is exactly because of the divides and the mistrusts that the Pact for the Future and the two parallel documents are more important than ever.
CLIMATE
Earlier this morning, the Secretary-General spoke virtually to the High-Level Segment of the 16th Petersberg Climate Dialogue, which is taking place in Germany. He said that renewables are powering growth, creating jobs, lowering energy bills, and cleaning our air. And every day, they become an even smarter investment, he added. The Secretary-General also underscored that to meet the long-term 1.5 degree Celsius limit, leadership is needed, and he noted that the new national climate plans – or NDCs – due by September are a unique opportunity for Member State to deliver – and for them to lay out a coherent vision for a just green transition.
RENEWABLES
The International Renewable Energy Agency, IRENA, today released new figures showing that renewables accounted for over 90 per cent of total power expansion globally in 2024. As in previous years, most of the increase occurred in Asia, with the greatest share being contributed by China.
Commenting on these figures, the Secretary-General said that renewable energy is powering down the fossil fuel age. Record-breaking growth is creating jobs, lowering energy bills and cleaning our air. But the shift to clean energy must be faster and it must be fairer – with all countries given the chance to fully benefit from cheap, clean renewable energy.
IRENA also said that although 2024 marks yet another benchmark in renewable energy capacity and growth, progress still falls short of the 11.2 terawatts needed to align with the global goal to triple installed renewable energy capacity by 2030. To reach this goal, renewable capacity must now expand by 16.6 per cent annually until 2030.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is underscoring the severity of the situation unfolding there. Relentless bombardment and daily displacement orders – coupled with the ongoing blockade on cargo entering Gaza and systematic denials of humanitarian movements inside the Strip – are having a devastating impact on the entire population of more than 2 million people.
OCHA warns that everything in Gaza is running out: supplies, time and life. The space for families to survive is shrinking, as new Israeli displacement orders are issued by the day. Just a few hours ago, another order was issued for neighbourhoods in Gaza city, following reported rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups. These orders now cover 17 per cent of Gaza – roughly 61 square kilometres. In just one week, 142,000 people have been displaced, and that number is now expected to rise.
OCHA says that with every wave of displacement, thousands of people lose not just their shelter, but also access to essentials such as food, drinking water, and healthcare.
And as a reminder that these latest directives follow repeated displacement orders between 7 October 2023 and January 2025, during which time 90 per cent of Gaza's population was displaced at least once.
OCHA notes that the Israeli cargo closure imposed on all crossings into Gaza is now in its fourth week. Our humanitarian partners are warning that, as a result, medical stocks, cooking gas and fuel needed to power bakeries or ambulances are running dangerously low. Prices are skyrocketing and humanitarian provisions are now being rationed. The UN Population Fund says incubators, ultrasound devices and oxygen pumps – all vital for newborns with complications – remain stuck at the border.
OCHA also reports that the Israeli forces have also expanded the areas within Gaza where they are requiring humanitarian organizations to coordinate their movements with them in advance – and routinely denying such requests. Between 18 and 24 March, 40 out of nearly 50 coordinated aid movements were denied – that’s 82 per cent. And today, half of our coordinated missions were denied – that’s five out of ten.
OCHA warns that when humanitarian access is denied, tasks as critical as picking up essential supplies or refueling a bakery are effectively blocked.
SUDAN
The High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed today his shock by reports that hundreds of civilians were killed and scores injured in airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces on a busy market in Tora village in North Darfur, that took place on 24 March.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that there are disturbing reports that some of the injured are dying due to lack of access to timely medical care in El Fasher, where ongoing siege and hostilities have forced most health facilities to just shut down.
Ms. Clementine Nkweta-Salami, our Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, said that Monday’s horrific attack on the Tora market in North Darfur is yet another stark reminder of the growing disregard for human life and international humanitarian law during this conflict. She unequivocally condemned all deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
Markets, hospitals, schools, mosques and private homes are not battlegrounds, she stressed, and yet civilians are being killed in the very places were they should feel the safest.
Once again, we call for the protection of civilians and safe passage for those fleeing areas of active conflict. Humanitarian access must also be ensured to all people in need – across North Darfur and beyond get what they need.
And I’ve been asked repeatedly about our presence there, I can tell you that given the extremely volatile security situation in parts of North Darfur state, we do not currently have a direct operational presence in Tora or El Fasher.
SOUTH SUDAN
We have been updating you about the worsening situation in that country. Our peacekeeping mission there has renewed its calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urgent dialogue between the Parties to de-escalate tensions and restore calm. In the past 24 hours, clashes have reportedly taken place between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition and those have been taking place in the south and west of the capital city, Juba.
The Head of the mission, Nicholas Haysom, is urging the country's leaders to prevent a relapse into widespread violence by recommitting to the Revitalized Peace Agreement, including strictly adhering to the ceasefire, resolving grievances through dialogue and reconvening a truly unified government.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Our peacekeeping colleagues tell us that attacks in Ituri have recently increased, targeting civilians near sites for displaced people, and those sites are on farmland and around mining areas concentrated in Djugu and Mahagi territories.
In this context, peacekeepers have facilitated government-led consultations with several armed groups, including CODECO and the Zaire groups, directly leading to the surrender of 171 members of the Zaire armed group.
Meanwhile, peacekeepers continue to maintain a presence in hotspots and regularly patrol main supply routes, providing direct protection for more than 100,000 displaced civilians.
And just two days ago, on 24 March, peacekeepers repelled an attack by the CODECO armed group against the Lodha site for displaced people, working in cooperation with Congolese army patrols.
In parallel, in the first two months of the year, Formed Police Units in Bunia conducted 310 patrols to support protection activities in inside camps for internally displaced people.
HAITI
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that escalating attacks on populated areas have forced repeated and record-level displacements in the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan area.
OCHA warns that the scale and pace of displacement is rapidly outpacing the capacity of humanitarian actors to respond.
Nearly 23,000 people were displaced in just a week in mid-March, that’s what the International Organization for Migration is telling us, with families seeking shelter in already severely overcrowded sites, with minimal essential services such as water, sanitation, healthcare and protection were among those displaced.
Meanwhile, OCHA tells us that cholera continues to pose a serious public health threat, particularly in displacement sites.
The public ministry of health in Haiti, UNICEF and partners are jointly intensifying cholera prevention efforts, such as distributing cholera kits, promoting hygiene activities and strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene services to contain the spread of the disease.
Food security remains alarming: beyond the worrying situation in the capital, almost half of the entire population – that’s 5.5 million human beings – is going hungry, one of the highest proportions in any crisis around the world.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization is working with Haitian authorities to restore access to food by providing farmers with seeds and tools to promote household-level food security.
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of the Biological Weapons Convention. In a message to mark the anniversary, the Secretary-General said that the Convention has contributed to collective efforts to reject the use of disease as a weapon.
The Biological Weapons Convention now has 188 States parties. The Secretary-General called on the nine governments that have not yet joined the Convention to do so without delay, so that the world can stand united against biological weapons.
CLARIFICATION
And just a clarification at yesterday’s briefing I answered a question from Stefano whom I don’t see here. I had indicated that the UN had adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
I would like to clarify that the UN Secretariat has not adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism. As recently stated in the recently published report a few months ago, the UN Action Plan to Enhance Monitoring and Response to Antisemitism, the Secretariat does not endorse any specific definition.
However, the Secretary-General as you know has clearly, repeatedly and forcefully spoken out against all forms of antisemitism – and will continue to do so.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
North Macedonia and Romania have paid up their budget dues. We are now at 83 fully paid Member States.
