HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 16 DECEMBER 2020
ETHIOPIA
In Ethiopia, the UN Senior leadership in country including the Resident Coordinator, Dr. Catherine Sozi, the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mr. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the Special Representative of the Secretary General to the UN Office to the African Union, Ms. Hanna Tetteh, and the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Ms. Vera Songwe met yesterday with the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Mr. Demeke Mekonnen Hassen. In their discussions, they reiterated the UN’s call for full humanitarian access, protection of civilians and restoration of basic services.
Also on Ethiopia, the International Organization for Migration is helping people who have fled Tigray as it awaits greater access to the region itself.
IOM has assessed 10 districts in the Afar and Amhara regions, which are hosting people who have fled Tigray.
The agency provided water and other supplies, as well as sanitation services, in Kebero Meda camp in the town of Gondar in North Amhara.
Most of the people in the sites hosting displaced people from Tigray are women and children, many of whom fled without their belongings.
SYRIA
Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy for Syria, briefed the Security Council this morning on the work of the constitutional committee and other recent developments. He said that, thanks to the existing arrangements, including those involving Russia, Turkey and the United States, a fragile calm continues, although this falls well short of the nationwide ceasefire envisaged in resolution 2254.
Mr. Pederson warned that with five international armies operating in Syria, the country remains a tinderbox for a major international incident, with potential implications across the region.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock also briefed. He told Council members that the number of reported COVID-19 cases in Syria continues to rise, though limited testing in all parts of the country makes the extent of the outbreak impossible to assess with certainty.
Mr. Lowcock also warned that prices of subsidized bread have doubled, while the price of subsidized diesel more than doubled since September. Meanwhile, he added, hostilities have been continuing in northern Syria in recent weeks, putting civilians at risk.
LIBYA
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) applauds the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Libya for the decision taken in this morning’s long-awaited meeting to unify the exchange rate. The Mission calls the decision an important and much needed step towards alleviating the suffering of the Libyan people and a good sign that this vital sovereign institution is moving towards unification.
The Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Stephanie Williams, stressed that this is the moment for all Libyans — particularly the country’s political actors — to demonstrate similar courage, determination and leadership for the sake of the Libyan people.
SENIOR APPOINTMENT
The Secretary-General has appointed Raisedon Zenenga of Zimbabwe as Assistant Secretary-General and Mission Coordinator to the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). This position is established pursuant to Security Council resolution 2542 (2020). That is not the Special Envoy position that you’ve been asking me about, just so there’s clarity.
Mr. Zenenga brings with him diverse and substantial experience in supporting political processes and mediation, proven skills in managing complex peace operations, and significant experience in working with Government and other key stakeholders in conflict and post-conflict settings. He has over 30 years of United Nations, Government and diplomatic service experience.
He has also served most recently as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General at the UNAssistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). And we congratulate Rai on this appointment.
SOUTH SUDAN
Yesterday afternoon, Security Council members met on South Sudan.
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, told members of the Council that millions of South Sudanese people have been pushed to a breaking point. Violence, flooding, the pandemic, and a deteriorating economy are making an already bad humanitarian crisis much worse.
Mr. Lowcock reiterated three things that need to happen now to prevent the problem from worsening: first, violence must be de-escalated; second, there must be unhindered access to reach people in need; and lastly, the Humanitarian Response Plan needs additional funding, particularly to deal with severe food insecurity.
Also briefing was the Special Representative, and head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, David Shearer, said that there has been some progress in South Sudan, pointing to the formation of a transitional government.
But he said that progress is lagging, with the dispute over governorships leaving a local vacuum of power, which makes it difficult to nip brewing intercommunal violence in the bud.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
In the Central African Republic, the UN Mission has reinforced security in Bossangoa and Koro-M'poko, both in the Ouham prefecture. This happened yesterday after hundreds of protesters, including anti-Balaka combatants, demonstrated following the invalidation of the candidacy of former President François Bozizé, and that candidacy is to the forthcoming presidential elections.
Later in the day, the Mission also reported tensions between anti-Balaka and Internal Security Forces after the arrest of a local anti-Balaka leader. Following the incident, peacekeepers and national defense troops increased patrols in the zone.
The UN Mission also reports that ballots for the presidential elections arrived in Bangui yesterday. Our colleagues are supporting their distribution throughout the country, while continuing to work closely with the national authorities to secure the elections. This includes assisting with the deployment of national military and internal security forces, increasing patrols and establishing additional Temporary Operational Bases.
YEMEN
In Yemen, the UN response plan remains less than half-funded, it’s funded at 49%. The total plan calls for more than $3 billion. The current level today is less than half as much as agencies received last year. We’re now helping only about nine million people every month, down from a peak of 13 million earlier this year.
More than 80 per cent of Yemenis need humanitarian assistance and protection.
Next year, more than half of all Yemenis will go hungry and we expect five million people to be living just one step away from famine and about 50,000 people to be living in famine-like conditions.
Preventing famine is the top priority right now. Everyone must do everything they can to prevent famine from taking hold. This includes increasing humanitarian funding; supporting the economy through foreign-exchange injections; and pushing for an end to the violence. The Secretary-General has called on everyone to avoid any steps that could make the situation worse.
FIJI
In Fiji, UN humanitarian colleagues say that Tropical Cyclone Yasa has intensified into a Category 5 storm and continues to move slowly towards the country. The cyclone is expected to make landfall on Friday morning.
The UN in Suva is liaising closely with the Government and stands ready to support national emergency response efforts.
The Pacific Humanitarian Team is also upgrading preparedness procedures with humanitarian partners and is coordinating with relevant authorities in Fiji.
COVID-19/KAZAKHSTAN
In Kazakhstan, the UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Michaela Friberg-Storey, is supporting authorities as they address a surge in cases. Leading the UN team’s health response, since March, the World Health Organization has sent more than 76 tons of material to support health workers responding to the pandemic.
For its part, the UN Children’s Fund continues supporting school psychologists and staff, children, adolescents and their families to promote mental health and prevent violence, as well as cyberbullying during distance learning. The UN Development Programme has also developed regulatory guidelines for case treatment of medical COVID-19 waste, and the International Organization for Migration has assisted more than 5,000 migrants and victims of trafficking.
The UN Population Fund for its part, has helped develop the 2021-2025 National Mother and Child Health Strategy and Action Plan, with local authorities. And these are guidelines on prevention and control of infections in health-care.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
The Spokesman thanked Lesotho and Costa Rica. Both countries have paid up their dues in full for 2020, which takes us to 139 fully paid-up Member States.
