Noon briefing of 10 October 2022

You will have seen that we issued a statement today in which the Secretary-General said that he is deeply shocked by today's large-scale missile attacks by the armed forces of the Russian Federation on cities across Ukraine. Those attacks reportedly resulted in widespread damage to civilian areas and led to dozens of people being killed and injured. He stressed that this constitutes another unacceptable escalation of the war and, as always, civilians are paying the highest price.
Despite today’s strikes, humanitarian assistance continued to be delivered to people in desperate need of support, that’s according to our Humanitarian Coordinator on the ground, Denise Brown. She also asserted that humanitarian aid will not stop. And she, of course, expressed her own shock at the events today.

HAITI HUMANITARIAN
Turning to Haiti and the situation on the ground there. I’ll start off first with the humanitarian situation where, as of yesterday, there were 32 confirmed cholera cases, 224 suspected, and 16 confirmed deaths.
Despite access and logistical challenges, we and our humanitarian partners are supporting the Ministry of Health on the cholera response. More than 43 health facilities around Port-au-Prince and the Centre region have been identified and will be used to treat cholera patients. Twelve health facilities are currently receiving patients for treatment.
Water points have been installed and water and sanitation teams have begun to do training and chlorination interventions. Risk Communication and Community Engagement efforts are ongoing and currently target 1 million people a day with text messages in creole.
Also, cases of cholera have been identified in the National prison in Port-au-Prince. As of yesterday, according to the authorities, there were 2 confirmed cases, 9 deaths and 39 suspected cases of cholera. The national authorities are investigating the situation to identify the source, and they have been mounting an urgent response. UN agencies in the country are accompanying the Haitian government in efforts to investigate and respond to this outbreak through the rapid provision of medical and sanitation supplies as well as through technical advice for case management and infection prevention as well as control measures.
The UN system has provided the national prison authority with an ad hoc protocol to prevent and minimize, as much as possible, the outbreak and its implications.
On Friday, the Emergency Relief Coordinator announced a grant for $7 million from the Emergency Response Fund to try to address the cholera response. The current Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti for 2022 remains severely underfunded, it’s about under 20 per cent currently.
We urgently appeal for funds from the international community to address the cholera outbreak as well as other pressing humanitarian needs in the country. Of course, the ability to address the humanitarian need better is linked to the security situation.

HAITI
And in a statement we issued yesterday, the Secretary-General said that he remains gravely concerned about the situation in Haiti.
He reiterated that the blockage of the Varreux fuel terminal has brought critical services required to prevent the rapid spread of cholera to a stand-still, including the distribution of potable water. Again, he said, the most vulnerable are hit the hardest and the priority must be to save lives.
He urged the international community, including the members of the Security Council, to consider as a matter of urgency the request by the Haitian Government for the immediate deployment of an international specialized armed force to address the humanitarian crisis, including securing the free movement of water, fuel, food and medical supplies from main ports and airports to communities and health care facilities.
Yesterday, as you will have seen the Secretary-General submitted to the Security Council a letter with options for enhanced security support to Haiti, as requested by the Council in its resolution 2645.
Finally, the Secretary-General also renewed his call on Haitian stakeholders to rise above their differences and to engage, without any further delay, in a peaceful and inclusive dialogue on a constructive way forward.

VENEZUELA
Staying in this hemisphere, you will have seen the landslides in Venezuela, and I can tell you that the Secretary-General was deeply saddened to learn about the devastating landslide in Tejerías, in Venezuela. He extends his sincere condolences to the people and Government of Venezuela, particularly those who have lost family members, homes and livelihoods.
Our Country Team is currently coordinating with national authorities to see how we can best assist them in this terrible time.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Brussels, where she participated in the annual conference of European Union Ambassadors that took place today. The conference focused on EU-UN cooperation on the ground, and on leveraging the role of UN Resident Coordinators and EU heads of delegations to maximize the impact of our work and implement the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms. Mohammed also met senior EU officials, including Josep Borrell, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Jutta Urpilainen, the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, as well as parliamentarians. She also met the UN team in Brussels and on Sunday, she visited communities of Ukrainian refugees currently living and being hosted in Belgium.

SYRIA
Moving on to Syria and the humanitarian situation there, with the winter season is expected to be one of the toughest for the country, due to fuel and energy shortages and the worsening socio-economic situation. 
Some six million people will require humanitarian assistance to cope with harsh winter conditions, a 33 per cent increase compared to last year. 
This year’s winter response strategy focuses on helping people most at risk, including those living in remote and high-altitude areas and the most vulnerable, such as children, the elderly, pregnant women, people with disabilities and people with chronic medical conditions. 
Among those prioritized for assistance are displaced people who live in tents or makeshift shelters, including 800,000 people residing in tents in north-west Syria.
Some $200 million is urgently needed to fill the funding gap and allow our partners to meet winter-related needs between October and March. 

SRI LANKA
And an update for you from Sri Lanka where our team there, led by Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, continues to support the country in response to the socio-economic crisis. By the end of September, the $47.2 million joint Humanitarian Plan had reached over 1 million people out of a total target of 1.7 million highly vulnerable people with assistance on food security, agriculture, nutrition, water, protection, and health. To date, cash assistance from the World Food Programme has reached more than 150,000 people. And a first consignment of WFP-purchased rice has recently landed and will support one million children with school meals for three months. For its part, the other food agency, the Food and Agricultural Organization is boosting rice production and providing fertilizers to farmers. FAO has also provided cash assistance to over 6,800 small-scale fisherfolk in Sri Lanka’s four poorest districts.

CLIMATE
A climate note, today OCHA and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies released a report which says that heatwaves [account] for some of the deadliest disasters and are intensifying.
Ahead of COP27 in Egypt next month, the report details how extreme heat events foreshadow a less habitable world and says that countries must take aggressive steps now to avert potentially recurrent heat disasters.
The report also offers concrete steps that humanitarians and decision makers can take to mitigate extreme heat’s worst impact.
More online.

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY
Today – very important date - is World Mental Health Day. In a message for the Day, the Secretary-General notes that nearly 1 billion people live with a mental health condition, but mental health remains one of the most neglected aspects of healthcare.
The Secretary-General stressed that we must strengthen the capacity of health services to offer quality care to those in need, in particular young people, adding that we must also address stigma and discrimination and we must prevent the root causes of mental health conditions, including violence and abuse. That’s it from me. James and then Betul.