Noon briefing of 11 November 2022

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANIE TREMBLAY,

ASSOCIATE SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

FRIDAY, 11 NOVEMBER 2022

The Secretary-General spoke at the ASEAN-UN Summit which is taking place in Phnom Penh, in Cambodia. He told leaders that geopolitical divides are contributing to global insecurity, triggering new conflicts and making it increasingly difficult to end old ones.  
He also warned that there is a growing risk that the global economy will be divided into two parts, led by the two biggest economies – the United States and China. “A divided global economy, with two different sets of rules, two dominant currencies, two internets, and two conflicting strategies on artificial intelligence, would undermine the world’s capacity to respond to the dramatic challenges we face,” he said, adding that this decoupling must be avoided at all costs and that ASEAN member states are particularly well-placed to help bridge it. 
On the subject of Myanmar, the Secretary-General repeated his call on the Myanmar authorities to release all political prisoners and to launch an inclusive process immediately to return to a democratic transition. This is the only route to lasting peace and security, he said. 
And on climate, the Secretary-General said that more climate ambition is needed from ASEAN countries, starting with the elimination of all new coal investments and the phasing out of coal power by 2030 for OECD countries, and 2040 for all others. 
And tomorrow, he will be addressing reporters in the morning, I believe, and holding bilateral meetings with leaders on the sidelines of the Summit.   And the remarks that he delivered have been shared; they are in your inboxes.

UKRAINE
In Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues continue to expand their operations and pre-position supplies to deliver to areas which are experiencing active hostilities as well as to places that have recently shifted control.
Over the past four weeks, the UN and our partners sent six inter-agency humanitarian convoys to support people in areas of the Kharkiv and Kherson regions which have recently become accessible to international organizations.
The last convoy was last Friday, and it brought water, hygiene products, medicines, shelter kits and other winter supplies to more than 7,500 people in three different communities in the Kherson region.
The need to provide humanitarian assistance is becoming more urgent due to the energy crisis in the country.
People in Kyiv today are facing emergency power cuts, in addition to the scheduled daily outages.
Attacks often impact the electrical water pumping system and the provision of piped water to people’s homes.
We and our partners continue to work to increase emergency water and hygiene services.
UNICEF has just signed an agreement with the Ukrainian Association of Water companies to help them accelerate urgent repair of damaged water supply and sewage systems. UNICEF has also provided financial assistance to water companies in several cities to ensure uninterrupted water supplies.
Across the country, humanitarian organizations have reached more than 5.7 million people with water, sanitation and hygiene services since February.

REFUGEES/WINTER
The UN Refugee Agency said today that millions of people from Ukraine, Afghanistan and across the Middle East who have been displaced by conflict or persecution could face a perilous winter.
Perilous temperatures are adding to the misery already induced by spiraling prices, the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and extreme weather linked to the climate crisis.
UNHCR warns that, for many of the world’s forcibly displaced, this coming winter will be far more challenging than it was in recent years.
The agency has launched a global winter fundraising campaign to help forcibly displaced families meet their most urgent needs during the coldest months of the year.
You can read more on this on UNHCR’s website.

AFGHANISTAN
In response to some of your questions yesterday on Afghanistan, I can tell you that the UN Mission there, UNAMA, is in regular engagement with the de facto authorities, advocating to remove continuing restrictions and to enable the full enjoyment of their rights by Afghan women and girls.
This includes advocacy for the re-opening of girls’ secondary schools, for women’s right to work, including in the public sector, for women’s freedom of movement and freedom of expression. This engagement happens at all levels, from mission leadership to field offices.
And on the specific issue of access to parks – which was raised yesterday - UNAMA is following up with the de facto authorities and will call on them to enable women and girls to continue to access and enjoy open spaces and facilities that provide for their health and well-being and that of their children.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our Humanitarian Coordinator, Bruno Lemarquis, has warned about the humanitarian consequences of renewed violence in the east of the country in Rutshuru Territory in North Kivu province.
As we mentioned before, since 20th October resumed fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group has forced thousands to flee their homes. The total number of civilians displaced to date is more than 230,000.
While 54 percent of the displaced live with host families, thousands more are occupying schools, hospitals, churches and other improvised sites.
This violence also impacts education with more than 76,000 children having their schooling interrupted.
In this tense security situation, we are providing clean water and hygiene services to the displaced, while our partners distributed food to some 65,000 people.
Humanitarian colleagues also tell us that they are working with provincial authorities to identify sites where displaced people can be temporarily housed.
The humanitarian situation in North Kivu adds to a complex and deteriorating humanitarian situation, particularly in the East of the country.
In the neighbouring province of Ituri, violence and attacks on sites for displaced persons has led to massive population movements. Ituri and North Kivu provinces alone are home to 64 percent of the country's 5.7 million displaced men, women and children.

MOZAMBIQUE
In Mozambique – and in particular the Cabo Delgado province - the World Food Programme there is warning that they will be forced to suspend their assistance to one million people - at the peak of the hunger season in February - unless additional funding is urgently received.
WFP’s funding situation has been worrisome for some time, and we have mentioned it in other countries around the world where this is the case for that agency and others.
In addition to challenges to fund WFP’s food assistance operations there, they are faced with funding shortfalls for the Humanitarian Air Service – better known as UNHAS - that it runs on behalf of the entire humanitarian community. In most remote areas of the north, UNHAS is the only air service available for aid workers.
To continue delivering life-saving assistance to one million people, and to provide much-needed services, the World Food Programme requires US$ 51 million.

SENIOR PEACEBUILDING TRAVEL
The Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Elizabeth Spehar, is on an official visit this week to Japan and the Republic of Korea. I believe one of your colleagues yesterday was asking me about this. I can tell you that she is currently in Seoul.
In Tokyo, she met with Government officials, parliamentarians, civil society and academia to deepen collaboration on peacebuilding and sustaining peace. She met with students at the UN University in Tokyo where she spoke about the New Challenges for Multilateralism and Peace and the Secretary-General’s report on Our Common Agenda as well as the New Agenda for Peace. She also met students at the University of Tokyo to learn about their peacebuilding initiatives and perspectives. While in the Republic of Korea, Ms. Spehar met with senior government officials today.

GLOBAL TOWNHALL 2022 ONLINE EVENT
In response to a question I received about the Global Townhall 2022 online event called ‘Sustaining Peace and Development in a Divided World’. I can tell you that the UN had no role in determining participation in the event. That was a matter for the organizers.
The UN informed the organizers that its senior officials were no longer in a position to participate.