HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 7 MARCH 2023
SECRETARY-GENERAL/UKRAINE
The Secretary-General arrived in Poland earlier this morning. He is currently in Ukraine, making his way to Kyiv, where on Wednesday, he will meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in all its aspects, as well as other pertinent issues.
This is the Secretary-General’s third visit to Ukraine in the past year.
Mr. Guterres will be back in United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday afternoon.
DSG TRAVELS
Tomorrow morning, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, will travel to Doha, Qatar, to attend the Closing of the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5). She will deliver keynote remarks and participate in a Roundtable on “Supporting Sustainable and Irreversible Graduation from the Least Developed Country Category”. During the trip, she will also meet with senior Government officials.
On Sunday, 12 March, she will travel to Beirut, Lebanon to attend the ninth session of the Arab Regional Forum for Sustainable Development and meet with senior Government officials, UN Resident Coordinators in the Arab region, senior regional UN officials and other stakeholders.
The Deputy Secretary-General will return to New York on Wednesday [15 March].
LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
In Doha, at the fifth Conference on the Least Developed Countries, also known as LDC5, the Secretary-General of the Conference, Rabab Fatima, addressed the closing of the LDC5 Private Sector Forum. She reinforced the need for investment and partnerships in the least developed countries and welcomed announcements including initiatives to increase access to sustainable energy in LDCs; help expand internet access and usage in LDCs; address some of the root causes of climate change and boost the tourism industry.
The European Union announced cooperation agreements advancing sustainable investments in Africa amounting to more than $138 million, and the Green Climate Fund announced a project to give $80 million in equity to offer green guarantees to business in LDCs.
In addition, the UN World Tourism Organization announced a new $10.6 million fund to support sustainable tourism in the LDCs.
WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY
This morning, Sima Bahous, the Executive Director of UN Women, briefed Security Council members at the open debate on Women, Peace and Security.
Ms. Bahous said that we need a radical change of direction because despite witnessing some historic firsts for gender equality over the past twenty years, we have neither significantly changed the composition of peace tables, nor the impunity enjoyed by those who commit atrocities against women and girls.
Ms. Bahous suggested a radical change involving mandatory participation of women in every meeting and decision-making process in which we have authority. She also advocated for mandates, quotas, funding earmarks, incentives, and consequences for non-compliance of this participation.
In addition, she said that we need to broaden our reach to get resources to those who most need them - and don’t have them through the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund.
AFGHANISTAN
The International Labour Organization today released a report showing that female employment levels in Afghanistan have fallen sharply since the Taliban administration took over in 2021. According to the ILO, in the fourth quarter of 2022 female employment is estimated to have been 25 per cent lower than in the second quarter of 2021, before the crisis.
Male employment levels are down seven per cent in the same period.
SYRIA
The UN continues to scale up the response to earthquake-affected areas across Syria, where at least 8.8 million people have been affected.
Today, 34 truckloads of aid from the International Organization for Migration, the UN Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization and the World Food Programme crossed into northwest Syria. Since February 9th, a total of 617 trucks have crossed the three border crossings.
The UN has also so far completed 19 cross-border missions to northwest Syria since the first interagency visit to Idleb on February 14th. Yesterday, a UN delegation comprising representatives from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNICEF, WHO, the UN Population Fund and IOM met with local authorities at the Bab al-Salama border crossing to discuss the most prominent needs in the area. They also visited the town of Jandairis to conduct water, sanitation and hygiene and health assessments for the newly-established reception and collective centers.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, indicated that fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group continues in North Kivu province, despite the ceasefire that came into effect today, in compliance with the recent decisions of the African Union Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa.
Clashes were also reported yesterday in parts of Rutshuru and Masisi territories, and in the town of Sake.
The Secretary-General reiterates his call on the M23 to respect the ceasefire to create conditions for its full and effective withdrawal from all occupied areas in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. He condemns all violence against civilians and renews his call on all Congolese and foreign armed groups to lay down their weapons and disarm unconditionally.
ABYEI
The Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, Atul Khare, has concluded a two-day visit to the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei. He traveled there to assess the progress made on the troop’s transition from a single-country mission to a multinational peacekeeping mission.
Mr. Khare visited the Vietnamese and Indian contingents and commended the transition - in the past few months - of nearly 5,000 troops from Ethiopia - who have returned home safely - and their replacement by contingents from various countries and the arrival of their contingent-owned equipment.
TROPICAL STORM FREDDY
Moving to Southern Africa, we continue to follow Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which approached the south-western coast of Madagascar two days ago [March 5th]. The cyclone brought heavy rains to the city of Toliara and surrounding areas, which left at least four people dead, more than 13,000 people displaced, and 3,800 houses flooded or damaged.
According to the World Meteorological organization, this cyclone is on track to break the record as the longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record.
Freddy first made landfall on the eastern coast of Madagascar on February 21st. At least 226,000 people were impacted, including 148,000 who need humanitarian assistance, according to the Government and humanitarian partners.
We are working with our partners and authorities to help affected people in the south-western areas of Madagascar. UNICEF is helping to open temporary accommodation sites and providing materials for the to supply drinking water, vaccines and food for malnourished children. The World Food Programme is providing food.
In the south-eastern part of the country, we and our partners are continuing to assist those hit by Freddy’s first landfall. At least 74,000 people are receiving food assistance, shelter and kitchen kits for 13,000 households [have been distributed], and about over 4,000 women and girls have received dignity kits.
In the days ahead, we will be closely watching Mozambique, where Freddy is due to make a second landfall later in the week as a Tropical Cyclone.
SOMALIA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that fighting in the city of Laas Caanood in Sool Region is entering its fifth week. According to local authorities, more than 200,000 people have fled their homes. The UN Human Rights Office says that at least 80 people died and hundreds have been injured.
Our humanitarian partners tell us that all the 39 schools in Laas Caanood have closed, as well as 12 other schools outside the town. More than 25,000 school-aged children have been affected as a result.
Commodity prices are rising due to disruptions in transport. Nearly 214,000 people in Sool Region, 43 per cent of the population, are currently experiencing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity.
Humanitarian workers continue to step up the response in the areas they can access. The Humanitarian Coordinator, Adam Abdelmoula, has released
$ 2 million from the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) for life-saving interventions. Priority needs include food, shelter, medical supplies, and clean water.
MONGOLIA
Turning to Mongolia, the UN and our humanitarian partners are appealing for an additional $3.5 million to support national efforts to prevent the country’s humanitarian situation from getting worse.
A new response plan released today aims to reach some 53,000 people in communities hardest hit by extreme weather over the past year.
These people have been affected by Dzud, a severe winter weather phenomenon unique to Mongolia that follows a summer drought. It leads to large numbers of livestock either starving or freezing to death.
Since October, UN agencies and NGOs in the country have been working with the Government on the early response. About $1.7 million in funding has been received since the start of this year.
The UN Resident Coordinator for Mongolia, Tapan Mishra, called for constant monitoring of the situation and broad humanitarian assistance to prevent a major catastrophe.
BANGLADESH
In Bangladesh, the UN Refugee Agency and partners are seeking $876 million to support Rohingya refugees and their hosts who are facing a chilling fog of uncertainty about their futures.
The $876 million is part of the 2023 Joint Response Plan which was launched today for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis. It aims to help some 978,000 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and on the island of Bhasan Char, and 495,000 Bangladeshis in neighbouring communities, with food, shelter, health care, access to drinkable water, protection services, education, as well as livelihood opportunities and skills development.
UNHCR said that the needs of refugees remain urgent, with women and children making up more than 75 per cent of the targeted refugee population. However, the lack of funds has already forced the World Food Programme to cut its lifesaving food assistance to all Rohingya living in the camps. These ration cuts are likely to result in higher malnutrition rates, deteriorating health, school dropouts, increased incidents of child marriage, child labour and gender-based violence. We urge donors to give generously.
ROHINGYA
On a related note, the International Organization for Migration has been assisting thousands of refugees who were impacted by the large fire that swept through Cox’s Bazar on Sunday. IOM mobilized its Disaster Management Unit to create fire breaks to stop the fire from spreading and mitigate the loss to life and property. Immediately after the incident, IOM sent two mobile medical teams with 14 ambulances to assist. They also engaged in crowd control and emergency referrals.
Around 2,000 shelters were destroyed in the fire while many of the affected refugees lost all their belongings leaving many to experience fear, despair, and hopelessness.
IOM is collaborating with other humanitarians on the ground to conduct assessments to gauge the damage caused by Sunday's fire and the immediate and long-term needs of those affected.
PAKISTAN
In a statement we issued yesterday, the Secretary-General strongly condemned the suicide attack in Kachi district, Pakistan, which claimed the lives of nine people and injured others.
He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a prompt recovery to those injured.
JAPAN/REPUBLIC OF KOREA
In response to earlier questions, the Spokesperson said that the Secretary-General welcomes the recent positive exchanges and forward-looking dialogue between Japan and the Republic of Korea. He encourages both sides to find a comprehensive solution to bilateral disputes, in line with internationally recognized principles.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Türkiye is the 64th Member State this year to have fully paid its dues to the UN's regular budget.
NOON BRIEFING GUEST
The Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Türkiye, Alvaro Rodriguez briefed reporters virtually from Hatay province.
