HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 14 MARCH 2023
BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE
Within the context of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the agreement foresees a renewal of 120 days but, in the present circumstances, the Secretary-General and his team are focused, in close contact with all of the parties, on doing everything possible to ensure the continuity of the Initiative.
Regarding the parallel Memorandum of Understanding focused on the export of Russian food and fertilizer, Rebeca Grynspan, the head of UNCTAD, and her team, as well as the Secretary-General himself, have spared no efforts to facilitate that trade.
Meaningful progress has been made but it is true that some obstacles remain, notably with regard to payment systems. Our efforts to overcome those obstacles will continue unabated.
The agreement regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative, alongside the MOU on the export of Russian food and fertilizer, are both critical for global food security, especially in developing countries.
UKRAINE
In Ukraine, there are reports of several civilians killed and injured on both sides of the front lines in the Donetsk region. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that, according to authorities, missile strikes reportedly killed three civilians and injured 14 others after damaging several residential buildings in areas under Government control.
Meanwhile, Russian-installed authorities in regions under the military control of the Russian Federation reported that at least two civilians were killed and 15 injured in strikes on different areas, including in Donetsk City itself.
The UN, along with its humanitarian partners, continue to deliver life-saving aid to people in areas close to the front line. Today, a three-truck inter-agency convoy reached Siversk in the Donetsk oblast – where there are some 1,500 people remaining, out of a pre-war population of 13,500.
Our humanitarian colleagues facilitated the delivery of enough food for one month, as well as clothes, tarpaulins, medicines, hygiene items, solar lamps and other supplies. Residents in Siversk have no electricity and limited water supplies due to the relentless fighting.
The convoy was a joint effort by the UN and our partners that include IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO, WFP and the NGO, “People in Need.”
Since the start of this year, 11 humanitarian convoys have brought life-saving assistance to more than 100,000 people living in the front line in Government-controlled parts of the Donetsk region.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/LEBANON
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Beirut, in Lebanon, where she opened the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development (AFSD) that, as you know, is organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). Ms. Mohammed highlighted the faltered progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and the multiple interconnected cascading crises facing the Arab region. She called for an urgent review of how policy decisions and investment can put the region back on track.
Ms. Mohammed also held a press conference alongside the Executive Secretary of ESCWA, Ms. Rola Dashti and with the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Yemen and Chair of the forum, and that is Waed Badhib.
Prior to that, she held a meeting with Minister Badhib, and she renewed the UN’s commitment to achieving peace in Yemen and advancing its recovery and sustainable development work.
SYRIA/TÜRKIYE
A quick update on the response to the earthquake in Syria and Türkiye, we, alongside, our humanitarian partners are continuing to scale up the response to the areas most impacted by the earthquake across Syria. As of today, 787 trucks carrying aid provided by seven UN agencies crossed into north-west Syria using the three available border crossing points.
In areas under Government control, humanitarian organizations provided aid to more than 310,000 people in February and over 140,000 people so far in March, primarily in the most impacted governorates of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia.
In Türkiye, we and our humanitarian partners continue to mobilize emergency teams and relief operations in support of the Turkish Government’s own response efforts. To date we, alongside our partners, we have provided more than 46,000 tents and, more than 5.7 million food packages, as well as hot meals and hundreds of thousands of relief items, including mattresses, bedding, tarpaulins and hygiene kits.
Our humanitarian partners tell us that high priority needs include shelter, food, water, sanitation, hygiene, health, nutrition and psychosocial support.
The $1 billion appeal for Türkiye is less than 14 percent funded, and the appeal for Syria is 64 percent funded.
COLOMBIA
In Colombia, the UN and the Government are jointly appealing for $283 million to reach 1.6 million people with assistance this year.
The humanitarian response plan that was just launched will prioritize women, children, people with disabilities, indigenous and people of Afro-descent communities living in areas at high risk of natural disasters and violence by non-state armed groups.
Last year, the humanitarian community coordinated with national authorities to reach over 1.5 million people. This year, we estimate that 7.7 million people will need humanitarian assistance as the country is being threatened by natural disasters and violence from non-state armed groups.
CYPRUS
Yesterday, we announced the visit to Cyprus by Rosemary DiCarlo, the head of the Political Affairs department. She met today with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides and Mr. Ersin Tatar, to discuss the way forward on the Cyprus issue.
In addition, Ms. DiCarlo will be focusing on the work of the Secretary-General’s good offices mission in Cyprus and will be meeting with representatives of civil society, including youth and women’s groups. She will also visit with the Committee on Missing Persons.
TROPICAL CYCLONE FREDDY
In Southern Africa, the UN continues to respond to the destruction and damage wrought by Tropical Cyclone Freddy. Since it made landfall in Mozambique for the second time, the cyclone has brought extensive rains to Mozambique and Malawi. In both countries, we are working alongside the Government-led responses with our humanitarian partners. In Mozambique, food and water treatment chemicals are being delivered to families in temporary accommodation centres. In Malawi, humanitarian partners are providing water, hygiene and sanitation services and shelter material, among other assistance, in temporary displacement sites. However, heavy rains and wind have cut off several key roads and operations have been constrained as a result. Our colleagues say that as rain continues in the coming days in both countries, there is a risk of further floods and landslides that may further hamper our relief efforts.
CHILD DETENTION
The UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba; the Special Representative on Violence against Children, Najat Maalla M'jid, and the Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Mikiko Otani, are calling jointly on Member States to ensure the protection of children’s rights when developing counter-terrorism and national security measures. They say they are concerned about the increasing number of children arrested and detained for their alleged association with armed groups, adding that national security measures should always include special provisions to ensure that children receive the special protection they are entitled to under international law. In addition to this, support for the reintegration of these children should also include access to age and gender-appropriate services, including mental health and psychosocial support, education, and legal assistance.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
The Secretary-General is appointing Abdallah Al Dardari of Syria as Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States of the UN Development Programme.
He will succeed Khalida Bouzar of Algeria, who retired after working over three decades in various UN agencies and to whom the Secretary-General extends his deepest appreciation for her dedicated years of service.
Mr. Al Dardari has served as Chief Economist with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). He was also ESCWA’s Deputy Executive Secretary, and he presently serves in Afghanistan, as the UNDP Representative.
2023 HUMAN RIGHTS PRIZE
Nominations are now open for the 2023 UN Human Rights Prize. The award recognizes individuals and organisations for outstanding achievements in human rights.
The Prize was established by the UN General Assembly in 1966 and is awarded every five years.
Nominations are accepted until April 15th and this year’s award ceremony will take place here, at UN Headquarters, in December.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS`
Romania, Indonesia and Timor-Leste have paid their dues to the regular budget and we are up to 70 fully paid-up Member States.
NOON BRIEFING GUESTS TOMORROW
Tomorrow, the guests at the noon briefing will be Lotta Tahtinen, Chief of the Division of Sustainable Development Goals in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). She will be joined by Henk Ovink, Special Envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for Water, and Sulton Rahimzoda, Special Envoy of the President of Tajikistan for Water. They will brief reporters on the forthcoming UN Water Conference, which will take place from 22 to 24 March.
