HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 8 JUNE 2023
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, addressed the Security Council at a meeting on the UN’s cooperation with the League of Arab States.
She talked about Libya, about Syria, the Israel-Palestine issue as well as Sudan. On Sudan, she noted the cooperation between the UN and the League of Arab States, where the Jeddah Agreement gave rise to much hope. Unfortunately, she said, the parties have failed to implement the Agreement. Furthermore, she added, the Sudanese Armed Forces announced the suspension of their participation in the talks, citing the Rapid Support Forces’ violations of the ceasefire.
Her remarks were shared with you.
SOUTH SUDAN
The Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan today said that it is gravely concerned about an eruption in tensions and deadly inter-communal fighting that took place this morning in the UN Protection of Civilians Site in Malakal.
The UN Mission notes that initial reports indicate that at least 3 people have been killed as of early this afternoon, and more than 20 people have been injured. Some of those injured are receiving treatment at the UN Mission’s hospital.
The violence flared up in the early hours today, following a stabbing incident.
The Mission regrets the loss of lives and injuries to civilians and calls for an immediate halt to the fighting. The Mission has deployed reinforcements -including military and police personnel - in the area, in close collaboration with State authorities and the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces.
The Mission is also engaging with leaders of the various communities in the UN Protection of Civilians Site, as well as the state government, to restore calm and order.
SUDAN
The UN Children’s Fund told us that nearly 300 children were safely relocated from the Mygoma orphanage in the capital Khartoum to a transit centre in a safer location. That took place late yesterday afternoon. The International Committee for the Red Cross facilitated that critical evacuation of children and dozens of caretakers. You’ll remember that at least 70 children had reportedly died at that orphanage since this present round of the conflict began in Sudan.
UNICEF is providing support for the children’s medical care, feeding, and other needs. They’re currently under the care of the Social Welfare and Health ministries, and UNICEF is working with authorities to identify foster families.
Meanwhile, millions of children in the country at large remain threatened by the continued fighting and the secondary impacts of that fighting. A record number of children in Sudan– that is more than 13.6 million children – now need humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs continue to communicate with the parties in Sudan to resolve access challenges and facilitate the movement of lifesaving supplies.
Between 21 May and 7 June, that is yesterday, at least 188 trucks carrying humanitarian aid reached states across the country – including Khartoum, Al Jazirah, Red Sea, Kassala, Gedaref, Sennar, River Nile, Blue Nile and Northern State. Partners are planning 41 additional truck movements in the days ahead.
LIBYA
A statement issued by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) takes note of the outcome of the work of the 6+6 Committee, which met in Morocco to develop draft electoral laws for the presidential and parliamentary elections.
The UN Mission recognises that important elements of the electoral laws and associated issues require buy-in and support from a broad range of Libyan institutions, including civil society representatives, as well as women and youth, and political and security actors. That is to allow for inclusive, credible and successful elections to actually take place.
As such, the Mission will continue to work with all relevant Libyan institutions to facilitate a process to address the contested elements of the electoral framework, secure the necessary political agreement on the path to elections, and enable a level playing field for all candidates.
The UN Mission urges all involved to refrain from delay tactics aimed at prolonging the current stalemate, which has caused so much suffering to people in Libya.
UNIFIL
The Force Commander for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major General Aroldo Lázaro, chaired one of the regular Tripartite meetings with senior officers of the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces at the usual UN position in Ras al-Naqoura.
The General said that during the last couple of months, there have been a number of concerning developments along the Blue Line. He strongly encouraged the parties to continue to use UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination mechanisms to avoid unilateral actions.
UKRAINE
Humanitarians in Ukraine are helping people to get to safer areas, access clean water and food, and getting cash assistance to meet their most urgent needs.
The World Food Programme, together with its national partner Tarilka, already delivered ready-to-eat food to 18,000 people affected by flooding or evacuated to other parts of the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.
Drinking water remains the most pressing need and the International Organization for Migration, the UN Children’s Fund, Save the Children and other partners organized water trucking and delivered more than 100,000 bottles of drinking water, as well as water purification tablets and jerrycans to the impacted communities in the Kherson region.
UNICEF is also working with the Government and partners to develop short-term and longer-term solutions to repair water and wastewater infrastructure, which is critical for preventing the spread of waterborne diseases.
Thousands of people also received hygiene kits, delivered by the UN Population Fund.
More than 30 humanitarian organizations are present at train, bus stations, and transit centres to support people forced to leave their homes because of the flooding. This includes women with children, older people and people with disabilities, which is particularly challenging under these circumstances. Partners across Ukraine also offer medical and psychosocial support to people on the move and evacuees arriving in Mykolaiv, Odesa and other cities.
Some 3,500 people have already received cash assistance from UNICEF while registration continues.
We are also extremely concerned about the plight of civilians stranded in areas under Russian military control, and we will continue our efforts to assist.
WORLD OCEANS DAY
Today is World Oceans Day. This year’s theme is “Planet Ocean: tides are changing.”
In his message, the Secretary-General says the ocean is the foundation of life, and that humanity counts on the ocean. However, he says, humanity right now is the ocean’s worst enemy, as we are polluting our waters, overfishing and heating our planet.
He calls for action to achieve the global target to conserve and manage 30 per cent of land and marine and coastal areas by 2030 and implement the recent agreement on fisheries subsidies.
Right now, a hybrid event to mark the Day is taking place in Conference Room 4. The event is hosted by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs, in partnership with the non-profit Oceanic Global, and supported by Panerai.
CLIMATE
Tomorrow, at 10 a.m. in Conference Room 1, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, and the Secretary-General’s Climate Action Team will brief Member States on the Secretary-General’s Climate Ambition Summit to be held on 20 September.
The briefing will not be webcast, but journalists are welcome to attend in person.
INFORMATION INTEGRITY ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS
On Monday at 10:15 a.m., the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, will be in the press briefing room to talk about his brief on Information Integrity on Digital Platforms.
In advance of that briefing, tomorrow, at 10:30 a.m., Melissa Fleming, the Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, will do a background briefing on the same topic.
