HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

TUESDAY, 8 AUGUST 2023

NIGER 
In Niger, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that aid continues to be delivered to people in need in the country. Last week, we and our partners carried out some 200 humanitarian field missions. 
Food distributions are underway in Diffa, in the east of the country, which hosts internally displaced people, refugees and returnees. Humanitarian agencies are also preparing to distribute cash. 
As we mentioned yesterday, the Secretary-General is concerned over the continued detention of President Mohamed Bazoum, the health and well-being of all those detained, and the failure so far to restore constitutional order in Niger.   
He reiterates his full support to the ongoing mediation efforts by the Economic Community of West African States. 

SUDAN 
Turning to Sudan, the UN Refugee Agency today warned of worsening health conditions across the country, including in refugee camps and entry points and transit centres where people forced to flee are arriving.  
Over four million people have been forced to flee within Sudan and into neighbouring countries since the start of the current hostilities.  
Within Sudan, over 3.2 million people have been internally displaced, including more than 187,000 refugees already residing in the country at the start of the crisis. 
Humanitarian agencies have deployed additional staff and volunteers at the camps, border entry points and transit centres to support with malnutrition screening and other services. Teams are also providing medical kits, increasing measles vaccinations for children and rehabilitating existing facilities while setting up new ones.
And as we had told you last week about a humanitarian convoy to West Darfur from Chad, the World Food Programme says those supplies have been distributed to more than 15,000 people in remote villages in the state.    
Overall, in the Darfur region, WFP has reached nearly half a million people with emergency food assistance since May. That includes some 60,000 people in East Darfur in recent months. 
Our humanitarian colleagues stress that increased access to the Darfur region and all parts of Sudan is critical to expand the delivery of life-saving assistance to those in need. 

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO   
The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo responded yesterday to a presumed attack by members of the CODECO armed group. This attack took place in Largu, which is south-east of Djugu in Ituri province, and resulted in the deaths of three people with three others injured.  
As soon as the alert was raised, the UN mission, MONUSCO, and the Congolese armed forces deployed a joint patrol to the village, forcing the attackers to withdraw.  
As the incident unfolded, many civilians fled from the nearby Drodro displacement camp and sought sanctuary at the MONUSCO base. Peacekeepers and national forces provided protection for approximately 1,000 civilians at the internally displaced people camp overnight and are continuing to patrol the area to deter further attacks and enable displaced families to return safely to the site. 
 
UKRAINE 
From Ukraine, the Humanitarian Coordinator there, Denise Brown, said she is profoundly disturbed by the latest Russian strikes yesterday that hit residential buildings and other civilian places in Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, reportedly killing and injuring scores of civilians. 
The same location was hit twice in the space of minutes, causing the death and injury of people who had quickly come to help the survivors – including rescue workers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. 
Ms. Brown said that this latest incident adds to the very long list of attacks in Ukraine, including many over the past few days, that must be investigated as they violate international humanitarian law. 
Humanitarian organizations are already on the ground and are providing assistance.   
  
SYRIA 
This morning, the Director and Deputy High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Adedeji Ebo, briefed Security Council members on the elimination of the Syrian Arab Republic’s chemical weapons programme. 
He emphasized that any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, and the absence of accountability for that use is a threat to international peace and security. 
 
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 
The United Nations is opening a public call for nominations of experts to serve on the multi-stakeholder High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence, which has been convened by the Secretary-General.  
That body will undertake analysis and advance recommendations for the international governance of artificial intelligence (AI), and report back on the options for global AI governance by the end of 2023.  The call for nominations is open until 31 August 2023. 
The Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, Amandeep Singh Gill, said that we need to bring global interdisciplinary expertise together on AI to make sure that it is aligned with the UN Charter, human rights, rule of law, and the common good.  
Nominated experts should have leading and relevant expertise among the broad range of fields relevant to the governance of AI or domain of its application. 
 
RESIDENT COORDINATOR - ETHIOPIA      
The Secretary-General has appointed our old friend Ramiz Alakbarov of Azerbaijan as the UN Resident Coordinator in Ethiopia, following the host government’s approval.  He will also serve as the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country.      
Mr. Alakbarov will lead the Ethiopia Country Team after serving as Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) where he was also the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.       
His full bio can be found on the DCO website.