HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2023

GAZA 
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that – over four consecutive days, from Saturday through Tuesday – 62 trucks traveled through the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza, carrying water, food and medical supplies. Most of this aid has already reached hospitals, ambulances, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). However, the daily average of trucks allowed into Gaza prior to the hostilities was about 500. 
Fuel, which is desperately needed to run backup generators, is still unable to get into Gaza. As a result, the UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, has almost exhausted its fuel reserves and began to significantly reduce its operations. 
An estimated 1.4 million people in Gaza are internally displaced, with some 629,000 sheltering in 150 UNRWA-designated emergency shelters.  
Overcrowding is a growing concern, as the average number of IDPs per shelter has now reached 2.7 times their designated capacity. 
Water supply through the network in areas south of Wadi Gaza has temporarily improved. This happened after UNRWA and UNICEF managed to deliver small quantities of fuel they had retrieved from their existing reserves to key facilities. However, the available fuel in these facilities will be exhausted, likely quite soon, and the supply of piped water is expected to cease again. 
Earlier today, in a statement, Lynn Hastings, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stressed that the conduct of armed conflict, anywhere, is governed by international humanitarian law.  
This means that civilians must be protected and have the essentials to survive, wherever they are and whether they choose to move or stay. She added that it also means that hostages – all hostages – must be released, immediately and unconditionally.  
 
LEBANON 
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said today that UNIFIL remains in continuous contact with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line to urge restraint and respect for Security Council Resolution 1701. 
The Mission reported that, earlier today, it detected firing between Lebanese territory and Israel, near Blida and near Aytaroun.  
They have also been working together with Lebanese authorities to extinguish fires burning near Alma ash-Shaab, as a result of exchanges of fire along the Blue Line. These fires are occurring in mine fields which, one can only imagine, makes them more complicated to extinguish. 

SECURITY COUNCIL 
This morning, the Security Council heard a briefing by Valentine Rugwabiza, the head of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).  
She said that the Mission has continued its work to optimize its efficiency to protect civilians, provide security for humanitarian assistance, support local conflict mediation and reconciliation, and facilitate the decentralised implementation of the political peace process.  
On the socio-economic front, Ms. Rugwabiza added that the period that just ended was dominated by persistent challenges, aggravated by an increase in humanitarian needs due to the influx of refugees from Chad and Sudan. 
She reiterated that the implementation of the peace agreement remains key for a return to peace and sustainable development in the Central African Republic and called for renewed attention to an inclusive dialogue with the political opposition and armed groups. 

SUDAN 
The Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, says she is deeply concerned by continued reports of attacks against civilian infrastructure, noting that ‘even hospital wards full of sick and wounded children are not safe.’  
Since the start of the war in April, the World Health Organization has verified 58 attacks on health care, and as a reminder, more than 70 per cent of health facilities in conflict areas are now out of service.  
Over the weekend, the water supply in Omdurman in the state of Khartoum was temporarily suspended after a water treatment centre came under fire. 
Our colleagues on the ground say that this is extremely worrying, given the ongoing cholera outbreak in Khartoum State and other parts of the country.
More than 1,600 suspected cholera cases – including 67 related deaths – have been reported in Sudan, and we and our partners are scaling up our response to the outbreak.  
 
UKRAINE 
The UN Environment Programme today published a Rapid Environmental Assessment of the Kakhovka Dam Breach. The report notes that the breach of the Kakhovka dam in June 2023 is a far-reaching environmental disaster that goes beyond Ukraine’s borders; the magnitude of which might not be clear for years or even decades to come. 
According to the assessment, while the flooding downstream caused considerable environmental loss and damage, the situation upstream of the dam is even more significant. The report points out that the event led to the release of chemical pollutants, including machine oil and liquid fertiliser, as a significant number of sites storing chemicals were located in the flood zone. This could negatively impact fauna and flora as well as residents in the affected area.
 
SAHEL 
The Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, has concluded a visit to Mauritania, during which he took part in the 13th meeting of special envoys for the Sahel.   
In his remarks, he underlined the urgency to strengthen efforts to better support the G5-Sahel and the countries of the region in their quest for stability and lasting peace. 
Mr. Simão also had discussions with Mauritanian authorities, focusing on the humanitarian, political and security challenges facing the Sahel region, and the need to better coordinate efforts by different partners to contribute to the consolidation of development, security and peace. In this regard, the Special Representative praised the Mauritanian authorities for welcoming and supporting refugees and for their unwavering willingness to play a leading role in finding solutions to the challenges that impact development, peace and security in the Sahel. 

VENEZUELA 
The Secretary-General is closely following developments in Venezuela. He calls on all the authorities to guarantee full adherence and respect for the political and electoral rights of its citizens. He reiterates his call to implement in good faith the partial agreement on the promotion of political rights and electoral guarantees for all, signed in Barbados on 17 October 2023. 

BRIEFING TODAY 
The Secretary-General will announce today the members of his Advisory Board on Artificial Intelligence.  
He will be accompanied by the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, Amandeep Singh Gill, and Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ilze Brands Kehris.  
They will be joined virtually by Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union; Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director General at UNESCO; and Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of United Nations University.