HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2023
GAZA - GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Martin Griffiths, our Emergency Relief Coordinator, briefed Member States this morning on the situation in Gaza.
He said it is without doubt a humanitarian crisis that, by any measure, is intolerable and cannot continue. In many respects, he said, international humanitarian law appears to have been turned on its head.
Natalie Boucly, the Deputy Commissioner General of UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency), also briefed Member States and said that UNRWA is focusing on improving existing shelter capacity, but warned that there is simply not enough food, water and fuel to sustain life in Gaza. The Agency’s work, she said, has become “a mission impossible”.
Dr. Tedros [Adhanom Ghebreyesus], the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), for his part, said that the health needs of the people of Gaza are growing all the time, and the health system is near collapse.
Also briefing was Volker Türk, the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He said his Office has scaled up its engagement, stressing the importance of full access to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including all parts of Gaza, for the Human Rights Office, to ensure that it can carry out independent monitoring and documentation and protection coordination without hindrance.
Also briefing, and that meeting is still going on, were the heads of UNDP, UNFPA, and representatives of UNICEF and UN Women.
GAZA
UNRWA announced that, due to the communication shutdown and lack of fuel, there will not be any cross-border aid operation at the Rafah Crossing today, as it will be impossible to manage or coordinate humanitarian aid convoys.
By yesterday evening, no aid trucks had entered through the Rafah Crossing. This is due to the backlog of aid from previous days that has not been transported without fuel. UNRWA used the fuel provided on 15 November to operate trucks and forklifts to clear the backlogs, but fuel has run out again.
Yesterday afternoon, Gaza’s telecommunications services shut down after the providing companies announced that fuel used to run generators had been depleted. Humanitarian agencies and first responders have warned that blackouts jeopardize the safety of civilians and the provision of life-saving assistance.
OPT
Also, linked to the situation on the ground, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, started today a visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She will be there over the weekend for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials on, obviously, what is going on.
During the three-day visit – she is travelling today but gets underway on Sunday, [19 November] she will have consultations with Israeli officials in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as with Palestinian interlocutors in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She will also be meeting with Jordanian officials and we will update you on her visit.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
Amina Mohammed, for her part, our Deputy Secretary-General, will be in London on Monday, the 20th November, to participate in the Global Food Security Summit, hosted by the Government of the United Kingdom.
She will also deliver a keynote address on Women’s Advancement and Role in Tackling Climate Change at the Christian Aid Annual Lecture 2023.
And on the invitation of the Government of Senegal, she will be in Senegal on Thursday, the 23rd [November] to attend the Inauguration of the UN House, just outside of Dakar.
She will be back in New York on the 27th of November.
SUDAN
A number of you had reached out to me last night regarding Sudan, and I just want to tell you that I can confirm that we have indeed received a letter from the Government of Sudan announcing the government’s decision to “terminate UNITAMS [UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan]” – which is our special political mission in Sudan. The letter says that they are “terminating UNITAMS with immediate effect”. They also communicated their commitment to engage constructively with the Security Council and with the United Nations Secretariat on a new, appropriate and agreed-upon formula.
As you will recall, the political mission, UNITAMS was established by the Security Council pursuant to resolution 2524 (2020) in June 2020 and its current mandate ends on 3 December of this year.
As mentioned in the Security Council briefing yesterday by Assistant Secretary-General, Martha Pobee, the Secretary-General has appointed Ian Martin to lead a strategic review of the UN Mission in Sudan to provide the Security Council with options on how to adapt the Mission's mandate.
And I also want to announce an appointment that has been in the works for some time now. The Secretary-General is also appointing Ramtane Lamamra, of Algeria, as his personal envoy for the Sudan.
We will continue to engage closely with all actors, including the Sudanese authorities and members of the Security Council, to clarify next steps.
As you know, of course, it is the Security Council that gives the Secretariat the mandate to operate peacebuilding, political missions and peacekeeping missions.
SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council this morning held a meeting on threats to international peace and security.
Briefing Council members from the Secretariat was Ilze Brands Kehris, the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. She said that the impact of the war in Ukraine extends beyond the high casualties and broad physical destruction, reaching deep into the fabric of Ukrainian society.
She noted that tensions between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has historic links to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, increased following the Russian Federation’s full-scale armed attack in February of last year, in some cases manifesting itself in violent incidents.
Ms. Kehris said that these tensions have affected the freedom of religion in the territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine, as documented in consecutive recent Human Rights Monitoring [Mission] reports, adding that the UN Human Rights Office also has serious concerns about freedom of religion in Ukrainian territory occupied by the Russian Federation, which could also be considered discriminatory.
DEPUTY RELIEF CHIEF / SOUTHERN & EASTERN AFRICA
The Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya, has wrapped up a three-week mission to southern and eastern Africa, as the climate crisis there drives humanitarian needs ever higher.
She met with impacted communities – as well as officials, members of the UN community and NGOs, civil society, regional organizations, the private sector, and international financial institutions. Her travels took her to Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya and Botswana.
In her meetings, she stressed the UN’s commitment to standing with the people and Governments of the region as they continue to confront climate
shocks – saying that at COP 28, the rest of the world must make clear that these countries won’t face these challenges alone.
ETHIOPIA
Turning to Ethiopia. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that more than 760,000 people in the country have now been impacted by heavy rains, floods and landslides.
More than 40 deaths have been reported – and many areas remain difficult or impossible to access due to damaged roads and bridges.
We, along with our partners, are supporting the Government-led humanitarian response in the regions of Somali, Oromia, Afar and in the southwest as well.
But resources and capacities are indeed limited, and a scale-up is urgently needed to meet surging needs.
Humanitarian partners have so far distributed food and non-food items to more than 8,000 families impacted by the floods.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where we can tell you there has been an upsurge of attacks against civilians in Ituri province, in the country’s east – and that is according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
According to our humanitarian partners, at least 46 civilians were reportedly killed by armed groups in the Irumu and Mambasa territories between 31 October and 9 November. Some 28,000 people fled into surrounding areas in the two territories.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 770 civilians have been killed across the province and more than 500,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.
We and our partners are providing vital aid, including shelter support, food and water, but we need additional resources to respond to the new displacements.
OCHA calls on provincial authorities to reinforce the security of civilians, especially in the Boga and Lolwa areas, where people have been returning to their communities since July. The persistence of insecurity could discourage people from returning to their homes and lead to massive population movements and growing humanitarian needs.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that intense attacks on frontline areas are continuing. There have been reports of deaths and extensive damage to homes and infrastructure, including energy and medical facilities.
According to humanitarian partners who were at the sites of the attacks, on 15 November, a strike in the Donetsk Region, in the east of the country, reportedly destroyed and damaged a multistorey building and nearby homes in Selydove, with residents trapped under the rubble.
Government officials say that after a two-day rescue operation, four residents were reported killed, and six others were wounded.
On the same day, in the southeast, Government officials say that an attack in the Zaporizizhzhia Region, killed and injured nine residents and rescuers who were responding as a second strike hit. The blast left more than 400 residents exposed to harsh weather conditions as the temperature dropped.
National NGOs are mobilized and delivered emergency shelter materials to both locations.
Also an update on convoys: Today, an inter-agency convoy delivered vital aid to frontline areas in the Donetsk Region. Nearly 30 tonnes of aid – including thermal blankets, sleeping bags, solar lamps, medical kits and family hygiene kits – will help people get through the coming cold period amid continuing disruptions of electricity that we are seeing in the region.
GUATEMALA
In response to questions, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General is alarmed by the latest prosecutorial actions taking place in Guatemala. He reiterates his call on the authorities to guarantee that the democratic will expressed through the polls is respected and to refrain from acts that may undermine the democratic process or that could constitute reprisals for exercising human rights.
HAITI
From Haiti, our humanitarian colleagues are deeply concerned about clashes, which erupted on Monday between armed groups in the neighbourhood of Cité Soleil and its surroundings, and that is in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
There were reportedly many casualties, as well as incidents of sexual violence, the burning of houses and serious human rights violations.
A hospital was the scene of a gunfight, – and that’s the Hospital de Fontaine. The gunfight obviously disrupted medical services and violating basic humanitarian principles. Dozens of women, children and newborns had to be evacuated. As we have said on numerous occasions, all around the world, health facilities must always be protected, and civilians never be targeted.
Yesterday, our acting Humanitarian Coordinator, Bruno Maes, met with families, children and medical staff of this hospital who have evacuated to a safer neighbourhood. The hospital has since closed.
Under the leadership of the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator, OCHA is working with UN agencies and our partners to provide assistance and to protect those impacted by the violence.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Tomorrow is the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence.
Sunday is the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. In his message, the Secretary-General calls on all to join forces to make roads safer for everyone, everywhere.
And on Sunday, it is World Toilet Day. In his message, the Secretary-General says that billions of people are still cut off from sanitation services around all the world. To meet the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, he underscores that we need to move five times faster to deal with this.
UNEP BRIEFING
On Monday, at 9:00 a.m, in the press briefing room, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) will officially launch their annual Emissions Gap Report for 2023.
Joining the launch in person will be the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who will present the report.
He will be joined virtually by Inger Andersen, UNEP’s Executive Director, and Anne Olhoff, the Chief Scientific Editor of the Emissions Gap Report.
