Noon briefing of 15 February 2024

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC​,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2024

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
The Secretary-General is in Germany, where he will attend the Munich Security Conference.  
This morning, at the invitation of the Munich Jewish community, he visited the Ohel-Jakob synagogue, which is part of the city’s Jewish centre. He made a strong appeal there against antisemitism and once again called for the immediaterelease of all the hostages held in Gaza.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks during the Munich Security conference’s opening session. He will also take part in a panel discussion with heads of state and government, which will include Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados; Nana Akufo-Addo, the President of Ghana; and Gustavo Petro Urrego, the President of Colombia.
On Friday evening, the Secretary-General will go to Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, to take part in the 37th Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit.
And on Sunday, the Secretary-General will arrive in Doha, Qatar, for the follow-up meeting of Special Envoys from Member States and regional organizations on Afghanistan that he is convening on 18 and 19 February.
As we mentioned when we first announced the meeting, the objective is to discuss how to approach increasing international engagement in a more coherent, coordinated and structured manner, including through consideration of the recommendations of the independent assessment on Afghanistan.
The Secretary-General will be back in New York on Tuesday, 20 February.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that intensified air strikes on Rafah are further complicating the already fragile humanitarian operation there. The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to do the near-impossible to assist people in need, despite the risks. However, we need basic safety conditions - roads to be opened, trucks to be able to move, supplies to get in, and staff capacity.
The UN will continue to do everything it can to assist people, but with a potential escalation of fighting in Rafah, the conditions for civilians could be even worse than we have seen so far, even in these many weeks of the war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, in south of Wadi Gaza, UN partners are distributing food, blankets and mattresses to displaced people in areas that they can access.
And on the health front, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today that a key humanitarian partner, International Medical Corps, has constructed a field hospital on the border between Khan Younis and Rafah to help address the shortage of healthcare facilities.
Also on the health front, the head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, said today that he is alarmed by reports of civilians killed as well as orders to evacuate people seeking shelter at the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza. He added that two WHO missions have been denied in the last four days and that they have lost touch with the hospital’s personnel.
Dr. Tedros said that hospitals must be safeguarded so that they can serve their life-saving function.

LEBANON
The Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, said today that she is deeply concerned about the escalation of hostilities across, and beyond, the Blue Line, and added that it is distressing to see the heavy toll on civilian lives and property.
Ms. Wronecka called on all concerned parties to stop this cycle of violence, and urgently institute security measures along the Blue Line towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities in line with Security Council resolution 1701.
She underscored that the tens of thousands of displaced people have a right to return and rebuild their lives in safety, and that this requires a political solution to the conflict. Time is running out, she added.
And as mentioned yesterday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) continues to be fully
engaged with the parties to decrease tensions and continues to implement its mandate.

LEBANON/HUMANITARIAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stressed that civilian infrastructure must be protected in Lebanon. As of today, the escalating hostilities in southern Lebanon have displaced more than 88,000 people. That is according to the International Organization for Migration.
The UN and its partners continue to provide humanitarian assistance to those who have fled their homes, complementing the Lebanese Government-led initiatives. This includes food, health care, cash assistance, education support, and legal protection services for displaced families, and support in maintaining water and wastewater treatment, which is very important.
Meanwhile, OCHA estimates that some 60,000 people remain in border villages, which are highly impacted by the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line. Our ability to provide humanitarian assistance and support to these people is very limited, due to security, access and funding issues.

SUDAN
The Secretary-General Personal Envoy for Sudan, RamtaneLamamra, is leading renewed UN engagement and working to strengthen multilateral coordination around political and mediation efforts, working in support of and in close partnership with African and other regional and international partners at a time where the deteriorating situation on the ground necessitates enhanced efforts to bring an end to the war.
Mr. Lamamra has undertaken an extensive diplomatic tour of key capitals in the Horn region, Europe and the Gulf to engage with Sudanese, regional and international stakeholders to enhance efforts to end the conflict and relaunch a credible political process.
Mr. Lamamra is currently in Addis Ababa, where he will attend the African Union Summit and engage with relevant stakeholders in the margins.

ABYEI
The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), iscontinuing enhanced levels of patrolling as intercommunal tensions persist. Peacekeepers responded to gunfire between two groups yesterday in Rumamier in southern Abyei.
Two civilians were reportedly killed during the violence. The Mission patrolled and maintained a presence in the area to protect civilians.
UNISFA is also continuing to engage with stakeholders to calm tensions and coordinate to provide longer-term security and voluntary return options to those displaced.

LIBYA
Abdoulaye Bathily, the Special Representative for Libya, spoke to the Security Council this morning and said that 13 years after their revolution, Libyans are still waiting to realize their aspirations for sustainable peace and democracy. He said that key Libyans appear unwilling to resolve the outstanding politically contested issues that would clear the path to the long-awaited elections.
Mr. Bathily has continued his engagement with those major players, appealing to their wisdom.
So far, he said, none of them have made a decisive move from their initial position, with each continuing to articulate pre-conditions for their participation in the dialogue to maintain the status quo, which seems to suit them.

SECURITY COUNCIL/AFTERNOON
This afternoon, the Security Council will reconvene for a briefing on “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.”
Briefing will be the Under-Secretary-General for Counter Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov, as will the Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Natalia Gherman.
The meeting is on the eighteenth report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by Da’esh to international peace and security and the range of UN efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat.

UKRAINE/RAPID DAMAGE AND NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Today, our UN team in Ukraine, together with the World Bank, the European Commission, and the Government of Ukraine, released a joint Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment. It shows that the recovery and reconstruction costs now stand at an estimated $486 billion over the next decade. That is up from $411 billion just a year ago.
The Assessment, the third since the war's escalation in 2022, highlights housing, transport, commerce, industry, energy, and agriculture as the most impacted sectors. Approximately 2 million homes have been damaged or destroyed, impacting nearly 10 per cent of all housing units in Ukraine and hindering rebuilding efforts. The study also indicates about $80 billion in damage and losses in agriculture and $54 billion in revenue losses in the energy sector.

UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that reports of deadly attacks are continuing. OCHA noted that another wave of attacks across the country overnight and this morning resulted in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. That took place in Kyiv, in Zaporizhzhia and in the regions of Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi and Lviv as reported by national authorities to us.
Local authorities in the front-line in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions also reported additional civilian casualties and damage to vital civilian infrastructure resulting from continued hostilities.
Humanitarian workers on the ground are providing support including plastic sheets and other supplies.
We have also seen reports of a missile strikes on the Russian city of Belgorod. And we reiterate one more time that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law, are unacceptable and must stop immediately.

CHILD BENEFITS
New data released jointly by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Save the Children and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) show that globally, 1.4 billion children from the day they are born to the age of 15 lack any form of social protection, leaving them vulnerable to disease, poor nutrition and poverty.
This is particularly prevalent in low-income countries where fewer than one in ten children in this age group have access to child benefits, and worldwide, 333 million children live in extreme poverty.
The three organisations are calling on governments to ensure that all children are shielded by social protection mechanisms, including through universal child benefits which provide cash benefits to families with children regardless of a family’s income.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Kyrgyzstan has paid its dues in full. 58 countries have paid in full so far.