HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC​,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 20 AUGUST 2024

SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS  
The Secretary-General is on his way to the Pacific Islands.  
Later today, he will arrive in Samoa where he will stay until 23 August and will meet with Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa. 
 
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVEL  
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, held a bilateral meeting today with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. 
Ms. Mohammed discussed Egypt's pivotal role in the region amidst complex challenges. She thanked the President for his leadership regarding issues such as Sudan and Gaza, and for accommodating over nine million refugees in Egypt. They also discussed Egypt’s Climate Change Adaptation Project on the North Coast, aimed at combating the effects of sea level rise. 
The Deputy Secretary-General emphasized the need to leverage the Summit of the Future and the General Assembly in September to highlight issues related to sea level rise in coastal areas, as well as peace and security and the international financial architecture.  
 
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY 
Turning to the situation in Gaza, OCHA is warning that relentless hostilities and repeated evacuation orders continue to constrain aid operations that are already hampered by access constraints, fuel shortages, and other challenges. 
Parts of Salah ad Din road – a crucial passage for humanitarian missions – were included in the latest evacuation order by the Israeli authorities on Saturday for parts of Deir al Balah governorate.  
This has made it nearly impossible for aid workers to move along this key route. 
The Coastal Road is not a viable alternative. The beaches along this route are now crowded with makeshift shelters for displaced Palestinians.       
As a result, convoy movements along the Coastal Road are extremely slow, and critical supplies and services, such as water trucking, are not reaching people in need at anywhere near the scale required. 

SECURITY COUNCIL 
This morning, Stephanie Koury, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Political Affairs of the UN Support Mission in Libya, briefed the Security Council on the situation in Libya.  
She warned that over the past two months, the situation in the country has deteriorated quite rapidly in terms of political, economic and security stability.  
Ms. Koury said that unilateral acts by Libyan political, military and security actors have increased tension, further entrenched institutional and political divisions and complicated efforts for a negotiated solution. In the midst of this, she said that the UN Mission, along with Member States, have been actively working to de-escalate the situation.    
Ms. Koury noted that local elections are moving forward and are expected to take place in mid-October 2024. She added that the High National Election Commission, with the Support of the UN Mission, is undertaking the necessary steps.  

MYANMAR 
The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, is in Beijing today and tomorrow to meet with the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, and the Chinese Special Envoy for Asian Affairs, Deng Xijun [Shee-jun].  
This comes as Ms. Bishop continues to focus on responding to the crisis in Myanmar through regional unity, international coherence and a Myanmar-led inclusive process in the interests of the people of Myanmar. 
The mission to China follows the Special Envoy’s recent visit to New York Headquarters in June and then her regional tour to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - the ASEAN countries. 
This tour included engagement with the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia and Thailand.                      
Also, during that tour, the Special Envoy met with the incoming ASEAN Chairman, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and the current ASEAN Special Envoy to Myanmar, Alounkeo Kittikhoun. 
 
BANGLADESH 
The Secretary-General has written a congratulatory letter to Muhammad Yunus, the new Chief Adviser of the interim Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.  
In the letter, the Secretary-General welcomes efforts to restore calm and organize parliamentary elections in Bangladesh.  
The Secretary-General says that it is his hope that Mr. Yunus’ government will take an inclusive approach, including by considering the voices of the youth and women, as well as that of minority and indigenous communities. Mr. Guterres adds that he counts on the interim government of Bangladesh to ensure the full protection of all citizens and, in particular, of minorities.   
The Secretary-General also strongly urges Mr. Yunus to ensure the well-being of Rohingya refugees, especially in view of the deteriorating situation in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.  

UKRAINE 
Turning to Ukraine, the Humanitarian Coordinator there, Matthias Schmale, condemned an overnight attack in the Donetsk Region, in the east of the country, where a transit centre for displaced people was damaged. The site in Pokrovsk Town was sheltering people who had fled earlier hostilities. 
Mr. Schmale stressed that civilians and civilian infrastructure – including humanitarian facilities – are protected under international humanitarian law.  
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that escalating hostilities in the Donetsk Region continue to kill and injure civilians and drive displacement.  Our humanitarian partners on the ground say that deadly strikes over the past week in Pokrovsk and the towns of Myrnohrad and Toretsk have damaged homes and schools.                         
Aid workers in Myrnohrad responded by delivering emergency materials and providing psychosocial support to impacted people. 
Civilians – including humanitarian workers – are facing daily threats to their safety as the hostilities in Ukraine continue.  
 
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) says efforts to protect civilians in eastern DRC are ongoing.  
Recently, peacekeepers deployed to Gina in North Kivu in response to alerts about Zaire armed group elements that surrounded the Congolese National Police office in the area. MONUSCO deterred the Zaire group in close collaboration with the Congolese Armed Forces, prompting them to withdraw. MONUSCO also deployed a patrol to the Kwe mining site, near Bunia in Ituri province, after CODECO elements attempted to launch an attack.   
Meanwhile, the Mission informs about the continued use of disinformation, misinformation and hate speech, especially in the context of the M23 rebellion in North Kivu, which is threatening social cohesion and security. In response, MONUSCO recently organized a forum for about 100 local journalists and influencers in Goma to promote responsible reporting that supports peace and stability in the region. 
 
NOON BRIEFING GUEST TODAY   
Noon briefing guest today is Imran Riza, the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon. He will brief on the humanitarian situation there.