听HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANT脫NIO GUTERRES
MONDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2023
SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS听
As you know, the Secretary-General is in Nepal, on his first trip in preparation for the upcoming climate change summit, COP28, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates later this year.听听
This morning, he met with people from local communities in the Himalayas to hear directly from them about how they are being impacted by climate change.听
In a video message issued from the Mount Everest Region, the Secretary-General noted that Nepal has lost close to one-third of its ice in the last thirty years. He said that the glaciers are retreating, but we cannot.鈥
He stressed that we must end the fossil fuel age, and we must act now to protect people on the frontlines.听
And yesterday, the Secretary-General had bilateral meetings with senior Nepalese officials, including President Paudel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 鈥楶rachanda鈥.鈥
In a joint press encounter with the Prime Minister, the Secretary-General extended his deepest condolences to the families of the ten Nepalese students killed in the terror attacks by Hamas in Israel on 7 October, and his best wishes for the safe return of Bipin Joshi, who is missing.听听
He repeated his utter condemnation of the appalling attacks perpetrated by Hamas, stressing that there is no justification, ever, for the killing, injuring and abduction of civilians.听
He said the situation in Gaza is growing more desperate by the hour and he reiterated his appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief at a scale that meets the needs of the people of Gaza.听听
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will deliver a peace message from Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha. He will also address a Joint Session of the Parliament in Kathmandy, and then he is heading, as we have told you, to London, to attend the Artificial Intelligence Summit, which is being organized by the government of Great Britain.听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
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DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL听听
For her part, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Abu Dhabi, where she delivered opening remarks at the preparatory meeting prior to COP 28. 听
She underscored that COP 28 was being convened at a critical moment in the fight against the climate crisis and its main outcome, under the Global Stocktake (GST) needed to respond decisively to the alarming findings of science and the existing gaps in mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage.听
Amina Mohammed arrived in Abu Dhabi yesterday and has been engaging in a series of bilateral meetings, including with the President Designate of COP28, Sultan Al Jabar; senior Climate ministers from around the world; representatives of civil society; the chairs of the key negotiation groups, and the Ministerial co-facilitators appointed by the COP28 Presidency to address the political issues to be resolved at the upcoming COP meeting.听
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GAZA听
Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that, yesterday, at least 33 trucks carrying water, food, and medical supplies entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing in northern Egypt. This is the largest delivery of humanitarian aid since 21 October, when limited deliveries of humanitarian aid resumed through Rafah.听听听
While this increase is welcome, a much larger volume of aid is needed on a regular basis to prevent further deterioration of the dire humanitarian situation, including civil unrest.听 In particular, the entry of fuel to operate medical equipment and water and sanitation facilities is urgently required.鈥
The cumulative number of internally displaced persons since the start of the hostilities in Gaza is estimated at over 1.4 million men, women and children. This includes more than 670,000 people who are sheltering in 150 shelters run by UNRWA. And all these shelters are way over their normal capacity.听
Over the weekend, the vicinities of Shifa and Al Quds hospitals in Gaza city and of the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza were reportedly bombarded, causing damage. This followed renewed calls by the Israeli military authorities to evacuate these facilities. All [the] 13 hospitals still operational in Gaza city and northern Gaza have received repeated evacuation orders in recent days.鈥
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For his part, Martin Griffiths, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, has started a visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Mr. Griffiths said he will hold discussions on how to ramp up the humanitarian response for civilians in Gaza.听
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Going back to Saturday, UNRWA reported that thousands of people broke into several鈥疷NRWA warehouses and distribution centres in Gaza, taking flour, hygiene supplies and other items. 听
UNRWA鈥檚 Operations Director, Tom White, said 鈥渢his is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza.鈥
For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on all parties to the conflict to take all precautions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and said the obvious that 鈥渋t is impossible to evacuate patients without endangering their lives鈥 from the hospital.听
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The Security Council will hear more听about the听humanitarian situation in Gaza this afternoon, when the Security Council meets. Council members will be briefed by the Commissioner-General of UNRWA,鈥疨hilippe Lazzarini, and Senior Director from OCHA, Lisa Doughten.听
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SYRIA听
Meanwhile back here, the Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, briefed Security Council members on the situation in Syria.听听
He warned that the Syrian people are facing a terrifying prospect of a potential wider escalation, given the alarming developments in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. He sounded the alarm that the situation is now at its most dangerous for a long time and called for an immediate de-escalation while advancing the political process.听
Also addressing Security Council members, Edem Wosornu, the Director of Operations and Advocacy at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She said that several areas across northern Syria experienced a serious escalation in hostilities. This had a deep impact on humanitarian workers and operations, particularly in the north-west of the country.
Three aid workers were among those killed, and many organizations were forced to temporarily suspend their operations. Hostilities have also damaged critical services and infrastructure, including more than 40 health facilities, two dozen schools and some 20 water systems; and temporarily affected the main power station in Idlib.听
Ten months into this year, Ms. Wosornu said, the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan is less than 30 per cent funded, and without additional funding, OCHA fears that many people will go without the support they need to get through the harsh winter months, and we鈥檝e seen how harsh the Winters in Syria can be.
LEBANON听
Exchanges of fire across the Blue Line have continued through the weekend, with two peacekeepers injured on 28 October due to shelling that impacted two UNIFIL positions in the Sector East. UNIFIL is working to ascertain the origin of the shell fire. Another UNIFIL compound was also hit by shelling on the same day, causing minor property damage. UNIFIL personnel repeatedly sheltered in bunkers over the weekend. While UNIFIL premises have been impacted on several occasions since 8 October, the incidents on 28 October were the first time that UNIFIL peacekeepers have been injured during the ongoing breaches of the cessation of hostilities along the Blue Line. 听
We remind the parties of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers and of the inviolability of 缅北禁地premises. And again, we urge all actors to immediately cease hostile actions across the Blue Line.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO听
The 缅北禁地peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, otherwise known as MONUSCO, said they are concerned about clashes between members of the M23 militia, the Congolese armed forces and coalitions of armed groups that have been occurring daily since the beginning of October in the province of North Kivu. 听
These clashes, taking place in the Masisi, Rutshuru and Nyiragongo territories, represent a serious escalation of the conflict in eastern Congo. They are also a serious threat to humanitarian relief operations and to the sites hosting displaced people in the periphery of Goma.听
Peacekeepers deployed a Quick Reaction Force听to听Rutshuru to protect civilians. Working closely with the Congolese armed forces and the East African Community Regional Force, 缅北禁地peacekeepers continue听to conduct patrols to protect Goma.
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They have also听established security perimeters around humanitarian aid distribution听centres听near our Kitchanga base and escorted the delivery of non-food items and other humanitarian assistance in the area, where approximately 25,000 internally displaced people are seeking protection around听the Mission鈥檚听base.听
SUDAN听听
In response to questions about the talks that are going on in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, regarding Sudan, and whether we are involved in those talks, the Spokesman said colleagues at OCHA [United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] have a team in Jeddah to facilitate the humanitarian track of these critical negotiations.听
More than six months since the start of the current hostilities, we and our partners have reached more than three-and-a-half million people with humanitarian assistance 鈥 but that鈥檚 only 20 per cent of the number we aim to help. The number of people who need humanitarian assistance in Sudan has increased from an estimated 15.8 million in November of last year to 24.7 million people in May 2023, representing a 57 per cent increase. 听
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In a statement issued over the weekend, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, said the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces must fully adhere to international humanitarian law and ensure safe, sustained and unhindered access to people in need 鈥 including by breaking through the bureaucratic logjam.听
HAITI听听
The World Food Programme tells us that since mid-August, violence in Port-au-Prince has forced about 40,000 people to flee from their homes. These recent movements bring the total number of displaced people across the country to 200,000. 听
In the Haitian capital, displaced people have taken shelter in over 90 different locations, including schools, churches and abandoned buildings. 听
WFP has set up three central kitchens in the capital, where, each day, as many as 22,000 meals are prepared and then transported to various sites where displaced people are staying. The food agency is in the process of shifting from serving hot meals to providing cash assistance to displaced people. 听听
However, and we often tals about what underfunding means for people. Funding cuts mean WFP has been unable to deliver continuous assistance to all those in need and is urgently calling for US$ 136 million to reach the most vulnerable Haitians over the next six months. 听
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BANGLADESH听
The Secretary-General is concerned about reports of violence at political rallies in Bangladesh, in which at least nine people have died and numerous people have been injured. 听
He calls on all parties to refrain from violence or any excessive use of force or arbitrary detention. He also stresses the need to respect the right of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.听
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SENIOR PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENTS鈥听鈥听
Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Marcos Athias Neto of Brazil as the new Assistant Administrator and Director in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Services in UNDP [United Nations Development Programme].听
He succeeds Haoliang Xu of China, who has been recently appointed as the Under-Secretary-General and Deputy Administrator of UNDP. 听
Mr. Neto is currently the Director of UNDP鈥檚 Sustainable Finance Hub. 听And we congratulate him on his appointment.
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Today, the Secretary-General also appointed Kirsi Madi of Finland as Deputy Executive Director for
Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships at 缅北禁地Women.听听
The Secretary-General extends his appreciation to her predecessor, Moez Doraid of Egypt, who will continue to serve as 缅北禁地Women Deputy Executive Director ad interim, until Ms. Madi assumes her functions.听
Currently serving as Director of the Executive Director鈥檚 Office and Chief of Staff at UNICEF, Ms. Madi brings over 30 years of experience and we congratulate her.
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GUESTS TOMORROW听
Tomorrow, Epsy Campbell Barr, Chairperson of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, and Justin Hansford, a Member of the Forum, will brief reporters following the first presentation of their annual report to the General Assembly.听
