HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY听ST脡PHANE DUJARRIC鈥,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANT脫NIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2024
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Lebanon听
Special Coordinator, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert has been in constant contact with all concerned actors to urge for restraint and calm as well as to support diplomatic efforts to end the cycle of violence urgently.听 听
The UN continues to urge the parties to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and return to a cessation of hostilities to restore stability.听
Security Council听
Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East 探花精选 Process, briefed the Security Council by VTC this morning on the Secretary-General鈥檚 latest report on Security Council resolution 2334 (2016), which calls on Israel to 鈥渋mmediately and completely cease all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem鈥 and to 鈥渇ully respect all of its legal obligations in this regard.鈥澨
Settlement activity has, nevertheless, continued, the Special Coordinator said.听
Mr. Wennesland informed the Council that the Secretary-General reported that the level of suffering witnessed in Gaza is unprecedented in his mandate as Secretary-General of the United Nations. To address the colossal humanitarian needs and improve the intolerable conditions of civilians, the Secretary-General said, Israel must fully open all crossings into Gaza.听听听听听听听
It must also facilitate the immediate, safe, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip, in accordance with its obligations under international humanitarian law.听
Mr. Wennesland began by expressing his grave concern over the growing risk of a widescale regional escalation. The series of explosions across Lebanon and rockets fired toward Israel in recent days adds to the volatility. He calls on all sides to refrain from steps that will further worsen the situation and take immediate steps to deescalate.
Occupied Palestinian Territory听
On Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that as of 15 September, there were 15 Emergency Medical Teams supporting local health workers, including three in northern Gaza. So far in 2024, 37 Emergency Medical Teams embedded in hospitals throughout the Strip have provided over 1.4 million consultations.听
However, due to obstacles hindering the entry of humanitarian aid in Gaza, the backlog of health supplies and equipment waiting to enter continues to grow, while health facilities within the Gaza Strip are facing increasingly severe supply shortages. Public health-care facilities in southern Gaza are reporting an over 70 per cent shortage of critical medical items.听听
The UN鈥檚 health partners say that the waiting list for the medical evacuation of critically ill and injured patients out of Gaza continues to grow due to the lack of a systematic referral mechanism.听
As of 12 September, out of more than 14,000 patients for whom medical evacuation has been requested since October 2023, just over 5,000 - or 35 per cent - have been evacuated abroad. Only 219 patients were allowed to leave Gaza by Israeli authorities since the closure of the Rafah Crossing in May 2024.听
Meanwhile, with the approaching cold and rainy weather, shelter partners report that they are unable to import enough material to provide sufficient protection from wind, rain or flooding. Access constraints continue to limit the entry of shelter items entering Gaza.听听
Partners are trying to find ways to maximize the response such as prioritizing the entry of sealing-off kits over tents, since more of these can be transported on a single truck. But this is the bare minimum and insufficient to match the needs of repeatedly displaced families.听
Humanitarian partners also finalized a preliminary mapping of displacement sites which may face flooding during the approaching winter season. 38 makeshift and 13 scattered sites in the Khan Younis, Deir al Balah, and the northern governorates are deemed likely to experience flooding with varying degrees of intensity.听
Once again, OCHA reiterates that it is critical that humanitarian organizations can reach all parts of Gaza, wherever they are needed.听
听Yemen听
Turning to Yemen. The regional directors of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Children鈥檚 Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), as well as several non-governmental organizations, issued a statement marking 100 days since the arbitrary detention by the de facto authorities in Sana鈥檃 of more than 50 personnel from the UN, international and national NGOs, civil society, and diplomatic missions. In addition, four of our staff members have been detained since 2021 and 2023.
In the joint statement, they urgently called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained colleagues.
Despite immense challenges, including insecurity and staff safety concerns, diminishing funding, and a shrinking humanitarian space, we and our partners are committed to continue providing the much-needed humanitarian and development support to millions of Yemenis.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听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Haiti听
Turning to Haiti, the Secretary-General takes note of the appointment of seven out of the nine members of the Provisional Electoral Council, representing different sectors of Haitian society.听听
Members representing human rights organizations and women's rights groups are still to be appointed. The Secretary-General encourages those two sectors to submit their nominees to allow the Provisional Electoral Council to be fully operational.听
Mali听
The Secretary-General strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Bamako, Mali, on Tuesday, 17 September. He extends his sincere condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the transitional Government and the people of Mali. He wishes a speedy recovery to those injured, including one UN guard unit member.听
The Secretary-General calls on the Malian transitional Government to ensure that those responsible for this despicable attack are held to account.听
South Sudan听
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) issued a statement today - jointly with the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) - noting the Presidency鈥檚 decision to extend the country鈥檚 transitional period by 24 months 鈥 until February 2027.听听
They expressed concern that this is the second time an extension has been needed due to a failure to implement critical benchmarks in the 2018 peace agreement and, regrettably, none of these extensions have delivered durable peace or timely elections.听听
The AU, IGAD and UNMISS call on all parties to break the perpetual cycle of continuous transitions and prioritize the interests of the nation and its people.听听
Relatedly, Nicholas Haysom, the Head of UNMISS, yesterday addressed an extraordinary meeting of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission which is responsible for monitoring the adherence of the Parties to the agreed timelines.听听
He said that the UN would endorse the extension of the transitional period, albeit with regret and disappointment.
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Sudan
the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is sounding the alarm about the devastating human cost if the international community fails to act in Sudan. 听
In a new update, OCHA outlines the lethal combination of hunger, displacement and disease outbreaks creating a perfect storm for the catastrophic loss of lives in Sudan. 听听
To beat back hunger in the country, the World Food Programme is working around the clock to reach 8.4 million people by the end of the year. In 2024 so far, the agency has assisted more than 5 million people, including 1.2 million in the Darfur region.听 听
Meanwhile, UNICEF continues to move life-saving nutrition supplies sufficient to treat some 215,000 severely malnourished children in Sudan. 听听听听听听听听
The agency and its partners have also provided some 6.6 million children and their families with safe drinking water this year, at a time when disease outbreaks 鈥 including cholera 鈥 are worsening. 听
Children account for about half of the more than 10 million people who have fled their homes since the conflict in Sudan erupted last year. Two million of those displaced have crossed into neighbouring countries, where the UN Refugee Agency is delivering urgent support. 听
UNHCR is working to provide critical protection services and help move the vast numbers of new arrivals away from border areas to safer locations in the countries of asylum. 听
Unfortunately, these efforts are severely hampered by the lack of funding, flooding and insecurity. 听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听
This year鈥檚 $1.5 billion plan to support the Regional Refugee Response in seven neighbouring countries is less than a quarter funded, with $347 million received to date.听
Meanwhile, the response inside Sudan is less than half funded: our 2024 appeal received just $1.3 billion of the $2.7 billion needed to reach some 14.7 million people in the country through the end of the year. 听
The number of trucks going into Sudan, and I can tell you that more than 113 aid trucks have moved into Sudan from Chad via the Adre crossing since it was reopened by Sudanese authorities last month.听
And just yesterday, another five trucks moved through the crossing. In total, supplies for more than 250,000 people have crossed into Sudan via Adre, including food, nutrition, shelter, medical and other support. 听听听
Next Wednesday, there will be a high-level ministerial event to address the spiraling crisis in Sudan and the region. OCHA and UNHCR are co-hosting the event alongside the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States of America, the European Union and the African Union. 听
And just for the record, yesterday afternoon, Martha Pobee, the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, and Joyce Msuya, the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, briefed Security Council members on Sudan, focusing on the situation in El-Fasher.听
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Ukraine听
From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that attacks yesterday and today in the regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Dnipro resulted civilian casualties, according to local authorities.
It warns that the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate due to intensified hostilities in the town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk. Around 16,000 residents, including more than 170 children, remain without water or gas, and electricity is intermittent. Authorities are urging residents to evacuate to safer areas.听
Shelling in the Kharkiv region yesterday hit an area close to where a Ukrainian NGO was transporting displaced civilians from high-risk areas to a transit site in Kharkiv City.听听听听听听
No one was injured, but passengers and humanitarian workers were shocked and received psychological support, and they continued to the transit site. In July and August of this year alone, the humanitarian community in Ukraine experienced a total 16 incidents of violence against aid workers and facilities.听听听
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Report on the Work of the Organization听
The Secretary-General鈥檚 report on the Work of the Organization was published today.听
Mandated by Article 98 of the UN Charter, the report is available in six official languages and in two accessibility formats, in line with our Disability and Inclusion Strategy. This year鈥檚 theme of 鈥淩esolve鈥 is connected to last year鈥檚 theme 鈥淒etermined鈥, with further emphasis on action. It presents a dual meaning of 1) the Organization having resolve, and 2) the United Nations working to resolve global challenges. The report is structured around eight priorities identified by the General Assembly, an introductory chapter and an additional chapter on the organization's effective functioning. This version of the report draws on data, infographics, maps, and imagery to highlight the achievements we have made. The full report can be accessed online at: /en/annualreport.听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
Senior Personnel Appointment 鈥听
Yesterday, the Secretary-General announced the appointment of Susan Brown of Switzerland as Assistant Administrator and Director in the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy (BERA) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).听听
Ms. Brown succeeds Ulrika Modeer of Sweden to whom the Secretary-General has expressed his gratitude for the important duties and responsibilities she has performed during her six years at UNDP.听听
Ms. Brown鈥檚 most recent work was providing strategic advisory, advocacy, policy and communications support to various international organisations.
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Art Exhibition听
At 4pm today, you are invited to preview an art exhibition that is set to take centre stage as world leaders convene here next week for the 79th session of the General Assembly.听
The exhibit, called 鈥淟arge Nature Model: Coral鈥 was created with the world's first open-source generative AI model and generated with a dataset of some 100 million images, drawing attention to the impact of climate change on our marine ecosystems.听
It was developed by the Refik Anadol Studio. The artist will be here this afternoon, along with Melissa Fleming, the head of our Global Communications department and Vilas Dhar, the President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.听听
The exhibit will be located at the Curved Exhibition Wall, across from the Japanese 探花精选 Bell Garden.听
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Financial Contributions听
El Salvador and Gabon paid their dues to the regular budget in full. There are now 137 Member States who have paid up in full.
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Briefings听
Noon briefing guest today is David Nanopoulos, Chief of the Treaty Section in the UN Office of Legal Affairs. He will brief on the annual Treaty Event, which will take place here at Headquarters from 24 to 27 September.听听
Then, at 2:00 p.m., the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology, Amandeep Singh Gill, and Carme Artigas, co-chair of the AI Advisory Body, will be here to brief on the final report of the Secretary-General's High-level Advisory Body on AI, as well as related events in the Summit of the Future.听听
