HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
FRIDAY, 19 JULY 2024
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
In response to questions, the Spokesperson said a statement will be issued following the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion in the proceedings concerning legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
YEMEN
The Secretary-General condemns today's deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv, for which the Houthis in Yemen claimed responsibility. This attack resulted in a death and several injuries. He sends his heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families.
The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the risk such dangerous acts pose for further escalation in the region. He urges all to exercise maximum restraint and to de-escalate to avoid further enflaming the situation in the region.
The United Nations remains committed to supporting efforts for peace and stability in the region.
UNRWA
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency – UNRWA - today thanked the United Kingdom for its renewed trust in UNRWA. He said that the resumption of UK funding to UNRWA is testament to the lifesaving and human development work of its teams across the region, including on the humanitarian front lines in Gaza.
He noted that the announcement comes at a critical time as the Agency continues to come under harsh and unprecedented attacks.
In London today, Mr. Lazzarini reiterated that UNRWA is fully committed, with the support of donors and host countries, to implement the recommendations of the Catherine Colonna report. This will further reinforce the principle of the agency’s neutrality in a deeply polarized environment.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
In Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is deeply concerned over the ongoing spread of infectious diseases due to severe overcrowding of shelter spaces, dire shortages of clean water, and abysmal sanitation and hygiene conditions.
In a particularly worrying development, the World Health Organization reports that six environmental samples of variant poliovirus type 2 have been detected in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah. No paralytic cases have yet been detected. Polio can cause paralysis and death, especially among unvaccinated children.
The WHO head, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a social media post today that his agency – alongside UNICEF, UNRWA and the Ministry of Health in Gaza – are carrying out a risk assessment to understand the scope of poliovirus spread and the necessary response to stop it, including through prompt vaccination campaigns. He warned that the decimation of Gaza’s health system and shortages of key supplies, among other factors, are increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio.
Other infectious diseases in Gaza are surging. As of July 7th, WHO says nearly one million cases of acute respiratory infections have been recorded since 7 October. Nearly 575,000 cases of acute watery diarrhea, and more than 100,000 cases of jaundice, have also been documented. However, WHO says the real number of infections is likely far higher.
An assessment last week by OCHA and humanitarian partners at two informal displacement sites and an UNRWA school found that most toilets there are not working due to damage and septic issues. This means sewage is spilling into the streets at some sites.
OCHA adds that over the past week, aid organizations have seen a surge in displacement from northern to southern Gaza. As of yesterday, partners reported that more than 2,500 people had been displaced from northern Gaza to areas farther south in a single week. Aid workers provided those displaced with food, drinking water, hygiene supplies, and some shelter materials. Efforts are ongoing to provide additional assistance to vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, older people, and those with disabilities.
SUDAN/PROXIMITY TALKS
The Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, has concluded the Geneva Proximity Talks with delegations appointed by both parties.
He had separately engaged with the delegation of each party during discussions that took place from 11 to 19 July.
During this period, Mr. Lamamra’s team held around 20 sessions with the parties’ delegations, including technical and plenary meetings.
Mr. Lamamra said that throughout these engagements, the delegations expressed their positions on key issues of concern, in light of their responsibilities, allowing to deepen the mutual understanding. He then explored avenues to address these issues to contribute to alleviating the suffering of the civilians in Sudan.
Mr. Lamamra added that the discussions are an encouraging initial step in a longer and complex process. He urged both parties to step up their engagement for peace for the sake of the Sudanese people and the future of the country.
SUDAN/HUMANITARIAN
Turning to the situation on the ground, our colleagues at the World Food Programme are saying they are extremely concerned about the escalation of fighting in Sudan’s Sennar State in the southwest of the country.
This situation has caused more than 136,000 people to flee their homes since the fighting erupted at the end of June, many for the second or third time since the conflict started.
WFP has so far supported 46,000 people who fled to Damazine in Blue Nile and 3,000 people who have sought refuge in Kassala in Gedaref.
The impact of this escalation extends far beyond displacement. It has severely affected the World Food Programme's operations across the region, including White Nile, Blue Nile, Kassala, and Gedaref.
Fighting in Sennar cut off key supply routes for food and fuel into the state, leaving residents unable to access basic needs. WFP’s hub in Kosti is completely cut off. The route from Port Sudan to Kosti cuts through Sennar and is currently inaccessible. This route is a lifeline to get assistance to hundreds of thousands of people in Sudan, including many communities at risk of famine in the Kordofans and the Darfur region.
Getting assistance into Darfur from Chad has also halted. The Adre crossing from Chad is still closed and the Chad-Darfur crossing via Tine is inaccessible due to heavy rains and flooding brought by the rainy season. This means that many areas are cut off from assistance.
WFP repeats its calls for all possible humanitarian corridors to be open so we can reach all those in need.
SOUTH SUDAN
In South Sudan, the peacekeeping mission – UNMISS - will be supporting a mobile court in Bentiu, Unity state, scheduled to begin on 22 July. This national initiative, led by the State Governor with support from the country’s judiciary and the Ministry of Justice, is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the rule of law and accountability.
The mobile court will bring judges from South Sudan’s formal justice system to Bentiu to fairly adjudicate serious criminal cases - including murder and rape - and is expected to deter crime as well as enhance security. Since the court will continue until 21 August, we’ll keep you updated on the proceedings.
UNMISS also handed over a newly constructed police post to local authorities in remote Nagero, in Western Equatoria state. This was appreciated by communities living here who have been dealing with insecurity following a surge of intercommunal conflict in neighbouring Tambura County last April.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Turning to the Central African Republic, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs remain deeply concerned by the disastrous impact that ongoing hostilities there are having on civilians.
One in five people in the country is displaced, either internally or in neighbouring countries, including in Cameroon, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Most of those who have fled their homes are women and children.
Meanwhile, conflicts in neighbouring countries are further fueling humanitarian needs in the Central African Republic.
Our UNHCR colleagues say the country has welcomed tens of thousands of people fleeing the fighting in Sudan since the conflict there began in April of last year, as well as intercommunal violence in Chad.
The humanitarian community in the Central African Republic is providing food and health assistance to the most vulnerable people, including in hard-to-reach areas.
However, OCHA and its partners continue to face significant challenges, including ongoing insecurity, access constraints and funding shortfalls.
More than halfway into the year, the Humanitarian Response Plan for the Central African Republic is less than a third funded, with $119 million received of the $368 million required. We urgently appeal to donors to increase their support.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
Continuing her visit to West Africa, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Bamako, Mali, today.
Upon arrival, she held meetings with Interim President, Assimi Goïta; Foreign Affairs Minister, Abdoulaye Diop and other senior government officials to take stock of the situation in the country and their efforts to advance sustainable development. They discussed the current political, development, and humanitarian situations in the country and in the wider region.
The Deputy Secretary-General continued to encourage inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders as part of efforts to bring peace and a return to constitutional order in Mali.
During her visit, the Deputy Secretary-General also met with the UN country team and exchanged with women and youth groups as she visited a UN-supported training centre for an income-generating activities for vulnerable girls and women.
BANGLADESH
The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the continuing violence in Bangladesh and the escalating death toll. He reiterates his call for restraint on all sides. He also encourages the authorities to investigate all acts of violence, hold perpetrators to account, and ensure a conducive environment for dialogue.
UKRAINE
Turning to Ukraine, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that active hostilities and insecurity continue to pose major risks and challenges for aid workers.
In new figures released this week, OCHA documented 19 such incidents during May and June. During that period, 2 aid workers were killed – one in the line of duty. In 8 other incidents, 12 humanitarian personnel were injured. Most of them were working in areas within 5 kilometres of the front line – underscoring the dangerous conditions aid workers face in trying to deliver critical assistance to civilians in need.
Our humanitarian colleagues note that the main impediments to humanitarian access in eastern Ukraine have been the escalation of hostilities in the Donetsk region, the Russian Federation’s cross-border incursion into the Kharkiv region, and the high intensity of attacks across the Dnipro River in the Kherson region.
Meanwhile, humanitarian access to Russian-occupied areas of eastern Ukraine remains severely constrained.
UKRAINE/REFUGEES
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has travelled to Ukraine this week for the fifth time since February 2022.
During his visit to the country, he urged the international community to further scale up vital support ahead of the third winter since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion.
While in Ukraine, Mr. Grandi visited the Okhmatdyt Pediatric Hospital and other areas heavily damaged by the deadly attacks in Kyiv on 8 July. In Kharkiv, he heard harrowing accounts by people evacuated during the recent offensive in May.
After meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, and visiting a power plant that was heavily bombarded, Mr. Grandi handed over ten generators to the local authorities in Kharkiv to help keep critical services operational.
The UN Refugee Agency will contribute to helping the people of Ukraine prepare for winter and, to that end, Mr. Grandi committed initial resources worth $100 million. UNHCR plans to support 600,000 of the most vulnerable displaced and war-affected people in Ukraine with cash assistance.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, Elizabeth Spehar, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, briefed Security Council members on cooperation between the UN and regional and subregional organizations.
She said that now, more than ever, a more effective United Nations relies on stronger and deepened cooperation with regional and subregional organizations, including the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Ms. Spehar underscored that the stakes for international peace and security could not be higher. She added that the UN aims to strengthen cooperation with these organizations in areas of mutual priority, including in peace and security, focusing on early warning, preventive diplomacy and peacekeeping, as well as further implementation of women, peace and security and youth, peace and security agendas.
HAITI
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says that at least 40 migrants have died, and several others were injured, after a boat they were travelling in caught fire off Cap Haïtien.
Two days ago - according to the Haitian National Office for Migration - the boat, carrying over 80 people, departed from Labadee en route to the Turks and Caicos Islands, a 250-kilometer journey.
Forty-one surviving migrants who were aboard were rescued by the Haitian Coast Guard and are currently receiving medical care, food, water, and psychosocial support provided by IOM, in support of the national authorities. Eleven migrants were taken to the nearest hospital for treatment, including burns.
The Head of IOM in Haiti, Grégoire Goodstein, said this devastating event demonstrates the crucial need for safe and legal pathways for migration.
IOM says that more than 86,000 migrants have been forcibly returned to Haiti by neighbouring countries this year.
HURRICANE BERYL
In the Caribbean, our teams there continues to support authorities in their response to Hurricane Beryl in Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamaica.
In Grenada and Saint Vincent, our teams are taking part in rapid assessments. They’re also helping to deliver humanitarian supplies, restore power and health care services, and supporting shelter management, among other activities.
And here in New York, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs chaired a Member State briefing this morning on the impact and response to the hurricane, where we heard from, among others, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph E. Gonsalves, as well as representatives of other affected governments, in addition to Simon Springett, the Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, and Elizabeth Riley, the Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Tomorrow is International Moon Day.
The Day commemorates the first moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969.
The day also celebrates Apollo 11's safe return and the remarkable advancements made in space exploration.
We will also mark World Chess Day. Chess is a universal, two player strategy board game that fosters fairness, inclusion and mutual respect. As an affordable and inclusive activity, it can be exercised anywhere and played by all, across the barriers of language, age, gender, physical ability or social status.
