HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC
SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
TUESDAY, 28 MAY 2024
GAZA
The Secretary-General has condemned in the strongest terms the 26 May air strikes by the Israeli Defense Forces on Rafah, which hit tents sheltering displaced people. The Secretary-General is heartbroken by the killed and injured, including many small children. As he has said before, the horror and suffering must stop immediately.
The Secretary-General grieves for the over 36,000 Palestinians and some 1,500 Israelis killed in the relentless violence, including the gruesome acts of terror in Israel on 7 October 2023, the devastating Israeli assault on Gaza, and the continued indiscriminate rocket launches towards Israel from Gaza. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is now compounded by the unconscionable prospect of a man-made famine.
The Secretary-General reiterates his demand for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. He recalls the recent orders of the International Court of Justice, which are binding and must be respected.
The Secretary-General calls on the Israeli authorities to allow, facilitate and enable the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of all humanitarian supplies assistance to those in need and all crossing points must be open .,in line with Security Council resolution 2720 (2023). Humanitarian organizations must have full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to reach all civilians in need across Gaza, in line with [Security Council] Resolution 2712 (2023).
We must work expeditiously to restore security, dignity and hope for all of the affected population. This will require urgent efforts to support and strengthen the new Palestinian Government and its institutions, including for preparing the Palestinian Authority to reassume its responsibilities in Gaza. We must also move forward with tangible and irreversible steps to create a political horizon.
The devastation and the misery of the past seven months have reinforced the absolute need for Israelis, for Palestinians, for States of the region and the broader international community to take urgent steps that will enable the parties to re-engage on the long-delayed political path to achieve a two-State solution. The United Nations will continue to support all such efforts.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
On the ground, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that the intensification of hostilities and issuance of evacuation orders have displaced more than 940,000 people from Rafah in the past three weeks, alongside 100,000 who have been displaced in northern Gaza. That is according to estimates by UNRWA and OCHA and Juliette I am sure will have a lot more.
Attacks on Rafah have continued unabated, and civilians displaced by hostilities lack shelter, they lack food, they lack water and other supplies essential to their human survival.
Health facilities there continue to face dire shortages of fuel and medical supplies while having to cope with a rising influx of casualties due to injuries and burns.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that while the Kerem Shalom crossing remains open in principle, it is extremely difficult for aid organizations to access from the Gaza side due to the hostilities, challenging logistical conditions, and complex coordination procedures.
However, as of yesterday, we were able to access 43 trucks at the Kerem Shalom site. In addition, access constraints continue to hamper the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid inside Gaza. Between 1 and 26 May, 137 humanitarian aid missions to areas that require coordination across Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, 86 were impeded after getting a green light or denied access to begin with, and 43 were cancelled by the organizers, the humanitarian organizers.
LEBANON
The peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon reports that the Force Commander and Head of the AVkeeping mission there, General Aroldo Lázaro , visited sector west of the Blue Line over the weekend to assess the situation on the ground.
He noted that the dedication and efforts of peacekeepers to de-escalate tensions, patrol, and support the Lebanese Armed Force and local communities continue, despite over seven months of exchanges of fire across the Blue Line.
We reiterate the importance of returning to a cessation of hostilities under the framework of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) and to avoid any acts that may further escalate the tensions over the Blue Line.
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attempted launch of another military satellite using ballistic missile technology by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Any launch by the DPRK using ballistic missile technology is contrary to the relevant Security Council resolutions.
The Secretary-General reiterates his calls on the DPRK to fully comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions and to swiftly return to dialogue without preconditions to achieve the goal of sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Secretary-General is in Antigua and Barbuda, taking part in the fourth Conference on Small Island Developing States.
Today, he spoke at an event on resource mobilization, and said that while financing is the fuel of development, many Small Island Developing States are running on empty.
“Too often, island nations are unable to make the investments they need in sustainable development – as precious resources are diverted to recovery from disasters and to debt service. And when they turn to the global financial system for assistance, they come, often, empty-handed”.
He underscored that in its current form, the global financial architecture fails to deliver for developing countries in general – and small island developing states in particular.
He outlined three steps to change this, which include relieving the burden of debt for these countries, transforming lending practices, and increasing inclusivity across international financial institutions.
Later today the Secretary-General will have a conversation with the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, on the call to action for small islands and the Bridgetown initiative.
And you will have seen that, yesterday, he spoke at the opening of the Conference and said that the international community has a duty to support small island developing states, which have been the world’s conscience in the climate crisis. “The idea that an entire island state could become collateral damage for profiteering by the fossil fuel industry, he said, or competition between major economies, is simply obscene”. He told small island leaders that we need to hear their fierce voices now more than ever.
He will be on his way back to New York shortly.
SYRIA CONFERENCE
The eighth edition of the conference entitled "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region" took place in Brussels yesterday (May 27th).
In a video message, the Secretary-General stressed that three in every four people in Syria – that’s nearly 17 million - need humanitarian assistance this year, and that 5.6 million Syrian men, women and children remain refugees in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Türkiye, across Europe, and beyond.
The Director for Coordination for OCHA, Ramesh Rajasingham, also addressed the conference. We shared those remarks with you.
And also, a programming note. Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy for Syria, will be in New York on Thursday to brief the Security Council. And he will be available to answer questions at the stakeout.
UKRAINE
Turning to Ukraine, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, visited Kharkiv over the weekend. That was following the deadly attack on shopping mall on Saturday, an attack which she strongly condemned.
The attack caused a massive fire, making it difficult for rescue services to work. Local authorities report that at least 18 civilians were killed, including a child, and 48 more were injured.
On the same day, another strike in Kharkiv City reportedly resulted in 25 civilian casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure. That’s also according to what local authorities are telling us.
Humanitarian workers and first responders provided first aid, psycho-social support and emergency assistance to affected people.
These deadly attacks come on top of intensified fighting in the border areas of the Kharkiv region with the Russian Federation, which, as we have mentioned, have triggered displacement over the last two weeks.
Humanitarian partners continue to support people fleeing hostilities. Over 10,000 people received immediate aid at the transit centre in Kharkiv City. That includes food and water, clothes, mattresses, as well as cash support.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Over the weekend, the Secretary-General expressed his deep sadness at the reported loss of hundreds of lives in a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea.
He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and expressed his solidarity with the people and Government of Papua New Guinea.
We, along with our partners are supporting the Government’s response efforts and stand ready to do more.
The Government has requested international assistance, and we are coordinating the response efforts of all partners on the ground. Immediate needs include clean water, food, clothing, shelter items, kitchen utensils, medicine and hygiene kits.
We, along with our partners, in coordination with the local emergency response teams, are going to provide relief supplies – including emergency health kits, tents and psychosocial support, and hygiene kits.
SOUTH SUDAN
The peacekeeping mission in South Sudan is telling us about the successful conclusion of a mobile court deployed in Mayom county in Unity state.
Over six weeks, this collaborative effort, supported by the Mission there - UNMISS - and the Embassy of Norway, handled 31 cases, resulting in 24 convictions and the release of 22 prisoners.
Several cases heard by the court involved sexual and gender-based violence, underscoring the significance of addressing such crimes.
In remote regions such as Mayom, which have lacked a formal judiciary since the nation's independence, mobile courts provide much-needed access to justice.
A similar court is expected to be deployed to Tonj in Warrap state in a few weeks.
SUDAN
In neighbouring Sudan, OCHA says that hundreds of thousands of civilians in El Fasher in north Darfur are facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation. Many parts of the city have been left without electricity or water. A growing proportion of the population has limited access to necessities and essential services, including food and health care.
We are also receiving deeply worrying reports that medical facilities, displacement camps and critical civilian infrastructure have been impacted by the hostilities.
Our friends at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimate that the conflict has displaced nearly 58,000 people from El Fasher since April 1st. Many more people, including children and elderly people, are unable or are being prevented from moving to safer areas.
SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council held an open debate on the role of women and young people in maintaining peace and security.
Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and AVbuilding Affairs, briefed the Council, saying that gender equality and recognizing aspirations of young people are essential for sustainable peace and security around the world. She spoke about her recent visit to Afghanistan, where women and girls in Kabul told her about their dreams, mainly to get the same education as men and equal employment opportunities.
For her part, Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, underscored that women and girls face a double discrimination for their gender and their age, and this is intensified during conflicts.
BANGLADESH
In Bangladesh, prior to the anticipated landfall of a cyclone in the southern parts of Bangladesh, the World Food Programme (WFP) swiftly dispatched cash assistance to families most at risk.
A total of 30,000 families, that is about 150,000 people, received assistance.
This is part of one of WFP's flagship programmes, entitled “Anticipatory Action” for climate shocks.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF UN PEACEKEEPERS
On Thursday [30 May] we will be observing the International Day of UN AVkeepers. Today, some 76,000 women and men are serving in 11 conflict zones across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
The day will be marked here with a few events.
The Secretary-General will lay a wreath to honour all UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. He will also preside over a ceremony in the Trusteeship Council, during which Dag Hammarskjöld Medals will be awarded posthumously to 64 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the UN flag, including 61 who died last year.
Also on Thursday, the Secretary-General will present the 2023 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award to Major Radhika Sen, a military officer from India, who served with peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
And, on Thursday, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of UN AVkeeping, will be the guest at the noon briefing.
GUEST
Juliette Touma, the Director of Communications of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, briefed reporters on the situation in Gaza and the work of UNRWA.
