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Ukraine Ceasefire, Gaza & other topics – Daily Press Briefing | United Nations
Summary
1336seconds video
The briefing covered several global issues and updates from the United Nations. The Secretary General participated in meetings with EU leaders, emphasizing the partnership between the UN and EU, and later he will receive an honorary doctorate from universities in Luhven. The Secretary General commented on the situations in Ukraine and Gaza, supporting ceasefires and humanitarian access. In Gaza, he condemned hostage situations and ongoing violence affecting civilians and aid workers. Several UN personnel were reported dead or injured due to hostilities, adding to a rising death toll among UN staff in the area. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire, with shortages of aid, food, and medical supplies. The security situation in Sudan’s camps and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were highlighted as deteriorating, impacting the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The UN also expressed concern about the cholera outbreak in Haiti due to insufficient funding. The Secretary General’s report on sexual exploitation and abuse called for continued efforts and funding to address these issues. Aid funding cuts were condemned, emphasizing the risks posed to refugees. Finally, logistical updates were provided about UN office relocations and the ongoing selection process for a new Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide.
Full Script
All right, I’ll get us started. Good afternoon, everyone. I will be joined shortly by Adam Abdelmullah, the UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for Syria. You will join us from Damascus to talk about the situation in Syria. Before that, the Secretary General is still in Brussels today, and a few hours ago he took part in a working lunch with the heads of state and government of the European Union. As we mentioned, he was invited by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and this lunch took place at the opening of the European Council. The Secretary General and Mr. Costa spoke to the press as they entered the European Union building. Mr. Gutteresh expressed his appreciation for our partnership with the EU, reiterating that it is a fundamental pillar of the multilateral response to the challenges we face in peace and security, climate, sustainable development, and human rights. Turning to the situation in Ukraine, the Secretary General said any ceasefire is welcome because it saves lives, but he added that it is essential that a ceasefire paves the way for just peace in Ukraine. A peace that respects the UN Charter, international law, and Security Council resolutions, namely about the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The Secretary General renewed his appeal for respect of the ceasefire in Gaza, for unimpeded humanitarian access to all areas of Gaza, and for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages. His full remarks have been shared with you. Tomorrow, the Secretary General will deliver remarks in Luhven, where the universities KU Luhven and UC Luhven will jointly award an honorary doctorate to the United Nations. In his remarks, Mr. Gutteresh will pay tribute to the work and commitment of our UN colleagues around the world. The ceremony will be webcast live on UN Web TV. And tomorrow, the Secretary General is also scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart de Weber. The Secretary General will be back here on Monday morning. As you have seen, last evening we issued a note to correspondence in which the Secretary General welcomed the announcements by President Donald Trump of the United States and President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation regarding an energy infrastructure ceasefire, as well as negotiations towards implementing the initiative concerning the safety of navigation in the Black Sea. He also welcomed the announcement that President Trump and President Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine have agreed on a partial ceasefire against energy and that technical teams will discuss broadening the ceasefire to the Black Sea. The Secretary General pointed out that these steps represent important confidence-building measures that can facilitate further discussions among all relevant actors towards de-escalation of the war. He hopes that it will pave the way for achieving a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace that fully respects Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The Secretary General also stressed that reaching an agreement on safe and free navigation in the Black Sea with security commitments and in line with the UN Charter and International Law would be a crucial contribution to global food security and supply chains. It would reflect the importance of trade routes from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation to global markets. Okay, Assistant Secretary General Khaled Kiari briefed the Security Council this morning on the humanitarian situation faced by the remaining hostages in Gaza. He said that the UN continues to unequivocally condemn the appalling acts of terror on the 7th of October, 2023, and continued holding of hostages in Gaza. Assistant Taxi noted the Secretary General and other senior UN officials have regularly met with the families of hostages and have been deeply moved by their stories and by the torment and anguish they have endured. Mr. Kiari noted that the UN has repeatedly condemned the parading of coffins containing the bodies of dead Israeli hostages and public displays accompanying the release of living and deceased hostages, including statements made under G.R.S. The hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally, he said. The resumption of hostilities on the 18th of March adds further despair and uncertainty for those remaining hostages, their families and their loved ones, and has also been devastating for the civilian population in the Strip. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, including women and children, he said. He reiterated that a renewed ceasefire is the best way of protecting civilians in Gaza, in the occupied Palestinian territory, and in Israel, releasing hostages, entertainies, and allowing aid and commercial supplies in. The UN Office for Project Services today confirmed the death of Marine Valiv Marinov, aged 51, from Bulgaria, who died yesterday when two UN guest houses were hit by an explosion in Derelbala, Central Gaza. Five additional UN OPS colleagues were injured in the explosion. Three of those injured worked in support of the UN Mine Action Service in the occupied Palestinian territory. Two of the injured worked in support of the UN 2720 mechanism for Gaza. They are all now in hospital. The UN is launching an investigation into the incident in Gaza yesterday, and we expect full support from Israeli authorities. Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency, today said that in the past few days another five UNRAS staff have been confirmed killed, bringing the death toll to 284. He said that those killed were teachers, doctors, and nurses serving the most vulnerable. Meanwhile he warned the siege on Gaza tightens. For nearly three weeks now, he said, the Israeli authorities continue to ban the entry of any humanitarian aid or basic commercial supplies. Turning to the humanitarian situation, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that the situation continues to deteriorate as attacks continue for the third consecutive day. US displacements are being reported across the Strip. Our humanitarian partners estimate that as of yesterday, more than 68,000 people have had fled since the evacuation orders were issued on Tuesday. A new evacuation order covering areas in Kanyunas were also issued today, following reports of rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups. North Gaza, there are reports of some initial displacement of people from Bethlehem, following the reported start of the Israeli ground operation there. Tom Fletcher, the Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, said that for nearly three weeks Gaza has been completely sealed off to food, medicine, fuel, and cooking gas. He warned that the gains we had made during the ceasefire to support survivors in Gaza have been reversed. He said the blockade of life-saving aid must be lifted, the hostages must be released, civilians must be protected, and the ceasefire must be renewed. Our food security partners caution today that more bakeries may be forced to shut down in the coming days unless the inflow of supplies resumes immediately. Gaza’s health care system is under immense strain, with hospitals continuing to receive the wounded and partners doing all they can to provide services as supplies dwindle. Since Tuesday, 13 hospitals have repeatedly treated hundreds of trauma injuries. Given the high caseload, health partners warned that blood units are running low. The UN Population Fund this week has activated urgent delivery services in 14 primary care centers and medical points set up for pregnant mothers who may be unable to reach hospitals. Meanwhile, our partners are continuing water trucking operations as multiple water facilities have been affected by the evacuation orders. Water production levels remain well below the pre-October 2023 levels. The UN reiterates that the delivery of humanitarian assistance must be facilitated and civilians must always be protected. I want to flag that the report of the Secretary General on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse covering 2024 has been issued. The report details system-wide efforts to strengthen our capacity to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse in line with the Secretary General’s strategy. Since 2017, we have continued to devote considerable attention and effort to improving the way the sector addresses the issue. System-wide coordination structures, global standards, technical tools, training, improved reporting mechanisms, and increased country-level support and capacity have all contributed to enhancing prevention, response, and transparency. However, challenges persist and we remain committed to addressing these. Our approach, which prioritizes the rights and dignity of victims, remains a key objective of the Secretary General’s strategy. Efforts are ongoing to ensure victims have a voice and better access to assistance and support. While the trust fund for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse has been invaluable, very little funding remains in it. The Secretary General urges member states to make available adequate and sustainable support for prevention efforts and for victims and their children. Addressing the underlying issues such as inequality, extreme poverty, and lack of rule of law is crucial to ending this scourge. The report also highlights the UN’s efforts to end impunity and ensure justice for victims. The Secretary General calls on member states to address accountability robustly and resolve outstanding paternity cases without delay. He remains steadfast and committed to effectively tackling this issue with the support of the member states. We will keep pushing forwards on this important issue. Turning to Sidhan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that the situation in Zamzam Camp near the city of El Fashe has further deteriorated over the past two days. Armed groups advancing towards El Fashe and Zamzam have reportedly gained full control of surrounding routes. According to a humanitarian partner still operating in the camp, the road between El Fashe and Zamzam is now completely blocked, halting all supply movements and medical referrals. This has had severe consequences on essential services, particularly the water supply. Humanitarians on the ground say the tightening blockade has shut down all diesel-powered infrastructure, including boreholes, leaving only solar-powered systems operational. However, these cannot meet the growing demands. As we mentioned yesterday, displaced people continue to seek shelter in Zamzam. Residents of the camp are reportedly having to wait up to two days to fill a single water container. Humanitarian partners say security concerns and fuel shortages have prevented water trucking, further exacerbating the crisis. Meanwhile, there were reports yesterday that in neighboring towns, dozens of villages and markets were burned down during the attacks, triggering mass displacement. The ongoing siege on El Fashe and Zamzam is worsening conditions for displaced people, and severe shortages of supplies continue to deepen the humanitarian crisis. Aid workers have been forced to ration water and supply stocks to sustain operations for as long as possible. Although some basic nutrition services remain operational in Zamzam, they could be suspended if an attack occurs. However, the main stabilization center in the camp remains closed due to a lack of essential medical supplies, leaving severely malnourished children at extreme risk. In a meeting with aid organizations yesterday, administrative authorities in the town of Tawala in Darfur state agreed to reopen roads to enable aid deliveries to Zamzam and Abu Shuk camps, as well as displaced communities in El Fashe. We reiterate that an immediate de-escalation of hostilities is critical to ensure safe, timely, and sustained access for lifesaving humanitarian assistance and services. All parties must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the civilians are protected. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that a surge in violence in the Itori province is harming civilians and hindering relief efforts. On the 18th of March, local humanitarian sources reported that an armed group raided a site hosting displaced people in the territory of Jugu, with two people killed and property looted. As we have mentioned before, violence has been mounting in Jugu for weeks, particularly in the areas of Vittaki, Dro-Dro, Reti, and Linga areas. At least four humanitarian organizations have suspended activities in the area, cutting some 300,000 people off from lifesaving aid and protection. Ocha also tells us that clashes continue in parts of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, leading to new displacements and civilian deaths. In South Kivu, local humanitarian sources report that fighting in the highlands of Fisi Territory has prevented nearly 30,000 displaced people from returning to villages in the area. And in North Kivu, local humanitarian sources estimate that more than 10,000 people fled clashes in Walikali territory yesterday, crossing into the neighboring provinces of Manema and Chopo. Turning to Haiti, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs are concerned about cholera, with new suspected cases being reported daily. Since the beginning of the year, more than 900 suspected cases and four confirmed cases have been recorded nationwide. In Siti Sole, more than 100 suspected cases have been reported in the past three weeks. The deteriorating security situation hinders access for surveillance teams and response efforts, raising concerns about undetected community transmission. The government and the World Health Organization are jointly responding to the outbreak by providing medicine and medical supplies and setting up rehydration and chlorination points. Which also warns that years of underfunding for the humanitarian response means that millions of Haitians are missing out on the central support they need. Funding for water, sanitation and hygiene services is particularly low, with only $3.6 million out of the required $87 million received. Additionally, just less than 30% of health facilities with beds across the country and just over 40% in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area are fully operational. In a statement issued today, Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, warned that the brutal funding cuts in the humanitarian sector are putting millions of lives at risk, and that the consequences for people fleeing danger will be immediate and devastating. Mr. Grandi said that refugee women and girls at extreme risk of rape and other abuse are already losing access to services that kept them safe, and children are being left without teachers or schools, pushing them into child labour, trafficking or early marriage. He added that refugee communities will have less shelter, water and food, and that slashing aid will make the world less safe, driving more desperate people to become refugees or keep moving onwards. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that together with his partners, UNHCR responded to 43 refugee emergencies last year alone. With less funding, fewer staff and a smaller UNHCR presence in countries hosting refugees, Mr. Grandi pointed out that the equation is simple. Lives will be lost. There is not just a funding shortfall, it is a crisis of responsibility. The cost of inaction will be measured in suffering, instability and lost futures. Today is the International Day of Happiness. This day is a reminder that happiness is a fundamental human goal and that we should all achieve it. So remember that. And today is also French Language Day, and as you know, French is one of the six official languages of the UN in addition to Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian and Spanish. And last, we would like to say thank you to our friends in Podgorica and Pretoria for their full payments to the regular budget. The payments from Montenegro and South Africa bring the number of fully paid up member states to 81. That’s it from me. So before we go to our guest first, some questions. Desi. Yes, a couple of details and follow-ups. And yesterday, the Secretary General’s statement saying that the killing of the UN ops officer may put the number of deaths of UN colleagues to 280. Today, five more got killed. Why it’s 284? In this case, the deaths that they’re describing are of UNRA people. There are other people who have died, including as I’m aware, two from UNOPS, one from the World Health Organization, and one from the Department of Safety and Security. So the overall number is actually probably 288. Okay. Right. About the five injured colleagues, three from UN Mine Action Service, two for the implementation of 2027-20 resolution. Can you give us some update of their situation? Are they stable? Are they in critical condition? The good news is that all five of them are alive, that the surgeries that they’ve been undergoing have proved to help their condition. Some of them remain in intensive care. Two of them have very critical injuries, but like I said, they have managed to stay alive, and that is a blessing. There are two others with still somewhat severe injuries and one who is lightly injured. And for the five UNRA staff who got killed in the past few days, do we have more details like when and what they were doing when this happened? There are different circumstances in all of these times. Finally, as happened in the early stages of this conflict, many of them are simply killed because they are in their homes or in their neighborhoods when those neighborhoods are attacked. And again, these are attacks on us, of course, but I would like to point out that the bigger problem is indiscriminate attacks on neighborhoods that are killing Palestinian civilians as a whole. One last follow-up. On the incident of the Dderbala UN facilities, you just said that you’re expecting Israeli authority to help facilitate the investigation. Has they agreed? Is there any response from Israeli authority on the investigation? We are in contact with them and will continue to be in contact. But no words from them yet. Well, there’s nothing further to say than what I’ve just said. Yes, Dulcy? Yeah, I wanted to ask about the post of special advisor on prevention of genocide. I understand that job vacancy posting has been closed. I believe the process is continuing. We don’t have any particular comment to say about the process until we have an announcement to make, and that will take some time. But can you confirm that the vacancy posting has been closed and now interviews begin? I can confirm that the process is ongoing. I do not believe that the interviews have started. Stefano? Thank you. Thank you for that. Like you say, Secretary General Guterres just stated in Brussels that the EU is a strategic and central partner of the UN, he called the EU a pillar of multilateralism in addressing global challenges like peace and human rights. Given this, what is Guterres’ view on the fact that the EU is excluded from the Russia-Ukrainian peace talks? Does the Secretary General believe that Europe should be involved at this stage of the negotiation or at least later? I think the crucial point there is that for peace talks to be successful, it is good to broaden the framework of them. But at this stage, his views on the peace efforts are what we said in our note to correspondence yesterday. And there are certain things he finds encouraging and he is welcoming those. Dennis? A follow-up on Russia-Ukraine talks. Has the Secretary General contacted Russia, US or Ukraine to offer UN’s good services in mediating the talks? There are no recent calls to mention. But what I can say is that the Secretary General has made clear to his various interlocutors the willingness of the UN to make available its good offices if the parties accept. As you know, in the case of Russia and Ukraine, he has done so in the past, including through the Black Sea Green Initiative from several years ago. And he is willing to do so again as conditions allow. Okay, Julesi? Yeah, I wanted to go to the status of the UNFPA. Is it true that the whole office here in New York is being moved to, I think, it’s Nairobi? No, that’s not what the Secretary General intended. I believe that some operations are being moved and UNFPA will have more details on that as it progresses. But UNFPA remains as it is right now across, just down the street from us. And UN women? UN women also, I think, they’re exploring ways to locate their offices, but they remain as they are and you can be in touch with them for anything further. And if that’s it for questions, then I will move to our guest.
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