Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Briefings tomorrow
Alright, just to start off with a programming note. Tomorrow, we will have a couple of briefings for you. At 11 a.m., United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, Ted Chaiban, and the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Deputy Executive Director, Carl Skau, will both brief you on their recent visit to Lebanon.
Ted will be here in the room, and Carl will join online.
Then, at around noon, after my briefing, Scott Andersen, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Director of Operations in Gaza, will speak to you about the situation in Gaza.
**Lebanon
I will start with Lebanon today. I can tell you that we note with concern the continued strikes across the Blue Line by Hizbullah and the Israel Defense Forces.
In this regard, the air strike on Aitou in North Lebanon, which resulted in at least 23 fatalities, according to Lebanese authorities, is deeply concerning. The Secretary-General strongly condemns the civilian loss of lives.
We remain deeply concerned at the impact on civilians on both sides of the Blue Line but particularly in Lebanon. All actors must uphold obligations under international law, including International Humanitarian Law, and do their utmost to protect civilians.
We also note that clashes continue in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has conducted ground operations since 1 October.
In recent days we have underscored our alarm about United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers coming under fire, with at least five peacekeepers injured, as we have told you, and UN premises being impacted on at least 20 occasions since 1 October. The Secretary-General reiterates that UNIFIL personnel and its premises must never be targeted. Attacks against peacekeepers are in breach of international law, including international humanitarian law. They may constitute a war crime.
As the President of the Security Council stated on behalf of all 15 Council members, “all parties [are] to respect the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and premises”. We note that the Council also “recalled that UN peacekeepers and UN premises must never be the target of an attack.”
We appreciate the stated support of the Council for the work of our brave peacekeepers, who remain in position in support of efforts to create space for a diplomatic solution to this crisis and support a return to a cessation of hostilities and the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).
We reiterate our calls for an immediate ceasefire, noting this is the only way to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers, as well as to protect the populations of Lebanon and Israel from further suffering.
**Lebanon/Humanitarian
On the humanitarian front, as you can imagine and as we’ve said, this ongoing crisis is having a huge impact on civilians on both sides of the Blue Line, in Lebanon and in Israel.
In Lebanon, today, a UN convoy of 12 trucks carrying vital aid arrived in the villages of Marjeyoun and Klayaa in the south of the country.
The inter-agency mission — supported by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), WFP, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UNICEF and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) — delivered bottled water, family hygiene kits, blankets, pillows and mattresses, among other essential items.
We and our partners continue to support the tens of thousands of men, women and children impacted by the ongoing crisis across Lebanon.
WFP provides ready-to-eat food and cash to some 200,000 people on a daily basis, while UNICEF and UNHCR continue to support primary healthcare services and provide water, hygiene kits, mattresses, blankets and other items.
OCHA reports that ongoing hostilities continue to displace people. The national authorities in Lebanon report that 1.2 million people have been affected or displaced.
As of 13 October, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has identified more than 740,000 men, women and children displaced by the escalation of hostilities within the country. Of these people, more than 188,000 are staying in about 1,000 various Government shelters.
UNHCR is working with the Lebanese authorities to upgrade the shelters with weatherproofing and rehabilitation of water and sanitation facilities, as well as assessing more sites that can be used for displaced people.
Together with their partners, UNHCR continues to support people in Syria who have fled Lebanon at five different border crossings by providing water, food, blankets and mattresses.
We also reiterate that all civilians, in Lebanon, Israel and elsewhere, must be always protected whether they leave or stay. And aid must be allowed to reach civilians wherever they are, safely and without impediment.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to Gaza, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warn that the humanitarian situation in the north is catastrophic as Israeli military operations there intensify, severely compromising people’s access to means of survival.
Our health partners warn that only three hospitals in North Gaza Governorate are now operating and only at minimum capacity. These facilities have dire shortages of fuel, of blood, of trauma items and medications. About 285 patients remain in these hospitals, as military activities continue outside.
Despite the recent evacuation of some patients from Kamal Adwan hospital in the north, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the facility remains overwhelmed, receiving between 50 and 70 new injured patients each day.
Our health partners also report that none of the more than two dozen primary healthcare centres in North Gaza Governorate remains functional.
Meanwhile, in central Gaza, as the second round of the polio vaccination campaign continues there, OCHA stresses that it is critical the parties respect the humanitarian pauses agreed to ensure that we and our partners can reach children in need of the vaccine.
WHO reports that yesterday, about 93,000 children under 10 were vaccinated against polio. And UNRWA reports that its teams vaccinated 43 per cent of those reached. More than 76,000 children also received Vitamin A supplements.
And you had asked yesterday about the humanitarian response in northern Gaza: OCHA says that our partners working to support people there with food assistance continue to distribute any supplies that are available and accessible, as those stocks dwindle, we’ve been telling you.
In Gaza City, more than 110,000 meals are being distributed each day by at least 10 kitchens, including a new kitchen set up last week in the Ash Shati’ refugee camp to support an influx of people displaced from North Gaza governorate.
And in North Gaza governorate,between Friday and Sunday, our partners distributed more than 1,500 food parcels and 1,500 bags of wheat flour to displaced people who were trapped or sheltering in and near schools in Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahya.
However, our partners report that there is barely any food left to distribute, and most bakeries will be forced to shut down again in just days without any additional fuel.
OCHA tells us in the first two weeks of October, just one out of 54 coordinated movements to the north via the Al Rashid checkpoint was facilitated by Israeli authorities. 85 per cent were denied, with the rest impeded or cancelled due to various logistical or security reasons.
**Yemen
This morning, in an open briefing, Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy for Yemen, briefed Security Council members and warned that the military escalation in the Middle East is intensifying, and Yemen and its people are already feeling the impact of it.
He added that despite the escalation, there are commitments made by the parties towards the establishment of a roadmap, including a nationwide ceasefire. These commitments remain the reference points for the discussions with the parties.
Mr. Grundberg will speak to you at the stakeout, we will let you know when will that happen, I think just after Sharon [Birch] finishes her briefing.
For her part, the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, said that, currently, the humanitarian appeal for Yemen is 41 per cent funded only. However, the food security sector quickly needs an additional $870 million. Without this, she warned that an estimated 9 million people across Yemen will not receive emergency food aid in the last quarter of 2024. But she underscored that the humanitarian community remains determined to deliver for the 18.2 million people in Yemen who need our help.
**Ukraine
From Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that hostilities today in the front-line areas in the regions of Donetsk, Kherson and Mykolayiv led to dozens of casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
Local authorities reported 40 civilian casualties and damage to schools and hospitals.
Aid organizations provided immediate humanitarian assistance, including warm blankets, hygiene kits and plastic tarpaulin to cover damaged windows. They also provided psychological support.
According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, September was the deadliest month of the year recorded so far, with 208 civilians killed and 1,220 injured in Ukraine.
**Statelessness
In Geneva, UNHCR has launched the Global Alliance to End Statelessness, which seeks to address the grave inequity faced by millions of people around the world who are denied nationality.
The Alliance builds on the decade-long #IBelong campaign and includes more than 100 States, civil society organizations, and others.
The Alliance was launched during UNHCR’s annual Executive Committee meeting. During the meeting, Turkmenistan announced that it had officially resolved all known cases of statelessness on its territory, becoming the latest country to do so.
More on the interweb.
**UN Women
Our colleagues at UN Women today released a report which says that 2 billion women and girls worldwide lack access to any form of social protection. The report says that women are lagging behind on measures such as unemployment benefits, pensions, or healthcare, leaving them more vulnerable to poverty. It adds that while levels of social protection have increased since 2015, gender gaps in such coverage have widened in most developing regions, suggesting that the recent gains have benefited men more than women.
The report also calls on governments to provide women and girls with sustainable pathways out of poverty, by prioritizing the needs of women and girls in their social protection measures and crisis responses.
**International Day of Rural Women
Today is the International Day of Rural Women.
Today, we mark this Day. Given their position on the front lines of the climate crisis, women farmers are uniquely situated as agents of change. However, rural women have less access to a range of resources, from land rights to education and technology. If women had the same access to productive resources as men, farm yields could increase by 20—30 per cent, feeding an additional 100 to 150 million people.
**Questions and Answers
Spokesman: Kai, first out of the gate.
Question: Thank you. Merci, Steph. French President [Emmanuel] Macron said today that Benjamin Netanyahu should remember that Israel was created by a resolution of the UN. I know it’s a fact. I know you’re going to tell me that. But is there any reaction from the SG? Does he think it’s an important reminder?
Spokesman: I think you’ve answered your own question by providing me a way to answer it, which is that it is indeed a fact. Edie?
Question: Thank you, Steph. I think you said at the beginning that UNIFIL premises had been hit on 20 occasions. And if that’s correct, can we get some details on those strikes?
Spokesman: Yeah.
Question: And secondly, do you have any information on… yesterday you gave us the number of incoming and outgoing strikes into Lebanon and into Israel. Can we get an update for yesterday?
Spokesman: Yeah, I don’t think those numbers have been fully tabulated but as soon as we have them, we’ll send them to you. Margaret?
Question: Thanks, Steph. The Israeli mission says that Ambassador [Danny] Danon met with Mr. [Jean-Pierre] Lacroix today. Could we get a readout from your side? And also, the United States sent a letter to Israel on Monday. We’ve confirmed it was sent about putting them on warning, basically about humanitarian aid to Gaza, that it must be substantially increased, or they could risk losing US military aid. One of the elements that’s reported to be in the letter is that the US is demanding 350 aid trucks per day permanently going into Gaza through all four border crossings plus opening a fifth. If that were to happen, would you be able to manage the flow? Because I know that things may arrive, but under the circumstances you have trouble delivering aid.
Spokesman: Well, I mean, right now, we’re not getting nearly enough. Now, obviously, the aid distribution in the north, when it comes through, faces less issues relating to security of the convoys themselves. But obviously, it would be a great first step if more aid was coming in. It would not remove all the challenges of distributing the aid in an active war zone. But we would obviously, and we keep advocating, and as we have been advocating for quite a long time, that we need more aid coming in. Evelyn, and then…
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Can you repeat what you said about a ceasefire in Yemen? They want one? They have one?
Spokesman: Well, yeah, I mean, this was covered in Mr. Grundberg’s remarks that we shared with you, that things have been negotiated. Yeah. Sir?
Question: Steph, a question on UNIFIL. If the number of troops needs to be decreased or increased, does it require a resolution of the Security Council? And the same question, if the rules of engagement need to be modified?
Spokesman: If there was a substantial change in the rules of engagements, yes, my understanding would need to go through the Council. There is a ceiling currently, if I’m not mistaken, about 15,000 troops. But we’re right now currently have 10,000 deployed. So in any mission, the ceiling is what we’re authorised to deploy. Mr. Avni?
Question: First of all, I would like to counter that the State of Israel was founded by my parents rather than by the UN, but that’s beside the point. Secondly, is the Secretary-General urging the Security Council to change the rules of engagement when it comes to UNIFIL?
Spokesman: No, he’s not urging for a change of the rules of engagement. What we are urging is for a cessation of hostilities. What we are urging is for UN premises to be kept safe and for UNIFIL peacekeepers to be allowed to implement their mandate in safety.
Correspondent: But it is what it is, I mean…
Spokesman: It is what it is.
Question: So, since there are circumstances on the ground, does the Under- Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, the Secretary-General, are they in contact with Council members to maybe change things?
Spokesman: Look, we are in constant contact, not only with the Council, but especially with troop-contributing countries (TCCs). The Secretary-General will meet with the troop-contributing countries this afternoon to brief them and to hear from them. We are extremely grateful for the continued support of all the troop contributors whose troops are remaining on the ground as part of the mission.
Question: And one more on that. Is the UN satisfied with a back and forth between the Israeli authorities and UNIFIL?
Spokesman: I’m not sure I would use the word satisfied. We would be satisfied by a cessation of hostilities. Maggie?
Question: Can I just get a clarification? You said the SG is meeting with TCCs today? TCCs overall or just UNIFIL TCCs?
Spokesman: UNIFIL.
Correspondent: Okay. Yeah.
Spokesman: Thank you. Ephrem?
Question: Thanks, Stéphane. Just a quick follow-up on that as well. Can you tell us, maybe just a little bit, what the gist of his message will be to troop contributing countries?
Spokesman: Well, the gist of this message will be either to brief them on the situation on the ground, and to express his deep appreciation, to express his support for what our peacekeepers are doing. But, I mean, to express the appreciation of the Secretariat to the troop contributors, the fact that they are staying with us. Carrie?
Question: Thanks. Quick follow-up about these TCCs. Have any of them expressed any worries to the Secretary-General or to Mr. Lacroix?
Spokesman: Well, listen, I think you’d have to ask them what they’re expressing now. We’re worried. I mean, I would be surprised if they weren’t worried about the safety of their soldiers. But the point is that they’re staying with the mission. For that, we’re very grateful. Paolo?
Question: Thank you very much. You said that the ceiling is 15,000. Is there any discussion going on in terms of increasing the…?
Spokesman: Not that I’m aware of. Maggie, and then we’ll go to Sharon.
Question: Sorry, one more. On Lebanon. You said, of the attack in Aitou in the north, that the Secretary-General condemns the loss of civilian life. But does he echo the call of the Human Rights Office today for an independent investigation into the circumstances?
Spokesman: Yes, I think that would be useful.
Correspondent: Okay.
Spokesman: Okay. Ms. Birch, and then we’ll let you know about Mr. Grundberg. [He later said that Mr. Grundberg had cancelled his briefing.]