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.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Good afternoon. Standard of all apologies observed for being late. I’ll start off with Gaza, and our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that, today, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, is in Gaza, where he began a two-day visit. In Gaza city, he visited an UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) school that is sheltering hundreds of families, most of whom are among those newly displaced from North Gaza Governorate.
Mr. Hadi just briefed the Secretary-General on his visit from Gaza and he gave a very harrowing description. He said the conditions of the Al Moumanya school are unbearable, where families lack food, water and functioning toilets and are crammed into very much overcrowded facilities. Mr. Hadi said that sewage at the school is running everywhere, and waste is everywhere. “This is not a place for humans to survive. This is beyond imagination,” he said.
Later in the day, Mr. Hadi visited a waste collection point, where our humanitarian partners are working to dispose of trash from communities to prevent health and environmental hazards. The Humanitarian Coordinator reiterated his call for an end to the war and the horror it has caused — and stressed there is an urgent need for an environment that enables aid operations in Gaza.
Mr. Hadi also visited two temporary learning spaces that are supporting students with hearing loss. As the children of Gaza go without schooling for a second straight year, the Al Nayzak and Atfaluna centres are providing educational [activities] and psychological support to thousands of students traumatized by months of war. Our humanitarian partners note that 95 per cent of the schools in Gaza have sustained some level of damage over the past year.
And also a quick update for you on the ongoing polio vaccination campaign. You heard quite a bit about it from our colleague Rik yesterday. The operation continues today at four health facilities in northern Gaza and aims to reach more than 90 per cent of eligible [children]. Since Saturday, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UNRWA, as well as the local Ministry of Health, have reached more than 105,000 children in northern Gaza with a second dose of the vaccine.
And a worrying note from the West Bank — our OCHA colleagues tell us that operations carried out by Israeli forces in the northern governorates of Tubas and Jenin today involved lethal war-like tactics that seemed to exceed law enforcement standards. This has included air strikes and a shoulder-fired explosive projectile, resulting in fatalities. Armed clashes with Palestinians were also reported.
OCHA is set to assess the damages in Tulkarm city and its refugee camps, where Israeli forces have been operating since the morning. Widespread damage to water and sewage networks has been reported, and our teams will access the area as soon as the conditions allow.
**Lebanon
Moving north to Lebanon. We and our partners are mobilized and will continue to support the scores of men, women and children impacted by the current crisis. Today, WHO and the Ministry of Public Health inaugurated a new Trauma and Burn Management Unit at the Turkish Trauma and Emergency Hospital in Sidon. Yesterday, a humanitarian convoy successfully delivered one month of medical supplies, medicine and hygiene kits to the Primary Healthcare Centre in Labweh, in the Baalbeck-El Hermel area.
However, our humanitarian colleagues fear that, amid escalating hostilities and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation, the demand for food, medicine, shelter and other essential supplies is growing higher. We urgently need funding to be able to sustain the response. Unfortunately, the humanitarian appeal that was launched in the beginning of October for $426 million is currently just under 19 per cent funded. That means that only $80 million has been received so far. We urge countries and others to pledge and not only to pledge but to turn pledges into cash as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, we continue to work with available resources. UNICEF is partnering with the authorities to facilitate the gradual return to learning for some 387,000 children, including those staying in shelters. WFP for its part, is telling us they already reached over 2 million vulnerable people through its emergency assistance as well as their regularly scheduled programmes. WFP is also providing food assistance to Lebanese and Syrian people fleeing across the border into Syria.
And some of you have been asking me about UNESCO’s response in terms of the impact on cultural sites in Lebanon. I can tell you that UNESCO is providing support to the Directorate General of Antiquities of Lebanon for the protection of movable cultural heritage. This includes establishing an inventory of artifacts from Tyre, Sidon and Baalbek, as well as transfer and proper storage in a location deemed more secure in Lebanon. UNESCO reminds all parties of their obligations concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
**Abyei
This morning back here in the Security Council, our colleague, Martha Pobee, the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, told Security Council members that the war in Sudan continues to have a profound impact on the security, economic and humanitarian situation in both Sudan and South Sudan, including in the Abyei region. She underscored that the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei — otherwise known as UNISFA — remains focused on supporting stability in Abyei. However, the Mission’s capacity to provide support is constrained by the lack of support from the parties for the deployment beyond 60 individual police officers. Ms. Pobee said that the deployment of the 148 individual police officers and three formed police units as mandated by the Security Council is urgently needed.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
And turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our peacekeeping colleagues there tell us that a reinforced ad hoc verification mechanism was launched today near Goma. This mechanism, which is part of the Luanda process, aims to monitor the ceasefire between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda — which is in effect since 4 August. The verification mechanism includes 24 staff — which includes 18 Angolans, 3 Congolese and 3 Rwandan officers who will monitor the ceasefire and report any violations. Attending the event, held at the border between the Congo and Rwanda with the participation of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, Bintou Keita, the head of the peacekeeping mission, reiterated our continued commitment to supporting the Luanda process, including, of course, the verification mechanism, to restore peace and security in eastern Congo.
**Cuba
Moving back to this hemisphere, our humanitarian colleagues in Cuba tell us that they are following tropical storm Rafael, which will make landfall in the west Cuba as a category 1 hurricane tomorrow. We are coordinating with Cuban authorities to prepare for the impact of the storm. As we noted last week, we and our humanitarian partners are providing life-saving assistance and supporting the government’s response to help some 1.5 million people who were impacted by the recent Hurricane Oscar in eastern Cuba.
The Plan of Action for Hurricane Oscar, launched last Friday, calls for $33 million to help nearly half a million people. It focuses on shelter, health and food security, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene. And earlier today, OCHA hosted a briefing to encourage Member States to support the new Plan. As you will recall, $3.5 million was allocated from the Central Emergency Response Fund last week to address humanitarian needs in Cuba in the wake of Hurricane Oscar.
**World Cities Report
In Cairo, our friends at UN-Habitat launched the World Cities Report, which focuses on the challenges posed by climate change and rapid urbanization. The report, released to coincide with the twelfth session of the World Urban Forum, warns that over 2 billion city dwellers could face an additional temperature increase of at least 0.5°C by 2040. It also reveals that efforts to combat climate change in urban areas are falling short of the scale required to address the challenges. It also says that cities need an estimated $4.5 to $5.4 trillion annually to develop and maintain climate-resilient systems, yet current financing stands at just $831 billion — only a fraction of what is required. This shortfall leaves cities, and especially their most vulnerable populations, increasingly exposed to risk.
**World Tsunami Awareness Day
Speaking of risk, today is World Tsunami Awareness Day. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami when more than 230,000 human beings lost their lives. In a message, the Secretary-General says that, on this Day, we honour the victims and recommit to protecting the 700 million people around the world who are at risk from tsunamis. The best way to do so, he adds, is to ensure that every person on Earth is alerted when tsunamis and other disasters are on the way.
**Briefing Tomorrow
Tomorrow, at 1:30 p.m., there will be a briefing here by the Chair of the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the rights of peoples to self-determination, and the holder of that mandate is Jovana [Jezdimirovic] Ranito. Edith?
**Questions and Answers
Question: Thank you, Steph. With the polio vaccination campaign wrapping up, can we get someone to give us the final numbers and an explanation of whether they reach the 90 per cent that they say is essential? Thank you. And also on Lebanon, we see that like Gaza and everywhere else, there’s very low funding for humanitarian operations. What is the UN attributing this to so late in the year?
Spokesman: Listen, I think it’s a combination of factors. We know that there are Member States who are under their own budgetary pressures. We know that there are Member States that probably have cash they could pledge. The private sector could also contribute. Let me put it this way. It’s not because of lack of money in the world that the humanitarian appeals are underfunded. Gabriel?
Question: Thanks, Steph. As you know, Mr. Lazzarini will be in the building tomorrow?
Spokesman: He will be in the building tomorrow.
Question: Safe to assume he’s going to be meeting with the Secretary-General on the situation?
Spokesman: Yeah, I’m sure he will be. The SG schedule is not in my head right now, but I’m sure he will be. Yes.
Question: No problem. I think he might do a stakeout to talk to us?
Spokesman: I don’t know. From what I get, he will speak at the GA event tomorrow. He will be back in New York, I think, a bit later on next week and may speak to you at that point. But I think the main public interaction will be at the GA event tomorrow.
Question: And then switching to Lebanon. Lebanese media is reporting that at least 37 towns or villages have been wiped out due to the escalation along the southern part of Lebanon. I think they defined wiped out as they’ve been so badly destroyed that the villagers or townspeople have had to completely leave. Overall, what’s the Secretary-General’s take on that in terms of trying to help get people back?
Spokesman: Yeah, I mean, our UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] colleagues are reporting that they’re seeing a lot of destruction of villages along the Blue Line, right, which will make it very challenging, to say the least, for people to come back when, and we hope that is soon a cessation of hostilities is in place. Benny Avni?
Question: Just a quick follow-up on that. Is that on both sides of the Blue Line?
Spokesman: Well, I mean what we’re seeing right now is a destruction on the north side of the Blue Line. It’s obviously, and we’ve been very clear that there continues to be fire coming from Israel into Lebanon. And we’ve talked about the Hizbullah rockets going into northern Israel. We’re very much aware that tens of thousands of Israelis are also not able to go home. And I’m sure they also want a cessation of hostilities.
Correspondent: And their towns are not intact.
Spokesman: No, but what we’re seeing on the northern side of the Blue Line is a complete destruction of a number of villages. Okay, any questions online? Abdelhamid?
Question: Yeah, thank you, Steph. Yeah, I just want to ask you again about the numbers because in Gaza and in the last few hours, 61 Palestinians were killed, 41 in the north and in the west bank you mentioned fatalities, but you failed to mention that seven of them were killed. And there was a boy, a three-year-old was bit by an army dog in the town of Qabatiya, which was under attack this morning. And I just want to ask you, there are, I mean the Palestinian fatalities are just, you passed by them without mentioning the numbers. And again, I will ask why.
Spokesman: Look, I think we have been reporting the information that we have when we get it here about what is going on the ground. And we’ve been very clear about it. I mean Rik was here yesterday and the reports have also been published online. So I think we’ve been very transparent about the suffering of civilians.
Question: In South Lebanon there is a video circulating, I think you saw it, with soldiers in a house had been destructed and playing the piano and saying a few things about the family of that house. Have you seen that video showing that how immoral they are?
Spokesman: I have not personally seen that video. Okay.
Correspondent: Thank you.
Spokesman: Thank you all. Sharon should be here already. Has she briefed you already? Well, lucky you. Alright. Hasta mañana.