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.
**Briefing
Good afternoon.
Just a programming note to that tomorrow, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who is back from his trip to Lebanon and Israel, will be here at noon. We will have him for, I think, 30 minutes, but we will have him. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations. We thank him for that.
**Secretary-General/G20
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General himself is in Rio de Janeiro, where he is attending the annual G20 summit. This morning, he is just about to address a session on social inclusion and the fight against hunger and poverty.
The Secretary-General will say that in our world of plenty, hunger and poverty should have no place, but almost 700 million human beings today live below extreme poverty. These are human beings, he noted, young and old, women and men, being denied the most basic of all needs. Yet, the Secretary-General is expected to tell the G20 members, we know it is possible to get back on track and transform food systems to make them more inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
After those remarks, the Secretary-General will address a session on reform of global governance institutions. Tomorrow, he is also expected to deliver remarks at a session on sustainable development and energy transition.
You will have seen that yesterday he had a press encounter and during that encounter, he stressed that G20 leaders must lead and use their tremendous economic clout and diplomatic leverage to tackle key global problems on peace, finance and climate. Concerned about the pace of the negotiations at the COP29 in Baku, the Secretary-General stressed that countries must agree to an ambitious climate finance goal that meets the scale of the challenge faced by developing countries. He said that a successful outcome at COP29 is within reach, but it will require leadership and compromise from G20 countries.
Over the weekend, he also had a bilateral meeting with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil. He also met Prabowo Subianto, the President of the Republic of Indonesia. We will let you know about more bilaterals as they come
**Lebanon/Israel
I will now move to the Middle East, with Lebanon and Israel and the situation along the Blue Line.
Our peacekeeping colleagues remain concerned about ongoing hostilities between Hizbullah and the Israel Defense Forces. Peacekeepers at the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) mission report continued clashes, exchanges of fire as well as airstrikes.
Our peacekeeping mission is also reporting two incidents that highlight the dangerous situation under which they are continuing to operate, in south Lebanon that is.
This weekend, more precisely on Saturday afternoon, a UNIFIL patrol involving French and Finnish peacekeepers faced a denial of freedom of movement while conducting a patrol in the village of Bidyas in the Tyre district, and this came from a group of individuals, at least one of whom was armed. The patrol managed to get around the obstruction and continued on its planned route.
About an hour later, near the village of Maarakeh, our patrol was fired upon about 40 times. The patrol safely reached a UNIFIL base in Deir Kifa. The Lebanese Armed Forces was immediately informed about the incident. Some UN vehicles were damaged by bullets, but there were no injuries to any of our peacekeepers.
On Friday, UNIFIL said a 155 mm live artillery shell hit UN Position 2-3, which is in Sector West headquarters in Shama. The shell did not detonate, and Italian bomb disposal experts swiftly secured the area, removed the ordnance, and conducted a controlled detonation.
We remind all parties of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property, and to respect the inviolability of United Nations premises at all times.
Despite these and other challenges, peacekeepers remain in all positions and will continue to impartially monitor and report on violations of resolution 1701.
**Lebanon/Humanitarian
On the humanitarian front, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that civilians, aid workers and health personnel in Lebanon continue to be impacted by intensifying attacks across the country.
Attacks on Beirut’s densely populated southern suburbs continue and, yesterday, central Beirut was hit by airstrikes, causing more people to flee from their homes.
The health sector is also impacted. Since October of last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) says there have been 136 attacks on health facilities, resulting in 212 deaths among health workers, with 70 people having been killed just last week. These attacks have forced 21 out of 178 hospitals — or 13 per cent of all hospitals in Lebanon — to cease operations or reduce services, drastically limiting access to essential health care.
Our health partners in Lebanon continue to support the Government-led response. As of 14 November, and since October of last year, more than 300 health centres have received medicines to support displaced people, that is what the World Health Organization is telling us.
Meanwhile, UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and its partners estimate that 1 million people are urgently in need of water and sanitation support across the country. In response, since mid-September, UNICEF has helped to repair water facilities that have reached 1.5 million people.
For its part, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reports they have delivered more than 428,000 relief items for some 230,000 displaced people across Lebanon since September of [this] year.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
An update from our humanitarian colleagues in Gaza. And I think, clearly, another example that our repeated calls for the free and safe passage of humanitarian aid in Gaza, that that call is falling on deaf ears. On the morning of 16 November, which is Saturday, a convoy of 109 trucks transporting food supplies for the World Food Programme, as well as UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) from the Kerem Shalom crossing was looted inside Gaza, resulting in severe damage to the trucks and in some cases total loss of cargo on the trucks. The convoy, initially scheduled for yesterday, 17 November, was instructed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to depart at short notice via an alternate, unfamiliar route.
As this incident underscores, we continue to face severe access challenges in bringing aid into southern and central Gaza. These challenges remain despite several attempts to overcome them, such as repairing an alternative road and using a new border point — which is the Kissufim crossing. However, whether it’s Kissufim, Kerem Shalom, and surrounding routes have proved unworkable due to continuing security issues. They are entirely insufficient to ensure the sustained flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Meanwhile, the stocks needed to make hot meals — which have already been reduced in size — are only sufficient for a couple more days before they are set to run out.
About 1 million people have not received food parcels since July or even earlier.
During the first half of November, food parcels reached between 150,000 and 200,000 people in Gaza City. Yesterday, a local partner provided water, cleaning, and psychological support to tens of thousands of Palestinians in shelters and residential parts of Gaza city. And in the south, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has removed 16,000 cubic metres of solid waste from flood-prone areas.
**Middle East
And back here, Tor Wennesland, our Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the Security Council this morning that, as feared, a year of armed exchanges across the Blue Line between Israel and Hizbullah has erupted into an all-out war.
We are living a nightmare, he said. The trauma and grief that has been unleashed is immeasurable. Hamas’s appalling terrorist attacks inside Israel on 7 October 2023 and Palestinian armed group’s killing and continued holding of hostages in unbearable conditions has devastated Israel, while grinding warfare and Israel’s devastating military campaign has wrought mass destruction and enormous casualties to the Palestinians.
He warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as winter begins, is catastrophic, particularly developments in the north of Gaza with a large-scale and near-total displacement of the population and widespread destruction and clearing of land, amidst what looks like a disturbing disregard for international humanitarian law.
Taking into account Israel’s recent passage of laws against UNRWA’s operations, Mr. Wennesland issued an urgent warning that the very institutional framework to support the Palestinian people and Palestinian State are on the brink of dissolution, threatening to plunge the occupied Palestinian Territory into even greater chaos.
He once more called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages in Gaza, as well as an ongoing and concerted diplomatic effort to deescalate tensions around the region, including a ceasefire in Lebanon anchored in the full implementation of [UN Security Council] resolution 1701.
**Ukraine
And later this afternoon, in the Security Council, Rosemary DiCarlo, the head of the Political Affairs and Peacebuilding department, will deliver remarks on behalf of the Secretary-General on Ukraine, marking 1,000 days since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Secretary-General is expected to say that, 1,000 days in, the war rages on, undiminished.
In his remarks, he will say that the past several months have seen a significant increase in civilian casualties. October and November saw some of the most intense and large-scale missile and drone attacks during the war.
Meanwhile, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) condemned the strikes that hit several historic buildings and schools in the heart of the Historic Centre of Odesa, a site on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger. The Organization deployed a mission of experts to the site on Saturday to examine the damage.
Further on Ukraine, in a statement issued today, the Humanitarian Coordinator there, Matthias Schmale, condemned the deadly attacks, yesterday and today, on the cities of Sumy and Odesa. According to local authorities, scores of civilians have been killed and injured, including children.
These strikes come in the wake of significant attacks on the energy infrastructure over the weekend, leaving already vulnerable civilians across the country to cope with power cuts and limited access to essential services, including water supply and heating.
Mr. Schmale stressed that, as Ukraine nears the grim milestone of 1,000 days since the escalation of the war, the unbearable suffering endured by the people of Ukraine continues to deepen.
Aid workers swiftly mobilized and provided emergency aid, including first aid and psychological support, hot meals and emergency shelter kits, as well as cash and legal assistance, child protection services and medical support. Aid workers also ensured the internet connectivity to support humanitarian interventions amid the disruption of basic services.
**Haiti
A quick update from Haiti. First of all, we were just told on the helicopter and the airplane that are run by the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) that the United States FAA (Federal Aviation Agency) has given a special waiver to the World Food Programme to operate those aircrafts, so that will start again on Wednesday, which is good news and we thank the FAA.
Our colleagues from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) tell us that, as violence escalates in Haiti, over 20,000 people have been displaced across Port-au-Prince area in just four days.
This includes 17,000 men, women and children now hosted in 15 displacement sites.
Many of them have faced multiple displacements, leaving behind what little they had managed to rebuild. Our colleagues say that a scale of displacement has not been observed like this since August of last year.
Despite security and access challenges, IOM and its partners remain steadfast in their commitment to delivering assistance. They are helping displaced people through the provision of rental subsidies, the deployment of mobile clinics for medical care.
They are also offering protection services such as psychosocial support, family reunification efforts, and assistance for survivors of gender-based violence. IOM continues to coordinate site management and water trucking for displaced people. They say that operations in the rest of the country will also continue, including the support for deported migrants at border crossings, and community stabilization projects.
IOM reminds all parties of the importance of ensuring the safety and security of all humanitarian personnel as well as civilians. IOM also renews our calls for unimpeded access to those in need.
For its part, the World Food Programme is planning to serve hot meals to over 16,000 displaced people over the next few days.
Yesterday, the agency distributed food rations to more than 50,000 vulnerable people in Croix-des-Bouquets. WFP also aims to distribute food rations to more than 135,000 people in the capital by the end of the month.
And, as we have mentioned before, outside of Port-au-Prince, WFP and its partners continue to provide school meals. Over 430,000 school children are receiving meals, with 70 per cent of these meals prepared using ingredients produced and procured locally.
**South Sudan
Just a quick note from South Sudan, where alarming new food security data released today shows that 57 per cent of the population will be acutely food insecure through next year’s lean season, starting in April.
The data indicates that the number of people facing acute food insecurity in South Sudan are projected to increase to almost 7.7 million people, up from 7.1 million this year.
Our colleagues at the World Food Programme say it’s clear that a combination of despair, conflict and the climate crisis are the main drivers. To reach zero hunger in South Sudan, it’s vital that the root causes of this hunger crisis be addressed.
**International Days
Today is the international day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence.
To address this issue, it's essential to disseminate knowledge and to have effective strategies, starting from community levels and extending to national approaches.
Today is also the World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week, the theme is “Educate. Advocate. Act now.”
**Dag Hammarskjöld Fellows
And lastly, still no money, so no quiz.
But I do want to take this opportunity to note that today is the last day for our Dag Hammarskjöld Fellows.
For the past few months, we’ve had the pleasure of having some fresh eyes into this briefing room. So, I want to thank Ridwan, Justicia, Haneen and Mohammed for their active participation in this briefing. You will be missed. We wish the best for you personally and I know you will have brilliant careers. Do stay in touch and don’t forget us.
And just a reminder that the Dag Hammarskjöld programme, along with the Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship, are fantastic initiatives that deserve to be supported. Edith Lederer?
**Questions and Answers
Spokesman: Edith Lederer?
Question: Thank you, Steph. Can we get some more details on this attack on the convoy that was 109 trucks? Were they all looted?
Spokesman: So let me just tell you, [of] the 109 trucks, only 11 made it safely to the warehouse in Deir al Balah; 98 trucks were lost. The looting took place near Shuka Junction, which is not far from the Karem Abu Salem crossing and not far from the old airport in Gaza.
Question: Were any of the drivers injured?
Spokesman: I don't have any updates on their status, but I'm sure at minimum they were very shaken up.
Question: And what happened to the trucks? Were the trucks destroyed also?
Spokesman: We no longer have control of the trucks. So it's not clear to me whether the trucks themselves were stolen or just the aid was looted.
Question: And can I ask you a follow-up on Ukraine? As I'm sure you know, the [Joseph] Biden Administration has given a green light for US attack to be used inside Russia. Does the Secretary-General have any reaction? Is he concerned about this?
Spokesman: He was asked this question at the press conference on Sunday, you know, and obviously I think that will also be addressed so I would refer you to that, and that will be addressed in the remarks that Rosemary will deliver on his behalf. But basically, to say that all parties must ensure the safety and protection of civilians, regardless of wherever they are. Dezhi?
Question: Yes, still on the incident of the convoy of UNRWA and WFP, I'm sure we have a lot of questions on this convoy because we know that tons of humanitarian deliveries were waiting for picking up at Kerem Shalom. And why this time Israel gave green light, like one day prior to the scheduled time? Did they give any excuse?
Spokesman: Those questions need to be asked of the Israeli authorities.
Question: Then for us, maybe the impression was wrong, but for us it feels like in Gaza we don't have that many logistics. Because you always said there's logistic problems, but all of a sudden there's like 109 trucks. Like there are… [cross-talk]
Spokesman: I mean, listen, the big challenge is that there are no journalists being allowed into Gaza. There are no international journalists being allowed into Gaza, sorry — which would help keep everyone accountable to a greater degree, whether it's the Israelis, whether it's Hamas, whether it's us, right? So that's one of the many problems. The other issue, you know, you've seen the messages from COGAT saying that trucks were delivered and that is a fact, right? We were told we could take this convoy of 109 trucks, WFP and UNRWA. The route and the date was changed at the very last minute. We do not want to waste an opportunity to try to bring aid in. The aid rolled and this is what happened.
Question: So far, you don't know who looted those?
Spokesman: Again, you know when armed people try to take control of a vehicle and goods, we're not asking questions and they're not wearing insignias.
Question: Do you know how many of those? Because we're talking about 98 trucks?
Spokesman: I do not have that kind of granular detail right now.
Question: Okay.
Spokesman: Amelie, then Joe.
Question: Thanks, Steph. A follow-up on Haiti. You said there's a special waiver from the FAA for the flights for the World Food Programme.
Spokesman: Yeah.
Question: Because you talk about a plane and a helicopter. I thought helicopter were coming from the Dominican Republic.
Spokesman: No. So we had a helicopter and a plane, I think, that were right now based in Cap-Haïtien. But these are air assets that are really mostly used to move humanitarian staff around, right? The plane isn't very big and the helicopter isn't a huge helicopter. So it moves some humanitarian goods, but mostly people, whether it brings humanitarian colleagues either from the Dominican Republic or from Cap-Haïtien or other places. The goods continue to come in either via the seaport, which remains open, but unfortunately the access roads to the seaport are not safe, or they can come in through large cargo planes into the airport. But the airport is not currently running at full capacity, if any, right now.
Question: Okay, sorry. So excuse me if I did not understand. So what will start again on Wednesday?
Spokesman: The use of these planes to move certain goods around, but within Haiti and even if they need to go pick up colleagues, whether it's in Panama or in Dominican Republic or anywhere else, because the challenge for us is that both the helicopter and the plane were US-registered, therefore came under the regulation of the FAA.
Question: So it's not planes going to Port-au-Prince?
Spokesman: No. It's the air assets we have in situ.
Question: Sorry.
Spokesman: That's okay. And the flight's boarding in a few minutes. Joe?
Question: Okay, a couple of questions. First of all, does the UN have any information on who the individuals were in Lebanon that were obstructing the UNIFIL patrol and also who were responsible for the subsequent shooting incidents? So that would be my first question.
Spokesman: Yes. I mean, these were non-State armed groups. The mission believes it came from probably Hizbullah or other militant groups, but they're investigating.
Question: Okay. And thank you. And the second question, unrelated. Has the Secretary-General or any members of his senior staff tried to reach out to either President-elect [Donald] Trump directly or members of his transition team on subjects of vital interest to the Secretary-General, such as climate change and the Paris Agreement, which Trump has talked about withdrawing the US from?
Spokesman: When I have information about those kinds of contacts to share with you, I will. It is not uncommon for the UN to reach out to incoming Administrations. Señor, and then I'll come to the front row.
Question: Steph, again on Haiti. Given the limited results of the security mission, to say the least, does the Secretary-General support the idea of moving into a peacekeeping operation, knowing that it is a Security Council decision? Does he support the idea?
Spokesman: The Secretary-General's position, I think, on this issue has been often stated. I don't want to expand on it right now. As we know, there are negotiations within the Security Council on the potential of such a mission. Of course, and it goes without saying, but things that go without saying often need to be said. We will implement whatever requests and comes out of the Security Council, as we always do. The Secretary-General also continues to believe that the multinational support force needs to be fully supported both financially and through equipment. Pam, then Gabriel.
Question: Steph, can you explain a little more in detail about the WFP getting a waiver from the FAA on the flights? How did that come about? Was it WFP going to the FAA and asking for approval?
Spokesman: Yeah, it’s a waiver. Yeah.
Question: And it's just a waiver for continuing flights or just two?
Spokesman: For those two aircrafts. No. We have two pieces of air assets that's owned by the UN Humanitarian Air Service or run by the UN Humanitarian Air Service in Haiti. A fixed wing and a helicopter. Both those aircraft are US- registered aircraft. Therefore, they come under the authority of the FAA. For them to continue to work in Haiti, and if they need to go out of Haiti, to come back to Haiti, we needed a waiver from the FAA. WFP asked for it and it was granted.
Question: And so, it's in perpetuity? I don't know about perpetuity, but it's not a one… [cross-talk]
Spokesman: It's not a per flight waiver. It's… Yeah.
Question: Okay. Thank you.
Spokesman: Can we move to trains maybe, now we've talked about planes?
Question: Can you give us the tail number of the plane?
Spokesman: Yes.
Question: I’m just kidding you.
Spokesman: You've been bumped from the flight.
Question: On Gaza, do you have any more details on what were in the 109 trucks?
Spokesman: It was food supplies, mostly UNRWA and WFP.
Question: It seems a little troubling that the Israeli authorities, in your words, at the last minute changed the route to an unknown route or untested route. What was the thing? Let me phrase that. Are you going to reconsider now what routes you take when the Israelis say here…?
Spokesman: Well, I mean the date was changed, right? But obviously we have to work. There's no alternative but to work with the Israeli security authorities on the movements of humanitarian aid.
Question: And just for people that aren't in this briefing room every day and don't listen to you every day, can you just, for the outside audience, explain if these aid convoys have any sort of protection?
Spokesman: No. So we do not accept protection from any warring party. The best protection for us is the community, right? The best protection for us is for people to know that aid will come in every day at massive levels. Madame?
Question: Stéphane, just to clarify, you said that 136 attacks were carried out in Lebanon.
Spokesman: Sorry, where? Okay.
Question: Who were they carried out by on health facilities in Lebanon?
Spokesman: I don't have the breakdown, but if there were airstrikes, they were mostly Israeli airstrikes. Okay, Madame Fasulo?
Question: Thank you, Steph. Apropos of the looting of the trucks in Gaza, how would you characterize this theft or hijacking of food? Is it one of the worst?
Spokesman: It is the worst.
Question: It's the worst?
Spokesman: Yeah. In terms of volume, yeah.
Question: But in Gaza or in general?
Spokesman: I mean in Gaza; I can't speak to… yeah.
Question: No, but in terms of being…
Spokesman: Yeah. I mean, you and I have been in these briefings for a few years. I don't ever recall any of us talking about a convoy of 109 trucks run by the UN being looted.
Question: Thank you.
Spokesman: Dezhi, then Joe.
Question: Just one quick question about the escalator.
Spokesman: No.
Question: When did…?
Spokesman: I'm done with escalator question.
Question: It’s been months. [cross-talk]
Spokesman: I'll tell you something. When the escalator…
Question: What are they fixing?
Spokesman: They're fixing the escalators.
Question: For like three months?
Spokesman: Welcome to New York City, Dezhi. I don't know what to tell you. Joe?
Question: Okay, my question is not about the escalators. I do want a clarification though, because you just said that the UN would not accept any, if I understood you correctly, security support in Gaza from any of the warring parties. Is that correct?
Spokesman: That is correct.
Question: Okay, but hasn't the UN said through some channels, I'm not sure which, but that as the occupying Power in quotes in Gaza, Israel has a responsibility to provide security. If that's true, then how do you reconcile those two?
Spokesman: It has a responsibility to ensure that we are safe and that humanitarian aid is safe. I mean, I think it's pretty obvious that we would be an even greater target if we were surrounded by armed soldiers from one of the two parties during this conflict. The best protection is for this conflict to stop.
Question: No, I understand that. But there still seems to be a contradiction here, because on the one hand you're saying Israel is responsible for security of humanitarian delivery in Gaza, and the other hand, the UN will not accept IDF provided security to these convoys. So I'm not sure how you reconcile that.
Spokesman: I think we reconcile it by trying to find a way to keep our people and the community as safe as possible. Okay, on that note, adieu, hasta mañana.