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.

**Guest

All right, good afternoon.  We are delighted to be joined by Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who as you know is the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations.

And you also know that he just returned from travels to Lebanon and Israel.  As promised, he is here to brief.  We have him for a limited amount of time.  Jean-Pierre will have some opening remarks and then we will take a few questions.

[This part of the briefing is not transcribed]

**Secretary-General/G20

Good afternoon again, bear with me and then bear with Sharon [Birch], who will succeed me here at the podium.

Today, as you all know, is the last day of the Group of 20 (G20) Summit taking place in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

Today, the Secretary-General addressed a session on sustainable development and energy transition.  Once again, he warned that our climate is at a breaking point, unless we limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, spiralling disasters will devastate every economy, he said.

The Secretary-General stressed that we must get on track for the 1.5-degree limit, with countries accelerating their near-term emissions cuts.  That way, we can reduce global emissions by 9 per cent every year this decade.  Right now, he added, they’re still rising.

The Secretary-General noted that the next round of national climate action plans is essential to putting the world on the right path.  In relation to COP29 [twenty-ninth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change], he asked countries to instruct ministers and negotiators to agree on a new ambitious climate finance goal this year.

Adding that failure is not an option, the Secretary-General warned that this would inevitably make the success of COP30 in Brazil more difficult.

Yesterday afternoon, he attended a session on reform of global governance institutions and warned that we face a global governance deficit and a global trust deficit, with poverty, with inequalities and with the climate crisis getting worse, and with peace getting further out of reach.

The Secretary-General emphasized that we need global solutions rooted in the UN Charter, but our institutions are not keeping up.  He urged G20 countries to lead, reiterating that many decisions are exclusively in their hands.  Both remarks, as you know, have been shared with you.

And later this afternoon, the Secretary-General will head off back to Baku, Azerbaijan, where he will be at the closing of the COP29 conference which is still going on.

**Global Initiative on Climate Change

Also today, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, we, alongside Brazil, launched the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change.

This joint effort is an important intervention to boost support for urgent climate action at a time when scientists are warning that the world is running out of time.

The Secretary-General is very supportive of this initiative, and he said that we will work with researchers and partners to strengthen action against climate disinformation.  The Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming, was at the event, and told the participants that this initiative is a chance to turn the tide against the forces of inaction.

Countries committing to the Initiative will contribute to a UNESCO-administered [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] fund, with a goal of raising an initial $10 to $15 million over the next 36 months.  This will be distributed as grants to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to support their work to research climate information integrity, develop communication strategies and undertake public awareness campaigns.

**Lebanon

You also obviously just heard quite extensively from Jean-Pierre Lacroix, but I want to just to remind you that Mr. Lacroix and the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, are expected to brief the Security Council this afternoon in closed consultations on the 1701 report.  Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert will do it remotely.  This will be followed by the resumption of the briefing on the Middle East to hear the remaining speakers, and that was from yesterday’s meeting.

Meanwhile, our humanitarian colleagues on the ground in Lebanon say that an airstrike in central Beirut yesterday triggered a new wave of displacement of people.  It comes a day after multiple airstrikes also targeted locations in central Beirut without prior warning.  Residents and displaced people who had sought refuge there were forced to flee, once again.

We reiterate that under international humanitarian law, all parties to the conflict must protect civilians and civilian objects, including civilians in their homes or seeking safety in temporary shelters.

We and our partners continue to respond to escalating humanitarian needs.  This past week, WFP [World Food Programme], together with the Lebanese Red Cross, has provided meals to thousands of newly displaced people in the Mount Lebanon area and began providing meals to dozens of displaced Palestinian refugees in six UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] shelters.

Since 23 September of this year, the World Food Programme and its partners have provided more than 7 million meals, rations and food parcels to displaced people inside and outside shelters.

And as hostilities continue, our colleagues at UNESCO have expressed their deep concern by the impact on the cultural sites in Lebanon, such as the world heritage sites of Baalbek and Tyre, near which Israeli airstrikes have been reported.

UNESCO condemns the targeting of world heritage sites and reminds all involved parties of their obligations under the 1972 Convention [for] the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, as well as under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

Meanwhile, under the auspices of UNESCO and at the request of the Lebanese authorities, an extraordinary session of the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was held yesterday, Monday.

Thirty-four Lebanese cultural properties were inscribed on UNESCO’s International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection and to provide financial assistance.

**Occupied Palestinian Territory

Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that people in besieged areas of the north of Gaza have been struggling to stay alive, with virtually no assistance for more than 40 days.

OCHA reports that all attempts by the UN to support people in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and parts of Jabalya — all of which remain under siege — have been either denied or impeded.  This month alone, 27 out of 31 planned missions were rejected — and the other four were severely impeded, meaning they were prevented from accomplishing all of the critical work they set out to do.

To be clear:  All attempts by the UN to support people in besieged areas of North Gaza have been denied or impeded.  This is happening when the IPC [Integrated Food Security Phase Classification] Famine Review Committee said just 11 days ago that parts of northern Gaza face an imminent risk of famine — and that immediate action is needed in days, and not weeks.

The result is that bakeries and kitchens in North Gaza governorate have shut down, nutrition support has been suspended and the refuelling of water and sanitation facilities has been completely blocked.

As mass casualty incidents and Israeli bombardment continue, access to the Kamal Adwan, Al Awda and Indonesian hospitals in North Gaza remains severely restricted, amid desperate shortages of medical supplies, blood units and fuel.  Attempts by our health partners to deploy an international emergency medical team to scale up capacity continue to be blocked by the Israeli authorities.

On Sunday, OCHA supported a mission led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to Kamal Adwan Hospital.  The team delivered 10,000 litres of fuel and transferred some 17 patients, three unaccompanied children, and nearly two dozen caregivers to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

While the mission was also meant to deliver food and medical supplies to Kamal Adwan, our partners say the team was forced to offload the food at an Israeli military checkpoint before reaching the hospital, and only some of the medical supplies could be delivered to the facility.

And you’ve been asking about the reported killings of alleged looters during an operation led by local Palestinian authorities.  We are deeply concerned by these reports.  Armed looting has become systematic and must end immediately.  It is hindering life-saving aid operations and further endangering the lives of our staff. However, the use of force in law enforcement operations must be lawful, necessary and proportionate.

As we have said repeatedly, the solution lies in opening more entry points into Gaza and allowing the use of additional internal routes. Both steps require action by the Israeli authorities.

**Ukraine

And as Ukraine marks 1,000 days since the start of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Matthias Schmale, emphasized the need for continued UN support and international solidarity.  He called on the global community to stand with Ukraine and recognize the heroic efforts of first responders, including the volunteers.

On the ground, aid workers continue to assist people in Sumy city in the wake of recent attacks that significantly damaged residential areas. Today, another town in the Sumy region was struck, with local authorities reporting nearly a dozen deaths and multiple injuries after a student dormitory was partially destroyed.

We and our partners continue to ramp up humanitarian convoys to address the most urgent needs of front-line communities.

This year alone, 40 such convoys have delivered food, medicine, electric heaters and hygiene kits.

Just today, two convoys reached the regions of Donetsk and Kherson. Since February 2022, more than 170 inter-agency convoys have provided critical assistance to nearly 800,000 people across nine regions of Ukraine.

According to the UN Human Rights Office, more than 12,000 [civilians] have been killed and nearly 27,000 injured over the past 1,000 days.  This includes over 2,400 child casualties.

Humanitarian workers also continue to face significant risks.  Just this year, nine aid workers have been killed, with 40 others injured.

**Haiti

Moving back to this continent and to Haiti:  The Humanitarian Coordinator there, Ulrika Richardson, said in a statement yesterday that the United Nations and our partners continue to support Haitians despite the escalating violence.

Ms. Richardson said that humanitarian operations continue in the Port-au-Prince region.  We and our partners are distributing hot meals, water, hygiene and dignity kits to displaced people.  They have also provided medicines and medical supplies to key health facilities.  Our WFP colleagues in Haiti tell us that this past weekend, working alongside their partners, they provided a record number of hot meals in one single day to people recently displaced by violence, serving nearly 38,000 hot meals at 26 sites in Port-au-Prince and Arcahaie. So far this year, WFP has provided more than 2 million hot meals prepared, as much as possible, with locally grown and locally procured ingredients.

Operations throughout Haiti are also continuing without interruption, but obviously not at the level we would like to see.

And I just want to bring some clarification to the back and forth on aeroplanes yesterday in Haiti.  The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) are still expected to resume tomorrow.

And to reconfirm details of our operations there the helicopter we use in Haiti is registered in the United States and, as I mentioned, it was granted a humanitarian exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration to resume flights within the country.

However, I was mistaken — piece of equipment, which is a small plane registered in Switzerland and not in the US, and they are both used to provide passenger and light-cargo transport within Haiti for the entire humanitarian community, including local and international NGOs and UN entities.  We do not bring humanitarian supplies into the country using UNHAS aircrafts.

As a reminder, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that they need urgent additional resources to maintain operations on the scale needed. The $674 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti is only 43 per cent funded with $290 million in the bank.

**Tropical Storm Sara

Staying in this hemisphere, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that Tropical Storm Sara has brought heavy rains and strong winds to Central America, impacting nearly 180,000 people.  Governments across Central America are mobilized.

The teams in the region, under the leadership of Resident Coordinators, are supporting Government-led efforts on the ground in the areas of coordination, technical assistance and monitoring.

**Philippines

In the Philippines, a quick update on Super Typhoon Man-Yi, the sixth tropical cyclone to impact the country in a month.

The latest typhoon made landfall twice, on 16 and 17 November, in the provinces of Catanduanes and Aurora in the eastern Philippines.

We and our partners are currently conducting assessments to determine the extent of the damage, working closely with the Government to support the response.

According to our partners, the six tropical cyclones that have hit the country have impacted more than 13 million people in 17 out of the 18 regions of the Philippines.

As of today, more than 600,000 people remain displaced in the Philippines.

**World Toilet Day

Today is World Toilet Day.

In his message, the Secretary-General says that toilets are fundamental to promoting human health.

Three billion people, however, will still live without safely managed sanitation by 2030.

He calls on everyone to spare no effort to meet our commitment to water and sanitation for all.

**Questions and Answers

Spokesman:  Gabriel?

Question:  Thank you, Steph.  I want to follow up on something that Mr. Lacroix said in his briefing.  He confirmed that white phosphorus was being used by Israel in Lebanon as early as the middle of last month.  You said that the UN was not able to confirm that.  Has something changed or do you want to re-evaluate where the SG [Secretary-General] stands on that?

Spokesman:  I think what he said and what I understood is that there had been reports which were very public, but our investigations were still continuing.

Question:  So, the investigations are still continuing?

Spokesman:  That’s correct.

Question:  But from your standpoint, it’s not confirmed?

Spokesman:  That’s my understanding.  Yeah.

Question:  Okay.  I want to just one on a different subject.  We’ve been talking a lot about looting in Gaza recently.  The Washington Post has an article that came out yesterday, saying that according to internal UN documents that they saw or had access to that some of that looting is happening in areas controlled by the Israeli military. Is that correct?

Spokesman:  First of all, I haven’t seen that memo.  I’m not aware of the memo, but I am aware of the Washington Post, and I did read the Washington Post.  I mean, we’ve been warning and talking about the issue of armed looting for quite some time. And we’ve noted that it’s become more organized and maybe that’s not the right word to use, but more efficient.  I mean, we saw what happened yesterday on the large number of trucks.  One of our truck drivers was shot yesterday.  He survived but was shot.  The reports, the idea that the Israeli forces may be allowing looters or not doing enough to prevent it is frankly fairly alarming, given the responsibilities of Israel as the occupying Power to ensure that humanitarian aid is distributed safely. And it’s important that all the parties involved do whatever they can to ensure that that aid gets delivered safely. Dezhi, then Edie and then Dennis.

Question:  A quick follow-up first on Gabe’s question on the looting.  Yesterday, you said you didn’t know or at least you have no capacity to really asking who are those looters.  But yesterday the Ambassador of Israel, Mr. [Danny] Danon, clearly said it’s Hamas.  How did they know?  I mean, are they asking those people?

Spokesman:  Again, I think, you know, there are different point of views.  We are...

Question:  So the looters are Hamas?

Spokesman:  Let me just speak.  Obviously, the Israelis are on the ground.  Obviously, we are on the ground.  I can only report what our colleagues are telling us.  I think this is yet another example where it would be helpful to have international journalists on the ground covering the story.

Question:  But don’t you share information on that?

Spokesman:  We have the information we have.  We know what happened.  I’m not questioning Mr. Danon.  I’m just reporting on the information we have.

Question:  Okay.  One other topic.  Today, Russian updated its nuclear doctrine, which suggests that Russia may use nuclear deterrence to prevent aggression by hostile powers and military blocs that possess weapons of mass destruction or large arsenals of conventional weapons which is non-nuclear.  Any position from the Secretary-General on this?

Spokesman:  Look, I think this inscribes itself in a lot of the rhetoric that we’ve seen around the world regarding nuclear weapons and the fact that we are living in a period where there is an increased risk and acute risk of the use of nuclear weapons.  I think for the Secretary-General, it’s clear that all nuclear weapons States have a responsibility to fully implement their legally binding commitments on nuclear disarmament under the appropriate treaties.  And we want to avoid any situation where there’s increased rhetoric and, more dangerously, increased risk of miscalculation for these devastating weapons.  Edie?

Question:  Thank you, Steph.  First, is there any update on what’s happened to the 98 trucks in the convoy that disappeared and the drivers?

Spokesman:  No, I don’t have any update to share with you unfortunately.  We will try to get one.

Question:  And secondly, with all of the attempts to deliver food to northern Gaza either blocked or impeded, does the United Nations believe that Israel is trying to force all those remaining in the north to evacuate the area or face starvation?

Spokesman:  I can’t speak to the intentions of the Israeli Government and the Israeli policy.  We’re just seeing the result of it and trying to deal with it.  Dennis?

Question:  Tonight, Ukrainian forces struck Bryansk region with six “ATACMS” long-range missiles.  Are you concerned about possible escalation of the conflict in light of new long-range weapons used?

Spokesman:  We’ve always expressed our concern about the escalation and about the fact that this conflict is even continuing, let alone escalating.  And I think the Secretary-General and the message delivered by Rosemary DiCarlo yesterday was very clear on his message on what we want, which was an end to this conflict in line with General Assembly resolutions, in line with the Charter[of the United Nations], in line with territorial integrity and also reminding all of the parties of their responsibility to avoid any civilian casualties.  Yes, sir?

Question:  Thank you, Stéphane.  I have three questions all about Bangladesh situation.  Many believes that if the process of returning Rohingya refugees to their homeland is delayed, it will endanger security of Bangladesh and the surrounding areas.  Is the United Nations interested in taking any urgent action in this regard?

Spokesman:  Look, as you know, our policy is very clear.  International law is very clear.  The Convention on Refugees [Convention relating to the Status of Refugees] is very clear.  People cannot be forced back.  Refugees cannot be forced back to their homes while there is... especially given the fact that there is a continuing risk of violence, the conflict is ongoing, the human rights violations [are] ongoing.  We have over and over again expressed our immense gratitude for the generosity of the people and the Government of Bangladesh in hosting so many refugees.  The Secretary-General has gone there, many UN officials have gone there.  It is important that the international community support Bangladesh and all other countries hosting refugees through financial means, so our operations can continue.  But obviously the most important thing is to solve the problems in Myanmar and to end the conflict in Myanmar.  And I think we have been very engaged in our efforts through the work of Julie Bishop, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Myanmar, and supporting ASEAN’s [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] efforts as well.

Question:  I have another one.  Those killed of the students movement of July-August this year in Bangladesh are victims of genocide?  If not, how the international criminal tribunal take action?  Does the United Nations have any statement in this regard?

Spokesman:  Well, as you know, on the determination of genocide, our answer is the same, wherever — is that for the Secretary-General, that needs to be the decision of an appropriate judicial body.  I will remind you that our High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. [Volker] Türk, was recently in Bangladesh to support the Government in its human rights efforts.

Question:  And last one is on media freedom.  Interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has promised or committed to ensure the freedom of the media.  In this situation, the press accreditation cards of 184 journalists has been cancelled and more than dozen editors and journalists arrested without any investigation.  Does the United Nations have any comments?

Spokesman:  Look, I don’t have any specific information on the events that you list, but I can tell you that our position on media freedom is consistent throughout the world — is that we want journalists to be able to do their work.

Question:  Thank you.

Spokesman:  Speaking of which, David, would you like to do your work?

Question:  Yes, thank you for taking my question.  Clearly, the quickest, easiest way to bring an end to Israel’s assault on Gaza would be an enforceable Chapter 7 resolution of the Security Council.  This, of course, will almost certainly never happen.  So my question to you is whether or not, what role the Secretary-General plays in implementing or engaging the “Uniting for Peace” resolution?  Could the “Uniting for Peace” resolution be used to achieve what the Security Council is incapable of achieving?  And if so, what role would the Secretary-General play in engaging that?

Spokesman:  Look, the Secretary-General will play whatever role Member States ask of him through resolutions.  His good offices have always remained available.  His contacts have continued.  Our effort right now is indeed on bringing an end to this conflict by getting a ceasefire, by seeing all of the hostages, the more than 100 hostages that remain in Gaza freed, by seeing humanitarian aid come in and by returning to some form of hope for political settlement.  Okay...

Question:  “Uniting for Peace” resolution?

Spokesman:  That would be a decision of the General Assembly.

Question:  Hi, Steph.

Spokesman:  Mike, then Sharon will come up.  Go ahead, Mike.

Question:  A couple of questions.  First, on the humanitarian aid.  The Washington Post article.  I mean, the report itself obviously is out there.  I’m asking you specifically, is it the assertion, determination of the Secretary-General or other high-level UN officials that Israel is in cahoots with these leaders, as was intimated in this report?

Spokesman:  “Cahoots” is not a term that I use or that I’ve seen used in any UN document.

Question:  Cooperating with, abetting?

Spokesman:  Okay.  And again, to be honest, we’ve looked for this memo, my colleagues have.  I haven’t seen it, so I can’t speak to the content of it. But, you know, reports that this could be happening are concerning.  Your second question?

Question:  Yes.  In terms of the route that was taken, there was criticism of this route that was taken. An unfamiliar route on short notice. I’m trying to understand.  The UN wants alternate routes open, and it’s obvious that some of these convoys were being telegraphed for delivery by these looters.  Is it not a positive thing that maybe Israel is trying to catch the looters off guard by using an alternative route on short notice?  I mean, why the criticism there?

Spokesman:  Well, I think, first of all, I cannot tell you why... I mean, I don’t think we were given a reason why as to the dates and the route was changed and what the reasoning was for it.  So you can speculate, but I won’t speculate.  I think we made plans; we organized things.  We are also inside.  We try to prepare the route.  So for us, a change in planning is somewhat disturbing.  Okay.  Sorry?

Question:  But Steph, why is it left an open question?  Is the UN not curious enough to ask these questions on their own? Hey, what’s the deal here?  Why are we given 30 minutes or an hour’s notice for that?  Why does nobody ask these questions?

Spokesman:  Look, I’m not saying nobody asked these questions.  These are events happening a few thousand miles from here. I can try to get some information. Your journalist colleagues based in Israel can also speak to my colleagues there.  My understanding of how things work is that we’re not given much reasoning for some of the decisions that are being handed to us.  Sharon Birch, please speak on behalf of the President of the General Assembly.