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.
**Guests today
Good afternoon,
Just a reminder that we are joined by Adam Abdelmoula, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, and Ramanathan Balakrishnan, the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis.
Adam is in Damascus [Syria] and Rama is in Amman [Jordan].
Over to you.
[Briefing not transcribed]
**Lebanon/UNIFIL
Before I hand you over to Sharon [Birch, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly], a couple of things to share with you. Just staying in the region and I just want to flag that today in Naqoura, in Lebanon, which is the Headquarters of the UN Peacekeeping force [UNIFIL] in South Lebanon, the peacekeepers’ Force Commander, General Aroldo Lázaro met with US Ambassador Lisa Johnson and Major General Jasper Jeffers of the United States army, who will chair the mechanism to support the cessation of hostilities. They discussed efforts to help restore stability and the peacekeepers’ support for the mechanism’s work.
And also just to flag that our Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, also met with General Jeffers yesterday in Beirut.
Both the peacekeeping force [UNIFIL] and the Special Coordinator’s bureau [UNSCOL] stand ready to support implementation of the cessation of hostilities, in line with their respective mandates.
We urge all actors to abide by both the letter and the spirit of their commitments under the cessation of hostilities and, of course, under resolution 1701.
**Lebanon
Turning to the humanitarian front in Lebanon, our humanitarian colleagues from OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] say that we and our partners continue to closely monitor population movements and are rapidly adjusting assistance to address the urgent humanitarian needs across all of Lebanon.
OCHA tells us that access to essential services — which includes healthcare, water and education — remains critically limited. We continue to support returnees, displaced people, host communities and of course those who stayed behind.
Yesterday, the World Food Programme delivered food and essential supplies to Tyre in South Lebanon Governorate.
And we wanted to flag that a group of senior emergency officials from the UN and large international NGOs [non-governmental organizations] — and those UN organizations include OCHA, UNICEF, UNFPA and others — were in Lebanon last week, as part of a regional visit that also took them to Egypt and Jordan. They issued a press release on that last night, which we shared with you.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to Gaza and the situation there. Our colleagues with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report that yesterday, a new Israeli evacuation order was issued in Khan Younis Governorate, impacting more than 2,000 people. This directive — which is the fourth such evacuation order for this area since July — covers about 3 square kilometres.
OCHA stresses once again that repeated evacuation orders — which are now in effect for about 80 per cent of the Gaza Strip — leave civilians exposed to the dangers of hostilities and deprived of access to essential services.
For nearly two months, North Gaza governorate has been under a tightening siege, leaving between 65,000 and 75,000 people without regular access to food, water, electricity or reliable healthcare, as mass casualty incidents continue.
Our humanitarian partners report that the entire population of Gaza needs humanitarian assistance, including more than 58,000 people with disabilities who face further challenges in accessing food there.
In the South, some people are skipping meals and searching through trash to find food — or resorting to desperate measures, including early marriage or child labour.
Despite the catastrophic situation, OCHA warns that humanitarian access continues to be obstructed. In November, out of 578 planned aid movements across Gaza that require coordination with Israeli authorities, 41 per cent were facilitated. More than a third were denied outright, and the rest were either impeded or cancelled due to security and logistical challenges.
Once again, OCHA underscores that civilians must be able to receive the humanitarian assistance they need. Whether they move or whether they stay, they must have assistance and they must be protected — and those who flee must be allowed to return as soon as circumstances allow.
**Security Council
Back here at the Security Council, Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, briefed the Security Council in an open meeting on women, peace and security.
She told Council members that we must embrace new approaches to cultivate a new generation of leaders — especially young women and girls. If we do not break free from patriarchal norms, she added, true peace and inclusive security will remain out of reach.
Ms. DiCarlo reminded Council members that the Secretary-General’s policy brief on A New Agenda for Peace calls for dismantling entrenched patriarchal systems, which perpetuate inequality and exclusion. She also noted the strong support for the women, peace and security agenda in the Pact for the Future is potentially transformational.
Her full remarks were shared with you.
And also, just this afternoon, as you will have seen, the Security Council will reconvene, for an open meeting on Syria. Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy for Syria will brief Council members remotely and we will share his remarks with you as we always do.
**Ukraine
Turning to Ukraine, our colleagues from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that hostilities and attacks continue in front-line areas.
The regions of Kherson, Dnipro and Kharkiv were particularly affected. That is what local authorities are telling us. A dozen civilians were killed or injured yesterday. Homes and civilian facilities, including a school, were also damaged or destroyed in the attacks.
Authorities are also reporting that Ternopil City in the south-west of the country experienced a second attack in two days, targeting an energy facility and leaving part of the city without power. Humanitarian organizations distributed shelter materials to support people whose homes had been damaged.
We and our partners are continuing to support people in front-line communities. Today, an inter-agency convoy delivered 20 tons of assistance to the Zaporizhzhia region in the south-east, including medical supplies, bottled water and hygiene kits.
**Sudan/Chad
Heading to Sudan and Chad, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, today expressed her grave concern over reports of shelling in and around the Zamzam camp, near El Fasher.
Zamzam is the largest camp for internally displaced people and it is home to half a million displaced human beings.
Ms. Nkweta-Salami said that it has been more than 232 days since the siege of El Fasher began, stressing the importance of protecting civilians.
Aid organizations have reported that Zamzam came under fire on Sunday and yesterday [1-2 December], with at least five people killed and 18 injured.
Turning to neighbouring Chad, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, today allocated $5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support the humanitarian response for Sudanese refugees in the country.
The new funding will support UN agencies and their partners in providing humanitarian assistance, including healthcare, water, food and shelter support to both Sudanese refugees and host communities in Chad.
Following an escalation of fighting in Darfur, the number of people fleeing from Sudan to Chad has increased in September and October this year, with more than 70,000 people newly displaced.
Since the start of the conflict in Sudan in April of last year, more than 700,000 people have fled from Sudan into Chad.
**South Sudan
Moving to South Sudan, our peacekeeping mission there reports that the country has launched its first national task force to combat gender-based and conflict related sexual violence, with the support of the United Nations.
According to the latest statistics, at least 65 per cent of South Sudanese women and girls experience physical, sexual or gender-based violence in their life.
As part of efforts to build national capacity to address this, we also call for fast-tracking of a new law against gender-based violence and establishing specialized courts, a family protection centre and a dedicated fund for survivors.
**Financing for Development
The Second Preparatory Committee Session for the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development is taking place here in the UN all week.
Member States, UN colleagues, the private sector, academia, civil society and others are discussing how to finance sustainable development and reform the international financial architecture.
A call for inputs to inform the discussions this week generated nearly 300 contributions — and our colleagues say that it reflects the high expectations for the upcoming Financing for Development conference, scheduled to take place in Seville, in Spain, in June of next year.
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, addressed the conference today.
She said the sustainable development goals can only be rescued by unlocking the scale and quality of finance required to power investments; by loosening the grip of debt service that is crippling dozens of countries; and by protecting economies from the external shocks that characterize today’s interconnected world. The Financing for Development Conference also represents an important opportunity to fulfil the vision articulated in the Pact for the Future on financial architecture reform, she added.
**Persons with Disabilities
Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
In his message, the Secretary-General said that persons with disabilities already disproportionately bear the brunt of the crises scarring our world because of persistent discrimination and barriers to basic rights and services.
He underscored that through the recently adopted Pact for the Future, the countries of the world have committed to correcting this injustice for persons with disabilities of all ages, for present and future generations.
**Senior Personnel Appointment
Senior personnel appointment to share with you. The Secretary-General is appointing Dominika Krois of Poland as his new Representative and Director of the UN Office in Belgrade. She succeeds Mari Yamashita of Japan to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her contribution to the work of UN Office in Belgrade during her tenure.
As the Representative of the Secretary-General, Ms. Krois will oversee the Office’s activities in support of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and relating to regional developments of special relevance to the work of the UN and UNMIK.
She is a career diplomat, who brings over 25 years of service. She was most recently the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Poland to the UN Office and Other International Organizations in Vienna, in Austria.
**Guest tomorrow
Tomorrow, my guest will be Robert Piper, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement. He was appointed to coordinate the roll-out of the Action Agenda on Internal Displacement.
As his mandate comes to an end [which is in December this year, this month], he will be here to talk to you about the progress made during his tenure and highlight outstanding challenges to finding solutions for the over 75 million internally displaced persons worldwide.
**Questions and Answers
Spokesman: Mr. Avni?
Question: Hold on. I’m the only one who has a question?
Spokesman: No, a lot of hands went up. Go ahead, Benny.
Question: So first question is about South Korea. Has the Secretary-General been in touch with his predecessor and also as his predecessor spokesman, have you been in touch with his predecessors and can you share what the predecessors say?
Spokesman: No, I have not been in touch with my previous boss. The Secretary-General is currently on a plane back to New York. But obviously we’re watching the situation very closely and with concern. But at this point that’s all I have to say.
Question: You’ve nothing to say about, you know, martial law, the rule of democracy?
Spokesman: Well, the situation is evolving quickly and at this point that’s what I have to say and I will share with you as soon as I have more words to share with you.
Question: Also, yesterday you mentioned World Central Kitchen, the deaths there. You didn’t refer to whether, I mean, the Israelis say that they have evidence that one of the people who were killed who works for World Central Kitchen participated in the October 7th attack. Anything to say about that?
Spokesman: Oh, sorry, I was waiting for a question.
Question: Yeah, anything to say about that?
Spokesman: That’s an issue, I’ve seen reports of that World Central Kitchen and the Israeli Government or talks. This is not a mission that we were involved in. Margaret?
Question: Well, but you mentioned it yesterday in the briefing.
Spokesman: I did. I mentioned it as a risk to humanitarians and a number of humanitarians were killed. Margaret?
Question: Just further on South Korea. Has maybe Ms. DiCarlo or anybody made phone calls and do you have a UN country team in South Korea?
Spokesman: We do not have a country team there. As I said, the situation is fast unfolding, but we should hopefully have something a bit later to share with you.
Question: And then on Syria they were saying how underfunded the humanitarian response is. Any plans to release money from the CERF perhaps?
Spokesman: Let’s see how things go. The appeal, like most of our humanitarian appeals is underfunded. We would encourage Member States to give and to give quickly and to give in cash. Tony?
Question: Thanks for saving it for me.
Spokesman: Yeah. Sorry. I’m not wearing a red jacket today. Sorry.
Question: Thank you. Thank you, Steph. So my question is about the meeting between the UN peacekeeper force commander and the US. You know, you mentioned like briefly some information. I’m hoping you can share some more. Maybe like specifically about the role of the UN in this. I know besides supporting the 1701 resolution. Is there anything else that they asked the UN to do?
Spokesman: Well, I think this meeting was part of the ongoing dialogue between the UN, both on the political and the peacekeeping end in Lebanon and the US and others who were involved in negotiating the cessation of hostilities to see exactly what the modalities and the mechanisms will be in which the UN can support the monitoring of the cessation of hostilities within our mandate. So I understand your need for more information, but it’s an ongoing conversation. Madame?
Question: Thank you. You have mentioned about the fourth International Conference on Financing of Development that’s coming this week. Is it to fund the affected areas or is it to improve like infrastructure in States? What exactly is this after?
Spokesman: No, I mean, I’m happy to share more information with you. It’s part of the process of financing for development, which basically means that we have development goals, the things that need to happen all over the world to improve people’s lives. And a critical barrier to that is the lack of financing. So this is about how to get and improve the financing for development goals. Mr. Avni?
Question: Just to follow up on the question on UNIFIL’s role. Yesterday, you said that it’s still being discussed and you just repeated it now. But isn’t observing what’s going on, on the ground part of its role, the reason why it stayed intact? So once again, I ask you the question I asked you yesterday, which is does UNIFIL have anything to say about the attack yesterday on Shebaa Farms on the mortar attacks?
Spokesman: We talked about those attacks yesterday. We talked about fire coming from the north to the south and south to the north. And we repeatedly said that any such attack, whether it’s including on the Shebaa Farms, attacks into Lebanon, attacks into northern Israel, all violations of 1701. So UNIFIL has continued throughout this conflict to fulfil its mandate, which is to report on the implementation of 1701 or the lack thereof, to report on exchanges of fire. So they will continue to do that. Whatever other role they will have in monitoring the cessation of hostilities in this deal that was negotiated by a number of Member States with the parties to the conflict, that is being worked out. And that’s what we’re trying to…
Question: What’s the difference between monitoring and reporting?
Spokesman: It’s not the difference between monitoring and reporting. There is a mandate, 1701, right? Our colleagues are continuing to fulfil their part of that mandate. There is a new thing which has appeared, thankfully, which is an agreement on the cessation of hostilities between Hizbullah and the IDF. Part of that agreement, there is some type of monitoring mechanism which they’ve asked the UN to participate in. We are working on the details of that. This in no way should be interpreted as a change in our mandate or as a lessening of our mandate. We could speak over a beer about this if you want, Benny. Madame? That’s my goal.
Question: Just to follow that up. Oh, my turn. Sorry. Go on, madame.
Spokesman: Yeah, sorry.
Question: To follow up on that. If you’re monitoring and observing how many attacks have gone from Israel into Lebanon and how many have gone from Lebanon into other territories.
Spokesman: Yeah, we reported on those details yesterday. I didn’t get an update today. But whatever information I was given by UNIFIL yesterday, which was, I think, comprehensive, was shared yesterday. If I get more, I will share it to you. That was same question. Excellent. Dezhi?
Question: Yes, one last question, I think.
Spokesman: One more question.
Question: One last. This is the last from me.
Spokesman: Oh, from you. Oh, sorry. Okay.
Question: Okay. So we know many people in Lebanon because they fled the conflict, they fled back to Syria, and now they found themselves stuck in another crisis. What message does the Secretary-General have for those people? Thank you.
Spokesman: Our message is we will do whatever we can to help people wherever they are, whether they’ve stayed, whether they’re on the move, whether they’ve crossed borders. We will bring them whatever help we can. But the political solutions, the peaceful solution, which we are supporting in whatever way we can, will have to come from the parties involved in the conflict. Okay, Sharon Birch, the crowd is yours.