Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Deputy Secretary-General
Good afternoon. Our Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Cape Town, in the Republic of South Africa, representing the Secretary-General at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting. She also attended the Finance in Common Summit of National Development Banks. In her remarks, Ms. Mohammed conveyed the UN’s support for South Africa’s G20 presidency and stressed the importance of G20 action to shepherd the global economy and improve prospects for sustainable development. She called for proactive steps to support developing countries overwhelmed by debt service, to expand development finance, and to create a stronger global financial safety net that protects all countries. She also stressed the need for strengthening tax systems, and making them fairer and more efficient.
Ms. Mohammed also met with ministers and principals of international financial institutions and development banks ahead of the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, that will take place in Sevilla, in Spain in July. She will be back in New York tomorrow.
**Peacekeeping
Other travel to flag: The Under-Secretary-General, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Head of Peace Operations, will be travelling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from tomorrow [27 February] until 1 March. He will first go to Kinshasa, where he will engage with Congolese authorities, as well as international partners, to discuss the ongoing situation in the eastern part of the country and the next steps in implementing resolution 2773 (2024), which was adopted last week.
He will then head to the east and travel to Beni, in North Kivu, where he will engage with provincial authorities, as well as with the newly appointed Force Commander for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Lt. Gen. Ulisses De Mesquita Gomes, and as well, of course, with peacekeepers deployed in the Beni area. He will be there to assess first hand recent developments and will also visit UN peacekeeping positions. On 1 March, he will go to Entebbe, in Uganda, where he will pay a visit to MONUSCO personnel who were evacuated to Uganda from Goma last month, following the advances of the M23 [23 March Movement].
And as we mentioned, Mr. Lacroix is currently wrapping up his visit to New Delhi, in India, where he attended an international conference on women, peace and security, hosted by the Government of India to address barriers and discuss solutions to women’s participation in peacekeeping efforts. While in India, Mr. Lacroix also discussed the future of peacekeeping with Indian senior Government officials and visited the National War Memorial.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
Staying in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, our humanitarian affairs colleagues say they are alarmed by escalating violence and insecurity in recent days in the city of Uvira, about 100 kilometres south of South Kivu’s provincial capital, Bukavu. Clashes and rising violence in Uvira put local communities and humanitarian workers in extreme danger, with our humanitarian partners reporting multiple incidents of looting and sexual violence. Elsewhere in South Kivu, humanitarian assessments over the last 10 days indicate that more than 10,000 displaced people have returned from Idjwi island in Lake Kivu — due to dire conditions there — they returned to villages in the areas of Minova and Kalehe. More than 100,000 people had fled to the island since late January.
Our partners also report that people have been returning to parts of North Kivu, where a recent assessment found that 80,000 people have returned to villages in the territory of Masisi, about 80 kilometres north-west of Goma. Infrastructure in these villages was largely destroyed by recent fighting, and returnees urgently need humanitarian assistance. Ongoing clashes in Masisi also expose people to risks of violence and rights violations.
For its part, our colleagues at the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today they are deeply worries by the significant increase in reports of grave violations committed against children in parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. They say the number of incidents has tripled since the end of January. The data collected reveals that cases of sexual violence have risen by more than two and a half times, abductions have increased six-fold, killing and maiming is up seven-fold, and attacks on schools and hospitals have multiplied by 12.
Finally, in Ituri Province, our humanitarian partners also report that violence is on the rise in the territory of Djugu, where attacks by armed men killed eight civilians, with two people abducted between 21 and 23 February. Insecurity in the area has forced at least 17,000 men, women and children to flee their homes and our partners have had to suspend the delivery of assistance to some 45,000 people.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the situation in Gaza, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that we and our humanitarian partners continue to provide more aid to people in need, including in previously inaccessible areas. Our health partners are scaling up support to health facilities across Gaza to restore essential services and boost capacity. They have also distributed medical supplies for some 1.8 million people, including kits for trauma and emergency care, primary healthcare, non-communicable diseases, sexual and reproductive health, maternal care and childcare, as well as dignity kits and nutrition supplements.
Another national emergency medical team of 52 Palestinian doctors and surgeons have recently deployed to Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah and at the European Gaza and Nasser hospitals in Khan Younis to enhance surgical capacity. We’ve been telling you about the polio campaign, which, as of yesterday, had reached 99 per cent of the children targeted, bringing the total number of children vaccinated to 586,000.
Meanwhile, our shelter partners continue to distribute emergency shelter materials and other items to displaced families. Since the ceasefire, our partners have provided more than 27,000 bedding kits, 619,000 blankets, 122,000 mattresses and 129,000 items of clothing. On the water front and sanitation, our partners report that since the start of the ceasefire, the production of water has more than doubled. This is due to increased fuel availability and basic emergency repairs. In addition, solid waste management is scaling up to further mitigate public health risks. However, the total volume of water produced and supplied still stands at about a third of the water that was being provided and produced before 7 October 2023.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stresses that sustaining the ceasefire is vital to continuing to scale up our response and to prevent further loss of life and human suffering. All Member States must leverage their influence to ensure that the ceasefire holds.
On the West Bank, I just wanted to flag a statement from [Philippe] Lazzarini, the Head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). He said that more than 50 people, including children, have been reported killed since the Israeli [Defense] Forces’ operation started five weeks ago in the West Bank. Destruction of public infrastructure, bulldozing of roads and access restrictions seem to be commonplace now. He added that around 40,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, especially from refugee camps in the north.
Yesterday, there was a 14-hour raid by Israeli forces in Nablus city, resulting in yet another fatality and multiple injuries. During the operation, Israeli forces closed checkpoints around Nablus, leaving people stranded for several hours. We reiterate that in law enforcement, the use of potentially lethal force may only be used when strictly unavoidable to protect life and prevent serious injury. I would also urge you to take a look at [UN High Commissioner for Human Rights] Volker Türk’s statement, that he delivered today in Geneva on the issue of accountability on war crimes and potential war crimes in Gaza.
**Sudan
Back here, Edem Wosornu, the Director of Operations and Advocacy at OCHA, briefed Security Council members in an open meeting on Sudan. She said that, in several parts of the country, the already catastrophic situation of civilians has worsened since her last briefing to the Council, and that was just less than one month ago. Focusing on the latest alarming developments and violence in North Darfur, including the Zamzam displacement camp, as well as the situation in Khartoum and in the south of Sudan. Ms. Wosornu warned that the scale of needs in Sudan is unprecedented and requires an equally unprecedented mobilization of international support. The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, also briefed the Security Council but in closed consultations.
Just a bit of zooming in on the horrors and catastrophe in Sudan. Due to the escalating violence in the Zamzam camp, our colleagues at the World Food Programme (WFP) tell us they had no choice but to suspend the voucher-based food assistance system in place in the camp. The recent violence left Zamzam’s Central Market destroyed by shelling, pushing residents of the camp — which is about half a million human beings — further away from accessing essential food and supplies. In a statement, the World Food Programme said that over the past two weeks the violence has compelled its partners to evacuate their staff for safety.
As you know, famine conditions were confirmed in Zamzam last August. Since then, the World Food Programme has managed to transport just one convoy of humanitarian supplies into the camp despite repeated and repeated attempts to deliver more. And now, the World Food Programme is warning that without immediate assistance, thousands of desperate families in Zamzam could starve in the coming weeks. These food vouchers allow families to purchase essential food supplies, such as cereals, pulses, oil and salt, directly from local markets, which WFP helps to keep stocked through its local private sector retail network. We continue to reiterate that civilians in Zamzam and elsewhere must be protected, whether they choose to stay or voluntarily move for safety reasons.
**Somalia
Turning to Somalia, we are warning about a deteriorating food security situation in the country. The latest report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification — the IPC system — analysis shows that 1 million more people will face crisis levels of food insecurity in the coming months. This is due to the worsening drought conditions, to conflict and to high food prices. Some 3.4 million men, women and children are already experiencing crisis-levels of hunger, but this figure is expected to rise to 4.4 million men, women and children — or nearly a quarter of the population — between April and June when below-average rains are forecast.
Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that some 1.7 million children under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year and will need urgent treatment. Of these children, more than 460,000 of them are expected to suffer from severe malnutrition. The Federal Government of Somalia and UN agencies jointly warned that without swift funding for humanitarian action, millions could once again face deepening hunger in the country. In 2022, Somalia was pushed to the brink of famine by severe drought. This year, about one third of Somalia’s population — nearly 6 million people — need humanitarian assistance, but the $1.42 billion humanitarian appeal is just 12 per cent funded, which means we only have $176 million in the bank.
**Syria
On Syria, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the movement of trucks carrying humanitarian assistance from Türkiye to Idlib through the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing is continuing. Yesterday, 43 trucks carrying more than 1,000 metric tons of food from WFP, as well as blankets, solar lamps and other items provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), crossed the border. Our colleagues say that, since the start of the year, nearly 400 trucks have crossed from Türkiye into Syria — five times the number of trucks as the same time last year.
Furthermore, across the country, our partners are supporting the rehabilitation of homes, infrastructure, schools and roads. In north-west Syria, 350 homes have been rehabilitated since last month. In Damascus and its rural surroundings, more than 700 people have received support in repairing their homes. Over the past two weeks, three water stations have been restored in Latakia. We and our partners continue to provide this assistance as security, logistical and funding conditions permit. However, the toll of destruction remains overwhelming. In Aleppo, 34 facilities in former front-line areas have sustained damage or destruction and require immediate rehabilitation to restore essential services.
Meanwhile, hostilities in different parts of the country are impacting civilians and humanitarian access to people in need. In eastern Aleppo — including in the vicinity of the Tishreen Dam and the Al-Khafsa water pumping station — and in the south of the country, hostilities have resulted in casualties, as well as restrictions in humanitarian access and movements of people.
**Central African Republic
And just a quick note from the Central African Republic, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) today announced the establishment of a temporary operating base in Mingala, in the Basse-Kotto Prefecture, where civilian populations have been facing the threat of armed groups. As part of its mandate to protect civilians, the Mission said peacekeepers are engaging with local authorities, community leaders, and residents to assess the security situation and to provide a response.
**Police Week
And this week, if you were thinking of committing a crime at the UN, it is not the week to do so, because it is Police Week, the nineteenth [United Nations] Police Week. And you will see a lot of uniformed police officers from all sorts of countries walking the halls. Leaders of UN police components from seven peacekeeping missions, special political missions and regional offices are gathering here for their annual meeting and to engage with senior UN officials to discuss current challenges and to set priorities for the year ahead. They are also scheduled to brief the Security Council tomorrow afternoon.
In the coming days, our police colleagues will also have interactive discussions on the contributions of United Nations Police to the implementation of the Pact for the Future, as well as on the future of UN policing. Key topics include data-driven and tech-enabled policing, along with gender-responsive policing and enhanced integrated planning and interoperability with military and civilian elements in the field.
**Questions and Answers
Question: Congratulations again. Thank you, Steph. I wanted to ask you about Sudan and the ZamZam camp. You talked a lot about it there, but I just wanted to ask, is the programme, the suspension of the voucher-based food programme has been suspended, but does the WFP continue to work in other capacities in the ZamZam?
Spokesman: Its main partner which is handling the programme is no longer there. WFP is not there, present directly. It is there through local partners. You know, and we keep talking about ZamZam, but ZamZam is so emblematic of the horrors of Sudan, of the lack of political will from the leaders to put the interest of their people first and foremost.
Question: And it must have been — considering that famine conditions have been confirmed in Zamzam, it must have been a pretty difficult decision to halt this WFP programme, given the conditions?
Spokesman: It must have been a harrowing decision to take for those who had to take it. But, we also need to be very concerned about the safety of our own staff, who can then go back as soon as conditions permit it. Dezhi?
Question: Hi, Steph. You just mentioned, about the situation in Syria, but you didn't mention the Israeli bombing in southern Syria. Does the Secretary-General have anything to say about that?
Spokesman: I mean, we're obviously very concerned about the continuing violation by Israel of Syria's sovereignty and its territorial integrity, of course, and the violations of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement. All obligations under international law must be respected. And we're also, of course, you know, every time you see these strikes and other violations by others of Syria’s territorial integrity, it just increases the risk of a great of renewed violence, increased violence, and regional instability.
Question: Before this, Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu said that he hopes that southern Syria could be demilitarized for the security of Israel. But, who is for the security of Syria?
Spokesman: We stand for the security of the Syrian people. We stand for the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Syria. These are messages that Mr. [Geir] Pedersen and others have communicated, and it is… they are agreements, right, notably the Disengagement Agreement from 1974 between Israel and Syria, and it must be respected.
Question: So Mr. Pedersen is still in Damascus?
Spokesman: That's my understanding. Yes, sir. Edie and then Volodymyr.
Question: Thank you, Steph. A couple of follow-ups. Can we get an update from Mr. Lamamra on his efforts to restart negotiations between the RSF and the Sudanese Government?
Spokesman: Yeah. I mean, he's continuing his engagements with the parties. I mean, that's the general tone of his briefing to the Security Council, trying to ensure that all the various efforts done, whether it's more on the Arab League end or the African Union, including with the EU, are all well coordinated. And I think he and other envoys on this are all hopefully working in the same direction.
Question: But, can we actually get some kind of statement from him that says that whether he's making any headway?
Spokesman: Listen, he is making, he's continuing to work. I think the headway and the decisions to solve this conflict will have to be made by the parties, and they will have to be moving in the right direction. And I think what's also important is that all those who have influence on the parties outside of Sudan or who may be involved in the conflict also work towards putting the interest of the Sudanese people first and foremost.
Question: And on another subject, yesterday, you said that there was difficulty getting tents into Gaza. Today, you were talking about a lot of shelter materials getting in. What's the status of tents? Has that changed?
Spokesman: We've gotten quite a lot of tents in. We need more. What I can tell you is that we're very focused on ensuring that we have no tents in our warehouse, meaning that any tent that gets into Gaza is almost immediately distributed. We've seen the cold weather. We don't want to be in a situation where we haven't distributed everything that we've had, in terms of tents. And my understanding from the case that we have distributed all the tents that we have, we're trying to get more in.
Question: And a third quick thing on the M23 offensive. Is there an update on where that offensive is actually heading or has it stopped?
Spokesman: My understanding is that the movements and insecurity is ongoing. Volodymyr, then Michelle, and then we'll go to that side.
Question: Thank you, Stéphane. Last night, a Russian attack killed my colleague from the National News Agency of Ukraine, Ukrinform, journalist Tatiana Kulik and her husband, a well-known surgeon, Pavlov Ivanchov. A Russian drone hit their house in the Bucha district near Kyiv, the same Bucha. Do you have any comment on this? And do you see any signs of Russia's desire to end this war?
Spokesman: First of all, we send our deepest condolences to you, to your colleagues, and to the family. This is yet another example of the ultimate price that journalists have paid in covering the Ukraine conflict and covering conflicts around the world. We take these things very seriously. Every killing of a journalist is condemned without reservation from us. As for your second question, what we are seeing is that the fighting is continuing. What we continue to want to see is an end to this conflict in a just peace, a sustainable peace in line with all of the resolutions and international law, as we've often stated. Michelle?
Question: Thanks, Steph. There's currently a now-deadly measles outbreak in the United States, the UN host country. Could you remind us of the UN stance on vaccines?
Spokesman: Alright. We believe in the efficacy of vaccines, notably against preventable childhood diseases. Yvonne, then Ibtisam, then Evelyn.
Question: Thanks, Stéphane. Did you say just to follow-up, did you say 40,000 people in the West Bank have been displaced in the past five weeks?
Spokesman: Yeah.
Question: Fifty children have been killed. Is that right?
Spokesman: That's what I believe. That's what I said. Yeah.
Question: How concerned now is the Secretary-General that this situation could escalate to, you know, what has been seen on this in Gaza?
Spokesman: Extremely. And I think I expressed it on behalf of the Secretary-General a few days ago. The level of violence that we're seeing in the West Bank, the level of destruction of civilian infrastructure, of roads, of access to electricity, is staggering and is extremely worrying. We're also seeing an impact on schools. A number of the UN-run schools are no longer able to work in, as they should. And our colleagues are trying to find, sort of work around systems to ensure that children have access to some sort of educational material. But, we're very, very worried, and we've conveyed those concerns publicly and privately.
Question: Okay. I have two other questions. Is that right?
Spokesman: Why should you be different than anybody else, Yvonne?
Question: Yesterday, the Uyghur language scholar, Abduweli Ayup, was cancelled at the last minute from a UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization] conference at UNESCO headquarters celebrating Indigenous languages. In fact, the Mother Language Day that you told us about on Monday. Is this a sign that UNESCO is bowing to pressure from China to silence Uyghur activists?
Spokesman: I had not heard of this particular incident. I would look into it, but I would also encourage you to ask UNESCO.
Correspondent: I have asked UNESCO.
Spokesman: Okay. I will look into it. This is the first I've heard of it.
Question: Okay. And I also have a question closer to home here at the UNHQ. I've spoken to you before about problems that we face as television reporters here and the obstacles we face, particularly from the security here. On Monday, I witnessed a TV reporter having their broadcast, their live broadcast purposefully interrupted by a security guard just outside the stakeout here. This has happened to me in the past, as I've told you. Does the Secretary-General… because at a time when press freedom is under attack all over the world, can the Secretary-General at least guarantee our freedoms here at United Nations?
Spokesman: I mean, I will look into this case. We want you to be able to broadcast and work from here and ask questions, but let me look into the case, as well. Ibtisam?
Question: Hey. Thank you. My first question is about, I don't know if you saw the video that was posted on social media by President [Donald J.] Trump, that was seen by many Palestinians and others as whitewashing ethnic cleansing, to say the least. Do you have any comments on that video?
Spokesman: I’ve seen the video. I can tell you that we will continue to stand and to speak out against the forced displacements of Palestinians in Gaza, against anything that would lead to ethnic cleansing, and we will continue to do so very publicly.
Question: I have another question. The Guardian wrote, and actually many other outlets, reported about, recently that there's at least 160 Gazans medics in Israeli presence. And I have asked you also about Abu Safia's case, and I know that he was able to see a lawyer. And his lawyer reported also, or his family reported that, he was subject of torture. So, two questions: One, if you have any comments and if the UN can confirm some of these numbers, and if also somebody from UN was able to contact Abu Sofia or get…?
Spokesman: Okay. Let me take it backwards. I will check on your last question. I don't know off the top of my head. We are, of course, very concerned about the people, Palestinians who remain in so-called administrative detention, especially the medics. Our human rights colleagues have received some harrowing reports from Palestinians who've been released, talking about degrading treatment, physical abuse, showing signs of physical abuse, and all of these things are completely unacceptable. Sinan, please, and then Evelyn. Sorry.
Question: Thank you, Steph. I think I asked you this question yesterday, but I have kind of more information. I need to ask you again. As I said yesterday, in Syria, the National Dialogue Conference, held in Damascus, and a lot of minorities were not invited, and I just said the Kurds. Actually, I found that some other minorities were not invited, as well, and that's big critics for the national level. And do you have any comment on that? And what can you say about that?
Spokesman: Sure. I mean, we understand from the statements made by the organizers of the dialogue that the de facto authorities in the north-east were not represented, in the national dialogue. Mr. Pedersen and all of us continue to stress the need for diplomatic solutions to the issues in the north-east and the importance of compromise for all concerned and the importance of inclusivity in designing the future of Syria, its institutions, its constitutions, its culture. Everyone who is a Syrian should feel included, regardless of their ethnicity or their religion. Evelyn?
Question: Thank you. The UAE [United Arab Emirates] has been supporting the RSF in Sudan. Has the UN spoken to the UAE? And secondly, do you know if it's involved in Darfur?
Spokesman: We have been very clear, in raising the alarm about the foreign involvement within the Sudan conflict, which is not positive in any way and keeps fuelling the conflict. Okay. Thank you all. Enjoy the day. And I need my picture with Ibtisam.