Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Summit of the Future Action Days
– Lebanon
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Syria
– Venezuela
– Ukraine
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Somalia
– Viet Nam
– Haiti
– International Day of Peace
– World Cleanup Day
Summit of the Future Action Days
This afternoon, at 1pm, the Summit of the Future Action days will kick off with a youth-led event.
Felipe Paullier, the Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, will lead the opening ceremony under the theme #Youthlead the future.
At 2pm, the Secretary-General will take part in a dialogue with youth advocates. This will also take place in the General Assembly Hall and you will be able to watch the conversation live on UN Webtv.
The action days, which are convened by the Secretary-General, will continue tomorrow. The Secretary-General will address Saturday’s opening session at 9 a.m, tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s programme will focus on three priority themes – digital and technology, peace and security, and sustainable development and financing.
There will also be a dedicated focus throughout the day on future generations.
The action days bring together representatives from Member States, civil society, the private sector, academia, youth, and more. The full list of events and side events is available on the webpage of the Summit of the Future.
Lebanon
We are very concerned at the heightened escalation across the Blue Line, including the deadly strike we saw on Beirut today. We urge all parties to de-escalate immediately. All must exercise maximum restraint.
We also urge the parties to immediately return to the cessation of hostilities and to fully implement Security Council resolution 1701.
The region is on the brink of a catastrophe. All efforts should focus on finding a diplomatic solution.
Our Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeannine Hennis-Plasschaert, has been insistently conveying these messages to her interlocutors in Lebanon and Israel.
And this afternoon, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, and our High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, will brief the Security Council in an open meeting on developments in Lebanon. They will convey similar messages. Those remarks will be shared with you.
Meanwhile, on the peacekeeping front, our blue helmets at UNIFIL peacekeepers continue to implement their mandate in, obviously, extremely challenging conditions, working to help avert further escalation and return to a cessation of hostilities.
The head of the UN peacekeeping mission there, Force Commander General Aroldo Lázaro, has been in constant communication with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces to help avoid any miscalculations along the Blue Line and to support humanitarian access in southern Lebanon.
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that Palestinians already displaced in the Strip are at risk of having to move again as the rainy season approaches, which is expected to bring flooding and high tides.
OCHA says that many of those displaced by hostilities in Gaza are sheltering along the Mediterranean coast, where Israeli-issued evacuation orders have instructed them to go. Several municipalities in Gaza have also warned of the risks, with some advising people sheltering in low-lying areas to leave and seek out safer places due to the danger of flooding. Displaced people in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah have been warned to move to higher ground and stay away from the shore, as high tides could cause their tents to drift, among other risks.
UNRWA, for its part, warns that people in Gaza are sheltering in open spaces with no sewage network or rainwater drainage systems. The agency says that as reptiles, rodents and insects spread, its teams are spraying pesticides and removing waste to protect families from diseases.
Meanwhile, OCHA also reports that water, sanitation and hygiene operations in northern Gaza have been forced to drastically reduce their operating hours to prevent shutdowns.
Our partners working on the response say it continues to be extremely difficult to get fuel to the north, with deliveries often delayed or rejected at checkpoints.
In addition to fuel shortages and the ongoing electricity outages that stall pumps, the current water crisis in Gaza has been worsened by damage to water infrastructure, the absence of safety to make repairs, and a lack of spare parts and chlorine.
To address the critical lack of clean water in Gaza, UNICEF says it is providing 15 litres of water per person per day for nearly 900,000 people, ensuring that part of their water needs are met for a duration of three months.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/ossg/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=20%20September%202024