Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
-Secretary-General travel /Colombia
-Sudan
-Sudan/humanitarian
-Middle East
-Deputy Secretary-General
-Lebanon/Israel
-Lebanon/humanitarian
-Occupied Palestinian territory
-Gaza
-Ukraine
-Philippines
-Abyei
-Sahel and Lake Chad region
-Briefings today and tomorrow
Secretary-General travel /Colombia
The Secretary-General will travel to Cali, in Colombia, to attend the high-level segment of the16th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16). And he is heading out this afternoon.
On Tuesday, in Cali, he will deliver remarks at the opening of the plenary session of the COP. In his remarks, he is expected to highlight that nature is life, and yet we are waging a war against it – a war where there can be no winner. He is expected to stress that biodiversity is humanity’s ally, and that we must move from plundering to preserving. He will also call for the promises made at the Framework adopted two years ago in Montreal to be turned into actions.
While attending COP16, the Secretary-General will also meet and engage in discussions with Indigenous people and local communities, as well as other representatives of society, including youth groups and women’s groups. He will also meet with President Gustavo Petro of Colombia.
On the sidelines of the COP, the Secretary-General will speak at an event on plastic pollution organized by the UN Environment Programme.
And we expect the Secretary-General back in New York on Wednesday evening.
Sudan
In an open session this morning, the Secretary-General briefed the Security Council on the situation in Sudan. As you know, Security Council resolution 2736 that was adopted in June requested that the Secretary-General make recommendations to protect civilians in Sudan. He submitted that to the Security Council last week.
In his remarks, Mr. Guterres outlined three key priorities from his recommendations: First, both sides must immediately agree to a cessation of hostilities; secondly, that civilians must be protected, and his third priority is related to the flow of humanitarian aid.
Mr. Guterres added that at present, the conditions do not exist for the successful deployment of a UN force to protect civilians in Sudan.
However, he said, he stands ready to engage with the Council and others on the range of operational modalities that can meaningfully contribute to the reduction in violence and the protection of civilians.
Moreover, he urged the Council to continue supporting his Special Envoy, Ramtane Lamamra in his diplomatic efforts.
Mr. Guterres spoke at length about the humanitarian situation and the suffering in Sudan, which is growing by the day. He also spoke of the shocking reports of mass killings and sexual violence in villages in Aj Jazirah State in the eastern part of the country.
Sudan/Humanitarian
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance is expressing concerns at escalating armed violence in Aj Jazirah State.
Joyce Msuya, our Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs says that we received horrific reports of entire villages being attacked, with civilians killed, detained and displaced in huge numbers, and those reports talk about actions between October 20th and 25th. During that time, the Rapid Support Forces reportedly launched a major assault across 30 towns and villages and towns in Aj Jazirah State.
An estimated 47,000 people have fled the fighting, including to other parts of Aj Jazirah State. We and our partners are continuing to provide assistance to nearly 40,000 people who have sought shelter in Gedaref and Kassala states.
Those displaced by the violence urgently need food, shelter, health care and protection support. Many of the wounded also need medical attention.
We and our partners are concerned about civilians who remain trapped in those areas and are unable to escape due to insecurity and fear of abduction, as well as those on the move in search of safety, protection and urgent assistance.
Also, to flag that the Director General of the International Migration agency, Amy Pope, began today a three-day visit to assess the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation and the increasing displacement crisis. The visit in Sudan will focus on rallying international support for the humanitarian response, ensuring that the ongoing crisis in Sudan remains at the forefront of global attention. The Director General will visit various displacement sites to engage directly with impacted communities.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=28%20October%202024