Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
– Monday Briefings
– Secretary-General
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Syria
– Democratic Republic of the Congo/Peacekeeping
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– South Sudan
– Biodiversity
– International Days
– Jane
MONDAY BRIEFINGS
On Monday there will be a briefing here by Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, whom as you know is the Permanent Representative of Denmark, but she will be here in her capacity as President of the Security Council for the month of March. She will of course brief on the Council’s programme for the month. The briefing will be in person only, so if you want to ask questions you will need to have your backside in the seats. You can obviously follow it on the webcast.
Then, at 2:15 p.m., there will be a briefing here on the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Speakers will include Akan Rakhmetullin, the First Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan and President of the Meeting, and he will be joined by Melissa Parke, the Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
SECRETARY-GENERAL
You will have seen that early this morning, the Secretary-General in his remarks expressed his deep concern about information received in the last 48 hours by UN agencies — as well as many humanitarian and development NGOs — regarding severe cuts in funding by the United States. The consequences, he said, will be especially devastating for vulnerable people around the world.
The Secretary-General expressed his hope that these decisions can be reversed based on more careful reviews, adding that in the meantime, every United Nations agency stands ready to provide the necessary information and justification for its projects.
The Secretary-General also announced that next Tuesday, he will be in Cairo to join the Extraordinary Summit of the League of Arab States to discuss the issue of the reconstruction of Gaza.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
And turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that since last month, our humanitarian partners have screened more than 100,000 children under the age of five for malnutrition, enrolling those who need it for treatment. They also continue to distribute nutrient supplements to infants and young children.
For its part, UNRWA [the Relief and Works Agency] tells us that more than half a million people across the five governorates of the Gaza Strip have received blankets, mattresses, floor mats, clothes, and other items including tarpaulins for rain protection.
Turning to the West Bank, our colleagues at OCHA remind us that the ongoing Israeli forces’ operation has entered its sixth week. Tens of thousands of people remain displaced in Jenin and Tulkarm.
On 25 and 26 of this month, OCHA and its partners led a mission to assess the needs of people displaced in Jenin and Tulkarm. Many of these families have been displaced multiple times. They lost their livelihoods and are no longer able to cover the basic needs of their families. Access to food is limited, with some displaced people reporting a reduction in meals consumed each day.
Children in schools have lost more than one month of learning and have been subjected to high levels of anxiety and distress.
In a report published yesterday, partners called for the protection of children and their right to live and access education, healthcare and other basic services.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers continue to attack Palestinian communities across the West Bank. Since 2020, settler-related incidents targeting Palestinian Bedouin and herding communities have increased almost sevenfold.
Documented incidents rose to 330 in 2024 – compared to just 50 in 2020.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=28%20February%202025