Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
-International Women’s Day
– Syria
– Syria/Displacement
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– South Sudan
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Rohingya Refugees
– Central Sahel, Nigeria
– Yemen
– Food Price Index
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY Today is International Women’s Day. In an event to mark the Day held this morning at the General Assembly Hall, the Secretary-General said that in every corner of the world we are seeing from pushback to rollback – that women’s rights are under attack. Centuries of discrimination, he said, are being worsened by new threats. Instead of mainstreaming equal rights, we are witnessing the mainstreaming of chauvinism and misogyny, adding that we cannot stand by as progress is reversed. We must fight back, and we must never accept a world where women and girls live in fear, where their safety is a privilege rather than a non-negotiable right.
SYRIA The Secretary-General is concerned about the recent clashes in the coastal areas of Syria, including reports of extrajudicial killings and civilian casualties. He strongly condemns all violence in Syria and calls on the parties to protect civilians and cease hostilities. The Secretary-General is alarmed by the risk of escalating tensions among communities in Syria at a time when reconciliation and peaceful political transition should be the priority. After fourteen years of conflict, Syrians deserve sustainable peace, prosperity and justice. The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen, also issued a statement, also issued a statement saying that he is deeply alarmed by reports of intense clashes and killings in Syria, and this morning, Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament, briefed the Security Council on the chemical weapons file and Syria.
SYRIA/DISPLACEMENT
A new report issued by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) highlights a notable decline in displacement since mid-December of last year. IOM, however, reveals that one in five of those who remain displaced – primarily in Idlib, Aleppo and Hama – are residing in tents or makeshift shelters under as you can imagine, are very harsh living conditions. As of January, more than 3.4 million Internally Displaced People were in north-west Syria, including almost 2 million in Idleb and Aleppo. IOM is looking to help more than 1.1 million people in Syria in the first half of 2025. In January, IOM also issued an appeal for $73.2 million to meet these needs. We hope that the appeal will be heeded, and cash will be coming in.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=07%20March%202025