Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Myanmar/ Humanitarian
– Myanmar / Special Envoy
– Central Asia
– Haiti
– Deputy Secretary-General/Trip Announcement
– Lebanon/Israel
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Syria
– South Sudan
– Sudan
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Central African Republic
– Ukraine
– Briefing
MYANMAR/ HUMANITARIAN
The Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator ad interim for Myanmar, Marcoluigi Corsi, today called on the world to step up support for the people of Myanmar.
Mr. Corsi returned yesterday from a two-day visit to Nay Pyi Taw territory, where he witnessed the widespread destruction of infrastructure, including buildings, roads, and bridges.
He said the most urgent needs are drinking water, hygiene, shelter, food, and medicine.
The UN and its partners, many of whom were in Myanmar already, are actively delivering supplies while conducting assessments to determine the full scale of the needs. Some of these supplies include food, drinking water, shelter and medicine.
The UN Refugee Agency have also rushed emergency supplies from Yangon to some 25,000 earthquake survivors in the Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw areas and are mobilizing more relief items from their existing stocks in Myanmar.
UNICEF and its partners have begun delivering emergency water, sanitation and hygiene kits, medical kits and nutrition supplies – all from its pre-positioned stocks.
The agency is also mobilizing an additional 80 metric tonnes of critical supplies from its global hubs. But, they say this is not enough given the scale of the disaster people of Myanmar are facing.
Telecommunications disruptions, damaged roads and debris continue to hinder the response. Severe shortages of medical supplies, including trauma kits, blood bags, anesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines and tents for health workers.
Search-and-rescue operations continue and responders work tirelessly to save those trapped under collapsed buildings. Currently, 25 urban search-and-rescue teams from 13 countries are operating in the country.
The UN remains deeply committed to reaching people in Myanmar who need aid and we must act swiftly to provide relief before the upcoming monsoon season, which risks worsening the crisis.
Even before this disaster, Myanmar faced an overwhelming humanitarian crisis, with nearly 20 million people in need due to conflict and climate-induced disasters, including recent severe flooding.
Yet, the humanitarian response remains critically underfunded, with $56 million received so far, which is just 5 per cent of the $1.1 billion required.
MYANMAR / SPECIAL ENVOY
The Special Envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, said she stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar as the devastating earthquake has worsened an already dire situation. Many victims still cannot be reached due to severe damage, she said, adding that the earthquake has laid bare the deeper vulnerabilities facing Myanmar’s people and underscored the need for sustained international attention to the broader crisis.
She called for all sides to urgently allow space for humanitarian relief and ensure that aid workers can operate in safety.
Continuing military operations in disaster-affected areas risk further loss of life, Ms. Bishop said, as she called on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease hostilities and focus their efforts on the protection of civilians, including aid workers, and the delivery of life-saving assistance.
A number of countries including Myanmar’s neighbors and ASEAN mechanisms have provided immediate support. The Special Envoy appeals to Member States and other donors to swiftly provide flexible funding to scale up the response.
CENTRAL ASIA
The Secretary-General welcomes the trilateral summit of the leaders of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, which took place on 31 March in Khujand, Tajikistan.
The summit saw the signing of a trilateral agreement defining the Junction Point of the State Borders of the three countries. It follows the earlier signing of the Treaty on the State Border between the Kyrgyz Republic and Republic of Tajikistan on 13 March.
The Secretary-General welcomes and encourages further steps to strengthen the spirit of mutual trust, good-neighbourly relations and cooperation in Central Asia.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=01%20April%202025