Source: United Nations (Video News)
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Myanmar
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Sudan
South Sudan
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Haiti
Ukraine
Food Prices
Mine Awareness Day
Colombia
International Days
Deputy Secretary-General
Antisemitism
MYANMAR
As announced by the Secretary-General yesterday, Tom Fletcher, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, arrived this morning. Upon arrival, he met with humanitarian teams in Yangon. In the afternoon, he travelled to Mandalay, which as you know, is the epicentre of the earthquake, where tomorrow he is expected to meet with people impacted by the earthquake, as well as with local responders and other humanitarian workers.
More than 25 search-and-rescue teams are working, medical teams and supplies have been deployed, and water and shelter kits have been distributed in Mandalay and beyond. Just yesterday, more than 30 tons of medical supplies arrived in Myanmar, bringing the total to 100 tons since the earthquakes struck.
The UN Refugee Agency, for its part, has deployed plastic sheets and kitchen sets for about 25,000 people impacted.
The agency is also mobilizing supplies from its warehouses in Myanmar for an additional 25,000 people, but it will need to replenish stocks urgently to meet the massive needs due to the quake.
Our humanitarian colleagues are preparing a new appeal aligned with the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which, as you know, calls for $1.1 billion as needs continue to outpace available supplies and response capacity. So far, less than 5 per cent of this appeal has been received.
For its part, UNHCR is appealing for $16 million to assist 1.2 million people. The funds will be used to manage displacement sites and support vulnerable people in six impacted regions until the end of the year.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that thousands more families have now fled westward in the Gaza Strip, in response to another displacement order issued by Israeli forces and covering parts of Gaza City. OCHA warns that these displacement orders have left civilians exposed to hostilities and deprive them of access to essential services for their basic survival.
All crossings, as you know, continue to be closed. We are now in the second month. So, no supplies can come into Gaza.
The World Food Programme has warned that food stocks in Gaza are running out, and assistance programmes are gradually shutting down. As we told you earlier this week, all WFP-supported bakeries had to close. Now, food parcel distributions are soon to end. Hot meals currently continue, but with dwindling supplies. The World Food Programme reminds us that a single hot meal provides 25 per cent or less of a person’s daily dietary needs.
Meanwhile, sanitation conditions across Gaza are likely worsening public health risks. Our humanitarian colleagues say that three makeshift displacement sites in Al Mawasi are now reporting infestations of fleas and mites, causing rashes and other health issues. Treating these infestations require chemicals and other items that will only be available once the crossings are again open for the entry of supplies.
UN humanitarian partners warn that criminal looting and general insecurity are again on the rise, linked to the closure and to lack of basic supplies. On Wednesday, one of the distribution points used by UNRWA was looted, along with nearby buildings. In a social media post, our colleagues at UNRWA said this wasn’t an isolated incident, but rather a symptom of a broader breakdown in civil order.
Turning to the West Bank, OCHA reports that tens of thousands of people remain displaced, unable to return home due to ongoing operations by Israeli forces in the north, mainly in Jenin and Tulkarm. Our humanitarian partners are providing urgent aid and psychosocial support to those impacted.
Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=04%20April%202025