Ukraine, UNIFIL, Occupied Palestinian Territory & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

All right. Good afternoon, everyone. I just want to remind you that today at 1:00pm in this room, there will be a briefing by Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United nations, regarding the strike on the college in Starobelsk. Ambassador Nebenzia will deliver a statement and respond to questions in English. No interpretation has been requested. And this will be an in person only briefing. No zoom connection. Also just a flag that at approximately 1:30pm His Excellency Wang Yi, Minister for Foreign affairs of the People's Republic of China, will speak to reporters at the Security Council stakeout. And finally, just a reminder that tomorrow is a UN holiday. Eid Lhasa and the UN Headquarters will be closed. There will therefore be no noon briefing, but we will have a noon briefing on Thursday. The Secretary General briefed the Security Council this morning on the importance of upholding the UN Charter. He said that the United Nations Charter is a survival guide for humanity. But today, the purposes and principles of the Charter are under profound strain. We now face the highest number of conflicts since the founding of the United Nations, Mr. Guterres warned. The Secretary General said that he was deeply concerned by a recent announcement by the Russian Federation to launch consistent and systemic strikes against Ukrainian defense enterprises in Kyiv, as well as against decision making centers and command posts following reports of a Ukrainian drone attack on a college building and dormitory in the Ukrainian city of Starobilsk, presently occupied by the Russian Federation. He noted that on Friday we condemned the attack on the school as we condemn all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure wherever they occur. Now more than ever, he said, it is imperative to avoid any escalation of a conflict that has already exacted a devastating toll on civilians and that risks making the search for peace even more distant, prolonging the suffering of people. The Secretary General added that this takes place as Israel has announced an escalation of its operations in Lebanon. We witnessed constant violations of the ceasefire in Gaza, and the result of negotiations between the United States and Iran to enter the conflict in the Gulf remains unpredictable. He told the Council that there is a need for reform, and nowhere is this need more urgent than in the Security Council. A Security Council that does not reflect the geopolitical realities of today's world cannot fully deliver on its responsibilities, he said. And I have a humanitarian update on the situation in Ukraine, where our colleagues at Ocha tell us that over the weekend, the capital, Kyiv, and its neighboring regions suffered from one of the largest combined air attacks on the country since the start of the full scale war in 2022, there were scores of civilian casualties and civilian infrastructure sustained widespread damage, according to authorities. An attack in Kiev on Sunday killed at least two people and injured nearly 90 others, including several children, and destroyed or damaged residential buildings, a market, a trading center, a subway station and other public spaces, including museums and other cultural sites. The humanitarian coordinator Matthias Shmale visited one of the impacted sites in Kiev and called for an end to civilian harm. A drone struck a residential building next to UN offices, damaging the windows and facade of the business center, including the World Health Organization office. Thankfully, no civilians, including aid workers, were injured in this incident. Between January and April, at least 62 incidents affecting humanitarian personnel, vehicles, supplies and facilities were recorded across the country, according to our partners monitoring access constraints and operational risks. Apart from Kyiv, attacks across the country and frontline hostilities between May 22 and the early hours of May 25 killed nearly 20 and injured over 20 more civilians, with the regions of Kherson, Dnipro, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk reportedly repeatedly impacted. Humanitarians provided immediate emergency support after the attacks in Kyiv City and the regions of Kyiv and cherkassy. Several national NGOs with support from UN agencies provided psychosocial psychological support support, legal assistance, protection, counseling and emergency supplies to people affected by the attacks. Aid organizations also registered people for humanitarian cash assistance. Since last Friday, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon has observed extensive Israeli military activity as well as non state armed group, presumably Hezbollah attacks on Israeli forces in the mission's area of operations. Despite the cessation of hostilities Yesterday, UNIFIL detected 91 airspace violations, the highest number since the cessation of hostilities came into effect on 17 April. Also yesterday, UNIFIL reported 399 firing incidents attributed to the Israeli Defense Forces and 11 trajectories of projectiles attributed to Hezbollah. On Friday, UNIFIL reported 247 firing incidents attributed to the IDF on Saturday and Sunday. Approximately 160 IDF firing incidents per day. UNIFIL reported 16 Hezbollah launches of projectiles on Sunday and several more each day on Friday and Saturday. UNIFIL also observed several interceptions of projectiles over the mission area of operations over recent days. Yesterday, a drone exploded 10 meters from a UNIFIL position in Shama in Sector West. Fortunately, there were no injuries or damage to UN premises. An investigation was launched following an intervention by an explosive ordnance disposal team. On Saturday, UNIFIL observed two drone attacks in Sector west attributed to Hezbollah. One occurred approximately 180 meters from the UNIFIL headquarters perimeter wall in Nakura and the other targeted an IDF position north of the Blue Line southwest of Al Malshab. UNIFIL observed high density IDF armored movements, large scale engineering works, sustained logistical traffic and persistent artillery shelling, mortar fire and rocket impacts in its area of operations through the weekend, UNIFIL also facilitated several humanitarian missions in coordination with OCHA and other humanitarian actors.

Thanks

Turning to the humanitarian situation, our humanitarian colleagues say that nearly 1 million people are still displaced within Lebanon. OCHA says that people have been freshly forced from their homes overnight following reports of intensified Israeli airstrikes. Families were seen spending the night in their vehicles in Beirut, with some shelters in the capital saying dozens of families have sought refuge in the past 24 to 48 hours. Today, the IDF issued an evacuation order for the city of Nabatiya, located north of the Latani river for the first time. A renewed evacuation order was also issued today for the town of Mashkara in Pekah, where an Israeli airstrike last night reportedly killed at least 11 people and where rescue operations continue today. According to the World Health Organization, nine attacks on healthcare were recorded in four days between May 21 and May 24, resulting in eighth health workers killed and 45 injured. On May 23 alone, 25 medical staff were injured at the Hiram Hospital in South Governorate following several airstrikes in the hospital's immediate proximity. On the same day, an Israeli airstrike destroyed the civil defense center in Nabatiye city, including firefighting and rescue equipment and heavy machinery impacting the already overstretched emergency response capacity. Two other hospitals in south and Nabatiya governorates also sustained damage from nearby strikes in recent days. We reiterate that attacks on health workers and health facilities are unacceptable. All parties to conflicts must immediately stop them and ensure protection for healthcare. Turning to the occupied Palestinian territory, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs the tells us that the movement of supplies into Gaza continues to be restricted. Over the weekend, Israeli authorities informed us that the Zakim crossing will remain closed this week, leaving Kerem Shalom Kerem Abu Salem as the only operational crossing for cargo. We continue to call for more crossings to open and for more critical supplies such as backup generators and fuel to be let in regularly, predictably and and insufficient volumes. OCHA also says that after we brought three tons of rodenticides and 3,000 liters of pesticides into Gaza earlier this month, we and our partners have launched a response spanning over 1,700 locations to spray, take rodent control measures and raise people's awareness. Our partners, working in water and Sanitation report that severe shortages of engine oil continue to disrupt critical operations. They estimate that approximately 7,000 liters are required each month to keep water and sanitation operations running. Life saving activities are increasingly curtailed. As an example, on the 11th of May, the Sheik Ridwan stormtrooper storm water lagoon in Gaza City had to shut down to preserve a generator's lifespan. Since then, water and wastewater levels have risen significantly, raising the risk of flooding in the coming weeks and posing further public health threats. Meanwhile, on shelter between the 11th and 17th of May, our partners provided more than 14,000 households across Gaza with shelter and essential items. Our partners are also responding in the west bank mainly to Palestinian communities affected by conflict related damage, escalating settler violence, the increasing risk of forcible disaster, displacement of entire communities and deteriorating shelter conditions. Last month alone our partners reached more than 40,000 people in that part of the occupied Palestinian Territory. They provided shelter, repairs, cash assistance, tents and other supplies and they installed fences and doors. We have an update on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to WHO, there are more than 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths linked to Ebola. In the DRC. The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that he would be traveling to the country today. In a social media post he said WHO and 55 humanitarian partners are present across the affected areas providing essential health services, including treatment for acute malnutrition. WHO is on the ground supporting national authorities with every pillar of the response, including contact tracing, establishing treatment centers, strengthening laboratory capacity, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication, community engagement and more. But he added that our work continues to be impeded by violence and and limited access to some of the hardest to reach communities. Together with the DRC government, the UN and its partners continue scaling up the response to the ongoing crisis and also, as we mentioned last week, to address the broader humanitarian and health needs of the affected communities. Funding remains urgently needed, as well as sustained and safe access so that responders can be protected from the Ebola virus, so that they can provide protection and care to affected communities and to allow humanitarian teams to deliver aid and a full package of health care services to the communities in need. The Secretary General's personal envoy for Sudan, Pekka Havasto, is continuing his engagements with the parties in support of de escalation efforts and measures aimed at enhancing the protection of civilians. As you know, he recently visited some of the Gulf countries, including stops in Doha, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, where he met with a wide range of interlocutors as part of the quintet, comprising the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority for Development, League of Arab States, European Union and United Nations. Mr. Havisto is also working to support progress towards a future Sudanese owned and led political process. Over recent months, the QUINTET has consulted a broad spectrum of Sudanese stakeholders, including political blocs, political parties, civil society actors, women, youth and displaced communities to help ensure that Sudanese voices shape both the parameters and priorities of an inter Sudanese civilian dialogue. Following these consultations, the QUINTET expects to facilitate concrete discussions around modalities for preparing an inter Sudanese dialogue in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, we are deeply alarmed by the continued drone attacks across the region of Darfur and the growing toll on civilians in North Darfur. At least 12 people were reportedly killed in multiple drone attacks on two towns in North Darfur near the Sudan Chad border. Local sources report there were multiple deaths yesterday in the town of Altina in North Darfur following another strike that earlier this week killed seven people and injured 11. On Sunday, multiple deaths were reported due to a drone strike on Kornoi town in North Darfur. This reportedly followed another attack on the same town on Friday that left five people dead and four injured in Kornoi. We also we once again call on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and to facilitate access as required by international humanitarian law. We urgently need additional funding to deliver critical assistance to millions of people in need across Sudan from Haiti. Our OCHA colleagues say the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the Port au Prince metropolitan area, particularly in the neighborhood of Cite Soleil following an escalation of armed violence on 10 May. According to New estimates by the International Organization for migration, some 17,500 people or more than 4,200 households have been displaced in the past two weeks. More than 80% of the displaced people are taking shelter in 33 sites, while others are hosted by already vulnerable families. Assessments at the displacement sites point to rapidly growing needs for food, clean water, healthcare and hygiene supplies. Conditions at the sites, including poor lighting, are also raising concerns over people's safety. Children separated from their families, pregnant women and people with disabilities are at greater risk. As a result, our humanitarian partners continue to respond despite the insecurity and access constraints, with OCHA coordinating the effort to ensure we can reach people in need more effectively. In a statement we issued last night, the Secretary General strongly condemned the explosion targeting a train in Pakistan's Balochistan province. He extended his deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wished a swift recovery to those injured. The Secretary General reiterates that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is unacceptable, adding that the perpetrators must be identified and brought to justice. And you will have seen that on Friday night. The Secretary General expressed his disappointment at the inability of the 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to reach consensus on a substantive outcome and to seize this critical opportunity to make our world safer. The Secretary General appeals to all states to make full use of all available avenues of dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation to reduce tensions, lower nuclear risks and ultimately eliminate the nuclear threat. The full statement's online. Do we have any questions? Yes, please.

Thank you. My name is Emma Wu with China Central Television. So, this morning at the Security Council meeting, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the UN Charter as the biggest common denominator of the post war international community. Could you please comment on China's role in upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter?

Well, we certainly appreciate the efforts by China to make sure that the importance of the UN Charter and its role in keeping the world safe is appreciated by all member states. And in particular, we're very happy that today's debate is going on right now allowing member states to discuss ways to strengthen the implementation of the UN Charter. And of course, you'll have heard what the Secretary General said earlier this morning about that. Yes, Abdul Hamid.

Thank you, Farhan. In his speech to the Security Council, the Secretary General referred only to one single conflict by name, which is Ukraine. I'm not belittling the importance of this conflict, but there are many other conflicts. The massacres going on in Lebanon now, what's going in Gaza, the West bank in Sudan and many others. It would have been maybe more balanced to refer to at least another conflict, that there is a flagrant case of violation of international law.

Not to disagree with you, but I just want to point out that as the Secretary General himself said this morning, we witnessed constant violations of the ceasefire in Gaza. He talked about the escalation of Israeli operations in Lebanon and he talked about the fact that the negotiations between the UN and Iran to end the conflict in the Gulf have not yet achieved a result. So he did refer to other things. Obviously, the length of his speech is such that he didn't go into all of these things in greater detail, but he did mention all of them.

My second question is really civil administration today confiscating land from two Palestinian villages, one called Nabi Samuel or Samuel, and the other Beitiksa in Nabi Samuel. There is a sacred place. There is a tomb of a prophet which has belonged to the Islamic Waqf. And this is a very a major development. This is the first time they confiscate a property that belongs to the Islamic Quaqf. Are you aware of this important development?

Yes, we are. And you've seen the concerns we've expressed about all such seizures of land. We want to make sure that Palestinian territory is not taken away. And of course we continue to assert the need for there to be negotiations between Israel and Palestine and to make sure that during the course of that the Palestinian territory remains a viable one for a two state solution. Farnoush. Thanks Farhan.

I know I already asked you this, but there are the Russian ambassador and several other people. People are saying the reason that the Iranian Foreign Minister is not coming today to the UN to meet with the SG and participate in the signature event is due to visa issues. The US not issuing them a visa. You know, obviously we saw what happened at UNGA last year with the Palestinian ambassador. Is the Secretary General concerned about the US not issuing visas to diplomats to be able to come and do work at the un?

Well, certainly as part of the host country agreement, we expect the host country to issue visas to all of those who need to participate in the activities of the United nations at our headquarters here. I'm not aware of what the exact reason was why Foreign Minister Rakshi is not here. I do know that he has not shown up here in New York and as a result he will not be meeting the Secretary General this afternoon.

Just a follow up question. Iran's national football team has said that they're moving their headquarters from Arizona to Mexico due to visa restrictions as well. Any comment on that?

Well, that's more of an issue for FIFA than it is for FIFA than it is for the United nations. But certainly we want to make sure that all countries appreciate the ability of sport to bring countries together peacefully and act accordingly.

But doesn't this risk politicizing sports event and where does the Secretary General. Secretary General has views on all sorts of issues, including sports. Where does he stand on this issue when you deny a team visas because you have political disagreements with.

Well, certainly we want to make sure that all countries appreciate the need to keep sport separate from politics and so it can be used as a way, like I said, of bringing people together peacefully. Yes, in the back.

Thank you, Farhan. I have a follow up on Farnu's question. There is also no visa. The United States refused visa for Russian Deputy Foreign Minister so Are there any plans for the United nations to discuss that issue with the US Mission here?

Well, any concerns about people not getting visas would be taken up by the host country committee, which is a member state committee. And so we would expect them to address this issue. But like I told Farnoosh, we do expect the host country to abide by its obligations under the host country agreement. Yes.

Following up on the host country agreement is this. How does this compare to previous times that agreement has been under pressure through this kind of activity in your long history of being here?

In my long history of being here, I've gotten this question many times over the years. So this isn't the first time the question has arisen, but certainly I will leave it to the ladies and gentlemen of the press to determine whether this is happening more frequently or not. I'm saying this isn't the first time, and it does happen every so often. I'm an old man, so I don't know whether my impression is wrong, but it does seem I get these questions slightly more frequently than I used to. And with that, I wish you all a good afternoon and we will see you at the noon briefing on Thursday.