Ukraine, Colombia, Lebanon & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

Good afternoon. This evening at 4 p.m., there will be a briefing here by the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations following the ARIA formula meeting of the Security Council on the situation of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees. This morning, the Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights, Claudio Fuentes Julio, brief Security Council members during the meeting on the implementation of international humanitarian law in the context of the war in Ukraine, with a particular focus on prisoners of war, civil detainees, and foreign fighters. Her remarks have been shared with you. And also on Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that attacks across the country over the past three days killed and injured several civilians, including children. attacks on front and frontline hostilities have also damaged homes and civilian infrastructure, as well as disrupted essential services in the regions of Kiev, Kharkiv, Odessa, Dnipro, Sumy, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv. This is what Ukrainian authorities are telling our colleagues on the ground. OCHA notes that humanitarian operations have also been impacted. An attack in the city of Dnipro destroyed a World Health Organization warehouse, containing medical supplies for frontline health facilities. No casualties were reported. The same day, a humanitarian evacuation vehicle was damaged, while a truck belonging to a local partner of the World Food Programme was struck while transporting food in the region of Kherson. Humanitarian organisations have been providing emergency assistance, including first aid, psychosocial support and emergency supplies, to people impacted by the latest attacks. I know you've been keeping watch on the latest reports out of Colombia, where we are monitoring the developments following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia this morning. The epicenter was reportedly in central Colombia between the states of Choco and Valle del Cauca, but was felt across the region from Panama to Ecuador to Venezuela. Connectivity in rural areas has become limited, and we don't yet have information on casualties and impacts. But we've received reports of structural damage, including collapsed houses across several towns. The government has initiated precautionary evacuations and is leading efforts to assess damage and casualties. Our thoughts go out to all who have suffered as a result of this earthquake, and we stand ready to help as needed. We will share updates as they become available. Over the weekend, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon continued to observe Israeli land and air activities in their area of operations in South Lebanon. UNIFIL detected 455 projectiles fired by the Israel Defense Force from Friday to Sunday, striking South Lebanon. Peacekeepers also recorded 97 airspace violations, mostly by drones, but also helicopters and fighter aircraft. Saturday's 229 IDF projectiles constituted the highest number since the 21st of June an airstrike was also observed in almansuri sector West Sunday morning Is it working now? All right, let's do it. Okay. On Friday, peacekeepers inside a UNIFIL position in Maissoult Chabel in Sector East observed a bullet impact in front of the accommodation area and recovered one 7.62 millimeter round. There was no injury or damage to UN property. Around the same time, peacekeepers observed two IDF Merkava tanks firing three rounds eastward, impacting approximately 200 meters from the position, alongside roughly 30 rounds of small arms fire directed towards the same area. Peacekeepers have discovered unguarded weapons, unexploded ordnances, and improvised explosive devices in their area of operations. On Friday, a combined UNIFIL Lebanese Army patrol found a 107 millimeter rocket launcher loaded with one rocket alongside several additional rockets along a road in Frun in Sector East. They referred to the Lebanese army for further action. On the same day, peacekeepers found two unexploded ordinances in Sector East in Der Memes and Meissal Jabal, which were neutralized. Separately, yesterday, two IEDs were discovered in Sriban in Sector West and destroyed on site. Peacekeepers also continue to observe IDF movements at sea within Lebanese territorial waters. Two IDF boats were observed heading north before returning southward on Friday. And on the humanitarian front, on Friday, UNIFIL facilitated three humanitarian missions in both sectors through its liaison branch in coordination with OCHA. Hans Grunberg, the personal envoy for Yemen, warmed over the weekend that Yemen faces a greater risk of renewed large scale conflict than at any point since the UN brokered truce of April 2022. He said that recent developments risk jeopardizing the gains of the 2022 truce, reflected in the relative calm that has held inside Yemen in recent years, while also drawing the country into a broader regional confrontation with devastating consequences for its people. Over these past weeks, The personal envoy has engaged intensively with the Yemeni parties, regional actors, and international partners to explore concrete options for de-escalation and reversing the current trajectory. He remains convinced that a diplomatic path remains available. Mr. Grunberg calls on the parties to exercise maximum restraint, stop actions that encourage military retaliation, and engage in good faith negotiations under United Nations auspices. the United Nations will continue to support the parties and stand with the Yemeni people in the pursuit of a peaceful resolution to the conflict. On the occupied Palestinian territory, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that military operations across Gaza continue to put Palestinians at risk and increase humanitarian needs. Since Friday, our security and safety colleagues have recorded multiple incidents involving gunfire, shelling, and naval fire. Several of these incidents have reportedly resulted in casualties among civilians. OCHA reiterates that under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must always be protected. Meanwhile, our partners working to address the threat of explosive hazards in Gaza said that since the start of hostilities in October 2023, they have identified and marked more than 1,000 items of explosive ordnance across the strip. Their efforts have supported the removal of debris, access to critical infrastructure, and the restoration of water and sanitation facilities. However, our humanitarian partners stress that a broader range of essential supplies and specialized equipment must be allowed into Gaza to expand these life-saving services and reduce the risks faced by civilians, including children, as well as humanitarian workers. Mine action teams have also provided risk education sessions, helping families recognize explosive hazards and respond safely when they encounter suspicious objects. Some 63,000 people took part in these sessions over the past month alone. Turning to Sudan, our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that ongoing conflict, displacement, and funding shortages continue to deepen humanitarian needs across the country. In North Kordofan State, insecurity around the city of El Obeid continues to endanger civilians and drive displacement, with people arriving in the city and surrounding areas in search of safety and assistance. Despite this challenging environment, we and our humanitarian partners are reaching people in El Obeid, providing two million liters of drinking water to about 133,000 people amid severe water shortages in the city. Meanwhile, in West Darfur State, the International Organization for Migration today said that fighting in Sirbo locality has displaced an estimated 18,000 people from more than 20 villages since last week. Most are reported to have fled across the border into Chad. OCHA is once again calling on all parties to protect civilians and to facilitate rapid, safe, unhindered, and sustained humanitarian access. At the same time, as we have been telling you, funding gaps are limiting the assistance available to the people in need. In Central Darfur State, the recent closure of three health facilities due to funding shortfalls has left some 75,000 displaced people without adequate access to essential health services. OCHA continues to urge donors to provide additional funding for the humanitarian response. This year's humanitarian appeal for Sudan is about 41% funded, with $1.2 billion received against the $2.9 billion required. Turning to Rwanda, where we, along with our humanitarian partners, continue to step up our support to the government as it prepares for Ebola. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs notes that although Rwanda has not reported any confirmed Ebola cases, the country remains at high risk due to its proximity to areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and frequent movement of people across the border. The World Health Organization and the Rwanda Biomedical Center continue to lead on coordinating readiness efforts. Our colleagues at OCHA tell us that frontline health workers have received training on infection prevention and control, as well as surveillance, case management, and risk communication. Across priority border crossings, health facilities, and communities, We and our partners are reinforcing preparedness measures through enhanced screening, traveler monitoring, deployment of surge personnel, provision of protective equipment and infection prevention supplies, and expanded risk communication at community engagement activities. At the same time, our partners are upgrading water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure at border points, health facilities, and quarantine sites to strengthen infection prevention measures and ensure readiness in the event of an outbreak. Yesterday, Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament, delivered a message from the Secretary-General at the Nagasaki Peace Memorial, marking the 81st year since the nuclear bombing of that city. In it, the Secretary-General said that he was deeply honored to be the first UN Secretary-General to visit Nagasaki for this important commemoration in 2018. He paid tribute to the hibakusha, who transformed unimaginable suffering into an unstoppable moral force. reminding the world of what must never be repeated. The Secretary General said that Nagasaki stands today as both a warning and a guide. It calls on us to act, not just to remember, and calls on us to rebuild trust, strengthen cooperation, and choose diplomacy over division. The full statement is online. And last, ahead of International Youth Day on the 12th of August, a new issue brief of children, youth, and information integrity was launched today by the Department of Global Communications. It is the third in the department's issue brief on strengthening information integrity. This comes in an especially significant moment following the Secretary General's recent call for an AI child safety pledge covering any system a child is able to reach. Within that context, and with the International Youth Day approaching, the brief applies the UN global principles for information integrity to the specific risks and opportunities facing children and youth online. Its central argument is that the harms young people encounter online are not accidental. They stem from business models built around monetizing attention and personal data, and from design choices intended to maximize engagement and spending. The brief sets out pathways for every group across the information ecosystem and calls for protection and participation to go hand in hand. treating children and youth as rights holders and active participants, not only as people to be shielded. That's it for me. Are there any questions? Yeah, Edie.

Thank you, Farhan. With all these reports of rogue AI tests happening, Is the Secretary General or is his scientific panel moving quickly enough to try and establish global guardrails?

Well, we certainly hope so. Obviously, AI is moving very fast and probably faster than governments can respond. But the high-level panel on AI is pushing with these efforts. We certainly hope to use the coming months, including the UN General Assembly time in September, to raise issues of AI for the governments participating. It's clear that as quickly as the technology progresses, we must also be fast in our response.

Is the Secretary General preparing any specific proposal on guardrails for the GA.

We'll try to get more information on that for you as the period comes closer. But certainly you're aware from the speeches he's given about AI, the alarm he has about the potential uses and abuses of AI. And so he is going to take that forward and he will be talking about that with the member states. Gabriel, and then you.

Thank you, Farhan. As you probably know, on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the US Donald Trump led Board of Peace 15 point peace plan for Gaza. How will that affect the work of the UN in Gaza?

The thing about the UN's work regarding the Board of Peace is that our mandate under the Security Council resolution that dealt with the Board of Peace gives us a humanitarian tasks to perform in order to support it. We've been telling you every day, including just earlier today, the sort of obstructions we face. And obviously, anything that extends the conflict phase will continue to prevent us from doing the work that we need. But anything further on this issue should probably be asked to the Board of Peace members themselves. Yes, please.

Thanks, Faran. Carrie Notten for Radio France Internationale. Yesterday, the Pope has requested humanitarian corridors to be set up in Sudan. How has this idea been welcomed by your teams in the field? Like, according to them, how feasible is it, considering the current state of what's happening in the field? And also, what kind of first step could they take despite the lack of funding you just mentioned?

Between the lack of funding and the problems getting aid in, the challenge we're facing right now is simply being able to have access to all those in need. So we're working with the Sudanese armed forces and the rapid support forces to get as much access as we can. So that's our focus right now. If conditions permit anything further, we'll see what else can be done.

Sorry, quick follow-up. Is there a goal, like a map, a roadmap for what's going to happen in the following weeks?

Well, what we've also been doing, as you know, in addition to trying to secure humanitarian access and provide the aid, and I just gave an update on that earlier in this briefing, our envoy, Pekka Haavisto, is working with the parties. As you know, he has been able to have meetings with both of the sides, and he's trying to work with them as well as all of our regional partners, including the African Union, the League of Arab States, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to actually get a full cessation of hostilities and progress in negotiations between the parties. Yes, Namo.

Thank you, Farhan. Hundreds of displaced Kurdish families returned to in Syria after years of being displaced. But upon return, they were attacked by armed groups in their areas. It's been widely reported in the media, region's media. Do you know anything about this? And what's your message for the Syrian authorities? And also, does UNHCR have people on the ground to monitor this situation?

Believe UNHCR is doing what it can to help people who are attorneys, but obviously the first responsible party is the government of Syria, and they need to do what they can to make sure that people returning to their homes can do so safely. And obviously, if there are attacks on returnees, those will need to be fully investigated by the authorities. Dhammalola.

Thank you. This is a follow up of some sort to the report about Mr. Likuna. Last week you referred us to go to UNICEF as UNICEF is leading communications on this, but we've not been able to get much out of UNICEF. So I'm coming back to ask if there's going to be any sort of investigation on this report, will OIOS be conducting any investigation? And we understand that he's on some sort of administrative leave now. Is he paid on or unpaid? Thank you.

And while this proceeds, UNICEF is in the lead on this, so we'll have to refer you to that. I'm not going to say anything that would be prejudicial to this matter. So I'm limited in what further I can say beyond what we said last week. All right, have a good afternoon, everyone.