Ethiopia Yemen & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

Too cold. Alright. Or at least it'll keep you guys awake. Maybe. All right. Good afternoon. 30 p.m., you will have the first in a series of briefings by the Special Rapporteurs. We'll be there in New York, a briefing via video. 30, there'll be a briefing by Reem Al-Salem, who is the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and its consequences. Our Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed concluded her visit to Fiji today, where she addressed a high-level ministerial meeting on the pre-COP. She did that on behalf of the Secretary-General. In her opening remarks, she underscored the need to make any overshoot of 1.5 degrees centigrade threshold as small and as short as possible, adding that COP31 must send a clear signal that adaptation and resilience for global political priorities alongside mitigation measures that protect countries and communities on the front lines. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Deputy Secretary-General met with the heads of delegation, civil society and youth representatives. She reaffirmed the UN's continued support to protect the sovereignty, the statehood, the dignity and the rights of communities on the front lines of climate change. And today, the Deputy Secretary-General is transiting in Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, on her way back to New York. in Addis, she met with the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia to discuss the current developments in the country and the broader region. The Deputy Secretary General congratulated the new government sworn into office today and noted that the new cabinet is comprised of 41% women. Ms. Mohammed stressed the need to respect Ethiopia's territorial integrity and its sovereignty and to preserve regional stability. Meanwhile, on the ground, our humanitarian partners tell us that some modest but positive developments on the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the Tigray region. Yesterday, they've distributed food to communities impacted by recent hostilities. Cash assistance through electronic transfers has also resumed following the restoration of banking services in the area. Our humanitarian partners are also preparing to send a pre-position additional supplies to strengthen the response and replenish the stocks that were lost to looting. Despite this progress, significant challenges remain. Insecurity along conflict front lines, the risk of looting, cash shortages, and continued uncertainty over access are all hampering our ongoing relief efforts. Once again, we call for the rapid, the safe, and the unhindered, and the sustained delivery of humanitarian goods wherever it is needed and to whomever needs it. Turning to the ongoing situation in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, we once again reiterate our strong condemnation of the continued Houthi cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia, including their recent attacks against the Abha International Airport and the King Khalid International Airport in the capital, Riyadh. Those attacks reportedly killed three people and injured several others. We remain deeply concerned about the ongoing military escalation in and around Yemen, with intense fighting across multiple front lines, including around Taiz. We underscore that attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international humanitarian law. We urge the parties, once again, to uphold their commitments and their obligations under international humanitarian law and to refrain from directly attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure and to take constant care to spare both both civilians and the infrastructure they rely on. Turning to Lebanon, a UNIFIL position near Qfar Shuba along the Blue Line in Sector East came under small-arms fire this morning, we are told. Our peacekeepers took shelter after the first round, and no one was injured, though most of the rounds struck the perimeter wall, and some also hit accommodation units and UN vehicles inside the base. It goes without saying that it is unacceptable that firing continued towards a clearly marked UNIFIL position and that such deliberate attacks put the lives of peacekeepers at serious risks. UNIFIL has launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of this incident. We remind all of their obligations under international law to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and their property. Any attacks on peacekeepers who are doing the work as mandated by the Security Council, is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of Security Council resolution, including 1701. Such attacks may also amount to war crimes. And also between Monday and Wednesday, peacekeepers reported continued Israel Defense Forces activities in southern Lebanon, including several airstrikes against the mission's area of operations and 119 violations of Lebanese airspace. Peacekeepers also reported several instances in which IDF forced UNIFIL personnel to leave an area, resulting in the cancellation of planned movements. Despite all of this, UNIFIL facilitated humanitarian missions across area of operations yesterday through the liaison branch and in coordination with OCHA. Turning to the occupied Palestinian territory in Gaza, the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs remains concerned over the impact of ongoing strikes and stray bullets on civilians and the infrastructure they rely on. Over the past few days, our safety and security colleagues tell us that attacks have hit the vicinity of U.N. and humanitarian colleagues on several occasions. Once again, we underscore that civilians, including humanitarian facilities and humanitarian workers, must always be protected. And today, Israeli authorities reopened the Karim Shalom/Karim Abu Salem crossing for the entry of approved humanitarian cargo following a one-day interruption. As of earlier today, our humanitarian partners were collecting supplies from the crossing, which remains to this day the only operational entry point for UN cargo. With the rainy season just around the corner, the daily entry of essential items is sufficient in sufficient quantities is urgently needed to make repairs and set up more resilient shelter solutions. items must include timber, cement, metal, sheeting, as well as engine oil, equipment and spare parts. Funding shortfalls pose another challenge. So far, donors have committed just over one third of the required funding to meet the most urgent shelter needs this winter. Meanwhile, the UN Development Programme tells us that it continues to clear waste from the Firus Market, which is in the heart of Gaza City. So far, UNDP has cleared about 400,000 cubic meters of accumulated waste. Besides helping to reduce public health risks, this will also allow some 200 merchants to return to the market and to start to earn a living again. Turning to Sudan, our humanitarian colleagues are alarmed by the impact of ongoing violence on civilians who are facing rising hunger and climate shocks driven by El Nino. In Blue Nile, we and our partners are scaling up support for people fleeing the fighting. Since early September, one partner has built 150 emergency latrines and distributed hygiene kits to hygiene kits to more than 4,000 people at the Al Karama displacement site, while another has provided essential medicines to about 50 health facilities. The needs, however, keep growing. IOM reports that more than 1,200 displaced people from Wadi Al Mahi on Tuesday, with more than 12,400 displaced human beings the same area since September. In East Darfur, our partners say that more than 22,000 people are facing severe needs in three villages, with failed rains due to the El Nino, which is reducing agricultural production, and less than a quarter of cultivated land is yielding a harvest. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is calling for an urgent increase in resources in Darfur, saying that needs far exceed what is available, particularly in Tawila, where more than 7,000 100,000 displaced men, women, and children face severe gaps in health, nutrition, water, sanitation, and protection services, adding that medicines for HIV, TB, and other life-saving interventions are running dangerously low. With the 97.7 million humanitarian appeal is only 23% funded, WHO tells us. Once again, we call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure and for additional funding, including for the broader 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan, which is only 43% funded. And turning to the Central African Republic, our peacekeeping mission colleagues tell us that they handed over to the government two initiatives aimed at strengthening national security institutions and the rule of law. First, a new national criminal database for the internal security services. The system will help centralize criminal information from the police and the gendarmerie, and will help improve crime statistics, information sharing, and evidence-based decision-making. The second is a new coordination mechanism designed to support the country's internal security reform efforts. The handover took place in the presence of the head of the peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, Valentin Rugwaza. And staying on the issue of justice and the rule of law, but this time for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and our peacekeeping mission. There, they tell us they completed the rehabilitation of the Mahagi Central Prison in Ituri Province. As part of its support to the Congolese judicial and penitentiary authorities, MONUSCO rehabilitated cells, improved sanitation and water systems, installed light day lighting and built a medical clinic in the prison the mission also provided beds mattresses blankets to improve conditions for the detainees the improvement are expected to strengthen security and prison management while helping align detention conditions with the UN standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners which is known as the Nelson Mandela rules who knew Our colleagues at the political -- UN Political Mission in Libya reported the sessions of the House of Representatives held in Benghazi earlier this week, which resulted in the election of the -- of Al-Salahi Abdulnabi as Speaker of the House of Representatives, as well as the election of the new leadership team. The mission stresses its commitment to engaging with the House of Representatives, its new presidency, and all the members. The mission will continue its engagement with the parliament to advance the UNSMIL-facilitated political roadmap to unify institutions, address critical reforms, and hold selections -- elections, excuse me, within the timeframe stipulated by the smaller convening agreement, which was agreed to on August 30th. One last note before leaving the African continent, the U.N. Regional Office for the Central Africa and Economic Community of Central African States had been holding a two-day joint retreat in Gabon. The retreat aims to strengthen the partnership between the two organization and agree on a joint work plan. The retreat was facilitated by the former special representative of the Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Saleh Anadif, and it was opened by the head of UNOCA, Mohamed Alamin Sweff, and the president of the Economic Community of Central African States, Ezequiel Nigibira. Turning to Afghanistan, our colleagues at the political mission there, UNAMA, said they are very gravely concerned about recent arrests, the recent detention, and threats of arrest targeting women and girls by the de facto authorities in multiple areas of Afghanistan. The UN mission has verified that between July and September of this year, at least 52 women and one girl were arrested or detained in Herat and Kabul, while other women face threats of arrest. The number of cases may be significantly higher due to underreporting linked to protection concerns and cultural stigma. UN mission noted the incidents were related to alleged violations of the de facto authorities' dress code rules, women were detained for not wearing a chador or having visible hair, wearing colorful scarves or makeup, or being in public without a male escort. The women were released after spending several hours in detention. The UN Mission is also alarmed by incidents involving verbal abuse, beatings, and threats against women, including female shopkeepers. The mission urges the de facto authorities to cease discriminatory enforcement practices targeting women and girls, ensure respect for the human rights and dignity of all Afghans, and to uphold Afghanistan's obligations under international human rights law. And moving to Ukraine, where humanitarian colleagues tell us that deadly attacks are continuing to take a devastating toll on civilians, damaging homes, civilian infrastructure, transport, and energy across Ukraine. Matthias Schmale, our representative there and humanitarian coordinator, denounced this latest wave of attacks, stressing the increasing harm to civilians must end. In just over a day, between yesterday and this morning, nearly 50 civilians were killed, including six children, and 170 injured. This is where the authorities are telling colleagues on the ground. In the cities of Priluki and Chernihiv and Kremenchuk in Poltava and Kyiv were among the hardest hit locations. And in Donetsk region, Kramatorsk also came under heavy attack this morning, with strikes hitting public buses. At least 12 people were killed and a dozen injured. We, of course, condemn all attacks against civilians. Electricity supplies in several regions were also affected. Our humanitarian including with the support of UN agencies, provided psychological aid, shelter support, cash, food, and hygiene supplies. Meanwhile, today, an interagency convoy organized by OCHA delivered nearly two metric tons of food, medicines, hygiene, and other supplies to the residents of the frontline city of Berislav in Kherson, where humanitarian access remains limited. And a report today by UN -- excuse me, by UNDP Myanmar shows that years of conflict, economic disruption, displacement, repeated shocks are eroding the foundations that people across Myanmar rely on to survive, to cope, and to recover. According to the report, more than two in three people are now either living in multidimensional poverty or vulnerable to falling into it, leaving millions with little capacity to withstand any further crises. The report finds that overlapping deprivation in health, education, and living standards now now impacts 68 percent of the country's population, with more than 37 million human beings in Myanmar either living in multidimensional poverty or at the risk of falling into it. And lastly, the World Meteorological Organization today said that sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific are forecast to increase to record levels during the October, November, December of this year, reflecting the strengthening of El Nino event, which will drive weather patterns and impact economies, ecosystems, and communities across the globe. The latest update says that El Nino will continue to intensify ahead of its forecast peak in December. It is likely to bring above average temperatures to much of the globe and shift rainfall patterns, increasing the risk of droughts and floods in different parts of the world. That's it for me.

Question on Sudan. This morning, the Security Council met for about two minutes to renew the Sudan sanctions for two months, with the arms embargo still limited to Darfur. The first part is, does the Secretary-General support the idea of expanding the embargo to the whole country?

Look, that is a decision for Security Council members to make. The Secretary-General has been clear in saying that the one thing that Sudan does not need more of is more weapons pouring into the country.

And secondly, the U.N. calls Sudan the world's worst humanitarian crisis, yet today's short meeting is another reminder of how little attention the world pays to this conflict compared with other conflicts. Why do you think, why does the Secretary General believe, I mean, what is the reason for this and what is he doing, the Secretary General, to change it?

Well, listen, not for us to get into the heads of Security Council members, but I think there is a critical need for more people to pay attention to what is going on in Sudan. Frankly, from the Secretariat's part, we do what we can. We talk about Sudan almost every day. Now, are there enough stories in the global media about Sudan? Definitely not, right? Are there enough journalists in Sudan who are able to report and tell the world of the atrocities that are going on in Sudan almost on a daily basis? Definitely not. But I wouldn't just look at the Security Council and then say that the UN is -- and as a result of what was a short meeting for whatever reason, and translate that into saying that the UN is not paying any -- enough attention to Sudan. Celia de la Varenne.

Steph, is the Secretary-General worried about what is going on in France right now, the fighting, the brutality of the police.

Whether in France or any other place, the Secretary-General strongly believes that people have a right to demonstrate in peace, and it is the role of the security forces and the government to ensure that that right is protected. And I think that is very true, especially when it comes to minors who want to demonstrate.

And could the Security Council be seized?

Well, that's a question you can ask the Security Council members. Yes, sir.

Thank you. The Fifth Committee just opened its main budget session at a time of serious financial pressure on the UN. What do you think will constitute the the most urgent expectations of the Secretary General from the committee this session.

The Secretary General will very soon be presenting, speaking to the Fifth Committee to present the budget for 2027. We would like the Member States, the Fifth Committee, to give us the resources so we can fulfill the mandates that they themselves are giving us. Okay, yes, madam.

Thank you. I would like to ask a question on public health, please, if I may. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of WHO, it says that France has the second highest rate of breast cancer, and it actually has gone up to 42.5% since 1990, and what's very worrying is that the numbers are rising among women under 40. Now, the problem is, there was an investigation by Mediapart, and it says that there is a link. They are pointing to environmental factors, particularly air pollution and PFAS as possible factors. So I'm not expecting you to have the answer, but is there any plans that WHO can possibly brief us on this very important topic?

We can ask WHO, and I would encourage you to reach out to them directly. I mean, I've heard a lot of reporting just by chance over the last few days about the rise in all sorts of cancer in people that are younger and younger. Okay, Islam, if that is you.

Yes, thank you very much, Stephane. Question on attack on UNIFIL. And this is not the first incident. It has happened before. Any indication who is the perpetrator? And also, before attacks, there were always investigation. Any -- did you get any tangible result in previous investigations on this regard?

As for this particular attack that I just mentioned, my understanding is that the investigation is still ongoing. We'll see what other information we can share with you.

All right. About the previous investigation.

Yes, no, listen, I would encourage, we can check with our colleagues at DPO, but you can also give them a call and they'll tell you what they have.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you very much. Yes.

I have a question, Stefano, thank you.

Yes, Stefano, go ahead.

The Trump administration declined to invite election observer from the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe to witness the midterms election, meaning observer from the regional security group won't be at the U.S. election for the first time in more than two decades. Does the Secretary General have any concern about this decision?

It's not a decision for us to comment on. Thank you all. Have a good day.