Climate, UNRWA & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

All right. So cold in here. All right. Sold out crowd today. You're lucky there's no quiz. In a short while, we will be joined by Bruno Le Marquis, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for Afghanistan, who is also the Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan and the UN’s Resident Coordinator for Afghanistan. He will speak to you about the situation in that country. Today, the Secretary General continues his visit to Spain. He is in Salamanca, where a few hours earlier he was awarded an honorary doctorate this morning by the University of Salamanca, one of the oldest universities in the world. At the ceremony, the Secretary-General said it was a great honor to receive the honorary degree, adding that he accepted the distinction on behalf of the women and men of the United Nations. In his address, he reflected on the five decisive tests facing multilateralism today: peace, dignity, equity, climate justice, and control over technology, stressing the need to subject force to the law and power to the common good to overcome these challenges, he underscored the importance of international law, cooperation, and solidarity. Speaking to many students in the audience, he called on young people to play a full part in the decisions that will shape not only their future, but everyone's. Also want to flag that ahead of the opening of the COP31, the climate COP in Anatolia in Turkey. The Secretary-General this week had a call with Dr. Maxime Geoffroy, not a video conversation, with Dr. Maxime Geoffroy, the chief scientist of the winter leg of the Tara Oceans Foundation Polaris Arctic Expedition. The expedition is adrift in the central Arctic Ocean aboard the Tara Polar Station. The crew of 12 is spending more than eight months together during one of the expedition's most demanding phases, given the four months long polar nights. The expedition will help understand the health of our planet's only polar ocean and of our planet itself. During the conversation, the Secretary General and Dr. Geoffroy discussed the findings of the project and the impacts of climate change in the Arctic. The scientists sent a message to COP31 emphasizing the importance of science. The Secretary General noted that the central battle we now have is the battle for truth and the battle for science, and this is particularly evident on the question question of climate. We shared the video of the interaction with you this morning. Also related to climate, the UN Refugee Agency is calling for urgent action to protect millions of refugees and other forcibly displaced people who are increasingly exposed to devastating climate impacts, warning climate finance is failing to reach many of the communities most at risk. According to UNHCR’s latest report, nearly 90 million forcibly displaced people, three in four globally are living in countries facing high to extreme exposure to climate-related hazards, including severe drought, deadly floods, and extreme heat. UNHCR noted that many have already fled conflict, they fled violence, and they fled persecution, only to find themselves facing yet another crisis in places where resources and opportunities to adapt are severely limited. Just one note on the On the Middle East, on Israel and Palestine, I've been asked about the Secretary General's position on UNRWA following recent reports about UNRWA's future. And I can tell you that the Secretary General is fully committed to defending UNRWA in the exercise of its fundamental role in support of Palestine refugees. He once again calls for UNRWA's vital work to be fully funded. Turning to Yemen, our colleagues at the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that people continue to flee their homes across several governorates in the west and the northwest of the country. More than 313,000 people, that's 13,000 more than last time we updated you, have now been displaced since the beginning of August. Tays governorate has taken the largest share, with more than two in five of those displaced seeking shelter. Civilians, as one would expect, are sadly continuing to pay the price. The UN Human Rights Office has verified 281 civilian casualties since the beginning of August, with 69 people killed and 212 injured. Children account for more than a third of those casualties. We and our humanitarian partners continue to reach people wherever access allows us to do that, providing families with ready-to-eat food, hygiene supplies, and other emergency items to help them cope. We reiterate our call on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, to respect international humanitarian law, and to allow for the safe, sustained, and unimpeded humanitarian access so aid can reach those who so urgently need it. Also on Yemen, correction from yesterday. Regarding our Mohammed al-Shami, our human rights colleague who died while being arbitrarily detained by the Houthis, contrary to what I said to you yesterday, his body remains in the custody of the Houthi authorities. We reiterate our call on them to ensure a prompt, independent, impartial, and effective investigation into the circumstances of his death and to return the body to Mr. al-Shami’s family. family without any further delay, enabling a dignified burial. And we, of course, call on them also to release all of our remaining colleagues and other affiliated people. Turning to The Democratic Republic of the Congo, our colleagues at OCHA tell us that dozens of civilians were killed overnight in Beni territory in North Kivu. According to local sources, at least 30 civilians were killed in the locality of Contina Loya in one night. Homes were burnt and a health center was just destroyed, with several patients killed in that incident. Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the Ebola response has also been disrupted by the insecurity. People who'd been in contact with Ebola patients reportedly fled an observation center, while response teams were forced to suspend operations in the area, making it harder to track potential infections. and contain the outbreak. Authorities have reported more than 10,700 confirmed cases and over 5,200 deaths to date. We reiterate our call on all parties to protect civilians, respect international humanitarian law, ensure safe and unhindered access for humanitarian and health workers. Continued violence is not only costing civilian lives, but also undermining efforts to contain the outbreak. And just a quick note from Sudan, where our UNHCR colleagues and colleagues from the Organization for Migration tell us that millions of people are potentially displaced by Sudan's conflict, are at risk of being left without even a roof over their heads as funding shortages threaten to deplete emergency shelter stocks. An estimated 15.4 million human beings across Sudan urgently need emergency shelter and household items, but funding issues means agencies can only reach 10% of those people. So far, 136,000 people have been helped. The agency says continued fighting and drone attacks are driving further displacement and restricting their operations, while damaged infrastructure hampers the movement of emergency supplies. And we've been telling you about the repeated attacks on energy infrastructure. Sudan's humanitarian needs and response plan for 2026 requires 2.9 billion to assist 20 million people out of 33 million people in need. Yet it only about 47% funding, forcing agencies, as I've said, to hold back. Also, I was been asked about the the next phase of the UN presence in Western Sahara, and I can tell you that following the mandate, the expiration of the non-renewal of the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, MINURSO, that took place on October 31st, as you know, the Secretary-General has appointed the former Special Representative Alexander Ivanco to head the liquidation entity that will be responsible for carrying out all country liquidation activities under guidance and support, of course, of our colleagues here at the Department of Operational Support. These activities will include the repatriation of military observers from team sites and appropriate removal or disposal of UN-owned equipment and assets, of course, all in accordance with applicable rules and guidelines. beginning of the month, so we're going to look back at the food price index from our FAO colleagues. They tell us the benchmark index of world food commodity prices fell 1.2% in October, with cereals, dairy, and meat all down. The FAO price index averaged 133.9 points, with cereals seeing the sharpest falls, down 4.5%. Wheat prices declined after four consecutive monthly increases, while maize eased from the three-year high it reached in September, but sugar went the other way, rising 6.6% to its highest level since 2024. That was driven mainly by rainfall disrupting the sugarcane harvest in Brazil's main producing region, along with concerns of production in India after a poor monsoon season and forecast of lower output in both the European Union countries and Thailand. Even in October's fall, the index remains almost 6% higher than a year ago, though still 16% below the peak in March 2022. Today is the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. To give you some idea, at least 40% of all internal conflicts over the last 60 years have been linked to the exploitation of natural resources. We continue to stress that there can be no durable peace if the natural resources that sustain livelihoods and ecosystems are destroyed. I will take some questions. Evi.

Thank you, Steph. First, a follow-up on the death of Mr. al-Shami. Is anybody from the UN talking to the Houthis about trying to get his body returned?

The short answer is yes, we are. We have a point person who deals with the Houthis on this particular issue, and they continue to be in touch.

And is there some reason for the Houthi’s objection to returning a body to the family for a decent burial?

What reason could there be? There's no reason for them to continue to detain 70 of our colleagues, and I cannot think of a reason why anyone would still hang on to the body of someone who's deceased. It needs to be returned to his body needs to be returned to his family as soon as possible.

And just a quick follow-up on Ebola. This is heading toward the world's worst, deadliest Ebola outbreak quite quickly. I do remember in the last major outbreak, one of the biggest issues was burial practices. Is that issue being addressed now again?

I mean, it is being addressed through community relations, community outreach. I mean, we've seen issues relating to disinformation regarding the work that frontline health workers are doing, which has led to attacks on them. And we have seen the insecurity, which has led to horrific things. I mean, I think we can't underscore the courage of our colleagues, most of whom are Congolese, who, in the middle of civil conflict with various armed groups, continue to do whatever they can to try to eradicate the disease and help the population. Lenka, please.

Thank you, Steph. Yesterday, the First Lady, she organized a meeting at the White House with the Russian and Ukrainian delegation on Olesky. I wanted to ask you, has the UN been in touch with the White House to possibly extend the ceasefire or bring it to other regions?

Well, you know, when the first ceasefire was announced, we welcomed it. We said it was a good start. The UN part has been on helping Ukrainians that have left and receiving them and giving them whatever humanitarian aid they need. We, of course, hope, and I think we've said it very clearly, that we want to see an immediate ceasefire as soon as possible throughout the country, leading to a just and sustainable peace. in line with the Charter and our resolutions. Yes, please.

Thank you. And one more. There will be trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10th and 11th. I was curious if the UN is anyhow involved in organizing it or supporting it.

No, I’m not aware that we’ll have a presence there. Okay. Don’t go away. I will get our guest. All right, good afternoon again. We're delighted to be joined by our good friend Bruno Le Marquis, who is one of our colleagues we refer to as being triple-hatted. He is the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan, he is the Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan, and he is the Resident Coordinator in Afghanistan. So Bruno, with all those titles, just press. It’s good. You have the floor, then we’ll take some questions.

Thank you. So it’s triple-hatted, not triple-hated. Thank you.

There we go.

Thank you very much. Thank you, Stefan. Always a pleasure to be here. So I have been four months in the job in Afghanistan after more than four years in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's still early days, but it's always good to have this opportunity. So last August marks five years since the Taliban have returned to power, and during this period, the de facto authority regime continued to consolidate its control and its grip over Afghanistan, but its restrictive governance policy and tightening and sweeping restriction over, in particular, over the rights, fundamental rights of women and girls have resulted in continued international isolation by and large. The country remain at a difficult crossroad. There is a degree of stability, of security. that coexist with economic fragility, with many structural vulnerabilities, with the restriction of fundamental rights, and important acute humanitarian needs. All this is being compounded by a complex regional environment and regional dynamics, a mass influx of returnees from neighboring countries, and the impact of climate change, with in particular impact on water issues, which is threatening, has the potential to threaten the future of Afghanistan development pathway. I've traveled quite a bit since I arrived four months ago, visiting eight provinces out of 26, and have met many Afghan men and women whose determination to build a better future remains extraordinary in spite of all the challenges they are facing and the country is facing. So a couple of points I would like to highlight. First, the severe and sweeping restriction on women and girls, narrowing and constraining a lot of things, women's access to services, to livelihood, their space to learn, their space to work, their space to participate in public life. And also when it comes to the assistance the UN and partners are providing, also restriction over the participation in aid delivery is also constrained, with a particular hotspot currently in the province of Erat, where there are really tightening of restriction. Women's organization also have been particularly affected by the funding cuts, so many services Two women are being also severe because of this. The UN is also directly impacted by those restrictions with the ban on UN female staff since the 7th of September 2025, and no female Afghan national staff has been able to enter the UN compound since that time. The second point is on education. So Afghan girl education That issue remains one of the world's most sensitive and constrained education challenges. Restriction on girls' access to education, the erosion of education pathway, the many operational constraints have long-term implication for the country on many topics, on protection, on health, on social cohesion, but also on Afghanistan future development as a whole. More than 2.6 million girls have been denied access to secondary education, I think it's since 2021. And of course, female university enrollment is down to zero. Boys' participation is also falling, interestingly, and it's also due in part to the current economic situation of the country and families not sending their boys at school so that they can also contribute to the livelihood of families. And then the massive return of people from neighboring countries is also putting a lot of strain on services, including education services. The third point is on this issue of returnees. So people are returning mostly from Pakistan and Iran, a lot of forced return. 6.7 million people have returned since 2011. the third quarter, I think, of 2023. So if you put that in perspective with your own countries, with my own country, France, it would mean 10 million people coming back in three years. This is massive, massive, massive, massive for Afghanistan, a country that is already facing so many challenges. So huge strain on the country and huge strain on the host community who are already struggling. So this year alone is more than 1 million people, so now we are reaching 6.7 million. For many, when they cross the border, they arrive, this is only the beginning of their long journey to rebuild their life. I've sat and met with many of them since I've been there. Some of them have never lived in Afghanistan. They don't know Afghanistan. They were born in a foreign country and they come back. I sat with, for example, a couple of guys, a couple of family in a village, 45 years old, they were born in foreign country. one of the two, they come back to the village of their fathers. They have never come. They come with their kids. The kids were educated, the kids were going to school, and now they're there. So the youth, many of the youth I've met, they say, if we cannot make it, we will walk again. But the older ones say, we will stay here and die here, because we are tired. So that's quite a challenge. They need a lot of things. They need legal documentation, they need protection, they need jobs, jobs, jobs, access to services, housing, shelters. But it's not only about them, it's about also the community receiving them, who are showing a lot of solidarity. But this will last so long, they need to be supported. Women are facing particular barriers among the returnees. But it's not all negative, it's also positive because those returnees are bringing a lot of things, ideas and skills, and they are human capital to contribute to the future of Afghanistan. The fourth point is on the humanitarian situation that remains acute. In 2026, the humanitarian community has been able to deliver, to reach with some form, at least one form of assistance, 9.3 million people out of 22 million people who were targeted. We are currently using a new methodology, so the numbers for next year will be revised. We expect there will be 16.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance next year. And we will be focusing what we call the prioritization, focusing on shock-based. So that means shock in Afghanistan is the returnees, it's disasters, flash flood, earthquake, the impact of El Nino, and so on. It's localized conflict, including the border with Pakistan. And it's also linked to the restriction on women and girls. But what we see for next year, although the caseload will be smaller of people in humanitarian need, the severity of needs is going up through the roof with 30% increase compared to this year. So there are more acute needs in Afghanistan currently and next year because of degradation of food security and also degradation of the nutrition status of many, many children. Humanitarian financing has really dropped in Afghanistan. 2023, there were $2 billion for humanitarian response. 2025 went down to 1 billion, and 2026, we are only at 570 million so far. So it's a close to a quarter of what was available in 2023. And this year, we are only 33% funded. The consequences of that are very, very, very significant, and we follow closely. We regularly publish what we call the cost of inaction. I give the example of the health sector is really crashing. 40% of the primary health care system in Afghanistan had to close between 2025 and 2026. which is over 700 health posts out of 1,900 health posts across Afghanistan because of this funding cuts. So this, so 40% cut. This has prompted very critical discussion with the de facto authorities on what we call burden sharing, because it's the primary responsibility to support services is with them. But for too long, for a very long time, they have been entirely subsidized by international funding. So the discussion now that is very active is how do we save together the health, primary health care system with donors, international partners, trying not to go too fast in the decline of resources, and then the Taliban and Taliban responsibility, accountability, resources going up. So this is ongoing. And of course, most of Afghanistan's problems are not humanitarian. They are development problems, development issues, structural issues. And so far, because of the situation, the political situation, there is very little development funding available for Afghanistan. There has not been an unlocking of development funding by most of the international partners. So the bulk of the resources available are short-term, humanitarian in nature, but this cannot fix some of the more fundamental problems Afghanistan is facing. The fifth and last point before closing, a word on poppy cultivation. So overall, since 2022, there has been a massive reduction of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, 95% reduction. That's the estimate since the de facto authority have decided to eradicate poppy. So this is, it was done very, very, very fast, maybe a record in history of eradicating for such a culture. But a new UNODC report was released a few days ago that shows, so we are, the departing point is very low baseline, but we see a steep increase between '25 and '26 on poppy cultivation. with 330% increase in surface, cultivated surface, and I think a five-fold increase in production. So still we are talking about small, but what is interesting is the trend. And this is because for eradication to be effective, It needs to be backed up by, and to be sustainable, it needs to be backed up by alternative markets, viable market opportunities, alternative livelihood opportunities for poppy growers. I've sat with a number of them under a tree, and they walked me through the local economy, the household economy. And basically, they are saying what they were making from poppy cultivation at the time were $17,000 per hectare per year. And this went down between $6,000 and $9,000 for those who have received alternative livelihood support, like grape or fruit trees. And with this, they can make a living. But the many Puppy growers, farmers who have not received this type of support, they are down to, they can make $500 per hectare with rain-fed wheat. That's a bit of detail, but they cannot survive with that. They cannot survive. And they told me, we cannot survive, and we don't want to die. And our only option if support is not coming back. is to replant poppy, so this is what's happening, so hence the importance for support to alternative livelihood, including through international assistance. So overall, with all the above, the risk of doing too little in supporting Afghanistan right now are substantial, the stakes are high. but not supporting enough, but not keeping Afghanistan on the international radar, would have impact in terms of deeper poverty, weaker services, maybe failed reintegration of returnees. And there is a saying in Afghanistan that is, what is happening in Afghanistan is not staying in Afghanistan. It will go elsewhere, which means the consequences could go beyond the Afghanistan border. potentially affecting regional security, regional stability, and migration pathways, onward migration, especially for the youth who don't see any hope, much hope. So remaining engaged is really an investment, not only in the Afghan people, first and foremost, but also for the region's future and the region's stability. So now is not the time for the international community to turn its back on Afghanistan. As the United Nations and the family, the large UN family in Afghanistan, including the agencies, funds, and programs, our priority is to deliver assistance to the Afghan people, with particular attention to women and girls. So the UN system on the ground is at work with all our partners and member state and donors and international financial institution, and a lot happening, especially in term of service delivery, service delivery, service delivery. The support to livelihood, support to women's economic empowerment, a lot is going on through the UN system. The engagement with the Taliban is, we have to navigate every day, and we have to be balancing principled approach and pragmatism. We are very clear and consistent on human rights, particularly when it comes to the girls of women and rights, but we also pursuing practical opportunities to be able to deliver to people. Our dialogue with the Taliban must serve that purpose, reaching the people. This is our yardstick. And the de facto authority have also responsibilities, the responsibility for their people. So following Afghanistan international obligation, they must remove restriction that obstruct assistance and recovery. So we are in constant dialogue around that, and they must enable women's full participation in Afghanistan development and devote also more domestic resources, more of their own resources, not only to security, the bulk of resources right now are going to security, but also to their people, including through essential services. So international support is very, very, very needed at this critical juncture, but cannot be a substitute for those responsibilities. Thank you.

Bruno, thank you very much. Edith.

Thank you very much on behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association for doing this briefing. My name is Edith Lederer from the Associated Press. I have one overriding question. Does the Taliban recognize that there might be a link between funding for humanitarian and other issues, and its continuing crackdown on women.

Thank you. Bruno, please.

Well, I don't know if they recognize it or not, but so far, Those restrictions on women and girls are still there, they are not going away after five years, and in some part of the country or in some sectors, they are getting even more constraining. So for us, it's a constant dialogue with them. Because for us, it's really at the heart of what we do, and it's also the future of that country, is you cannot leave aside 50% of the population. So every day, it's a navigation with them. Every day, we have to navigate, we have to bring those issues. I was recently in Herat, meeting the Taliban authorities in Herat, because in Herat, some of the partners are leaving the province because they consider they cannot deliver assistance We have this approach in Afghanistan, it's for women by women. A lot of the assistance we deliver for women has to be delivered by women. And when that cannot happen any longer, we have two choices. Either we compromise our principles, or there are many other parts of the country where this assistance is needed, so we shift part of it. So there is no straight answer to that. It's daily navigation.

When you raise these issues, What kind of a response do you get?

So in that particular case of Erat, it is from them, we will not compromise. Your assistance would be very welcome outside of Erat. There are many poor people in the country. Go and help them. We will not compromise. It was pretty straightforward as an answer. And then also, it's not only in Erat, but it's the fact that We are different. We respect you with your principle, but you respect us with our culture and principles. And there are birds, and there are fish. And they are different, and they don't mix.

Miriam, and then we'll go online to. Go ahead, Miriam.

Thank you, Steph, and thank you so much for doing this briefing. This is Miriam Ramati with Afghans International. You mentioned Herat as a hotspot for these restriction, especially recently. Can you tell us exactly what happened starting from that weaving like organization where women were restricted, even though that Taliban themselves helped to open that place? Where did that decision come from? Was it from the local Taliban? And when they decided to close it, where that decision came from? Herat. You talked about that weaving organization where women were working. And then it was shut down. The local Taliban in Herat helped to open up that space for women to start working in there. And then they decided to close it. Where the decision came from, the local Taliban or from outside, maybe from Kandahar?

So I'm new in the country, but I visited quite a lot, and I see variation and differences from province to province. So I assume a large part of that is local decision by the DFA authority at regional level. We can discuss more detail if you want, but it's not one-size-fits-all. There are provinces where it's much easier to work, and there is greater understanding. And we find ways between principle and pragmatism to deliver for the people. But in Erat over the past few months, there has been really a tightening of, and I assume, I don't know, but I assume those decisions are local decisions backed by by supreme leadership.

So the decisions to open them or close them, because I know that in Herat, the head of the government, the local government, decided to open that place. He actually was at the opening ceremony. And then when it closed, they don't know where to sit. Sometimes UN says they get assistance and help from the local government. the local Taliban regime, but then they get a decision from Kabul or Kandahar to close it, especially in case of Herat. Can you actually explain what exactly happened?

I don't know the specific situation you are talking about. What I know, and we are closely monitoring the situation in Herat through regular surveys with all our partners, there is a degradation of all indicators due to the tightening of restriction. That means it's more difficult for organization to work, it's more difficult for organization to follow this approach for woman by woman. It's more difficult for women aid workers, national, but sometimes also international, to play their role, to go to work, to do what they need to do because of those tightening restriction, which, so from what I can tell, are local decisions.

I'll come back to you. Let's go online. Iftikhar Ali, Associated Press of Pakistan. Iftikhar, go ahead. Iftikhar, you need to unmute yourself. Go ahead.

Thank you. Thank you, staff. Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?

Yes. Yes.

Okay. Sir, in your interaction with the Afghan leadership, what do they tell you to justify the restrictions on women and girls and violations of human rights? As you know, the OIC has publicly declared that the restriction of women's education have nothing to do with Islam. And, sir, if I may, another question. Do you see any evidence that the Taliban are working to control some terrorist organization indulging in cross-border attacks?

Okay, I'm not best placed to respond to the second part of the country. There are part of the UN system that are dedicated to that. On the first part of the, again, I'm new in the country. I guess you know the answer to your own question. Many scholars have visited Afghanistan through the OIC, through some member state, including Gulf states. There has been a lot of discussion on Islam and the interpretation of Islam and the interpretation of Sharia. I think everybody has visited Afghanistan to have those conversation with the Taliban and to understand and to unpack and to explain, and with the conclusion from those visitors that this is not Islam. Part of it is Islam, part of it is not Islam. As a newcomer, my understanding is it's a mix of Islam that maybe was pushed to the limit, but also the deep culture, uh, deep cultural. practices and habits that go back in history, like many countries, including our own, if we look centuries back or for some not so long ago, there were discriminatory practices towards women. So I think it's a mix of culture, especially Pashtun rural culture, and mixed with Islam. Those conversations are still happening with little results because the Taliban are strongly convinced that what they do is, yeah, it's very ideological, as you know.

Okay, Maryam, and then we'll close it out.

Thank you. One follow-up question. You mentioned that five years after the Taliban returned to Afghanistan to power, restriction on women are becoming more severe. Do you believe that UN’s engagement with the Taliban has achieved any meaningful progress? Or what we are seeing is the international community is actually basically adapting to what Taliban are doing in Afghanistan, including the gender report that is happening there? Thank you.

So, it's a day-to-day discussion and negotiation. There are successes, small successes, baby steps, and then there are things that have not moved so far, including our own UN problem of the ban on women access to. It has been one year and two months, and so far it has not been lifted in spite of everything we've been doing. as UN, but also enlisting a lot of other member state, other influential partners who can really reach to the top of the Taliban hierarchy. And so far on this one, there has been no progress. I think the fact that we are able, in most of the country, with some exception like Iraq where it's more difficult, we are able to deliver assistance to millions and millions of Afghans, including women and girls. I don't know if we call that a success, but we have been able to navigate every day between a principled approach and pragmatism without working against our principle. Now, among member states, there is a broad range of position of member states with the Taliban. Some member states are not engaging and don't want to engage and will not engage until the restrictions are lifted. And then there are those who say, if you don't engage, you don't influence, and the only way to influence is to engage and to build trust and trust and trust and trust. My performance in Afghanistan, you can move things if you build a trust, which is, you have to navigate. You walk on a tightrope, always mindful of the principle and the red line that you should protect, but also being pragmatic, if not your It's all about the Afghan people. How do we reach them in this very difficult, challenging situation? Great.

Bruno, thank you very much. We wish you safe travels back to Kabul. And thanks to all of you. Have a great weekend. And what else is there to say? Thank you.