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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

THURSDAY, 8 AUGUST 2024

Concerning the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that our partners on the ground have observed thousands of people fleeing west toward Al Mawasi, after the Israeli military issued a new evacuation order earlier today.
The directive affects people located in parts of eastern and central Khan Younis, as well as the Al Salqa area of Deir al Balah. Initial estimates from our partners monitoring population in movements in Gaza indicate that more than 15,500 people had been living in those areas, which comprise more than 30 neighbourhoods.
Once again, we call for all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including by taking constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects. This includes allowing civilians to leave for safer areas and allowing their return as soon as circumstances allow. People must be able to receive humanitarian assistance, whether they move or stay.
Meanwhile, OCHA warns that constraints on water production and sewage pumping in Gaza continue to expose Palestinians to major health risks. Efforts to scale up the water, sanitation and hygiene response are hampered by a lack of generators and alternative energy sources, as well as shortages of spare parts to operate existing generators.
The lack of fuel is another major challenge. Late last month, our humanitarian partners working to support water, sanitation and hygiene services in Gaza say they received just over 75,000 litres of fuel. This is a 29 per cent increase compared to June – but still just 70 per cent of the minimum operational threshold.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme warns that ongoing hostilities, damaged roads, and the lack of public order and safety have severely hampered food transport operations in Gaza, forcing WFP to reduce rations. WFP urgently needs fuel deliveries, increased flow of food supplies, and greater capacity to deliver hot meals, particularly in Gaza City and North Gaza.
The agency says they reached some one million people in Gaza in July but stressed that food distribution points continue to face major disruptions due to conflict, evacuation orders, and damage to infrastructure.
WFP warns that it will be unable to bring in the quantity of food required this month unless more border crossing points into Gaza open and aid workers are able to reach people safely and at scale. The agency was only able to bring in half the quantity of food needed in July.
And in the West Bank, WFP estimates that the escalation of violence there could push the number of people facing food insecurity up to at least 600,000. At the start of last year, some 352,000 people in the West Bank were food insecure.

LEBANON
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, reports that, with the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line continuing for 10 months, many civilians have been displaced, injured and killed on both sides of the Blue Line. UNIFIL continues to support displaced people in the mission’s area of operations, including providing free medical and dental care to 4,766 patients.
We once again call on all parties to return to a cessation of hostilities and recommit to Security Council Resolution 1701.
In response to a question asked yesterday, the Spokesperson said there are 470 international UN staff in Lebanon, and that’s aside from the UN peacekeeping force.

SYRIA
In Syria, OCHA is deeply concerned about the impact of escalating hostilities in Deir-ez-Zor on civilians and the infrastructure they rely upon.
At least 20 civilians were reportedly killed and 15 others injured in recent days.
Several civilian facilities were reportedly damaged or affected, including water stations and a UN-supported centre on rural livelihoods.
The fighting has also resulted in power cuts that affected hospitals and water stations.
All crossings across the Euphrates River in Deir-ez-Zor have been closed.
People living in Deir-ez-Zor continue to experience severe water and fuel shortages, very limited access to healthcare facilities and food insecurity.
We call on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law, including taking constant care to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure in the course of military operations.
The latest escalation comes as Syria is facing its highest levels of need since the start of the crisis, with more than 16 million people requiring assistance this year, as well as critical shortfalls in funding for the response, with this year’s $4 billion Humanitarian Response Plan only 24 per cent funded at $962 million.

SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, Security Council Members held a briefing on the Secretary-General’s latest report on the threats posed by Da’esh.
Under-Secretary-General for the Office of Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov, told the Council Members that Terrorism remains a significant challenge. To eradicate this threat, he added, we need inclusive, multilateral responses that are firmly grounded on political strategies, compliant with international law.
For her part, Natalia Gherman, the Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), told the Council Members that the UN continues to work with Member States to counter the financing of terrorism.
And just to note that as we approach the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism on 21 August, the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism will organize a high-level event to highlight the role of victims of terrorism as peace advocates.

SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT   
We have a senior personnel announcement for you.  Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Juraj Strasser of Slovakia, as Director of the UN Ethics Office. He will succeed Elia Armstrong of Canada, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedicated service to the Organization.
The Secretary-General also wishes to extend his appreciation to the Senior Ethics Officer and Head of the Advisory Services and Financial Disclosure Unit of the UN Ethics Office, Thi Kim Xuan Nguyen, who will continue to serve as Acting Director of the UN Ethics Office until Mr. Strasser assumes his position.
Mr. Strasser brings to the position more than 30 years of extensive experience in the field of organizational ethics, governance and law, having served in different capacities at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as well as in the private sector.
He has been serving as the Head of Ethics at the OECD since 2022.

AFRICA/MPOX CASES
The World Health Organization said today that the African region is experiencing an unprecedented increase in mpox cases since the start of 2024, with more countries previously unaffected by the disease reporting cases in an expanding spread of the virus.
WHO has elevated the mpox outbreak response to the highest-level requiring organization-wide mobilization and scale-up. In addition, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus has called for an emergency committee of experts meeting to determine whether the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
According to WHO, fifteen African countries are currently reporting mpox outbreaks, with a total of 2,030 confirmed cases and 13 deaths so far this year compared with 1,145 cases and seven deaths in the whole of 2023. Four countries – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – previously unaffected by mpox have reported cases since mid-July 2024.