Asia Floods, Venezuela Earthquake & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

Good afternoon.
In a very short while, or at least as soon as you're done with me, we'll be joined by our guest, Maria Jose Torres, who as you know, is the UN resident coordinator in Colombia.
She'll be able to brief you on the ongoing response by the UN to the devastating earthquake that hit Colombia earlier this month.
Um, and then on Monday, we will be joined by Naveed Hanef, the Assistant Secretary-General in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Steven Hill, our Assistant Secretary-General in the Office of Legal Affairs, and also Bill Hare, the Chief Executive Officer of climate Analytics.
They will be here to brief you on the Secretary-General report on sea level rise.
You'll get embargoed copies, I think over probably tomorrow, if not a bit earlier.
The report is actually rather interesting.
It looks at a lot of social and legal issues.
Having to do with sea level rise and how it impacts some of the most vulnerable countries in the coming years.
I'll start with the ongoing response by the UN to the floods in Asia.
As of today, we are told by authorities that more than 500 people have been confirmed dead.
That's what local authorities in Nepal are telling us, although hundreds remain missing.
Officials say that scores of people have been injured and over 3,700 have so far been rescued.
Our Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher said today that humanitarians are moving at speed to save lives with OCHA and partners from the World Health Organization, the World Food Program, UNICEF, and various NGOs assisting national authorities in Nepal to deliver urgent lifesaving support.
In Nepal, our resident coordinator from whom you heard yesterday, La Petro ya, is leading our support for the government led response.
Earlier today, and UN colleagues visited the Bidur municipality in Nuat, one of the flood affected districts.
She was able to see firsthand the massive destruction where early assessments show that about 11,000 hectars of land and 45 kilometers of roads have been damaged.
That visit was cut short by a new flood alert while the team was on the ground.
As you know, there are risks of more floods coming.
In that district, over 1,000 people are sheltering at five known displacement sites.
But these are preliminary figures and we're working to confirm the locations of people displaced in other localities and districts.
Despite the damaged roads and landslides that continue to block access, we're starting to get a better sense of what are immense needs of the population.
Our partners working on food security estimate that at least 20,000 households across the Naco and Raser districts may need food assistance.
Over 50,000 people require emergency water, emergency sanitation, and emergency hygiene support.
Partners working on nutrition estimate that some 17,000 children, 1,500 pregnant and breastfeeding women, and 9,000 adolescents need immediate nutrition support.
At least 23 schools in those districts will need to be rehabilitated.
We and our partners are working alongside the authorities in Nepal to scale up distribution of food, shelter, and healthcare, and other critical supplies.
Our emergency Tom Fletcher said that he remains in close contact with our teams in the region as well as the Chinese and Nepalese authorities, having expressed our commitment to support operations in China if requested to do so.
I will share with you a travel update for the Secretary-General.
He will be traveling to Kyrgyzstan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Summit, which will take place in Bishkek from the 31st of August first, September.
On the sidelines of the summit, the Secretary-General will hold meetings with Sadar Jaaporov, the president of the Kyrguese Republic.
He will, of course, um, We expect him to have bilaterals with other leaders attending the meetings, and we will share those readouts with you as they happen.
On Tuesday, he will deliver remarks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization plus meeting.
In those remarks, the Secretary-General is expected to emphasize the value of cooperation between the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
He will also address other topics including recent developments in the Middle East.
He's expected to be back in New York on Wednesday evening.
Um, and from South Sudan, our colleagues at the UN mission there today pay tribute to two of the fallen Ethiopian peacekeepers.
As you will recall, they lost their lives when their convoy was ambushed in Jongle state on August 24th.
At the ceremony, the head of the peacekeeping mission, Anita Kiki Kibeho, honored their courage, their dedication, their commitment to protecting civilians.
She described their service as embodying the highest ideals of UN peacekeeping.
Meanwhile, seven other members of the patrol who were injured in the attacks are currently receiving medical care, and we of course, wish them a speedy recovery.
As you'll recall in the statement, the Secretary-General called for a thorough investigation so that those responsible can be held to justice.
Turning to Ukraine, Our colleagues at the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that attacks and hostilities continue to take a heavy toll on civilians, disrupting essential services and damaging vital aid.
Authorities say attacks across the country between yesterday and the early hours of this morning killed at least 12 civilians and injured more than 65 others.
Frontline regions were especially hard hit.
Attacks damaged homes and other civilian infrastructure and strikes on energy facilities, caused power outages in several regions.
In Keron, an attack critically damaged the city's combined power and heat plant.
All heat and power generating equipment to facilities have been destroyed.
That's what the National Energy grid operators are telling us.
That raises serious concerns over heating and electricity over the coming winter.
Separately, an attack in the Kyiv region hit a UNICEF contracted warehouse, destroying humanitarian supplies intended for children and families.
UNICEF says the loss will hamper the delivery of vital assistance, particularly with another difficult winter approaching.
This is part of a wider pattern with at least six warehouses belonging to humanitarian operations, including UN agencies, the Ukrainian Red Cross, society and NGOs impacted by attacks in Ukraine in this month.
We're especially concerned about the war's impact ahead of winter and already preparing to ensure that people in need get essential supplies in the coming as the colder months approach.
We reiterate once again the Secretary-General condemnation of large scale missile and drone attacks by the armed forces of the Russian Federation in urban centers in Ukraine.
The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned by continued escalation of this conflict, including onto the territory of the Russian Federation itself.
He also reiterates his call for an urgent de escalation leading to a full, immediate and unconditional cease fire for just, for sustainable, and for comprehensive peace in line with international law, including the charter of the organization and relevant UN resolutions.
Um, just a programming note this afternoon at 3:00 P.M.
Carlos Ruiz Messio, the special representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Office in Haiti, as well as Enrique Rw, the acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, will brief the Security Council on Haiti.
Meanwhile, this morning, our um, excuse me, our colleagues, Jean-Pierre Lacroix and the Under Secretary-General for Peace Operations, and Jean Arne, the officer in charge of the UN Special coordinator's Office in Lebanon, brief Security Council members in close consultations on Lebanon.
Meanwhile, on the ground, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that renewed hostilities in the south of Lebanon are taking a steep toll on civilians as they have been.
Despite the continued insecurity, people continue to make their way home with around 820,000 people having returned to their communities over the last few months.
Including nearly 90% of the people who were displaced in the South governoate.
However, some 330,000 people displaced remain displaced across Lebanon.
Humanitarian access remains a major challenge, particularly south of the Liani River.
Access constraints are hampering humanitarian teams from reaching some of the communities and delaying assessments, monitoring the restoration of essential services and the delivery of food assistance.
We continue to stress that unimpeded access to people in need is essential to sustain humanitarian assistance and support recovery, particularly as families return to areas where insecurity, damaged infrastructure, and limited services make it that much harder for them to even start to rebuild their lives.
Heading south to the occupied Palestinian territory, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that they are worried about the impact of ongoing airstrikes and other attacks across the strip excuse me amid reports of civilian casualties and damage.
Today, UNICEF says that four children aged two to 16 were reportedly killed over the past days in separate Israeli strikes, including one who died of wounds sustained last week.
These attacks also destroyed humanitarian supplies and damaged critical water infrastructure.
Civilians and civilian objects including humanitarian facilities and infrastructure, must always be protected.
Yesterday, an explosive munitions detonated about 30 meters from a UN convoy returning with fuel from the Krem Shalom Karim Absalm crossing as they crossed the so called yellow line in Gaza.
Thankfully, no casualties with the explosion and just causing minor mechanical issues involving one of the vehicles in the convoy.
We and our partners are working across Gaza to address the risks posed by unexploded ordinance.
We're assessing and marking hazards, educating people on safety measures, and referring those affected for support, but the authorizations needed to bring in the needed equipment and remove explosive ordinance has still not been granted by the Israeli authorities and you will hear about the Colombia earthquake from our colleague, but I wanted to give you a quick update on our efforts in Venezuela.
Where we are continuing to support people impacted by the disaster.
To date, 107 organizations have reached more than 360,000 people with food assistance, healthcare, water and sanitation services.
At the same time, our humanitarian colleagues are monitoring the impact of recent tropical storms and flooding across the country, including the capital Caracas.
Some of the affected areas are also hosting families displaced by earthquakes.
The floods have killed six people, damaged homes, and infrastructure, and disrupted basic services.
Humanitarian needs remain significant in communities impacted by the earthquakes.
However, our colleagues or Mocha remind us that humanitarian response plan for Venezuela is only 43% funded.
Additional resources needed to sustain relief efforts and support recovery in the months ahead.
I do expect a more formal statement, but I did want to take the opportunity of the briefing to state that the Secretary-General was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of His Majesty, King Harold of Norway that took place earlier today in Norway.
The late King will be remembered for his engagement for children's welfare, the environmental issues, and his support for diversity and calls for generosity.
Throughout his reign, King Harold embodied Norway's deep commitment to international solidarity and cooperation that is reflected in his country's steadfast partnership with the United Nations and its enduring commitment to peace and multilaterlism.
The Secretary-General conveys his deepest condolences to His Majesty, King Hakim, as well as to the government and people of the Kingdom of Norway and our colleagues at UNHCR remind us that this weekend marks the 65th anniversary of the 1961 Convention on the reduction of statelessness.
At least 4.5 million human beings worldwide are known to be stateless or of undetermined nationality, but million more remain invisible in official data.
Statelessness is more than an absence of nationality.
It can mean being unable to obtain necessary government documents, attend school, access healthcare, or work legally.
It can also prevent people from registering the birth of their children, marrying, owning property, opening a bank account, or just traveling freely.
Today, 82 states are part of the convention.
However, UNHCR says that legal commitments must be matched by concrete actions and calls on states to protect stateless people, provide pathways to nationality, and reform discriminatory national laws.
Tomorrow is the International Day against nuclear test.
In his message, the Secretary-General said, This day reminds us of the devastating consequences of nuclear testing, a time to reflect of the victims and survivors of the nuclear test whose lives, lands, and descendants have been scarred by nuclear explosion.
They are just a few survivors.
Do that.
The world must never witness another nuclear explosion.
Today is also the International Day of the victim, it's Friday, you'll bear with me.
Sunday, we mark the International Day of the victims of enforced disappearances.
This day also marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of all persons from enforced disappearances, which is the only universal treaty specifically dedicated to preventing and eradicating enforced disappearances.
20 years after the adoption, enforced disappearances continue to occur in every region, which makes universal ratification full implementation that much more of a priority.
Before we turn to Colombia, I will entertain some questions, Ed.
Thank you, Sh.
On UNIFIL, we know that the Secretary-General presented three options to the Security Council, but that was before the Lebanese government asked to extend Unifil's mandate.
What is the Secretary-General reaction to that request from the Lebanese government? Well, it's clear that the circumstances on the ground have changed.
As much as that is the case, UNIFIL continues to operate under its mandated activities, as you know, because I talk about it almost every day under very difficult circumstances.
We will be guided by the ongoing discussions in the Security Council and whatever solution security council members come up with in their wisdom.
But we continue to follow their their guidance, but I think most importantly, our blue helmeted colleagues and their civilian and civilian members of the mission continue to proudly fulfill the mandate given to them by the Security Council.
Moran.
Thank you, Siva.
Jerusalem Post reported that the SEG admitted in an interview with Financial Times that many of UN human rights repurs have gone out of control totally specifically regarding on Israel.
Could you clarify on that? I mean, I think it's a misreading of what the Secretary-General said.
What he said in the interview, and I think people should look at the video is that he can't speak for the entirety of the UN system.
Many in the UN structure are independent of the Secretariat and therefore, totally out of the Secretariat, out of the Secretary-General control.
The point that he was making, is about the process, not about the content or the output of the work of the special reporteurs.
They are, and it's in their name, independent.
Therefore, they are independent of him, they're independent of the secretary.
We've said here, we don't control what they say, nor should we because they are named through very specific circumstances through the Human Rights Council.
What is clear and what we have been saying here for a long time is that special rapporteurs are a critical cog in the international human rights machinery.
They play a very important role.
There are a lot of special rapporteurs with very different mandates.
They are often in many cases, the only voice that talks independently about human rights in many cases, and we call on countries to support their work.
Gabriel, thank you, Steph.
A brief follow up on that.
In some quarters, there's the criticism of the Secretary-General that he does not forcefully defend special raperours when the rapperurs come out with a report that might be viewed in some quarters as controversial.
What's the view of the Secretary-General when it comes to standing up in defense of their work? We defend their right to speak.
We defend their right to work.
We will always do so.
But given their independence, it is not for the Secretary-General to say, we like what this reporteur says, we don't like what this reporteer says.
They're independent.
Their strength is in their independence.
On a separate note, a follow up on the URA facility training center.
Do you have an update on the status of that or is it the status unfortunately hasn't changed because of the de facto situation on the ground.
Thank you.
Madame USAID yesterday put out a report and President Trump re tweeted the report by this organization that it identifies more than 100 employees of UNRWA as having participated in the October 7th massacre inside Israel.
Please, the Secretary-General reaction to this.
Look, this is an issue that has come up over and over again.
What is clear is that we have no tolerance for anyone working for the UN, also supporting and working for terror? Unwa has shared for many years and continues to do so the list of all its staff members working in the different places it operates.
So in the Unwa staff members in Jordan, all that list is shared with the Jordanian authorities.
The list of Unwa staff members working in the occupied Palestinian territory, working in Gaza Are shared with Israel.
We don't run a security service.
We rely on the Israeli authorities and other authorities to tell us if there's a red flag.
If you'll recall time flies, more than two years ago, as soon as Israel gave us information about a number of Anwar staff, they were let go.
There have been other cases.
I think Anwar has been acting whenever they're given information, they've been acting on it.
The follow up? Yes, please.
It states that USAID will forward this case of at least I can't say how many, but this case will be taken to the Department of Justice here in the United States to bring criminal charges to those accused.
Please your reaction.
Look, I haven't seen the full report, but I can tell you we are willing and open to cooperate, obviously with the US government and others on these issues while staying in full respect of the privileges and immunities of the organization.
Yes, please, Tashi.
Thank you, Stephanie.
Six months into the US Iran War, but both sides still say diplomacy is possible, but the negotiation has not resumed in any sustained way.
So in the sector General's will was preventing the talks from restarting.
Look, this is a sad marker of six months of this ongoing conflict.
We again stress that the only solution to this is a diplomatic solution and we urge both the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran to engage in meaningful negotiations.
We are very supportive of the efforts that we've seen by the mediators of Qatar, of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, all these countries at different times, and the Secretary-General has been very much staying in touch with them.
What is clear and what continues to be concerning to the Secretary-General is the devastating humanitarian and economic consequences of this conflict, notably for civilians in the region who have different times had been bombarded.
We've had civilian infrastructure been destroyed.
But as we've said here from this podium many times, also from the economic impact globally on food supplies.
We've had numerous experts speak to you about food supplies, humanitarian goods that can't go in, fertilizers that have been limited, the rise in the price of energy, which has devastating impact on those economies that can least afford to absorb that shock.
Secretary-General personal envoy for this conflict, Je Arneau remains available and remains in contact to assist the parties and mediators in reaching a durable solution.
Madame.
Thanks, Th Carrie from Verify.
Can you tell us a little bit, how is the mechanism of the strait of Hormuz going on? Is it halted already or is it still going on? Is it still being negotiated? What are the main obstacles right there? Those discussions the task force that the Secretary-General established led by Georges um, Mora the Silva of NOPs, he continues his discussion.
As we've said here, the mechanics of establishing such a task force already.
It can be deployed fairly quickly.
What we need obviously is a green light from all those countries involved, and George continues to be in contact with them.
Gabriel, then I think we'll go to the screen.
I'll make it quick because I know we have a guest.
Just to follow up on UNIFIL stuff, I know the Secretary-General gave his three options or the recommendations to the Security Council about three months ago, give or take.
In terms of timing, I know you don't want to put a time frame on it, but how soon is the Secretary-General expecting a decision by the Security Council given the mandate winds down? Well, the clock is ticking.
Every time a mission winds down, there are things that need to happen.
I mean, there are this is I mean, it's embarrassing to be talking about this in the middle of a conflict, but there are people whose jobs are impacted, right? There are supplies, there's contingent owned equipment, there's real estate, all of that stuff needs to be dealt with.
And so We would hope that the Security Council comes up with a way forward for us soon.
Abdel Hamid, if I see you, I assume you have a question and then we'll go to our guests.
No question? Yeah.
Thank you.
Oh, sorry.
Thank you.
I have two questions.
First.
The first Haar two days ago issued a very strong report about Israel recruiting thugs and gangsters in Gaza.
To create havoc in the area where there are Palestinians with the aim of expelling them from their homes, as a plan for eviction.
Do you have any comment on that? If you have any details I will share with you a number of reports that were done by humanitarian colleagues in that regard.
Your second question? My second question in the town of Madama near Annapolis, Settlers have been videotaped smashing a monument carrying the names of Palestinian martyrs from that village.
Do you have any comment on that behavior? I haven't seen that particular event, but we've spoken quite clearly about the issue regarding the continued violence of Israeli settlers.