Persons With Disability, Middle East, Lebanon & other topics - Daily Press Briefing

All right.
Good afternoon, everyone.
This morning, the Secretary-General delivered remarks to the 19th session of the Conference of states parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the General Assembly Hall.
He noted significant progress saying that the convention has now been ratified by 192 countries and one regional organization.
More than 90% of countries have laws protecting the rights of persons with disabilities and nearly 80% prohibit discrimination in hiring.
These advances have helped millions gain access to education and employment.
At the same time, the Secretary-General stressed that major challenges remain.
The latest UN disability and development report shows that almost all disability related sustainable development goal indicators are off track.
Mr.
Gutierrez urged governments to empower persons with disabilities as full partners in policy making and decision making.
A statement we issued last night expressed the Secretary-General alarm at the renewed escalation in the Middle East.
He calls on all concerned parties to immediately stop attacks, exercise maximum restraint, and refrain from any action that could further inflame an already volatile situation.
The Secretary-General urges all parties to fully abide by the ceasefires in Lebanon, Iran, and Gaza and to avoid any steps that could undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Mr.
Guterres is also deeply concerned by the decision by Israel to close crossings into Gaza.
He reiterates his call for the immediate reopening of all crossings to ensure the rapid, safe, and unhindered passage of humanitarian assistance at scale throughout Gaza.
The Secretary-General underscores that the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law must be respected.
He further calls on all parties to uphold their obligations under international law and to take all feasible precautions to protect civilians.
The full statement is online.
The Secretary-General personal envoy for the Middle East conflict and its consequences.
Jean Arnaux is in Washington, DC where he arrived yesterday.
He's meeting with officials of the United States government and representatives of Washington based think tanks.
These engagements are part of Mr.
Arnau's ongoing consultations aimed at exploring member states perspectives on pathways towards a sustainable resolution of the conflict in the Middle East, including in the context of Pakistani mediated negotiations between the United States and Iran, as well as regional efforts to advance relations grounded in full respect for national sovereignty and mutual security.
Mr.
Arnault is also meeting with senior officials from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to speak about the economic impact of the conflict on regional and global economies.
Discussions are focused on measures undertaken by governments and businesses worldwide to mitigate the consequences that continue to deepen as the conflict remains unresolved.
Moving to Lebanon where the humanitarian situation is deteriorating in the South government and surrounding areas amid reporting displacement repeated displacement orders and continued strikes.
Our colleagues on the ground tell us that many civilians, including residents of Th, people living in Palestinian refugee camps, and people displaced from other parts of southern Lebanon remain in the area.
The displacement order issued by Israel today for the entire city of Th, including all neighborhoods and Palestinian refugee camps, will affect nearly 44,000 people, many who were already displaced.
Despite these orders and the risks associated with them, initial reports from local authorities and our partners indicate that most families will remain in Th, with many choosing to stay due to limited alternatives.
Some have reportedly sought shelter further north in the city of Saida and the District of Shuf in the Mount Lebanon governoate.
No major population movements have been observed today from the Palestinian refugee camps, although about 10,000 people have sought refuge in unwash shelters in the District of Saida in North Lebanon after a previous displacement order for Thayre some ten days ago.
Meanwhile, attacks continue to affect healthcare.
Yesterday, an airstrike near a Lebanese Red Cross Center in a reportedly killed five people and injured eight others, including four paramedics.
We reiterate the urgent need to protect civilians, ensure safe and sustained humanitarian access, and respect international humanitarian law.
On the southern front, yesterday, peacekeepers from the UN interim force in Lebanon continued to observe intensive ground and air activities by the Israeli defense forces across the mission's area of operations.
These activities include armored movements, large scale engineering and demolition works, sustained logistical traffic, and airstrikes.
Yesterday, UNIFIL detected 48 violations of Lebanese airspace by Israel and nine airstrikes conducted by IDF fighter aircraft, as well as one separate incident of sustained machine gunfire from an IDF helicopter, during which approximately 100 rounds were fired towards Bin Jabil.
Total overflight time was approximately 85 hours, with air activity particularly concentrated in the vicinity of Benjbl and Tyre and Deer Syrian.
Later, UnifL peacekeepers reported 446 trajectories fired from IDF positions, both south of the blue line and within the mission's area of operations.
In addition, ten projectile trajectories, presumably fired by Hezbollah were detected transiting from north to south, including one crossing the blue line.
Following coordination with OCHA and deconfliction through the UnifL Liaison branch, UNIFIL facilitated seven humanitarian missions to Tyre and its surroundings yesterday.
Turning to Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that today, Israeli authorities reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing, which remains the only crossing point for approved cargo to enter Gaza.
Meanwhile, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to respond to people's needs, despite bureaucratic hurdles and funding shortfalls to maintain the response and reach as many vulnerable people as possible.
In the past week alone, our partners provided families with tents, tarpaulins, bedding, kitchen kits, and clothing.
Partners also carried out emergency repairs on makeshift shelters and rehabilitated partially damaged homes.
Despite these efforts, needs remain intense.
Tens of thousands of families are living in overcrowded shelters, while many others continue to sleep outdoors or in damaged buildings.
As temperatures rise, tents and makeshift shelters trap heat and become uninhabitable during the day.
Our partners stress that they need more supplies, and they've called for the entry of sandbags, timber, plywood, gravel, cement, and tool kits, among other critical supplies.
Our partners tell us that families are finding it increasingly difficult to access food, including bread following the closure of many kitchens.
By the end of May, 23 partners were delivering some 678,000 meals daily through 80 kitchens.
This is a sharp decline from mid March when 170 kitchens were providing 1.5 million meals per day.
As we mentioned to you earlier, funding constraints are increasingly limiting humanitarian response.
This morning, Martha Popey, the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, briefed the Security Council on the situation in Central Africa.
She told council members that since their last briefing on the topic, the sub region has passed important milestones, including the holding of critical elections and progress in institutional reforms.
Yet, she said these achievements have unfolded against a troubling backdrop with deepening multidimensional security and humanitarian crises, socioeconomic pressures, and most worryingly, restrictions to civil and political rights that have increased.
Miss Pope said security remains a key concern in several countries of the subregion, especially in Eastern Chad and the Lake Chad region.
Direct impact of the Sudan conflict on Chad cannot be overemphasized, she told council members.
She reiterated our call on all partners to increase their efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan and to help Chad in dealing with the impact of the crisis.
Turning to the Lake Chad Basin, miss Pope said civilians in Cameroon and Chad continue to suffer indiscriminate attacks and human rights abuses by the various Boko Haram affiliated and splinter groups.
Finally, she told council members that the ongoing crisis in the northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon continues to have a major humanitarian impact on civilians who bear the brunt of the violence by armed separatist groups.
As you know, yesterday afternoon, the Security Council held a briefing on the maidens of peace and security of Ukraine.
Briefing council members, Rosemary DiCarlo, the under Secretary-General for Political and Peace Building Affairs, noted that the war in Ukraine is deadlier today than at any point since the start of the Russian Federation's full scale invasion in 2022.
Mr.
Carlos stressed that the parties must return to the path of diplomacy and that it is not too late to re engage in dialogue and negotiations in good faith.
As a matter of priority, she said, we reiterate the Secretary-General call for an immediate, full and unconditional cease fire.
Also briefing council members, Idrica Latte, the acting Assistant Secretary-General and deputy emergency relief coordinator, pointed out that Ukraine remains one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.
Today, she said 10.8 million people require humanitarian assistance, and yet we have received less than half the funding needed to reach them.
Both remarks were shared with you.
Turning to Sudan, our humanitarian colleagues are warning that escalating attacks on bridges, roads, and other critical civilian infrastructure are disrupting humanitarian access and putting civilians at further risk.
While humanitarian movements along the Gina Zelengi Road linking west and Central Darfur resume today after a brief suspension.
Due to insecurity and rising intercommunal tensions, access remains fragile.
OCHA knows that this road is a critical route for transporting humanitarian assistance from Chad into Darfur and Kordofan.
The vulnerability of these lifelines was underscored overnight in West Darfur State, where explosions last night reportedly struck the Armata bridge linking the city of El Gina to areas near the border with Chad.
This is a vital route for commercial traffic and humanitarian supplies entering Darfur.
In South Kurfan state, two key bridges along the road between the cities of Kadugli and Dilling reportedly destroyed over the weekend, disrupting the movement of civilians and aid operations as the rainy season begins.
Our humanitarian partners warn there will be no viable alternative routes once seasonal rains intensify.
Drone activity is also affecting several parts of the country.
Multiple strikes were reported yesterday in the town of Dilling in South Kordofan state.
Today, a drone was reportedly shot down in Omdurman in Khartoum state.
We reiterate our call on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and to facilitate rapid, safe, unhindered, and sustained humanitarian access.
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, OCHA warns that the expanding Ebola outbreak is unfolding against a backdrop of escalating violence and mass displacement in the east of the country, putting civilians at further risk and complicating efforts to contain the disease.
In the province of North Kivu, a series of attacks by armed groups between May 30th and June 6th reportedly killed at least 40 civilians in the town of Bin, according to local authorities.
These attacks are hampering humanitarian access, including the Ebola response.
Meanwhile, in the province of South Kivu, nearly 15,000 people have been uprooted by recent clashes and sought refuge in Mia Mohesa Health zone.
The area currently accounts for all confirmed Ebola cases in the province, raising concerns over disease transmission and people's access to assistance.
Displaced families need urgent humanitarian assistance as additional pressure is being placed on host communities.
Our partners warned that insecurity, displacement, and the movement of people are hampering disease surveillance, contact tracing, and case management, increasing the risk of further spread.
We reiterate our call on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and to ensure safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access.
We and our humanitarian partners remain committed to supporting the authorities led response.
However, we need sustained access in a secure operating environment so humanitarian workers can carry out their lifesaving efforts and help contain the Ebola outbreak.
And last, we say thank you to our friends in Cairo for their full payment to the regular budget.
Egypt's payment brings the number of fully paid up member states to 112.
What? No.
All right.
What is the distinctive thing about where Upper and Lower Egypt are located? No.
Upper Egypt is south of Lower Egypt because of the Nile.
I mean, the south one is the upper one.
That's all we have for the quiz.
Ed.
Thank you, Farhan.
Noting the visit of China's President Xi Jinping to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and his meeting with Kim Jong Gun, I was trying to remember, has the UN been able to get any international staff back into the DPRK? At present, no.
We don't have international staff there.
We've been doing our best outside the country to deal with the situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but they're not located inside the country at present.
Is the UN still providing humanitarian assistance to the DPRK? I don't know whether we're still doing that.
We did after one of the recent environmental disasters there.
I don't think it's a regular provision of humanitarian assistance, however.
Yes, Gabriel.
Thank you, Farhan.
On the occupied West Bank, several member states announced today targeted sanctions against networks that finance, enable, and carry out settler violence in the occupied West Bank, the UK, Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, and Norway.
I know the Secretary-General normally doesn't comment about actions taken by individual member states.
However, given that it's six and given that it's the occupied West Bank and the UN has been and he has been so outspoken about it, does he support these measures to end settler violence? Well, as you yourself expected, we don't declare support for unilateral actions taken by member states.
And obviously, this is an action that's pursued by member states exercising their own sovereign rights.
From our standpoint, yes, we have expressed our concerns about illegal activity by settlers, and certainly we have called for member states to make sure that nothing they do encourages the sort of illegal activities that the settlers have been pursuing.
If I could get to one more Farhan, and I doubt she'll answer this, but I'll ask it anyway.
I know the Secretary-General does not weigh in on the Secretary-General race for who will succeed him.
That is true.
You've been very clear about that.
However, there's been some fresh reporting that miss Amina Mohammed is considering a run.
Given that she is his deputy, has she discussed it with the Secretary-General and what would his positioning be on that should she officially declare? I don't have anything to say about this one way or the other.
Obviously, the Secretary-General doesn't comment on any of the candidates, and regarding who is a candidate and who is not, I would leave you in the hands of my colleague Lnise who is, of course, the spokespers for president of the General Assembly, which is the office that receives any actual requests.
Abu Sufyan, you have a question online? Yes, thank you, Farhan.
I think you are afraid that India government is pushing Muslim people into Bangladesh border.
I asked several times a few questions about that particular issue.
Do you have any comment on that particular issue, and I have a follow up.
Well, certainly, we want to make sure that no one is moved across international borders without their own freewill and their own acceptance.
And my second question is that six people were killed in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
You know, Kashmir issue is very burning in South Asia.
So does UN Secretary have any comment or any statement on this particular issue? There's no specific comment, but of course, we want human rights standards to be upheld in all parts of the world.
Yes, Linda.
Thank you, Farhan.
Regarding the Secretary-General, I was just wondering if he's planning any trips.
I came a little late if he's planning any trips in the next couple of weeks.
Yes, yesterday, we announced that he does intend to travel next week to Haiti.
So you can look back at my announcement yesterday, but we'll have further details for you at the start of next week.
Have a good day.