Press Conferences

Ethiopia, Middle East/Security Council & other topics- Daily Press Briefing

Briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
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On Ethiopia, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the situation today in Mekelle, in Tigray, is calm but tense.

Tor Wennesland, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council today. He welcomed the ongoing engagement between senior Israeli and Palestinian officials, and strongly encourages a further expansion of such efforts which can improve conditions on the ground and pave the way towards re-invigorating the peace process.

UNICEF reported today that the Yemen conflict has just hit another shameful milestone: 10,000 children have been killed or maimed since fighting started in March 2015. That’s the equivalent of four children every day for the last six and a half years.

The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, encourages the discussion in the Parliament of a gender quota in the forthcoming elections. She noted that women’s representation in politics is critical for an effective and well-functioning democracy and ensures that those in elected leadership are more representative of the people they serve.

From Myanmar, the UN Country Team continues to remain deeply concerned over the humanitarian impact of the ongoing crises in the country.

The UN Refugee Agency today said it is alarmed by the humanitarian impact of the worst flooding in decades in South Sudan. These floods have affected more than 700,000 people across the country.

The UN Mission in South Sudan continues to help authorities address the COVID-19 pandemic, including by holding workshops for students on how to keep themselves safe and healthy.

Moving to Afghanistan. The UN Children’s Fund today said that it has delivered nearly 40 tonnes of medical supplies - including kits and medicines for acute watery diarrhoea - to Kabul.

Miroslav Jenča, the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas of the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, is in Bosnia and Herzegovina from today to the 22nd of October. He will meet with government authorities, political leaders, representatives of civil society, and members of the international community to gain a better understanding of developments and views in the country.

In Papua New Guinea, the UN team, led by acting Resident Coordinator Dirk Wagener, continues to help authorities respond to the pandemic.

A new report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization says that changing precipitation patterns, rising temperatures and more extreme weather contributed to mounting food insecurity, poverty and displacement in Africa last year.

The UN Conference on Trade and Development – UNCTAD- today said that global foreign direct investment flows in the first half of 2021 reached an estimated $852 billion, showing stronger than expected rebound momentum.

The World Food Programme launched a report called "Digital Foundations: digital transformation and our fight against hunger." The report describes how digital technology and innovation is being leveraged by the UN's largest humanitarian agency.

Guests at the noon briefing today were Elliott Harris, the Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development and the UN’s Chief Economist, and Leila Fourie, the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Co-chair and CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. They briefed on the outcome of today’s third annual meeting of CEOs of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance, as well as progress in the implementation of key deliverables aimed at scaling up sustainable investment globally.

Tomorrow, the guests will be Caitlin Williscroft, a specialist who works for UN Women on the Women, Peace and Security Programme in the Afghanistan Country Office. She will be joined by Naheed Fareed, a former Afghan Parliamentarian, as well as Mariam Safi, Executive Director of the Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies (DROPS). They will brief reporters in the context of the anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 and tomorrow’s open debate on Women, Peace and Security.

For further details please see SOURCE below.
Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General

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