Black Sea Initiative, Ukraine, Iraq & other topics…

This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the signing in Istanbul of the Black Sea grain initiative.  He said that the signing today was a beacon of hope, of possibility and of relief in a world that needs it more than ever.  
 
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that as the war in Ukraine enters its sixth month this Sunday, fighting on the ground remains concentrated in the eastern Donetska oblast. However, air attacks are continuing to impact civilians elsewhere, with the city of Mykolaiv in southern Mykolaivska oblast coming under daily attacks.   

In a statement issued yesterday, the Secretary-General condemned the deadly artillery shelling on Wednesday in the Zakho district of Dohuk Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, that reportedly killed eight civilians and injured 23 others.  

In Sri Lanka, the UN Resident Coordinator, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, today said that she is gravely concerned about the use of force to disperse protestors. She noted that journalists and human rights defenders have a right to monitor demonstrations and that their functions should not be impeded.  

The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, will travel to Mali from 24 to 28 July. 

In Burundi, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has allocated $1 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to help 340,000 people in areas affected by Rift Valley fever. These funds will go towards projects focused on controlling the spread of the disease and ensuring food security. 

In Uganda, the UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Susan Namondo, is working closely with authorities and other partners to scale up the response to food insecurity, which is currently affecting over half a million people in the country’s northeast.  

On Monday, the noon briefing guest will be Alison Davidian, Deputy Country Representative for UN Women in Afghanistan. She will brief on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan.