UN Water Conference, Ukraine, Türkiye/Syria &…

As you just heard from our guests about the Water Conference, at 4:30 pm, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at the closing of the UN 2023 Water Conference.  

The UN, World Bank, European Union and the Government of Ukraine launched yesterday afternoon the second Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment.  It shows that after a full year of war, direct damage to infrastructure and people’s lives is calculated at more than $135 billion and social and economic losses amount to $290 billion. 

In Türkiye, we and our partners continue to support the Government-led response to last month’s earthquakes. To date, UN agencies and our humanitarian partners have reached nearly 535,000 people with shelter support. 

Turning to the Central African Republic, today, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), facilitated a high-level conference between the Central African Government and prefects aimed at promoting greater decentralization and regional ownership of the peace process. 

The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), IOM, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Concordis International, an NGO, inform us that they have facilitated a successful meeting between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya of the disputed Abyei Box that lies between the borders of Sudan and South Sudan. 

Turning to Somalia:  Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the rainy season there, which normally runs from April to June, made an early start this year, bringing heavy rains to some parts of the country.  

Our team in the Gambia, led by Resident Coordinator Seraphine Wakana, is helping to fight violence against women and girls through the establishment of a system that streamlines the reporting of gender-based violence cases securely and confidentially via a digital platform and a 24-hour helpline.  Since its launch in January, the “Gender Information Management System” has already received reports of 91 cases.  

UNICEF has sounded the alarm today saying that, after eight years of conflict in Yemen, 11 million children are in need of one or more forms of humanitarian assistance.  

Today we mark a couple of international days.  The first is the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations, to pay tribute to those who have devoted their lives to promote and protect human rights for all.