UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

19 November 2024

Update on the situation in southern Lebanon

Andrea Tenenti, for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), speaking from Beirut, said since the last briefing, tensions across the Blue Line had increased and Israeli ground incursions had entered more deeply into Lebanon. Daily Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and missile and drone attacks by Hezbollah into Israel had caused widespread destruction of towns and villages on both sides of the Blue Line. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, as of yesterday, more than 3,500 people had been killed and more than 15,000 injured, after the conflict began one year ago. The International Organization for Migration had recorded more than 900,000 people displaced internally, with around 60 percent of those displaced from UNIFIL areas of operation in Southern Lebanon. More than 20 peacekeepers had been injured so far, but fortunately none with life-threatening conditions. In the last four months, UNIFIL had facilitated around 1,200 civilian and humanitarian activities close to the Blue Line. Among the humanitarian activities include facilitating work of the Lebanese Red Cross and Civil Defense, other humanitarian organizations, journalists, force protection for UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army.

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro Sáenz

continued to maintain open channels of communication with all parties. UNIFIL’s 10,000 peacekeepers from nearly 50 countries remained in 50 positions across the area of operations, monitoring and reporting the situation on the ground. UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix visited Lebanon and UNIFIL last week and would brief the media on his visit today. Resolution 1701 has been significantly challenged, but its key provisions on safety, security, and long-term solutions remained valid. UNIFIL stood ready to support any framework the parties agreed on, to end the hostilities.

James Elder, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said despite more than 200 children killed in Lebanon, a disconcerting pattern had emerged. Their deaths were being met with inertia from those able to stop the violence. Over the last two months in Lebanon, an average of three children had been killed every day. It was hoped that humanity would never allow the ongoing carnage of children in Gaza, but there were chilling similarities, including the large number of children being made homeless, the attacks on medical facilities and healthcare workers, the closure of schools, and the grave psychological impact on children. The most worrying parallel to Gaza, was that the escalating number of children being killed had elicited no meaningful response from those with influence. UNICEF were providing tens of thousands of blankets, sleeping bags, mattresses, hygiene kits, meals, showers, and toilets for the displaced. For children, displacement represented a great upheaval and was usually a result of violence. UNICEF’s work had meant 450,000 people had access to safe water, and children were being provided psychosocial and medical support. All of this even though UNICEF’s latest appeal was less than 20 percent funded. As in Gaza, the cries of children went unheard, the world’s silence went deafening. This was a horrific and unacceptable new normal.

Responding to questions, Mr. Tenenti confirmed Argentina had withdrawn three Argentinian officers, although UNIFIL’s operational capabilities had not changed. All other countries had shown their commitment to stay. UNIFIL was still on the ground in 50 positions to assist the population as much as they could, and for the future of UNIFIL. No other countries had asked to withdraw their peacekeepers. Argentina did not state why they had elected to withdraw their troops.

Mr. Tenenti said UNFIL’s monitoring capabilities had been limited due to ongoing shelling, but they had seen Israeli incursions enter deeper into Lebanese territories. However, these were not permanent, and had been withdrawn after the military operations.

Responding to questions, Mr. Elder said in the last two months around 200 children had been killed and around 1,100 children had been injured. He had visited Sawsan, a six-year-old girl in hospital, in pain and confined to a bed with a brain injury. Just a few months ago, she had been a normal, six-year-old girl. This was a clear attack on childhood.

Mr. Elder said UNICEF did not name who was responsible for attacks, but anyone who followed the media should have an indication of who had injured these children; it was the same as in Gaza.

Responding to further questions, Mr. Tenenti said around 50,000 to 60,000 people were left in South Lebanon who were still in need of assistance. Monitoring capabilities were very limited, but UNIFIL was trying to bring humanitarian support to the local population. There were similarities with Gaza, as they could not ensure the safety and security of the convoys. It was important to be there, to provide information to the Security Council. Some of UNIFIL’s positions had been attacked and heavily damaged, with some of these attacks being deliberate. UNIFIL was doing their best to repair the damage caused by these attacks.

Rolando Gómez, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), said the Security Council would hold private consultations on the situation in Lebanon this afternoon.

Responding to further questions, Mr. Elder said currently there was no famine in Lebanon. The health system remained strong. However, there were continuing attacks on services which children relied on, including the water supply. Aid distribution was nothing like the dire situation in Gaza, but there were similar signs.

Responding to further questions, Mr. Tenenti said two months ago, when the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) asked UNIFIL to withdraw from all their positions close to the blue line, there had been a strong commitment from the contributing countries and the Security Council to stay. There was no discussion of withdrawing at all. UNIFIL remained in position to continue to carry out its monitoring tasks while maintaining their presence and assess the Mission's role. They stood ready to support any agreement reached by both sides.

Mr. Tenenti said Resolution 1701 remained the main framework for any peace agreement. Mr Lacroix would brief the Security Council in New York on his recent trip to Lebanon and Israel. In Israel, he had met with people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the IDF. Details about all these visits would be provided in the briefing.

Gaza

Responding to questions, James Elder, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said no aid had reached Gaza since the looting incident of more than 100 trucks over the weekend. The legal responsibility for the safe distribution of aid in Gaza lay with Israel, the occupying power. However, there had been no evidence of increased entry points or access. There was a grave lack of winter supplies for people in the South, and a lethal lack of medical supplies for people in the North.

Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said it was becoming more difficult to get aid and specialised personnel in, at a time where there was an increased need. WHO were particularly concerned about Kamal hospital, where 78 patients remained. There was a lack of food, water, medical supplies, and medical staff. Since 8 November, several missions had been denied. WHO urgently needed to be able to bring in the correct aid to keep the Kamal hospital functioning. This meant regular, unhindered access, without arbitrary denials. Medical staff were willing to risk a dangerous situation to help these children, but they were being denied access.

Ukraine: 1000 days since Russian armed attack

Jeremy Laurence, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said today marked the grim milestone of 1,000 days since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale armed attack on Ukraine. OHCHR had verified that at least 12,162 civilians had been killed since 24 February 2022, among them 659 children. At least another 26,919 civilians had been injured. Over the past two days, at least 30 civilians had reportedly been killed in a series of deadly strikes in residential areas in Sumy City, Odesa and Hlukhiv.

On Monday, the Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Danielle Bell, visited several locations in Zaporizhzhia. Among the sites visited was an oncology centre, hit by a Russian glide bomb on 7 November, where cancer patients were undergoing chemotherapy. The medical centre sustained severe damage and was now undergoing repairs. It had been 1,000 days too many of senseless pain and suffering. All parties were called on to ensure the safety and protection of civilians and to investigate credible allegations of violations. The High Commissioner had repeated his call for the Russian Federation to cease immediately its armed attack and to withdraw all military forces from Ukraine, and to uphold its obligations under the UN Charter and the order of the International Criminal Court.

The full article can be read here.

Rolando Gómez for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), said the Secretary-General, through remarks to the Security Council delivered yesterday on his behalf by Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, noted a significant increase in civilian casualties over the last two months, noting that October and November saw some of the most intense and large-scale missile and drone attacks during the war.

Responding to questions, Mr. Laurence said 1,000 days was a long time, when there were people missing. The 12,000 deaths were the number that were verified, but it was likely there were a lot more. OHCHR would continue the verification process.

Responding to questions, Mr. Laurence said OHCHR would continue to speak out when there were violations and remind states of their obligations under the UN Charter. It was hoped States would stop the violence and abide by their obligations.

Responding to further questions, Mr. Laurence said the protection of civilian lives, objects and infrastructure needed to be the priority in the conduct of all hostilities. The use of weapons in conflict needed to prioritise the prevention of harm to civilians.

Sentences in Hong Kong

Responding to questions, Jeremy Laurence, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said OHCHR and the UN Special Procedures, had repeatedly brought the cases of the Hong Kong 47 and Jimmy Lai to the attention of the Government of China, including directly with the Hong Kong authorities. They were gravely concerned by the use of the Security Laws and the breadth to criminalise conduct protected by human rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. Beyond the large numbers of accused directly impacted by criminal procedures, these laws had major chilling effects on others in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Republic, including the media, human rights defenders, lawyers, students, academia, and artists.

Mr. Laurence said the Office would continue to engage with the Chinese authorities as they had done in the past. The Office was gravely concerned by the use of the Security Law.

COP29: Urgent need for human rights-based climate action

Jeremy Laurence, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said with COP29 in Baku now in its final week, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk had reiterated his call for urgent human rights-based climate action. COP29 needed to mobilise trillions of dollars in climate finance to keep the increase in global average temperature under 1.5 degrees Celsius, and to catalyse more ambitious national climate commitments. Those who had contributed the most to climate change to date, should be demanded to pay more. Those most affected by climate change must have the funds they needed to build resilience to climate change as well as access to effective remedy. These were urgent human rights priorities. It was even more concerning that there had been a discernible lack of progress on many vital issues so far at COP29, and even some efforts to backtrack on previously agreed human rights language.

World Children’s Day

Dr. Martina Penazzato, Team Lead Global Accelerator for Paediatric Formulations, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said despite progress in reducing child mortality, children still faced a substantial lack of medicine globally. This could be because medication was not approved for children or was not yet available. It was important to have formulations which were adapted for children, which could be dissolved, sprinkled, or crushed so children could take the medication they needed. Today, it could take ten, or even 20 years, before medication which was approved for an adult, would be approved for a child. The WHO antibiotic pipeline showed only six out of the 32 antibiotics were being investigated for children, leaving three million newborns every year, getting sepsis, and risking their life due to antimicrobial resistance. The gap was even greater when it came to neglected tropical diseases, where less than a half of the treatments that were available for adults were investigated and approved for children.

Very few countries adopted the essential medicines list for children, which the WHO updated every two years. Even when the list was adopted, paediatric formulations were rarely mentioned. Greater action needed to happen at the country level to ensure that essential medicines were available for children. There was a brighter future ahead because many stakeholders had done work on this; what was needed now was for those stakeholders to join forces to work together, as well as new investments. WHO had recommitted to this work by launching the Global Accelerator for Paediatric Formulations, in 2020, a network that gathered more than 30 partner organizations, to unlock barriers, promote collaboration, and ensure better medicines for children. On World Children's Day, WHO called on investment and greater collaborative action around the world to make sure that children had access to the medicines they needed.

Mpox

Responding to questions, Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said the Emergency Committee of the Mpox met every three months and would meet again this Friday. The meeting began at 1pm and would continue until there was a result. The aim was to provide the media a result before the weekend, but this could not be guaranteed. It was a hybrid meeting.

World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week

Junxia Song, Senior Animal Health Officer, for the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), speaking from Rome, said AMR occurred when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites became resistant to medicines, making infections harder, or even impossible, to cure. This crisis didn’t just threaten human health; it impacted animals, agriculture, and the environment. The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in agriculture production accelerated the spread of resistance. Resistant microbes could create a ripple effect that endangered global health and food security.

This year’s UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR reinforced the urgency of action. FAO played a leading role in implementing the declaration adopted at the meeting, emphasizing sustainable solutions to safeguard food systems. As part of this effort, FAO’s Reduce the Need for Antimicrobials on Farms for Sustainable Agrifood Systems Transformation (RENOFARM), a 10-year initiative, was helping farmers reduce antimicrobial use through sustainable practices. This week, journalists could use their platforms to raise awareness, highlight solutions, and inspire leaders to uphold their commitments.

Dr. Philip Mathew, Technical Officer AMR Awareness, Campaigns and Advocacy Unit, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said there were 1.27 million deaths directly attributable to AMR in 2019 alone, a number which could rise to 1.91 billion by 2050, according to the Lancet. AMR threatened the ability to treat common infections and perform lifesaving procedures including cancer, chemotherapy, caesarean sections, hip replacement, organ transplantation and other surgeries. The cost of inaction would be serious for the global economy, with total expenses related to treating AMR bacterial infections alone, projected to reach 412 billion annually by 2035.

At the second UN General Assembly high level meeting on AMR, world leaders approved an ambitious political declaration, committing to reduce the debts associated with AMR by 10 percent in 2030. World AMR Awareness Week 2024 called on the global community to educate critical stakeholders on AMR and take concrete actions to respond. Throughout the week, many in-person and virtual events would take place across the world. WHO, along with partners were supporting AMR Awareness’s Week with numerous resources and invited the media to participate in these events.

Launch date of ITU’s annual Facts and Figures report

David Hirsch, for the International Telecommunication Unit (ITU), said on Wednesday 27 November, ITU would release the next addition of its Facts and Figures Report, which provided estimates of the number of individuals connected to the Internet. This was in support of ITU’s overall objective of achieving universal meaningful connectivity. Facts and Figures would also report on the progress being made to bridge the world’s digital divides, internet affordability, and broadband subscriptions.

Announcements

Rolando Gómez of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) said several statements had been shared from the Secretary-General on his activities in Rio de Janeiro, at the G20 Summit. He was expected to deliver remarks today at a session on sustainable development and energy transition.

A statement had been shared from the Security Council, regarding the one-year anniversary of the unlawful detention of the MV Galaxy Leader crew, the large ship seized in the Red Sea. The Security Council had called for the immediate release of the vessel and its 25 crew members who remained unlawfully detained.

The Committee Against Torture would close its 81st session on Friday 22 November, and would issue its concluding observations on the reports of the six countries reviewed during the session: Kuwait, Namibia, Thailand, Jordan, Mongolia and Cameroon.

Children around the world were facing enormous challenges, which was highlighted in the SG’s message for World Children’s Day which would be observed tomorrow on the 20^th of November.

Today was World Toilet Day, which highlighted that toilets were fundamental to human health, particularly helping women and girls live their lives with dignity.

Tomorrow was also the 35^th anniversary of Africa Industrialisation Day.

Mr. Gómez noted that at 4 p.m. today, Geneva time, the Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Najat Rochdi, would brief the Security Council. Her remarks would be distributed when she concluded.

Mr. Gómez said the Women’s Bazar was taking place in the E building at the Palais des Nations today. The Young Activists Summit was also being held this morning, starting at 10 a.m. when five young activists, between the ages of 19 and 30, from Solomon Islands, Bangladesh, France, the United States, and Mexico, were being honoured for their outstanding work on climate justice, cyber-sexism, combatting discrimination and homelessness.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

- ITU - David Hirsch: Launch date of ITU’s annual Facts & Figures report
- UNIS on behalf of OSE: Thursday at 10a New York Time/4pm Geneva, the Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Ms. Najat Rochdi will brief the Security Council. Remarks will be distributed when she concludes.

TOPICS

- UNIFIL - Andrea Tenenti (From Beirut): Update on the situation in southern Lebanon and UNIFIL’s activities
- UNICEF - James Elder: Lebanon: Escalating Violence Shatters Childhoods
- OHCHR - Jeremy Laurence:

1. Ukraine: 1000 days since Russian armed attack
2. COP29: Urgent need for human rights-based climate action

- WHO - Margaret Harris with Dr Martina Penazzato, Team Lead Global Accelerator for Pediatric Formulations: World Children’s Day
- FAO - Junxia Song, FAO Senior Animal Health Officer (From Rome): World AMR Awareness Week (Antimicrobial Resistance)
- WHO - Dr Philip Mathew, Technical Officer AMR Awareness, Campaigns and Advocacy Unit: World AMR Awareness Week