The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
OCHA Press conference 03 May 2023
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25:15
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MP4
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1.5 GB
STORY: Sudan update – Martin Griffiths
TRT: 02’56”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
RELEASE DATE: 03 May 2023
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Medium shot, UN in Geneva
- Wide shot press briefing room, Palais des Nations, Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Martin Griffiths, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (from Port Sudan): “We can and should get assistance to the different parts of Darfur, to Khartoum – yes, we can and should and the agency representatives that I met this morning are unanimous about that. But to do that we need access, we need airlift, we need supplies that don’t get looted.“
- Medium shot, journalist listening in conference room, Palais des Nations
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Martin Griffiths, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (from Port Sudan): “To be sure that we have the commitments publicly and clearly given by the two militaries to protect humanitarian assistance, to deliver on the obligations to allow supplies of people to move, and that we should do that, and humanitarians universally do this even when there is no formal national ceasefire.”
- Medium shot: Media persons typing in front of screen with speaker
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Martin Griffiths, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (from Port Sudan): “We have a plan for how we get supplies to these places. Medical first, obviously, in Khartoum, safe water there as well, supplies and a range of things to Darfur; and we know how we can do this, and we will start doing it.”
- Close up: Spokesperson listening
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Martin Griffiths, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (from Port Sudan): “Safe water supplies for people in Khartoum is of vital, obviously importance, not least to encourage them to remain where they are, where it's easier for us to serve them.”
- Close up, hands typing on laptop
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Martin Griffiths, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (from Port Sudan): “FAO and World Food Programme (WFP) talked to me today about the importance of getting the food and seeds into places which are going to be hard to reach because of the rainy season that’s coming in June, which is the planting season, which is also coming from May to July.”
- Medium shot: journalists looking at their cell phones
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Martin Griffiths, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (from Port Sudan): “We will still require agreements and arrangements to allow for movement of staff and supplies. We will need to have agreements at the highest level and very publicly, and we will need to deliver those commitments into local arrangements that can be depended on.”
- Medium shot, journalist
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Martin Griffiths, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (from Port Sudan): “It's a volatile environment. So, we need those commitments that that is one of my obligations, I think, in this visit to Sudan, in the region. And then we need to absolutely embed those commitments into clear local arrangements. I think you will find if we have good funding that we will be able to do exactly what the people of Sudan require us to do and are entitled to see us do.”
- Wide shot, press briefing room with moderator
- Medium shot, journalists listening
- Close up, hands typing on laptop
Sudan crisis: UN’s top humanitarian official urges safe passage agreements for aid convoys
Top UN humanitarian official Martin Griffiths on Wednesday urged Sudan’s warring parties to commit to the safe passage of relief supplies, as terrified civilians continue to flee the country and millions face being pushed into hunger, after more than two weeks of fighting.
“We can and should get assistance to the different parts of Darfur, to Khartoum. Yes, we can and should, and the agency representatives I met here this morning are unanimous about that. But to do that, we need access, we need airlifts, we need supplies that don’t get looted,” said emergency relief chief Griffiths.
Looting fears
Speaking from Port Sudan, Mr. Griffiths noted that the UN World Food Programme (WFP) had reported that six trucks heading to Darfur had been looted on Wednesday “despite assurances of safety and security”, amid ongoing conflict between the national armed forces of Sudan’s ruling general and his deputy’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Since violence erupted on 15 April, more than 334,000 people are believed to be internally displaced and more 100,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries, according to UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
To help the most vulnerable communities in Sudan and to prevent further looting of relief supplies, Mr. Griffiths insisted on the need “to be sure that we have the commitments publicly and clearly given by the two militaries to protect humanitarian assistance, to deliver on the obligations to allow supplies of people to move”. This commitment should apply even without a formal national ceasefire in place, he continued, by means of local arrangements “that can be depended on”.
Desperate health needs
Highlighting the scale of need in areas affected by heavy shooting and airstrikes, the UN relief chief reiterated that restoring medical assistance topped the list of priorities in the capital, Khartoum, where more than six in 10 health facilities are closed, and only around one in seven is operating normally. “Many patients with chronic diseases, like kidney disease, diabetes and cancer, are unable to access the health facilities or medicines they need,” OCHA reported.
Providing safe water also remains a vital priority, to encourage communities to stay where they were so that they can receive help. “We have a plan for how we get supplies to these places” across the country including Darfur, Mr. Griffiths said. “We know how we can do this and we will start doing it.”
Rainy season deadline
Humanitarians fear that unless such aid guarantees from the warring sides are secured, the situation in Sudan could deteriorate further.
“(The UN Food and Agriculture Organization) FAO and the UN World Food Programme, talked to me today about the importance of getting food and seeds into places which are going to be hard to reach because of the rainy season that’s coming in June, and with the planting season, which is also coming from May to July,” Mr. Griffiths said.
“We will still require agreements and arrangements to allow for movement of staff and supplies….It’s a volatile environment. So we need those commitments that that is one of my obligations, I think, in this visit to Sudan, and the region. And then we need to absolutely embed those commitments into clear local arrangements. I think you will find if we have good funding that we will be able to do exactly what the people of Sudan require us to do and are entitled to see us do.”
ends
Teleprompter
Good afternoon everyone from Geneva and good morning to those who are joining us from another time zone to this press briefing organised by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs or ORCHA with our Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffith, who is currently in Sudan, in Port Sudan from where he is speaking.
Martin will give some introductory remarks after which we will take your questions.
For those online, please raise your hand in the in the chat box there so that I can that I can see it and then we will come to you.
So with that, I pass the floor to Martin Griffiths.
Over to you, Martin.
Thank you, Janss, and thank you for this opportunity.
The Secretary General asked me towards the end of last week to travel to Sudan and to the region in order to be sure that the humanitarian community, the UN, humanitarian agencies and NGOs are enabled to do the work that we know they want to do to respond to the needs of the people in Sudan.
And I am, as you, as you have pointed out in Port Sudan today, where already this morning have had very, very specific concrete discussions, first of all with our special representative, the Secretary General Volcker, and then with the heads of the key humanitarian agencies who are input Sudan and who incidentally never left Sudan.
They are here, they're doing their job.
And I want to comment on that in a minute.
The agenda, yes, is very straightforward.
It's a practical 1, but it's also one that depends on effective advocacy.
It's clear to me from the discussions here and the discussions I had on the way here in Nairobi that the desire, willingness and the impatience of humanitarian agencies to deliver remains as strong as ever.
Indeed, as they have reminded me today, they have been doing so in very difficult circumstances.
1 fascinating example was from UNICEF, who talked about a major vaccine installation.
I think it was a $40 million value vaccine installation in the Hub, 2 which has been consistently sustained, protected and remains active.
So that's important.
But we all know we can and should do more.
And how do we do that?
We do this with two things.
Yes, Number one, we have clarity among us about a plan for deploying staff forward towards areas of need.
TAR 4, of course, is the the area of greatest need that Khartoum, very much so the beating heart of this country and other parts of South and N Sudan.
We have a plan for where we would deploy.
We have a plan for how we get supplies to these places, medical first obviously, and how to save water there as well.
Supplies a range of things to Darfur.
And we know how we can do this and we will start doing it.
But the second aspect I've already started working on here today is to be sure that we have the commitments publicly and clearly given by the two militaries to protect humanitarian assistance, to deliver on the obligations to allow supplies of people to move, and that we should do that.
And humanitarians universally do this.
Even when there is no formal national ceasefire, we will still require agreements and arrangements to allow for movement of staff and supplies.
We will need to have agreement at the highest level and very publicly and we will need to deliver those commitments into local arrangements that can be depended on.
So that's the agenda against and I am confident that the humanitarian community is here to do that famous thing, staying and delivering.
Thank you very much, Martin, for those words of of introduction, a clear agenda.
We will go to the questions now.
Please, if I can ask you to state your name and the media you work for.
We will take one question at the time.
We'll take as many as we possibly can.
We may come back to you if time allows.
Please speak loud and clearly so that we can all hear you.
First up, I have Pamela Falk from CBS News.
Good morning, USG, and thank you, Yens.
Stay safe in Sudan.
My question It's Pamela Falk from CBS.
News.
My question.
Is you said yesterday 100,000 people have fled Sudan with the your announcement, with their announcement of a seven day ceasefire.
Are you seeing any reduction of that or is it just continually increasing?
Thank you, Pamela.
I think it was Filippo Brandy who made that announcement, as you can imagine, as **** Commissioner for Refugees, and I think he'd be the person to go to for the answer to your question.
But I would say this, I don't think we've seen the end of people seeking safety around in Sudan and in its neighbouring countries.
One of the things that I know you're an HCR in the lead in regional responses and responses to needs of people going into neighbouring countries is is very, very active indeed.
Filippo and I participated in the call with President Ruto the other day where this became a very important element.
So we need to provide aid insight Sudan, to encourage people not to leave, not to need to leave, and we need to be ready in those neighbouring places to receive them with all the rights entitlements that come with those refugee conventions.
Thank you, Martin James Bass.
Hello, Under Secretary General James Baez from Al Jazeera.
A difficult question for you.
There has been quite a bit of criticism of the United Nations.
We're well aware of the people that you lost.
We're well aware of how violent it was.
But there were some that were criticising the UN, saying that in recent days, in the last couple of weeks, the UN really wasn't doing enough and had abandoned the people of Sudan.
Do you think mistakes were made?
Oh, James, mistakes are always made.
You know, you and I and the people in this meeting have lived through a series of crises in this last year and a half.
I wouldn't go to any one of those crises and say those mistakes weren't made because in the heat of things and in particular with the viral nature of this conflict that we see in Sudan, keeping up with the movements and opportunities and possibilities is extremely difficult.
And that without even mentioning the terrible stresses that came upon the 100,000 people in Sudan, but also many of our colleagues who needed to move to safety.
However, I do think that we haven't probably been good enough at telling the story of what humanitarians have continued to do, but also perhaps more important than claiming that we aren't doing things that what we can do and what we need to happen from others if we are to do those things.
Yes, we can and should get assistance to the different parts of Darfur, to Khartoum.
Yes, we can and should.
And the agency representatives I met here this morning are unanimous about that.
But to do that, we need access, we need airlift, we need supplies that don't get looted.
Well, food programme today James informed me 6 trucks of theirs which were going to Darfur were looted on route despite assurances of safety and security.
So it's, it's, it's, it's a, it's a volatile environment.
So we need those commitments that that is one of my obligations, I think in this visit to Sudan in the region.
And then we need to absolutely embed those commitments into clear local arrangements.
I think you will find, if we get good funding, that we will be able to do exactly what the people of Sudan require us to do and are entitled to see us do.
Thank you, Martin.
Allah Rabi, over to you.
Your mic is open for for Allah Rabi.
Please go ahead.
OK.
It's not coming through.
We we will come back to you.
Next up, Nina from ASP.
Yes, hi.
Thank you very much for taking my question.
I'm just wondering, before the fighting erupted, the UN estimated that more than 1/3 of Sudan's population would need humanitarian assistance this year.
I'm wondering if you could say.
How much?
Worse, you expect the conflict to make things and do, if you have any fresh planning figures when it comes to the aid that will be needed.
And also given the dirender funding that the UN has been warning about, how likely is that they'll be able to actually address those increasing needs?
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
You know, the, the, it happens always in these particular crises that there is a, an urgent need, as you say, Nina, for assessments of need and that these assessments should be published and publicised and lead to fundraising.
And that's true and that's important.
And those assessments have indeed been ongoing since the fighting started.
But in different parts of Sudan, the assessments, I mean, the situation is very different and we don't have an overall composite picture of the editions right now.
I think it's a bit clearer in the case of the regional response.
I know that when ACR is already in the final stages of an appeal for responses in the region.
But let me let me say this, We have a humanitarian response plan and an appeal for $1.7 billion for Sudan before this latest crisis began.
And that has been funded now to about the tune of 200 million.
So what we need is people to put money into that.
Those funds, they exist as a Sudan humanitarian fund run by my office, for example, which has been tested and true.
So there is no need to wait for an appeal to put money where it needs to be.
And the operations that agencies are indeed involved in as of the days of the beginning of this crisis are different in certain respects, but they're involving the same partners.
They're involved in the same agreements with government to provide for their entry and so forth.
So you can use the same structure and architecture to address the new needs.
One thing, however, if I may add, is this, that it's part of the advocacy that we need to bring to bear the the bureaucratic impediments to delivering assistance into Saddam.
In a situation as as as rapidly changing as this, I think need to be updated.
Getting visas, getting movement certificates is not proving easy.
I myself had some difficulty getting visas, but others, particularly international NGOs, said to me today they really need help on this and we need to get that true of supplies coming in quickly so that that we can get those supplies on the road to the to the people that need it.
Thank you, Martin.
In fairness, we will try to go back to Ala Rabi now over to you with it for your question.
Thank you.
Sorry, it doesn't seem to work.
Next up on my list we have Gabrielle Reuters.
Mr Griffith Griffith, thank you for for the briefing.
I was just wondering if you could provide us with an update on what has arrived in Sudan and what you know has arrived and what you might be expecting to arrive in terms of supplies anytime soon.
We know certain supplies from WHO have arrived.
You mentioned the looting from WFP.
Any other data you might have on that?
Thank you.
Yeah.
Again, I don't have a composite picture, Gabrielle, but I would pick on those examples.
I was talking to the World Health Organisation people here this morning who have been able to get permission to bring an airlift in from there, Dubai warehousing, operation of medical supplies into Port Sudan, where I am now.
We're going to need to get permission to move those to Khartoum, for example.
I think they've also offloaded this vessel that they had in Port Sudan.
Medical supplies are, you know, by any standards the front end of a humanitarian response in in particularly Khartoum, where as we know to 2/3 of health institutions have been, have been closed for various reasons to do with the conflict.
Medical supplies very important.
The second thing which I think is I was also told today by one of the leaders of Sudan's civil society organisations of the importance of water, particularly in Khartoum, Safe water supplies for people in Khartoum is on vital, obviously importance, not least to encourage them to remain where they are, where it's easier for us to serve them.
So water supply support is very important.
UNICEF made a very strong case for vaccines.
I mentioned earlier the vaccine facility in how to which have been protected.
UNICEF told me that there's vaccines in Darfur which have been looted.
As you know, looting of humanitarian stocks across the country has been a very sad phenomenon of these past weeks.
And so we need to resupply those stocks which have been, which have been gone.
But we need to do it into an environment where there are commitments that the looting won't happen again, of course.
And I think I've mentioned, I talked about that FAO and Wealth Food programme talked to me today about the importance of getting food and seeds into places which are going to be hard to reach because of the rainy season.
It's coming in June and because the planting season which has also come from May to July.
So pre stopping which is a phenomenon which is common to all years in Sudan is going to require urge reduction as well.
And then in Darfur, because of the ranging nature of the conflict and the violence there, it's very difficult to make assessments.
It's a very difficult operating environment and it's of the highest importance.
We we believe that we should also be asking for support from the Chadian authorities to allow us to bring supplies in with Sudanese approval across the border into western Darfur, for example.
Thank you, Martin Isabel from FA.
Yes, thank you very much for this briefing.
I will do a follow up on the previous question because that was I was wondering the UN agencies and other organisations like the ICRC announce the arrival of the of aid to Port Sudan where you are, Mr Griffiths.
But what I don't have clear, I don't, I am not clear on the fact if these supplies are being able to be moved to the places where they are needed or if these supplies are attending the conditions to be fulfilled for this.
But if you can please clarify.
Sure, Bob.
And again, I think that individual agencies are the best people to talk to, to clarify their specifically.
But it's like for example, the International Committee, the Red Cross with whom I met them yesterday, have an operational hub in Wadi Madan Madani, South of Khartoum.
They're operating from there, as you know, into the city.
And of course their supplies I'm sure are doing to that operating base then to partners, particularly the right present, for example, delivering to health institutions across the city.
But I, you know, as I mentioned in the context of the six tracks and well through programme which were looted today, we need to be very, very clear about commitments made to ensure the safety of movement of supplies from or Sudan or indeed from Chad coming into Darfur from Port Sudan westwards to the places of need.
Indeed cut to an on demand being the most obvious.
And that those commitments are of **** priority for me.
And we've already started the conversations with with the parties to identify what we need from them to make those movements happen.
If you do not, then it's right, your question is right.
We can't move the supplies from Port Sudan, then the purpose of bringing them in will be reduced.
Not to mention, however, that they are very serious and growing needs, for example, of internally displaced here in Port Sudan.
Port Sudan is is a place changing by the day.
Thank you, Martin.
Next up, Laurent from Swiss Press.
Yeah.
Thank you Martin for the the.
Press conference to follow up on what you just said about the the kind of dialogue you you have already had.
So what kind of channels and dialogue have you had so far?
What is planned for the next two days in that?
Regard and.
When you mentioned the need to secure both commitments from the top level and local.
Arrangements.
Do you?
Have the feeling that there.
There are clear.
Chain of commands between these two levels.
We've started the road, the journey, the effort to secure those commitments at the very highest level of the, of the the 2 to the two militaries.
And what I'm saying to to them, in fact, and now through you to others, is that where we would be not happy, we would be wanting to meet those two leaders as soon as possible separately face to face, to explain to them our requirements built on the discussions with humanitarian operational agencies, UN and non UN.
So that it is clear to them and to us what our what, what commitments we can realistically get and, and what they can realistically expect from us in return in terms of the support for the people of Sudan.
So we started that.
Now, of course, you know, security dominates all conversations of these kinds, whether it's in the political track or even our very distinct humanitarian track.
We're going to try and work it out to make sure it happens as quickly as possible.
Because it seems to me getting those commitments is a condition precedent for large scale humanitarian action.
And I'd say large scale because humanitarian action is continuing day by day by day.
And it's been a mistake to suggest that it stopped, you know, completely.
It didn't of course continue and we've heard a lot about supplies coming in, but we need to back back it up with top level agreements on specific requests.
Thank you very much, Martin.
I have to say, I've been told that we kind of have a hard stop at 1:00 PM, So Next up is Christian from DPA and then we will see Yuri Aprelev from Rio Novosi after that.
Thank you, Christian.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Diane Martin Is this looting mainly happening in areas controlled by the army or by militias?
Or is it?
Both.
Thank you.
I don't know.
I mean, I'm not in possession of that, those facts.
What I know is what you know from all the reports of what's going on in Sudan and what is not unusual in any such situation is that you have some of the military elements very, very disciplined and some there.
So the worry as conveyed to me by that civil society leader that I spoke to this morning is when commitments are made by people at the chain of command, I guess, and then it doesn't work out at the at the operation, at the level of movement of supplies.
That's the kind of discussion which I think is really important to have with with with the leaders of both the militaries so that we can be clear what what we need to be able to operate fairly.
It's not as if we're asking for the moon.
We're asking for the movement of humanitarian supplies and people.
We do this in every other country, even without ceasefires.
We it's a traditional humanitarian enterprise to go where others don't.
And President Ruto made an interesting point the other day when he said, of course we must go for ceasefires.
It's essential.
But by the way, humanitarian needs continue to even where ceasefires are not operating.
And I think the way he put it was very telling.
Thank you, Martin.
I am afraid we'll have to go to the very last question from Ryan Novosti.
Thank you.
Yes.
And thank you for the briefing.
My, I have only one question.
You said that you were in contact with the parties to the conflict.
Did you ask them to leave the laboratory transformed into a military base in Khartoum containing samples of pathogens?
Because who was scared about that?
And because you are talking with them, maybe you have spoke about this matter too.
I haven't really, no.
But at the moment what we're doing is asking them to agree a place in time for our discussions on the range of humanitarian issues of of which I'm sure that that will will be 1.
Thank you very much, Martin, for for this briefing and I thank everybody who participated in in this.
I am afraid that we will have to wrap it up with that.
So I think from all of us to you, thank you very much for giving this briefing margin and good luck in your endeavours.
Thank you so much.
Thank you all.
Thank you.