So we'll start with some announcements. If we can do that in a succinct way,
I'd be very grateful because we've got a number of people
online. We've got three briefers on Gaza and one on Sudan.
We don't want to keep them waiting too long.
So listen, I'm gonna call, uh, Catherine to come up for UN trade and development
just to note in terms of, uh,
I gave you a little bit of a sense of what's coming up at this briefing.
There is a 12 noon briefing,
uh, also in this room by OSHA
on the situation. Uh, in Ethiopia. It's connected to the high level pledging event
that's happening this afternoon
And the link will be the same as for this briefing.
from you on trade and development
UEC. You're going to speak to us about resource management week. Please go ahead.
Thank you, Michael. Good morning, everybody.
So Resource Management Next Resource Management Week next week here in the
Pale will gather experts from around the world
to advance Cooper operation on UN tools to
address the sustainability crisis in resource use.
As you may know, massive quantities of critical raw materials like lithium,
graphite and rare earth elements will be needed for the energy transition.
They are crucial for renewable energy technologies for battery
production and for driving the global shift to electrification
to meet the demand. For these and other resources,
extraction could rise by 60% by 2060 from 2020 levels.
This comes at a huge environmental cost as resource extraction and processing
account for some 60% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide,
with huge impacts on biodiversity and water stress.
Minerals are also a major development issue,
accounting for a significant role in the economies of 81 countries.
That's representing a quarter of global
half the world's population and nearly 70% of those living in extreme poverty.
concerted efforts will be needed to ensure respect for human rights and well being,
including for workers in the extractive industry, indigenous communities
and environmental defenders.
Overall demand for these resources must be
stemmed through measures for energy efficiency,
the circular economy and resource sobriety and in parallel.
for international co ordination to bring resource
management into balance with sustainable development.
the good news is there are tools available that can support these efforts
in the form of the UN framework classification
for resources and the UN resource management system,
the rising global use of these tools will be in focus next
week as the expert group on resource management meets here in Geneva.
the 22nd to the 26th of April,
And just to give you a little explanation of how these tools help,
they provide a common language and framework to classify,
manage and report all energy and mineral resources.
They apply to mining and can be used to facilitate the reuse of mining waste
for the circular economy and also apply to renewable energy projects.
The secretary general has called for the extractive industry to align with UN
That's the framework classification and the UN economic and social
Council has endorsed the UN resource management system for global use
now to support improved decision making on resource activities.
These tools integrate economic viability,
environmental sustainability and social responsibility in line with the S
The only globally applicable U tools to do so and their increasing use worldwide
speaks for themselves just to give you a couple of examples before wrapping up.
The recently adopted EU Critical Raw Materials Act
stipulates the use of UNC for all projects.
The African Union has endorsed a continent wide system based on
URM the resource management system
and has just launched the Pan African Resource Reporting Code,
which is the only template to report artisanal and small scale mining activities
which employ millions of people, often in unregulated conditions.
So the resource management next week will showcase a variety of case studies
and use of these tools and jurisdictions worldwide, from Cornwall in the UK
to Queensland, Australia, Mexico and Zambia
and and to provide updates on this shared best practises.
It will also provide an update on the work of
the Secretary General's panel on Critical energy transition materials,
so as always, we stand ready to facilitate contact with our experts.
I'll be sending you the written notes for this.
And please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Thank you very much. Thomas. Um,
I see we've got IO and WMO online now,
uh, just to repeat my my plea,
uh, if you can if you can make your announcement in a couple of minutes.
Uh, so So we don't keep, um, our our, uh, other briefers waiting
too long online. I'd be grateful.
I would give the floor to Zaina Awad from IO. Next, please.
thank you very much. And, uh, well noted, um,
Uh, this is to let the colleagues know that, uh, next Monday, the 22nd of April,
a press briefing at the study at 1030 in the morning,
or to unveil our upcoming report on the impact
of climate change on the health of workers.
Uh, the report is titled Ensuring Safety and health at work in a changing climate.
and it will be presented by our senior specialist on occupational health
Azi as well as, uh, myself.
Um, we, uh we also have the material available for, uh, interested.
Um, uh, parties and journalists under embargo. As of this coming Friday at, uh,
Uh, sorry. The Friday the 19th of April, and the embargo will be lifted.
Um, on the day of the briefing, the 22nd at, uh, 11 a.m.
we will be sharing, uh, new figures, Uh, um,
to show the impact that climate change is having
on the health of workers.
Um, in including, um, you know, uh, diseases, um, as well as, uh, other conditions.
And we'll be taking a look. We'll be taking a wider look at, uh,
the impact of climate change.
So we're not just focusing on heat stress, but we're also looking
at climate change induced,
um, changes in the environment that are then triggering, um, health concerns.
Um, short and sweet. That's it from my end. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Zena, Uh,
I've got, uh, Maya plans from the UN brief, and then I've got it still from Jean's
Yes, thank you very much for taking my question. Michael.
Uh, Michelle, Um my question is, uh, I have several actually, for you to one of the,
um um press officers, uh, for Kathrine.
If you could send me the notes to my email directly,
I haven't received the the press release you mentioned.
uh, crow. Uh, Thomas, I have not received any of your latest, uh, press releases.
Perhaps you should add me to your, uh, distribution list
and, uh, regarding the, uh, IO report.
Uh, also, if you could send us, uh, via email, that would be great,
because the link here sometimes, you know, you cannot save it.
So that's pretty much what I had to
thank you. Thank you. So, uh, my plan
and brief asking to be on the distribution list for your materials for your events?
Uh, yes. It's, uh, zayna. Just a quick question on the embargoed report.
Um, if I can ask to send it
kind of early on Friday would be nice.
We all love to work on ILO reports during the weekend,
but if we can start Friday, you know,
it's always better. Thank you.
oh, completely understood. Uh, absolutely.
And, Maya, you will, uh you will get the link.
I'm assuming I think I understood that your question
is to get to ensure you get the link
for the press briefing on Monday and then the the the link to the content of of,
of the report itself on on Friday. So for sure, we'll be We'll be sharing those.
zaina and, uh, colleagues, uh, I'd give the floor now to, uh, Claire Noli
Ok, sorry, I'm now unmuted.
Uh, I also will be brief, uh, also staying with the subject of climate change. Um,
Monday, the 22nd of April, which is Earth day.
WMO and the European Union's Copernicus Climate change service will be releasing,
um, the state of the climate in Europe report.
Um, it's an embargoed report.
You should have already received the materials under embargo.
If you didn't, please let me know and I will send them to you.
There is an embargoed press conference at 2 p.m. this afternoon.
It's a fully virtual event. It's hosted by Copernicus Climate Change service.
Again. If you need access, please let me know, Um,
given that the report is embargoed until next Monday if you need
face to face interviews with, um any of the WMO experts between now and Monday
Um, please just, uh please just let me know
on Tuesday the 23rd, we have another regional state of the climate report coming up.
in Asia. The UN SCAP meeting in Asia.
Um, and that is the state of the climate in Asia Report.
And again, we'll send you material on that, uh, under embargo.
Probably not till, uh, till Monday till Monday, though.
That's all from me. Thank you.
Um, I'll have a couple of announcements to make at the end of this briefing,
uh, our our briefers who are online have been who've been waiting patiently.
and, uh, I think we'll open up our segment on the situation in
Gaza with the UN women. Uh,
we've got Suzanne. Mikhail
Hagen, uh, regional director for Arab states connecting with us from Cairo.
Uh, Suzanne, if you can hear us, the floor is yours. Please, go ahead.
I can hear you loud and clear, and I hope that you can hear me as well.
Thank you for having me today and I am here with you today to shed some light
on the humanitarian situation in Gaza
and with particular focus on the humanitarian impact on women and girls in Gaza,
goes without saying colleagues and friends.
The humanitarian situation impacts on women, girls, boys and men.
But the purpose of this very short brief is to, uh,
pay some special attention to those distinct needs
that we see very clearly amongst women
colleagues. More than 32,000
Palestinians have been killed to date,
and UN women estimates that to date almost 10,000 women have been killed.
When we dig a little bit deeper into those numbers,
and when we dig a little bit deeper into those demographics,
the picture becomes even more disturbing
because you and women estimates that to date
around 6000 mothers have been killed.
That means leaving 19,000 Children behind.
Of course, those women who have survived similar to others in
and of course, in many cases, their entire being around them.
Whether material, but again in terms of loss of life,
uh, losing siblings, Children, parents, et cetera
Up to date, UN estimates that
more than 8000 women might have become widowed because of the recent war on Gaza.
That means 8000, husbands had been killed.
These women are in a particularly vulnerable situation because, as we can imagine,
they are solely responsible for the very protection
well being, but also assurance of food and water for their entire families.
We also know, and this is not only in Gaza,
but in other humanitarian settings as well,
find it much more difficult to access services in
this case access food and water than men do.
In the recent survey conducted in Gaza,
it shows that 87% of women find it harder to access food, UH, than men in Gaza
publication that will be released today in in an hour
to be more exact water and scarcity and fear,
which focuses particularly on water and access to water.
Of course, the entire population in Gaza now, regardless of gender,
is food and water insecure. No access to safe and clean water.
But there is a distinct group here that is particularly, uh,
vulnerable to the situation and that it is the more
than half a million women and girls in reproductive age.
If we follow the reproductive age cycle, if you will, uh,
the picture becomes clearer
first, starting with young girls that are, uh, entering puberty.
Uh, and with monthly cycles have, of course, conveyed to you and women
the tremendous vulnerabilities each month not having
any type of protection or dignity kits.
And that is, of course, played out in a crowded setting, overcrowded setting,
very few latrines and again, hardly any safe water.
Then, from, uh, uh, the early age of of teenage girls.
If we look at the slightly older bracket women giving birth again without water, uh,
and without anaesthesia at at times
that have led to a surge, as we have uh,
in in reproductive and and urinary tract infections
and that also the urinary tract infections,
That is also a result of again the the lack of sanitary kits,
which means that many women revert to using whatever is, is found,
whether it's cloth, sponges, et cetera,
the next phase or the third phase.
Uh, lactating women, of course, have a highly, uh,
daily water and calorie intake requirement.
But again, with hardly any access to clean water,
pregnant and lactating women need 7.5 litres of of clean water per day,
and that is five times the amount presently available.
And the lack of such is was bringing tremendous health risks for both mothers
and their newborn babies.
Colleagues. I would like to end uh, by also stating the obvious.
Of course, I have today focused very much on the vulnerabilities,
but what you and women, um, is is is very clear on
the is the tremendous strength and resilience of women and girls in
Our work, our humanitarian work is in very close partnership,
hand in hand with women led organisations on the ground,
and I am deeply impressed and humbled by their sophisticated
and sharp assessment on the exact needs on the ground,
and that is very much thanks to their
very close proximity to affected women and girls.
They helped us collectively to understand, for example,
that the initial humanitarian response package by UN women needed to be expanded
beyond the, uh, the food packages that we already started delivering in, uh,
so more so in terms of winter clothes and
dignity kits, diapers for Children and even very, very simple.
Uh, I would say recreational items for young Children such as as, um,
colour books and and and colour pens.
Uh, we work very closely with our partners on the ground,
particularly the World Food Programme
But also the Egyptian blood question from Egypt and of course, the hash,
my charity organisation from from Jordan.
Uh, before I, I conclude, I would like to emphasise, particularly
in the increased volatility that we have seen in the past week
the urgent need of ceasefire,
whoever we speak to on the ground, regardless of gender.
And of course, our communication is continuous,
particularly with women and girls.
Is the plea the call for immediate ceasefire?
We cannot underestimate the disturbing message this gives to young
people throughout the Arab state region throughout the world.
Um, I would pause here and give the word back to you.
Thank you very much. Suzanne.
if are there any questions? Um on
on the briefing we just received.
Uh, we've got two other briefers or three other briefers on Gaza
So if if if there are none coming up now, perhaps I'll ask you Suzanne,
if you don't mind staying on,
online in case questions come up later on.
Thank you. James Ravina Welcome.
I'd like to give the floor next to Ravina Shamdasani
from the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Ravina The floor is yours.
The UN Human Rights Office urges all states with influence to do everything in
their power to halt the increasingly horrific
human rights and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The rising violence and targeted attacks in the West Bank
and the heightened risk of wider escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
Resolving the catastrophic situation of civilians in Gaza must remain a priority.
Israel continues to impose unlawful restrictions on
the entry and distribution of humanitarian assistance,
carry out widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure as well.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights repeats
that there must be an immediate ceasefire.
The hostages must be released and full,
unfettered humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow immediately.
Those delivering or trying to access
humanitarian assistance must never be attacked.
No area of the Gaza Strip has been spared from Israel's bombardment.
We have nearly 1.7 million people who remain forcibly displaced,
living in appalling conditions and under constant threat.
In the past week alone, fighting has intensified in Middle Gaza,
leading to the displacement of some 10,000 people
from in and around a Nazareth
camp and near Wadi, Gaza.
We've also received reports that during
the Israeli defence forces attacked at least eight mosques in
and struck a further three on the 14th of April.
And we are concerned that there have been further strikes on mosques since then.
We're collecting information on this.
534 mosques have been destroyed or damaged,
according to the Gaza Government Media office.
We remind that places of worship are protected under the laws of war.
Israeli defence forces reportedly opened fire on a group of Palestinians on
Al Rashid Road who were attempting to return to their homes in northern Gaza.
At least one Palestinian woman was killed and 11 others were injured.
Intentional targeting and killing of civilians is a war crime
Escalating violence over the past few days is also a matter of grave concern.
Palestinians have been subjected to waves of
attacks by hundreds of Israeli settlers,
often accompanied by or supported by the Israeli security forces
following the killing of a 14 year old Israeli boy from a settler family.
Four Palestinians, including a child, were killed
and Palestinian property was destroyed in revenge attacks.
According to information received by our office,
armed settlers and Israeli forces have entered a
number of towns and villages in various governorates,
including Ramallah, Nablus,
Bethlehem and Hebron governorates.
Dozens of Palestinians have reportedly been injured,
including through the use of firearms
by settlers and by Israeli security forces,
and hundreds of homes and other buildings as well as cars have been torched.
Three Israeli soldiers suffered injuries after they were hit with stones.
It was also reported that settlers established at least two new outposts in the past
two days in the Jordan Valley and
in south Hebron hills near Palestinian communities,
which have been repeatedly attacked by settlers in the past months
and are at imminent risk of being forcibly
transferred from their homes and their lands.
Israel, as the occupying power,
must take all measures in its power to restore and ensure, as far as possible,
public order and safety in the occupied West Bank.
This obligation includes protecting Palestinians from settler attacks
and ending unlawful use of force against Palestinians by Israeli security forces.
The Israeli security forces must immediately end their active
participation in and support for settler attacks on Palestinians.
Israeli authorities must instead prevent further attacks,
including by bringing those responsible to account
those reasonably suspected of criminal acts,
including murder or other unlawful killings,
must be brought to justice through a judicial process that
complies with international human rights standards and follows a prompt,
impartial, independent, effective, transparent investigation.
Neither Palestinians nor Israelis should have to take the
law into their own hands to extract revenge.
Ravina, Uh, with your permission, I'd like to go to UNICEF next.
And perhaps we can take questions on Gaza. Uh, collectively, after that,
thanks very much. Now a very quick introduction. Tess Ingram is in Cairo.
Tess has just got back from a fortnight in
which coincided arriving there on the day
those World Central Kitchen colleagues were killed.
Uh, she did a mission to the North. Multiple missions in the south.
In fact, her own convoy came under attack. So it's a good segue from yours.
Ravina, Uh, Tess is in Cairo.
Uh, as James just said, I left, uh, Gaza yesterday after two weeks there,
and it was my second mission to Gaza this year.
And by far what struck me most about this mission was the number of wounded Children
not just in the hospitals, but also on the streets in their makeshift shelters,
going about their now permanently altered lives.
Over the last six months,
a staggering number of Children have been wounded
amid the intense and often indiscriminate attacks,
their lives forever changed by the horrors of war.
The total number of injured Children in this conflict is quite difficult to gather.
But the most recent data from the Palestinian
Ministry of Health documents more than 12,000 Children,
which is about 70 Children a day injured in Gaza Since the current conflict began.
This is almost certainly an underestimate,
because only a small number of reported injuries are disaggregated
to specify when it's a child that's been injured.
Regardless, these Children have become the faces of the ongoing war,
from devastating injuries sustained in air strikes to
the trauma of being caught in violent clashes.
Their stories paint a harrowing picture of the human cost of conflict.
Imagine for a second being strip searched, left naked
and questioned for hours, told that you're safe
and then you can leave you quickly walk away down the street,
praying that you'll be OK.
your father is killed and a bullet penetrates your naked pelvis, causing serious
internal and external injuries that are going to require reconstructive surgery.
Kunis, Yusuf told me this happened to him.
I also met a nine year old girl with major open wounds from a blast,
a 16 year old girl orphaned and recovering from a broken leg,
A 13 year old boy still recovering three months
after a very difficult arm amputation without anaesthetic,
and a 10 year old boy in intensive care
after being shot in the head while buying herbs, and he died the next day.
That's just five Children of those injured in the past six months,
and I met so many others.
And there are thousands of similar stories likely fire exceeding 12,000.
And this tells us two things.
One. The nature of this war.
It's volatile. It's often affecting civilians, including Children,
and costing tens of thousands of them their lives.
And two, it's disproportionately impacting kids.
so Children are wearing a tremendous share of the scars of this war.
Those injured in Gaza struggle to receive the medical care they need.
The medical directors of some of the 11 remaining hospitals
told me that the lack of staff and supplies needles,
Anaesthetic is negatively impacting the care that they can provide,
especially for surgeries.
And so injured Children often languish in pain.
Medivacs are really difficult to get lets
Less than half of the patients who submitted
requests for medical evacuation have been approved,
and only about 3500 people, most of them Children,
have been medically evacuated abroad. That's less than 20 a day.
Urgent Medical cases in Gaza must be able to safely
access critical health services or be allowed to leave.
Sick and injured Children who are evacuated
must be accompanied by their family members,
with at least 70 Children injured every single day.
We need the number of medical evacuations to increase so
Children can access the care that they urgently need.
And with one child killed or injured every 10 minutes
above anything else, we need a ceasefire.
It is the only way to stop the killing and maiming of Children.
Their shattered bodies and fractured lives are a testament
to the brutality that is being forced upon them.
Youssef asked me to relay this.
He said, Stop the war. It's enough.
We are Children. What is our fault?
Ingram, UNICEF speaking to us from Cairo. Thank you very much.
I'm gonna wait a minute to let that information sink in.
Uh, and, uh I see. I have a question online from John Zar
Draw on the floor is yours. Go ahead.
Uh, good morning. Uh, thank you for that update.
I was wondering if you could bring us up to speed
on the number of Children that have had their limbs amputated.
9000 people that WHO told us needed to be, uh,
uh, sent abroad for medical treatment because of their conditions.
either from injuries or suffering from serious,
uh, health situations, like cancer, where they need treatment abroad? Urgently.
Um, on the number of Children with amputations,
it's a really difficult piece of data for us to ascertain.
We haven't been able to get an update on that since the beginning of December.
So we're something we're still working on.
But I don't have a new number for you, I'm afraid,
um, I'll leave the second part to WHO.
Thank you. I think we've got
Tarek on the line for WHO. If I don't know if you you're ready to come in on this.
If not, um, or we'll give you a moment, you can raise your hand.
We'll go to Emma, far from Reuters.
Uh, thanks. Uh, thanks, John, for for the question.
I know, uh, you have been asking about this and as, uh, as as Tess said, Uh,
unfortunately, we don't have, uh, figures on on amputations.
we will certainly be looking into into getting data
I also don't have exact figure on how many Children
among are among those who need to be oc.
Uh, but again, there have been only, uh, uh, uh, a couple of thousands of people, Evo,
while there is a need for more Uh, but beyond the, uh, beyond the evos,
what we've been repeatedly saying is that we need to,
rebuild as much as we can the health system in
Gaza so people can get, uh,
uh, health services there.
There have been more than 76,000 people injured, and as as Tess was saying,
many of them Children who are not even in a hospital receiving care uh,
our teams went yesterday to to Al
Shifa again and to Indonesian hospital. And as you know, Al
Shifa, being the biggest hospital is is is basically being, uh,
being destroyed now, uh, what?
that the management of the hospital is trying to
to get the emergency department room cleaned and, uh,
trying to get some of the emergency medical teams to move in there.
Uh, but but, uh, but but the worker work is is just just enormous to get, uh,
to get just, uh, uh, uh uh, a cleaning part and let alone to get, uh, to get supplies.
And again, we are calling. Really, uh, for for this the confliction mechanism to be
effective, to be transparent and to be workable, Uh, more than half of WHO missions,
uh, since October until end of march.
So those missions that we plan in the morning, day after day to go
to help hospitals that are still functional.
So more than a half of those missions have been either
denied delayed or uh uh or been facing other other obstacles.
So they had to be postponed. So we really need, uh, that access.
Uh, but, John, I will try to get the, uh the the the the exact
answer to your question. How many
Children are among those who would need to be advocated?
I know that many of those who need to be evacuated are not, uh, patients, uh,
But people also, uh, with the chronic diseases.
Uh uh, uh, uh simply because they cannot get the care they need,
uh, inside inside Gaza right now.
Thank you, Tarek. Emma, go ahead.
for the briefing and for your your courage in going to Gaza and reporting back to us.
Um, either for Tess or for Tariq, Uh, two small questions, Um, on the evacuations.
I'm also very interested in more information,
but can you tell us a little bit more about what determines who gets evacuated or not?
Is it who can pay? I understand that it's very expensive to get out of Gaza.
Um, now and if you could give us any insights into that process.
various reports of Children being injured by,
uh, aid airdrops. Um, I'm wondering how many cases of this you may have seen.
Is this becoming, um, a growing issue or are they really very isolated stories?
Thanks. Um, thanks for that. Um, on the first one.
Tara, do you have information on that?
It takes a little bit, uh uh longer, uh, I I think I really, uh uh would be good. Really?
On these details on how practically these evacuations are organised.
That would be good. Really. Next time we had our our our rep doctor
porn at the Palais. So he can really explain in details the process.
Uh, when it comes, who has to go out? I mean it. This is the medical question.
It's the people who are whose life is really in danger until
they get unless they get the care that is not available.
Uh, in Gaza right now in those 11 hospitals that are still, uh uh, functional.
So, uh, uh uh uh, How how it is practically organised.
Let's, uh let's get with the WWR.
But, uh, the the the patients have been, uh uh uh In In, in in in some instances.
throughout these six months have been referred to to hospitals in Egypt,
but on details, uh, I will I will I will really try to get, uh, from, uh,
from our office down there.
How? How practically these These applications are being negotiated.
Just to add on that from based on conversations I had with doctors in the hospitals.
One of the things they also mentioned is, as Tarik said, often some of the times,
the medical evacuations of patients with with chronic problems,
some of the trauma cases are just too severe and and life threatening that the
patients aren't stable enough or don't make it in time for a medical evacuation.
Um, on the point of airdrops.
Um, I didn't see it myself while I was there,
but I did speak to a neurosurgeon at European Hospital who told me, um,
about a case that he had of a child who was very badly injured by an airdrop.
Um, so you know, there are reported incidents of this, uh, happening.
I just don't have any data for you, I'm afraid.
Thank you, Tess. We've got a question from Maya. Plan the UN brief. Maya, go ahead.
it's regarding the information war and this information
war that's happening in these areas of conflict.
Do you have any comments in terms of because you
how the UN agencies are being affected by that?
The work of the UN agencies,
Tarik or perhaps somebody else as well. I don't know.
Go ahead, Tarik, if you want to say something
Well, uh, look, uh, my, uh uh, our job is not to engage in any any sort of, uh
uh, information war. Uh, our job
is to do our best on a daily basis to
help preserve what little is left of the health system
and the report back to the world on what our teams are seeing.
And we are doing that on a on a daily basis.
You will see that that our country office, uh, is is putting out information on, uh,
on what missions have been conducted and what what what is
the assessment and what are the needs and what we are trying
It's not to comment on whoever is saying anything, but just to say, like,
this is the reality that we see.
Uh, this is, uh uh, uh, What we are trying to do, Uh,
and I think it's really important that that that we are there
and that we do this work beyond the actual humanitarian work.
Uh, this work of, uh, of bearing witness.
Uh uh uh to to to the of the situation and of of this horrible suffering, Uh, that, uh,
that people of Gaza are going through,
Uh, thank you, Derek. Dams Go ahead.
Yeah, I just to add it is important.
it's unfortunate that the United Nations keeps
being dragged in at least operational agencies
into this he said, She said,
But facts do very much matter.
And of course, this very much points to why, From the early stages,
the Secretary general and everyone else has
spoken about getting journalists on the ground
That would enable us to do our work, uh,
in in an easier manner and not be consistently counting trucks.
But since we do as everybody knows,
uh, it was 500 trucks commercial and humanitarian before seventh of October.
In March, it was around a hu average of 100
and 20. We there is talk. Of course. Re crossing now has finally opened in the north.
Um, and that was on the back of lobbying from the United Nations.
Again, Let's be very clear that opens in the North.
A much promised threatened off defences in Rafa
would shut the number one crossing in the south and that
would be catastrophic both for those people sheltering in Rafa.
And of course, for um, for those people so dependent upon aid coming through
imminent famine is a another fact. The IP. C's numbers are very, very clear.
That's the most respected,
And then in all the debate, And you're right to ask the question around,
um, what is happening and what isn't happening?
We must not get distracted from the fact
that nearly 14,000 Children have been reportedly killed.
And as Tess has been mentioning, a similar number injured. Probably an undercount.
Um, so in terms of disproportionality, um, the facts are very, very clear.
Thank you very much. I will go now
to, uh, Adam Yao, the deputy representative of, uh FA O,
the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations,
who's coming in from Port Sudan.
General Antonio Guterres yesterday only yesterday said
that the world is forgetting about the people
of Sudan. Well, you know, Sudan remains very much on the agenda of the UN
and of the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Thank you very much for your patience.
The floor is yours. Please, go ahead.
sorry. I don't think we can hear you. I don't know whether
it's your on your end. Perhaps you need to mute.
Yes. Thank you for having me.
Uh, one year since the conflict broke out in Sudan,
the food insecurity situation has reached absolutely terrifying Debs espe,
especially in the hard to reach areas such as, uh, Khartoum,
hing reality reveal, uh, nearly 18 million people face acute, uh,
level of food insecurity on the I PC scale
and on which, uh, 4.9 million are, uh, at major risk of, uh,
falling into catastrophic, uh,
level if the conflict continue and humanitarian assistance is not, uh, provided
the ongoing hostilities are brutally undermining agricultural production.
Putting people livelihood in ge,
with up to 60 to 80% of the entire population, depending on
engaged in agriculture for the income and livelihood, the repetition are nothing
According to the finding of the F
annual crop and foods, uh, supply assessment report,
production in 2023 witnessed uh,
46% decline from the previous year and about
40% below the average of the last five years
State and security during the planting season has led to complete crop failure
as the main planting season is approaching in June
this year. Providing critical support for the emergency production
of key local staple foods such as, uh, sorghum,
millet, sesame and other is not just necessary, but it is imperative.
will result in reaching new level of hunger that, beyond our capacity to, uh,
uh, is seeking 100 4 billion to boost, bolster food production, protect lab, uh,
livestock and help the agricultural sector to recover before conflict.
again. So by generations,
the resounding success of, uh, F
2023 emergency uh, seed distribution campaign
Uh, farmers who produce, uh, cereals enough
to support, uh, between 9, 13 to 19 million
people. Uh, Spain has a testament to the indispensable role of agriculture,
uh, sector to support in time of crisis
that, like the one we are witnessing in Sudan now more than ever,
the Sudanese people cannot afford to be fair.
The support they need is urgent
Pao is calling for a ceasefire
and humanitarian access in order to reduce unprecedented uh uh uh,
food insecurity and human suffering.
Ya Just a reminder that this is, uh, you know, we marked yesterday the one year,
the grim, one year anniversary of
uh, between the Sudanese armed forces and the rapids for support forces in, um,
Uh, that the humanitarian consequences have been, uh, terrible.
And, uh, just to resume What Mr. Yao was saying 100 and 4 million being sought by FA O,
uh, to protect livestock and livelihoods there.
I'm looking If there are any questions, uh, here or online?
I don't see any, Uh, but thank you very much, Uh, for your intervention.
just a quick reminder that you all have, uh you all have another appointment here.
Uh, shortly in about 40 minutes
for the ultra briefing in advance of the high
level pledging event for the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia.
Maria, the commissioner of the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission,
will be here as well as the right Honourable Andrew Mitchell,
deputy Foreign Secretary and Minister for Development in Africa
Also United Nations Assistant Secretary General
who is the resident and humanitarian coordinator in Ethiopia.
That's 12 noon in this room.
Also, um, Tariq is still online, so you may want to add something on this,
but on Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
an embargoed strictly embargoed.
Uh uh, presser until April. Uh uh, 18th at 12 noon. So it's at 9.
30 in the morning, Embargoed until noon
The subject is the new agreed terminology
for pathogens that transmit through the air.
Jeremy Farrar, chief scientist of the World Health Organisation, and
scientist, method, lead and of the Methods
and Standards team of the science division of who
that covers it for today for this morning at least.
Uh, thank you very much for being here.
And, uh uh, I wish you a good rest of the day.
