Democratic Republic of the Congo, Paris Agreement & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (28 January)

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
Briefings
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Paris Agreement
Deputy Secretary-General/Travels
UNRWA
Occupied Palestinian Territory
Syria
Sudan
Honour Roll

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Turning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This morning the Secretary-General spoke to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, as well as with the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame. During his conversation with the President of Rwanda, they discussed the situation in the DRC, with an emphasis on the protection of civilians.
This afternoon, at 3pm, the Security Council will meet to discuss the situation in the country. Vivian van de Perre, the Deputy Special Representative for Protection and Operations for the UN peacekeeping operations – MONUSCO – is expected to brief from Goma.
On the ground, in Goma, the security situation remains extremely volatile. M23 forces are inside the city and UN peacekeeping personnel and troops have largely been forced to take shelter in bunkers.
Medical facilities in Goma are reportedly overwhelmed, and essential services are disrupted.
Currently, M23 forces control the airport and there are real risks of breakdown of law and order in the city. The Mission has also seen credible reports of prisoners who have escaped from the Goma prison, as well as looting by civilians. Non-essential UN personnel have been temporarily relocated from Goma and the surrounding area.
The movement of essential supplies and personnel is an urgent concern. Armed clashes continue in multiple regions, including Masisi, Rutshuru, and Nyiragongo, further displacing civilians and complicating humanitarian efforts.
Peacekeepers also report that protests in Kinshasa over the ongoing situation in eastern DRC have turned violent, with demonstrators setting fires outside UN premises [MONUSCO and UN agencies] and targeting several embassies. Looting has also been reported in Kinshasa.
For its part, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tells us that the humanitarian situation in and around Goma remains worrying. Hospitals in Goma continue to be overwhelmed, struggling to manage the influx of wounded people.
Two ambulances from a local NGO were targeted in the city of Goma today while attempting to evacuate wounded people.
According to humanitarian partners, there are also reports of gender-based violence; the looting of property, including several humanitarian warehouses; and humanitarian and health facilities being struck in the fighting.
Electricity and water supplies are still disrupted. The phone network is operational, but the Internet is not.
OCHA reiterates that all parties must do all they can to spare civilians in military operations. Schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure must be protected.
If the situation remains calm tomorrow, aid workers are planning to resume their efforts to respond to the enormous humanitarian needs.
WFP tells us that access to food in Goma has been impacted. They remain focused on supporting the 7.1 million most vulnerable women, men, and children and also aim to resume delivering assistance as soon as circumstances allow.

Paris Agreement
The United States of America notified the Secretary-General, in his capacity as depositary, of its withdrawal, on 27 January 2025, from the Paris Agreement of 12 December 2015.
The United States had signed the Paris Agreement on 22 April 2016 and expressed its consent to be bound by the Agreement by acceptance on 3 September 2016.
It then withdrew from the Agreement effective on 4 November 2020, before accepting it again as of 19 February 2021.
According to Article 28, paragraph 2, of the Paris Agreement, the withdrawal of the United States will take effect on 27 January 2026.
The UN reaffirms its commitment to the Paris Agreement and to support all efforts to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Deputy Secretary-General/Travels
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, attended the second and final day of the Africa Energy Summit in Tanzania today. In her opening remarks, she called on the African leaders present to advance energy access by 2030. To realize this vision, the Deputy Secretary-General stressed the need for strong institutions, effective multilateral cooperation and investments from the public and private sectors to scale up implementation of energy projects.
The Deputy Secretary-General engaged with Heads of State and Government, ministers, and other high-level representatives to discuss cooperation with the United Nations towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
She will return to New York on Wednesday.

Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=28%20January%202025