Ecuador/Mexico, Ukraine, Gaza & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (8 April 2024)

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

Highlights:
-Ecuador/Mexico
-Gaza
-Lebanon
-Haiti
-Ukraine/Nuclear power plant
-Ukraine
-South Sudan
-Zimbabwe
-Senior personnel appointments
-Financial contribution
-Briefings tomorrow

ECUADOR/MEXICO
The Secretary-General said he is alarmed by the forced entry of Ecuadorean security forces into the premises of the Mexican Embassy in Quito. He reaffirmed the cardinal principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel and emphasized that this principle must be respected in all cases, in accordance with international law. 
The Secretary-General also called for moderation and exhorted both Governments to solve their differences through peaceful means.  

GAZA
OCHA and the World Health Organization finally reached the Al Shifa hospital, after they were granted permission to go into the hospital by Israeli authorities.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the hospital had been destroyed and deserted. The World Health Organization said that shallow graves had been dug just outside the emergency department and other buildings.
A new OCHA report on access constraints in Gaza said that restrictions and denials of planned aid movements by Israeli authorities continue to hamper the delivery of life-saving assistance.
During the month of March, more than half of UN-coordinated food missions to high-risk areas requiring coordination with Israeli authorities were either denied or impeded. Meanwhile, there was just one primary route designated for access by humanitarian workers between southern and northern Gaza – with only limited use of the Fence Road on Gaza’s eastern border thus far.
Despite these restrictions, the United Nations and its partners continue to deliver humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza wherever and whenever we can.
Last week, 17 health partners provided primary and secondary health services to almost a quarter of a million people. Work is also under way to expand medical service points in the western coastal areas of Rafah and Deir al Balah.
Meanwhile, several partners working on water, sanitation and hygiene provided assistance to more than 130,000 people last week. They distributed more than 10,000 cubic metres of clean water by truck and safely collected and disposed of more than 52 tons of solid waste.

LEBANON
In a joint statement on the occasion of six months since the exchanges of fire started across the Blue Line, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, and the Head of the Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),
Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro, urgently appealed today to all sides to recommit to the cessation of hostilities under the framework of Security Council resolution 1701 and to avail of all avenues to avoid further escalation while there is still space for diplomacy.
Dozens of civilians have tragically lost their lives while many more have lost their home and livelihoods, the statement said.
Both officials underscored the importance of focussing anew on the overarching objective of a permanent ceasefire and long-term solution to the conflict, saying that the UN stands ready to support such efforts.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=08%20April%202024