Haiti, Security Council, & Other Topics - Daily Press Briefing (11 March 2024)

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

Highlights:
-Commission on the Status of Women
-Secretary-General
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-Security Council
-Haiti
-Western Sahara
-Ukraine
-Myanmar
-Somalia
-Chad
-Syria
-Briefings Today and Tomorrow

COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
This morning, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, spoke at the opening of the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. He thanked the women from civil society for their work, saying he has been able to witness all over the world how their work is sparking progress on women’s rights and benefitting communities.
Mr. Guterres also warned that as the world is going through turbulent times, women and girls are being hit hard. He also noted that despite evidence that women’s full participation makes peacebuilding more effective, the number of women in decision-making roles is actually falling.
The facts are clear, he said. Women lead to peace.
Budgets and policies must follow – with ambitious targets for women’s participation and urgent investments in women’s peacebuilding.
We must speak out, loud and clear, he said. Not on our watch, he added.

SECRETARY-GENERAL
And earlier this morning, the Secretary-General spoke to reporters. He said that even though Ramadan has begun, the killing, bombing and bloodshed continue in Gaza. 
He appealed today for all sides to honour the spirit of Ramadan by silencing the guns – and removing all obstacles to ensure the delivery of lifesaving aid at the speed and massive scale required. At the same time – and in the Ramadan spirit of compassion -- he called for the immediate release of all the hostages held in Gaza. 
The Secretary-General also renewed his appeal for a Ramadan cessation of hostilities in Sudan, saying that the fighting there must end for the sake of the Sudanese people who face hunger, who face horror and untold hardships.
And earlier, we also issued a video message to mark Ramadan, in which the Secretary-General said in these trying times, the spirit of Ramadan is a beacon of hope, a reminder of our shared humanity. He called for the spirit of the holy month to guide us towards a more just and compassionate world.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in Gaza, our colleagues at the World Health Organization and their partners told us they reached two hospitals in the northern part of the Gaza Strip and those are the Al Ahli and Al Sahaba hospitals – and that was over the weekend.
This followed an assessment mission to those two hospitals on Friday by OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs], the UN Population Fund, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The WHO-led mission on Saturday delivered orthopaedic and trauma items for about 150 patients, as well as 13,000 litres of fuel to Al Ahli hospital. The team also reached Al Sahaba hospital with 12,000 litres of fuel.
In a social media post, the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros [Adhanom Ghebreyesus] said that both hospitals are functioning with limited capacity, and lack fuel, anaesthetics, antibiotics, specialized staff and critical supplies. He said we need sustained, safe access to health facilities to deliver life-saving health care on a regular basis.

SECURITY COUNCIL
Later today, at 3 p.m., the Security Council will convene for an open briefing on the situation in the Middle East. Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, will be briefing and obviously will brief on her mission she just concluded to Israel.

Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=11%20March%202024