Iraq, Haiti, Occupied Palestinian Territory & other topics - Daily Press Briefing | United Nations

Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
-Secretary-General in Bahrain
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-Iraq
-Haiti
-South Sudan
-International Days
-Briefing Today

IRAQ
This morning, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, briefed Security Council Members by video conference.
She stressed that, currently, a more stable security environment prevails in Iraq.
She added that with the next parliamentary vote now expected to be held this coming Saturday, there is hope that the new Speaker will be confirmed soon.
Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert noted that she is addressing the Council Members today for the last time before departing from her current position later this month.

HAITI
Turning to Haiti, The United Nations and its partners continue to support people affected and displaced by the ongoing violence.
The International Organization for Migration, through its mobile clinics, and its partners have supported more than 20,000 displaced people in the capital, Port-au-Prince, since the end of February.
Humanitarian partners continue to provide psychosocial support, reaching more than 1,000 children in displacement sites between May 8th and 15th.
Women and girls are particularly at risk of sexual and gender-based violence given the unsafe conditions in many displacement sites. Humanitarian organizations continue to organize prevention and awareness activities. They also identify survivors and make sure they receive proper care.
UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and their partners have distributed more than 9 million liters of drinking water to more than 70,000 people since March 1st.
Yesterday, a team from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, accompanied by local partners, visited a displacement site in Solino, south of the capital, which currently hosts nearly 900 displaced people. The team spoke with displaced people and partners working on the site. Local NGOs continue to carry out crucial work, but there are significant gaps due to the lack of resources.
The UN reiterates its call to the international community to support the humanitarian response, especially for the local partners, who continue to be in the front line.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that, for days now, crossings into southern Gaza have been closed, unsafe to access, or not logistically viable.
Distribution is almost impossible without regular fuel imports. Telecommunications are unstable, and the fighting is ongoing.
The impact is devastating for the more than two million people living in Gaza. Without a consistent fuel supply, everything stops: trucks, hospitals, generators for hospitals, and systems critical to the water, sanitation and hygiene response – such as for desalination and sewage pumping.
Meanwhile, OCHA says that the situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, remains alarming, amid ongoing violence by Israeli forces and settlers, the destruction of civilian property, and further displacement.
Earlier this week, the last two remaining families in the Ein Samiya herding community in Ramallah – including nearly a dozen children – were forced to leave, following attacks by Israeli settlers. Those settlers remain in the area, which is preventing the families from returning. As of yesterday, all 29 households in Ein Samiya – more than 150 people – have been displaced.
Across the West Bank, nearly 1,400 people – mostly from herding families – have been displaced since October, amid ongoing settler violence and access restrictions.

Full highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/ossg/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=16+May+2024