Occupied Palestinian Territory, DPRK, South Sudan & other topics-Daily Press Briefing (12 June 2024)

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

Highlights:
-Secretary-General travels
-G7
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
-South Sudan
-Democratic Republic of the Congo
-Central African Republic
-Ukraine/recovery
-Ukraine
-Death of Vice President of Malawi
-Energy
-World Day Against Child Labour
-Briefing tomorrow

SECRETARY-GENERAL TRAVELS
Today in Geneva, the Secretary-General opened the celebrations marking the 60th Anniversary of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, now known as UN Trade and Development, or UNCTAD for short.
He said that UNCTAD has a proud and longstanding record of contributing to discussions on reforming the international financial architecture. It has been a powerful force for change at the global level, shaping narratives, influencing international negotiations, and advancing the cause of multilateralism.
He then spoke to the press in Geneva in advance of his attendance at the forthcoming G7 meeting in Italy. He said that we face profound global challenges on multiple fronts and that G7 leaders have a particular responsibility. First, on climate, he said, the G7 needs to commit to end coal power by 2030. He added that they need to act on the international financial architecture, which he said is outdated, dysfunctional and unfair. The rich are over-represented; the poor are underserved. And we must act urgently on artificial intelligence – another of the items for the G7 – a central question of governance today.
Regarding Gaza, Mr. Guterres said that he welcomed President Biden’s recent peace initiative and urges all parties to seize the opportunity for a ceasefire and release of the hostages and prepare the ground for a two-state solution.
He added that we must also keep working for peace in Ukraine – a just peace, based on the United Nations Charter and international law. We will share his remarks.
And he recently delivered remarks at the International Telecommunication Union, which we have shared with you.

G7
Ahead of the Group of Seven summit starting tomorrow, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, is appealing to G7 leaders to use their influence to prevent man-made famine.
In a statement issued earlier today, he warned that conflict is fueling hunger in too many corners of the world – from Mali to Myanmar. But, he said, nowhere is the choice between inaction and oblivion so clear as in Gaza and Sudan.
In Gaza, half of the population – more than a million people –could face death and starvation by the middle of July. In Sudan, at least five million people are also teetering on the brink of starvation, including in war-torn parts of Aj Jazirah, Darfur, Khartoum and Kordofan.
Mr. Griffiths said that waiting for an official declaration of famine before acting would be a death sentence for hundreds of thousands of people and a moral outrage. He called on G7 countries to bring their substantial political leverage and financial resources to bear so that aid organizations can reach all people in need.

Full Highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=12%20June%202024