Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine, Haiti & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (18 June 2024)

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

Highlights:
-Small Arms and Light Weapons
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-Security Council
-Democratic Republic of the Congo
-Ukraine
-Haiti
-Deputy Secretary-General
-Lebanon
-West Africa
-Human rights
-New resident coordinators
-Refugees
-International Days
-Behrooz Sadry
-Briefing tomorrow

SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS
This morning, Izumi Nakamitsu, the head of our Office for Disarmament Afairs, delivered remarks on behalf of the Secretary-General at the 4th Conference to review the implementation of the programme of action on small arms and light weapons.
In the remarks, the Secretary-General said the Conference arrives at a difficult and dangerous moment for humanity with global military expenditures on the rise. He added there is nothing “small” or “light” about the damage these weapons cause.
The New Agenda for Peace recognizes the vital importance of small arms control in preventing conflict and sustaining peace and makes a number of recommendations to strengthen national, regional and global arms control efforts on both the supply and demand side.
This Fourth Review Conference is a critical opportunity to ensure that these instruments continue to adapt to changing circumstances.
The Secretary-General called for bold and action-oriented recommendations that can strengthen this framework — particularly around new and emerging technologies, weapons-diversion, gender and international co-operation and assistance.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that displaced families in Gaza continue to face dire conditions and significant challenges in accessing basic services. Additionally, according to recent assessments led by OCHA and humanitarian partners on 7 June, critically low access to water was reported as a key concern.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that it remains concerned about the escalating health crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, including the West Bank, where attacks on health infrastructure and increased restrictions on movement are obstructing access to health care.
As of 28 May, WHO has documented 480 attacks on health care in the West Bank since 7 October 2023. These include attacks on health infrastructure and ambulances, detention of health workers and patients, obstruction of their access to health facilities, use of force on health workers and militarized searches of ambulances and staff.
Meanwhile in the West Bank, the closure of checkpoints, arbitrary obstructions, and detentions of health workers, rising insecurity, as well as the siege and closure of entire towns and communities has made movement within the West Bank increasingly restricted, impeding access to health facilities.
And a preliminary assessment released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) finds that the environmental impacts of the war in Gaza are unprecedented, exposing the community to rapidly growing soil, water and air pollution and risks of irreversible damage to its natural ecosystems. UNEP reiterates the call for an immediate ceasefire to protect lives and eventually help mitigate the conflict’s environmental impacts. The authors find that resolving immediate and chronic environmental challenges in Gaza is key for its people’s health and must be integrated into recovery and reconstruction plans.

Full Highlights:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=18%20June%202024