Syria, Italy, Migration Report, & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (7 May 2024)

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

Highlights:
-Secretary-General
-Occupied Palestinian Territory
-Italy
-Security Council
-Democratic Republic of the Congo
-Haiti
-Syria
-Caribbean HIV/Syphilis
-Migration report
-Trailblazer award
-Guest today

SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Secretary-General said this morning that he is disturbed and distressed by the renewed military activity in Rafah by the Israeli Defence Forces.
He said that the closure of both the Rafah and Karem Shalom crossings is especially damaging to an already dire humanitarian situation. They must be re-opened immediately, he said.
The Secretary-General urged the Government of Israel to stop any further escalation.
He reiterated his appeal for both parties to show political courage and spare no effort to secure an agreement now.
The Secretary-General added that international humanitarian law is unequivocal: civilians must be protected – whether they leave Rafah or whether they stay.
He warned that an assault on Rafah would be a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
According to OCHA [Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs] colleagues, they say that yesterday’s evacuation orders from the Israeli military have already resulted in the forced displacement of tens of thousands of people. Many of them have been uprooted multiple times over the past seven months.
Civilians in Gaza must be protected and have their basic needs met, whether they move or they stay. Those who leave must have enough time to do so, as well as a safe route and a safe places to go.
As you are aware, both crossings, as we said, are closed. This means that we cannot bring in humanitarian assistance.
We cannot access the nutrition supplies we need to treat more than 3,000 children with acute malnutrition.
And we cannot access the fuel needed to power our response efforts.

UN Women, in a new report, says that Rafah now hosts more than 700,000 women and girls who have nowhere else to go. It says that 93 per cent of women respondents express feeling unsafe within their own homes or at displaced locations.
Over 80 per cent of women report feelings of depression, 66 per cent are not able to sleep, and over 70 per cent have heightened anxiety or nightmares. And that is according to a polling they have done.

ITALY
The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, addressed the General Assembly this morning, and the Secretary-General spoke at that meeting. He affirmed that Italy has consistently demonstrated its leadership at the United Nations in defending peace, human rights and sustainable development – hosting many UN bodies and deploying its forces in peacekeeping missions. Today, the Secretary-General added, these shared values are under threat.
The Secretary-General said that as discussions ahead of the Summit of the Future enter a key phase, Italy’s voice is more necessary than ever to bridge divides, to build trust and to find solutions. He said that Italy’s priorities as G7 President – defense of the rules-based international system, dialogue with the global South and “human-centered” artificial intelligence governance – echo this vision. Those remarks have been shared with you.
And also, we put out last night the remarks that the Secretary-General made before his meeting with President Mattarella in his office, and before he hosted a dinner for him, in which the Secretary-General said that Italy is always present in the UN’s activities - present in climate action, human rights and the rule of law, peacekeeping and sustainable development. Those remarks were also shared with you.

Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=07%20May%202024