Ukraine, Yemen, Security Council, & Other Topics - Daily Press Briefing (13 March 2024)

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

Highlights:
-Human development report
-Commission on the status of women
-Deputy secretary-general/travels
-Security Council
-Yemen
-Occupied Palestinian territory
-Unrwa
-UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process
-Haiti
-Democratic Republic of the Congo
-Sudan
-Ukraine
-Rohingya
-Giandomenico Picco

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT
Related to the Human Development Report, the Secretary-General said in a message that the report explores the roots of polarization and its devastating impact on sustainable development. He added that it demonstrates that our best hope for the future is by combating divisive rhetoric and stressing the common ground that unites the vast majority of people everywhere.
The Secretary-General called it an important contribution as we prepare for the Summit of the Future in September.

COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the townhall meeting with members of civil society which is part of this year’s Commission on the Status of Women. He told the participants that around the world, women’s rights are under attack, civic space is being squeezed, and women’s rights defenders face violent threats for daring to speak up for justice.
This is appalling and cannot stand, he told the participants, citing examples from around the world including in Afghanistan, Sudan, and the current conflict in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The Secretary-General also warned of two worrying trends. One, the backlash from the patriarchy trying to undermine women’s rights in the name of “traditional” values. Also, the new technologies, including artificial intelligence which had biases embedded in them.
The Secretary-General also heard from participants and answered their questions.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/TRAVELS
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, arrived in Geneva earlier today, together with the Under Secretary-General Guy Ryder. Opening the eighth Europe and Central Asia Regional Forum for Sustainable Development, Ms. Mohammed stressed the need to ramp up action towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and fulfilling the vision of the 2030 Agenda.
The Deputy Secretary-General highlighted the critical role of investments in key transitions and underscored the UN’s commitment to supporting the Governments in these efforts. On the sidelines of the regional forum, Ms. Mohammed also met with the Co-Chairs of the forum.
The Deputy Secretary-General then chaired the United Nations Regional Collaborative Mechanism for Europe and Central Asia, where they discussed regional-level efforts to effectively support SDG acceleration, the UN Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams in the region. Meeting with the UN Resident Coordinators in the region, they discussed accelerating progress and supporting governments and other stakeholders in shaping investment pathways for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the country level.
The Deputy Secretary-General will return to New York later tonight.

SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council held an open debate on Promoting Conflict Prevention - Empowering All Actors Including Women and Youth”.
Rosemary DiCarlo, the head of the Political and Peacebuilding department, briefed the Council, and she said that as we are witnessing an upsurge in armed conflict around the world, we need more prevention, because prevention saves lives and safeguards development gains.
The New Agenda for Peace places inclusion at the centre of prevention efforts and focuses on how women’s full, meaningful and effective participation is closely connected to our efforts to prevent conflict and build sustainable peace.
Simply put, she said, without half the population participating and deciding, there cannot be sustainable peace. She also called on council members to prioritize the inclusion and empowerment of youth.

Full highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/ossg/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=13%20March%202024