Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - COP28 - Climate - Gaza - UNRWA - Lebanon - Syria - Guinea-Bissau - South Sudan - Somalia - International Days GAZA In a tweet issued this morning, the Secretary-General said he regretted the resumption of hostilities in Gaza and Israel. He urges all concerned parties to swiftly find a way to resume the pause in the fighting and facilitate the release of more hostages. We appeal to the parties not to resort to further military action that can only make the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza worse and to spare civilians from more suffering. The Secretary-General reaffirms his call for a true humanitarian ceasefire. Just wanted to give you a bit more granularity on what we have been able to achieve and what our colleagues on the ground have been able to achieve since the the start of the pause. The humanitarian pause, which lasted for seven days, had allowed us a major increase in the delivery of basic supplies into and across Gaza, primarily through the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies and, of course, with the support of UN agencies. However, as the Secretary-General told Security Council members this week, the level of aid remained completely inadequate to meet the growing needs. Between 24 and 29 November, 630 metric tonnes of flour were distributed to about 224,000 people in the south. We also distributed 63,000 blankets and mattresses. Cooking gas had been entering daily from Egypt during this period and has been available, or at least had been available, at one distribution centre in the south, in not enough quantities unfortunately to meet the demand. Since the start of the pause until the 29th [November], approximately 4,850 metric tonnes of food, primarily rice, flour, and canned food; 1,700 metric tonnes of other supplies; as well as 1,110 metric tonnes of bottled water; also 148 metric tonnes of medical supplies and 29,500 litres of fuel were delivered to UNRWA shelters, hospitals and warehouses in northern Gaza. Any continuation in the uptick the delivery of basic supplies into and across Gaza is now, of course, uncertain because of the resumed hostilities, which obviously makes the distribution of humanitarian goods that much more difficult, not only for the humanitarian workers but also for those for whom the aid is intended. COP28  This morning in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, the Secretary-General spoke at the opening ceremony of the World Climate Action Summit at COP28. He told the gathered world leaders they can still prevent a planetary crash and burn, but that they will need cooperation and political will. The Secretary-General said the success of COP28 depends on three areas: drastically cutting emissions, accelerating a just and equitable transition to renewables and delivering climate justice for developing countries.  The Secretary-General underscored that we must listen to the science, which says that the 1.5-degree limit is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels. Not reduce, not abate, but phase out all fossil fuels with a clear timeframe aligned with 1.5 degrees celsius. Mr. Guterres also had a message for fossil fuel company leaders: Do not double down on an obsolete business model. Lead the transition to renewables. And he urged governments to help the fossil fuel industry make the right choices – by regulating, by legislating, by putting a fair price on carbon, by ending fossil fuel subsidies, and by adopting a windfall tax on profits of these companies. The Secretary-General also spoke at the Local Climate Action Summit, where he urged local leaders to develop plans for a net-zero future, demand a seat at the table to draft climate national policies and to invest in renewables. SOMALIA In Somalia, the Humanitarian Coordinator there, George Conway - together with the Government and the Somali NGO consortium - have jointly warned that the country is in the midst of a disaster as devastating rains and floods continue to spread. Since October, and we have been reporting this to you, some 2 million people have been impacted by torrential rains, flash floods and riverine floods. More than 750,000 people are displaced from their homes and nearly 100 people have been killed, throughout different parts of the country. The continuing heavy rains and floods are expected to swamp at least 1.5 million hectares of farmland through December. With one month to go until the end of the year and despite massive needs, the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia– which seeks more than $2.6 billion to meet the needs of 7.6 million people – is only 42 per cent funded at $1 billion. Aid organizations cannot meet current and new needs without additional resources. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=01%20December%202023

• published: 01 Dec 2023
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