UN Noon Briefing: AU-UN Conference, Sudan Crisis, Gaza Aid, Yemen Peace Efforts & More

AU-UN Annual Conference

• 🤝 The 9th African Union–UN annual conference is underway at UN Headquarters, co-chaired by the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
• 🌍 Discussions focus on cooperation frameworks, peace, security, development, human rights, financing for development, climate action, and the African strategy for women, peace, and security.
• 🎤 The Secretary-General and AU Chairperson are scheduled to deliver opening remarks and take questions at 3 p.m.

Sudan Humanitarian Crisis

• 💔 Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, is visiting Sudan to witness the immense suffering and address the deepening humanitarian crisis.
• ⚠️ Fletcher described El Fasher as a city that has "descended into an even darker hell" due to catastrophic levels of human suffering and recent violence.
• ✈️ Fletcher is traveling towards Darfur to meet families affected by violence and aid workers facing insecurity, access constraints, and severe funding shortages.
• 💰 $20 million has been allocated from the Central Emergency Response Fund to scale up life-saving aid in Tawila, Darfur, and Kordofan.
• 🤝 Fletcher met with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Sudanese and Egyptian Foreign Ministers in Port Sudan to discuss improving humanitarian access.

Gaza Humanitarian Situation

• 🚧 Humanitarian response in Gaza continues to face significant constraints, with a call for impediments to be lifted.
• 🚚 The Zikim crossing between Israel and northern Gaza is set to reopen for humanitarian cargo, with repairs to the access road completed.
• ⚠️ A complex scanning and offloading procedure is in place, with cargo needing to be scanned elsewhere and transferred to Palestinian trucks on separate days.
• 📦 Food security partners are adjusting quantities due to customs delays and distribution impediments, while shelter and winter supplies are scaling up amidst vast needs.
• 🔌 A prolonged outage of a fiber optic cable near the Arez crossing threatens an internet blackout, jeopardizing humanitarian operations.

Yemen Peace Efforts and Detained Staff

• 🕊️ Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, concluded discussions in Saudi Arabia and the UAE focused on sustaining momentum towards lasting peace and stability.
• 🌍 Meetings with international representatives aimed to ensure a unified international approach supporting UN mediation efforts.
• 🚫 Grundberg reiterated the call for the immediate and unconditional release of 59 UN personnel arbitrarily detained by the Houthis, which hampers humanitarian operations.

Global Hunger and Other Issues

• 🌍 A new report highlights 16 "hunger hotspots" at risk of famine, including Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen.
• 📈 Six additional countries, including Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are classified as very high concern.
• 🇨🇩 The DRC faces severe food insecurity, with nearly 25 million people acutely food insecure, projected to rise to 27 million.
• 🇧🇷 Discussions on climate action and energy transition are ongoing, with a focus on renewable energy and ensuring access to clean energy for all.
• 🇰🇭 The UN Secretary-General is concerned by renewed border exchanges between Cambodia and Thailand, urging de-escalation and peaceful resolution.
• 🇮🇶 The UN congratulates Iraq on its parliamentary elections and emphasizes the importance of a timely and peaceful government formation.
• 🇦🇫 A UNDP report highlights mounting pressure on Afghanistan's areas of return, with communities struggling to absorb returnees amid economic contraction and climate shocks.