UN Noon Briefing: Ukraine Peace Talks, Gaza Crisis, Sudan Conflict, and Climate Action

Ukraine and Black Sea Navigation

• 🇺🇦 The UN Secretary-General welcomes discussions and commitments from the US, Russia, and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia regarding freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.
• 🤝 An agreement on safe navigation is seen as crucial for global food security and supply chains, supporting trade routes from Ukraine and Russia.
• 🕊️ The UN has been actively proposing measures for safe Black Sea navigation since February 2024 and remains engaged in implementing a memorandum of understanding with Russia on food and fertilizer access.
• 💔 Since March 1st, civilian attacks in Ukraine have been daily, with a March 7th strike killing 21 civilians, marking one of the deadliest days this year.
• 🆘 Nearly 13 million people in Ukraine need humanitarian assistance, with over 10 million displaced, disproportionately affecting women and girls.
• 🚚 An inter-agency convoy delivered vital aid, including medical and hygiene supplies, to a frontline community in the Donetsk region.

Gaza Humanitarian Crisis

• 🚨 Relentless bombardments, daily displacement orders, and blockades on cargo entering Gaza are having a devastating impact on over two million people.
• ⏳ OCHA warns that supplies, time, and lives are running out, with shrinking space for families to survive as new displacement orders are issued.
• 📦 Israeli cargo closures have been in effect for four weeks, leading to critically low medical stocks, cooking gas, and fuel, with skyrocketing prices and rationed humanitarian provisions.
• 👶 Vital equipment for newborns, such as incubators and oxygen pumps, remains stuck at the border.
• 🚫 Between March 18th and 24th, 82% of coordinated aid movements were denied, and on the day of the briefing, half of coordinated missions were denied.

Global and Regional Conflicts

• 🇸🇩 The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is shocked by reports of hundreds of civilians killed in air strikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces on a market in North Darfur.
• 🏥 Injured individuals are reportedly dying due to lack of timely medical care in Al Fasher, where most health facilities are shut down.
• 🕊️ The UN calls for the protection of civilians, safe passage for those fleeing conflict, and ensured humanitarian access across North Darfur.
• 🇸🇸 The UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has renewed calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urgent dialogue to deescalate tensions.
• 🇨🇩 In the Democratic Republic of Congo, attacks by armed groups have increased, targeting displaced people near sites in Djugu and Mahagi territories.
• 🇭🇹 In Haiti, escalating attacks have forced record levels of displacement in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, outpacing humanitarian response capacity.
• 🦠 Cholera continues to pose a serious public health risk, particularly in displacement sites, with intensified prevention efforts underway.

Climate Action and Renewables

• 🌍 The Secretary-General addressed the Petersburg Climate Dialogue, emphasizing that renewables are powering growth, creating jobs, lowering energy bills, and cleaning the air.
• 📈 New national climate plans (NDCs) due by September are a unique opportunity for member states to deliver a coherent vision for a just and green transition.
• 📊 International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) figures show renewables accounted for over 90% of global power expansion in 2024, with significant growth in Asia, particularly China.
• ⚠️ Despite record growth, progress falls far short of the 11.2 terawatts needed to triple installed renewable energy capacity by 2030.

International Conventions and Clarifications

• 📜 The UN Secretary-General marked the 50th anniversary of the Biological Weapons Convention, calling on the nine non-signatory governments to join.
• 🗣️ A clarification was issued stating that the UN Secretariat has not adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism but reiterates the Secretary-General's strong stance against all forms of antisemitism.
• 💰 Two member states, North Macedonia and Romania, have paid their dues, bringing the total to 83 fully paid-up member states.