Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
- Secretary-General/Syria
- Syria/Humanitarian
- Artificial Intelligence
- Secretary-General/Egypt Summit
- Occupied Palestinian Territory
- Sudan/Famine
- South Sudan
- Tropical Cyclone Chido
- Vanuatu
- UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel/Press Encounter
SECRETARY-GENERAL/SYRIA
This morning, in a press encounter, the Secretary-General said that the Middle East is now being consumed by many fires, but today there is a flame of hope in Syria, and we share that hope with the Syrian people and we stand with them, he said.
The political transition ahead must be by Syrians, and for all Syrians, Mr. Guterres added. It must be inclusive, it must be credible, and it must be peaceful, and the process must be guided by the underlying principles of Security Council Resolution 2254.
We, at the United Nations, he said, are focused on facilitating such a process, adding that he had been in close contact with a number of leaders from across the region and beyond.
Mr. Guterres also announced the appointment of Karla Quintana of Mexico as Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria. She and her team must be allowed to carry out their mandate, he said, and we have sent an official announcement on that a bit earlier.
Mr. Guterres also warned that if the ongoing situation is not managed carefully—by the Syrian people themselves, with the support of the international community—there is a real risk that progress could unravel.
He stressed that adequate funding for humanitarian and recovery responses is critical, and made a strong appeal to the international community to show the generosity the Syrian people deserve in this moment and to massively support the humanitarian response in Syria. The $4 billion Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 is only 33 per cent funded, with just only $1.3 billion received.
SYRIA/HUMANITARIAN
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, is on his way to Türkiye, after wrapping up his visit to Syria. In Ankara, he will continue his discussions on recent developments in the Middle East region with officials there.
In Syria, he traveled to Idlib in the north-west where he visited a camp for displaced human beings.
Mr. Fletcher met families who voiced their need for immediate services and for the rehabilitation of their homes and land before they could return to their places of origin. Unexploded ordnance poses a major risk to civilians, including children, and must be cleared, Mr. Fletcher said.
The UN and its partners are responding as security and logistical conditions permit.
Since November 27th, more than 1.3 million people have received food aid across the country, including hot meals. However, the rapid devaluation of the Syrian pound is impacting availability of food.
In Aleppo, bakeries have resumed activities at near full capacity, but partners report that they observe long queues and crowding.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also reports that the rehabilitation of key facilities has begun in relatively stable areas in the northwest, including hospitals in Homs and road repairs in Aleppo.
The water supply in Aleppo was also restored yesterday, following a six-day suspension, thanks to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) interventions.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke to Security Council members on Artificial Intelligence and the maintenance of peace and security.
He said that AI is not just reshaping our world – it is revolutionizing it. But he warned that the risks are huge as AI’s rapid growth is outpacing our ability to govern it – raising fundamental questions about accountability, safety, and security.
“Artificial Intelligence without human oversight would leave the world blind, he said, and perhaps
nowhere more perilously and recklessly than in global peace and security. The Secretary-General also added that humans must always retain control over decision-making functions – guided by international law. He also urged Member States to move swiftly in establishing the International Scientific Panel on AI and launching the Global Dialogue on AI Governance within the United Nations.
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