United Nations's video: Climate Afghanistan Ukraine other topics - Daily Press Briefing 31 March 2022

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - Climate - Afghanistan Pledging - Ukraine - Syria - Middle East and North Africa/ Food Prices - DRC - South Sudan - Mali - Sierra Leone - Albania - Financial Contributions CLIMATE This morning, the Secretary-General of the United Nations announced the launch of his High-level Expert Group on Net-zero Emissions Commitments of Non-state Entities. He was joined by the Chair of this Group, Catherine McKenna, who is the former Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change. In his remarks, the Secretary-General said that while governments have the lion’s share of responsibility to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century, we also need every business, investor, city, state and region to walk the talk on their net-zero promises and this is why he is launching this Expert Group. The Group will make recommendations for more credible and robust standards and criteria for measuring, analyzing and reporting on the net-zero pledges by non-State entities. AFGHANISTAN PLEDGING Also this morning, the Secretary-General spoke via live video link, to the High-level Pledging Event on Afghanistan. He noted that despite our collective efforts, the already dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated alarmingly over the past months. The Secretary-General pointed out that some 95 per cent of people do not have enough to eat, nine million people are at risk of famine and global food prices are skyrocketing, as a result of the war in Ukraine. Afghanistan’s own economy has effectively collapsed and more than 80 per cent of the population are in debt, he added. The Secretary-General stressed that the international community must find ways to spare the Afghan people from the impact of the decision to halt development support to Afghanistan, and to freeze nearly $9 billion in Afghan assets overseas. At the same time, the Secretary-General said he deeply regrets that girls’ education above sixth grade remains suspended in Afghanistan – a violation of the equal rights of girls that damages the entire country and leaves girls more exposed to violence, poverty and exploitation. He stressed that there is simply no justification for this discrimination. The Secretary-General noted that the funding appeal for Afghanistan this year is $4.4 billon – the world’s largest appeal for a single country, and so far, the appeal is less than 13 per cent funded. A press release about the event and the pledges received will be on OCHA’s website a later on today and they will also be doing the accounting with the money. UKRAINE Today, another UN-led inter-agency humanitarian convoy safely reached Sumy, a city that has been heavily impacted by the war. This is the second time that we and our partners have managed to deliver much-needed assistance to people living in Sumy and nearby communities. This follows the first UN-led convoy which arrived in Sumy on 18 March, and the third successful inter-agency humanitarian convoy in the past two weeks. In today’s convoy, which included seven trucks delivered food, medicines and hygiene products that will be distributed by the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and its local partners, and that will take place in the days ahead. This included food for nearly 6,000 people provided by WFP and the NGO “People in Need”; hygiene products for about 6,000 people also from the same NGO; blankets, sleeping bags and solar lamps for more than 1,500 people from UNHCR; and critical medical supplies for over 10,000 people for the next three months from our colleagues at the World Health Organization. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=31%20March%202022