United Nations published this video item, entitled “Black Sea Initiative, Ukraine, Iraq & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (22 July 2022)” – below is their description.
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Black Sea Initiative
– Ukraine
– Iraq
– Sri Lanka
– Mali
– Burundi
– Uganda
– Hybrid Briefing on Monday
BLACK SEA INITIATIVE
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the signing in Istanbul of the Black Sea grain initiative. He said that the signing today was a beacon of hope, of possibility and of relief in a world that needs it more than ever.
He said that this is an agreement for the world. It will bring relief for developing countries on the edge of bankruptcy and for the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine. And it will help stabilize global food prices which were already at record levels even before the war – a true nightmare for developing countries.
Specifically, he said, the initiative that was signed opens a path for significant volumes of commercial food exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea – Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.
The shipment of grain and food stocks into world markets will help bridge the global food supply gap and reduce pressure on high prices, he added.
The Secretary-General emphasized that this initiative must be fully implemented, because the world so desperately needs it to tackle the global food crisis.
We are ramping up efforts to ensure the UN is positioned to deliver on its commitments, he added. The Secretary-General announced the establishment of a Joint Coordination Centre to monitor implementation of the Black Sea initiative.
UKRAINE
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that as the war in Ukraine enters its sixth month this Sunday, fighting on the ground remains concentrated in the eastern Donetska oblast. However, air attacks are continuing to impact civilians elsewhere, with the city of Mykolaiv in southern Mykolaivska oblast coming under daily attacks.
The UN humanitarian partners confirmed that a large warehouse of humanitarian aid supplies was severely damaged in a missile strike yesterday. The warehouse was storing at least 100 tons of food supplies.
Meanwhile, living conditions for all Ukrainians have continued to deteriorate. Over half a million people remain without gas and electricity due to damage to critical infrastructure, especially in the east.
People in Mariupol continue to lack access to safe drinking water. And prices of food and basic goods in non-Government-controlled areas of Luhanska oblast are reported to be on the rise.
On the response front, the UN has reached 11 million people with some kind of assistance as of 20 July. More good news is that the OCHA-managed Humanitarian Fund allocated $25 million earlier this week. These funds will support Ukrainians living in damaged homes, and those with limited access to gas and water supplies.
We have also so far received over 90 per cent, or $2 billion, of the funds required under the current six-month Appeal. We thank all our donors, including the UN Member States, private individuals and businesses, for their trust and for supporting our life-saving work.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=22%20July%202022
United Nations YouTube Channel
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