United Nations published this video item, entitled “India, Ukraine, Lebanon & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (8 September 2023)” – below is their description.
Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– India
– Security Council/Ukraine
– Ukraine
– Lebanon
– Food Prices
– International Days
– Noon Briefing Guest
INDIA
The Secretary-General arrived in New Delhi a few hours ago where, tomorrow, he will be attending the annual G-20 Summit, which this year is being hosted by India. In a press conference he held at the UN House in Delhi, the Secretary-General welcomed the Summit’s theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future.” Unfortunately, he added, if we are indeed one global family, today resembles a rather dysfunctional one, with divisions growing, tensions flaring up, and trust eroding. Mr. Guterres said he had come to the G20 with a simple but urgent call for the leaders: “We must come together and act together for the common good.” He called on the countries assembled at the summit to show leadership on climate and on rescuing the Sustainable Development Goals. The Secretary-General called for the implementation of a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) stimulus fund of $500 billion. He also called for an effective debt workout mechanism to support payment suspensions, longer lending terms, and lower rates on fairer terms. He reiterated his appeal for a change in the business model of Multilateral Development Banks to massively leverage private finance. Tomorrow and Sunday, the Secretary-General will participate in a number of G20 sessions and hold bilateral meetings.
SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE
This morning, the Security Council held a meeting on the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine. Briefing Council members, the Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia, and Americas in the Department of Political Affairs, Miroslav Jenča, said that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – launched in violation of the UN Charter and of international law – continues to inflict large scale suffering on the people of Ukraine as they face daily, intensifying attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Mr. Jenča noted that the continuing relentless attacks, targeting Ukraine’s grain infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube River ports – after Russia decided not to extend the Black Sea Initiative – risk having far-reaching consequences for global food security. He stressed that attacks directed against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including objects necessary for food production and distribution, are prohibited under international law. Mr. Jenča reiterated that the UN remains fully committed to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters. Mr. Jenča added that the UN is concerned over reports of the Russian Federation holding so-called elections in areas of Ukraine currently under the temporary military control of the Russian Federation. He emphasized that these so-called elections in the occupied areas of Ukraine have no legal grounds.
UKRAINE
Also on Ukraine, as the new school year commences across Europe, the UN Refugee Agency warns that refugee children and youth from Ukraine now face their third year of disrupted education, following the full-scale invasion in February 2022. In a new Education Policy Brief released today, titled “Education on Hold”, UNHCR notes that while 30 to 50 percent of some 5.9 million Ukrainian refugees across Europe are children, only about half were enrolled in schools in host countries for the 2022-2023 academic year. UNHCR is concerned that unless urgent action is taken, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugee children will continue to miss out on education this year. Yesterday, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict held an extraordinary meeting to strengthen the protection of cultural heritage in Ukraine. During its session, the Committee adopted a declaration deploring that serious damages were caused by Russian missile strikes on historical buildings of cultural significance within the properties in L’viv, Odesa, and Chernihiv. The Committee decided to provisionally inscribe 20 cultural properties in Ukraine on the International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=08%20September%202023
United Nations YouTube Channel
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