YouSaid · the spoken record

Griffiths

lines on the record: 722
first: 2018-04-17
most recent: 2023-10-18
sittings or episodes: 57
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“In recent weeks, in particular last week, we have engaged in intensive discussions with the parties to the Black Sea Initiative to secure agreement on its extension and the improvements needed for it to operate effectively and predictably. Such efforts will continue and come into focus over the coming days. In parallel, I pay tribute to Rebeca Grynspan, her leadership and her team. They have continued to deliver a wide range of support with concrete results under the memorandum of understanding between the United Nations and the Russian Federation on the facilitation of Russian food and fertilizer exports, which are so important for international food security.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“Last month, international wheat prices reached their lowest level since July 2021, driven in part by the continued movement of Ukrainian grain and by the large quantities of grain available for export in the Russian Federation and other locations. That is, of course, undeniable progress, but much more remains to be done. Predictable supplies for humanitarian food assistance operations continue to be required. The Initiative refers to the export of ammonia, but that has yet to be realized. Over the past month, we have also unfortunately seen a reduction in the volumes of exports moving out of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, owing to the challenging dynamics within the Joint Coordination Centre set up by the same agreement reached in Istanbul on 22 July 2022, as well as the resulting slowdown in operations.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“More than 30 million metric tons of cargo have been safely exported from Ukrainian ports under the Initiative — a level that was achieved as we were meeting in Istanbul, discussing the Initiative’s future, just the other day. Of those 30 million metric tons, just over 600,000 metric tons of wheat have been transported by the World Food Programme in direct support of humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen, which are places that we often discuss in this Chamber. The most recent analysis by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations indicates that global cereal prices have fallen by close to 20 per cent over the past 12 months.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“Access options to those areas, including different response modalities, therefore continue to be explored through engagement with all parties. It is imperative that we explore all options to reach civilians, wherever they are. As I have said before, under international humanitarian law, all parties must allow for safe, rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need and must ensure that personnel engaged in such work have the freedom of movement required for such work. I urge the parties to reinforce and strengthen their facilitation efforts so that we can reach all civilians in need. Food exported under the Black Sea Initiative, as well as food and fertilizer exports from the Russian Federation, continue to make a crucial contribution to food security at the global level.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“The biggest challenge remains the impediments to reaching all the areas in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya that are currently under Russian military control. The humanitarian notification system, together with direct engagement with key interlocutors in Moscow and Kyiv — in practice, that is — has been in place since the early days of the war. It was set up to maximize the opportunity for the safe and unimpeded passage of inter-agency convoys to those areas. However, despite 14 months of notifying the partners of our intentions through the system, we have not been able to deliver assistance to communities along the front line in the areas under the military control of the Russian Federation — not once.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“Nearly 3.6 million people received humanitarian assistance in Ukraine in the first quarter of this year, including cash assistance, food, health care and livelihood support. Around 43 inter-agency convoys have delivered supplies in heroic moments to around 280,000 people in front- line areas so far this year. That is a particular feature of the humanitarian operation in Ukraine, and I would like to pause here for a second to pay tribute to those brave people taking those convoys to where they need to be. Of course, those who then take the commodities from those convoys for the so-called last-mile delivery are always national partners — Ukrainian organizations and Ukrainian people. There are still limitations on our ability to deliver aid to all in need. More is needed to take our efforts to scale.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“I am once again compelled to remind the Council that under international humanitarian law, parties must take constant care to protect all civilians and civilian objects, including homes, schools, hospitals and other essential infrastructure, as well as humanitarian facilities and assets. Even as that law is breached, the essential quality of it must be a reminder to all of us. As we can see, the humanitarian operating environment remains complex and dangerous. Nonetheless, thanks to the courage of humanitarian workers, particularly and mostly local workers, the United Nations and its national and international partners continue to deliver life-saving assistance to front-line areas and elsewhere across Ukraine.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“Only last week in Kherson, which I visited some months back, residential buildings, a school, an outpatient hospital and a care facility for the elderly were reportedly damaged, leaving scores of civilians needing shelter and health care. Missile strikes in Odesa hit a humanitarian storage warehouse. A Ukrainian Red Cross mobile hospital in Mykolayiv was also hit. Humanitarian supplies and vital medical equipment were destroyed. Fortunately, on those occasions, no humanitarian staff or volunteers were injured. But the threat to humanitarians and civilians represented by the latest wave of attacks is persistent.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“As Ukraine emerges from a hard winter, civilian casualties have been rising to their highest levels in months. The High Commissioner for Human Rights has now verified a staggering 23,600 civilian casualties since 24 February 2022, but we all know perfectly well that the actual toll is probably very much higher. The humanitarian impact is extensive, as those of us who have had the awful privilege to visit Ukraine have seen first-hand. Many communities along the north-eastern border with the Russian Federation and near the front line are encircled, cut off from water, food and medical care by heavy fighting on the ground and blocked roads.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“Mr. Griffiths: I am speaking today from Geneva. When I last briefed the Security Council about the situation in Ukraine in March (see S/PV.9286), I highlighted the humanitarian impact of the full- scale war not only on the people of Ukraine, but on the wider world already struggling with a myriad of shocks. In that context, at that time, I emphasized the overwhelming need for a political solution to the war on Ukraine and, indeed, for peace to be returned to its people. I therefore note with regret — which is, I am sure, shared by everyone on the Council — that the hostilities, including missile strikes, currently appear to be escalating on both sides of the front line. Air- raid sirens continue to ring out in cities and towns across Ukraine. Civilians continue to seek protection in bunkers, some for days on end.”
2023-05-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9321 (2023) · source
“To name just one example, Somalia — of which we have often spoken in this Chamber — faces the extraordinary, unprecedented and tragic sixth consecutive failure of the rainy season. More than ever, in this context, we need a political solution to the war in Ukraine. The people of Ukraine deserve peace, first and foremost. They deserve to turn the page on this terrible war, as we all do.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“We cannot be certain if that level of financing can be achieved again this year, yet it is clear that we need even more support than that — from Member States, from the public, from a generous humankind — so that we can deliver on our most sacred promise to protect the vulnerable and provide a future for them and their families. We also need closer collaboration between the humanitarian and development communities and the international financial institutions. Together, we must seek sustainable solutions in order to provide the basic services that can be relied on by families across nations — sustainable solutions to the problems before us, to those spiralling humanitarian needs to which I have referred, to the debt crisis, and to the convergence of other problems on the horizon.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“The world faces an unstable global economy. Poverty is growing. And when we look at where we want to be — the targets we set out in the Sustainable Development Goals — it is very clear that we are a long way off track. The scale of humanitarian needs, as discussed frequently in this Chamber, has vastly outpaced the resources available to meet those needs. Globally, almost 347 million people in 69 countries need humanitarian aid, a statistic so dire that it hardly bears repetition. An unprecedented $54 billion is required this year to meet those needs, and millions will suffer if we fail to raise that amount. In 2022, Member States made significant financial efforts to meet the growth in needs as total humanitarian funding — thanks to the generosity of many Member States — reached a historic high of just under $39 billion.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“This week, foodstuffs have continued to be transported out of Ukraine through the maritime humanitarian corridors, under the oversight of the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul. With regard to the parallel memorandum of understanding with the Russian Federation, my colleague the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations are together sparing no effort to facilitate its full implementation. We have indeed made meaningful progress. Impediments remain, however, notably with regard to payment systems. There is more to do, and our efforts to overcome those remaining impediments will continue unabated. It is vital for global food security that both of those agreements continue and that they be fully implemented.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“The signing of those agreements was a critical step in the broader fight against global food insecurity, especially in developing countries. As a result, markets have been calmed and global food prices have indeed continued to fall. Under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, close to 25 million metric tons of foodstuffs have been safely exported from Ukraine without incident since August. The World Food Programme has been able to transport more than half a million metric tons of wheat to support humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen. And right now, under the leadership of our Secretary-General, the United Nations is doing everything possible to make sure that the Black Sea Grain Initiative can continue. We continue to engage closely with all parties.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“Last February, when shipping operations were suspended from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, the ripple effects were immediate. By March, following uninterrupted increases dating from the second half of 2020, global food prices had reached record highs. The price of fertilizer has been impacted greatly and still remains more than 200 times higher than it was in 2019. In lower-income countries, some small farmers found themselves priced out of the market. Reversing those trends, as we may all remember, was a matter of urgency for the international community — hence the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the parallel memorandum of understanding between the Russian Federation and the United Nations on the facilitation in that second agreement of Russian food and fertilizer exports.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“President, I want to focus on the reverberations of this war around the world, a world already reeling before the war began in February last year from multiple shocks — hunger, conflict, the coronavirus disease, the climate emergency and the cost-of-living crisis. The war has had very significant implications for global food insecurity. As we all know, both the Russian Federation and Ukraine are leading suppliers of key food commodities. In addition, the Russian Federation is also a top exporter of fertilizer. The world relies on those supplies and has done so for many years — and so does the United Nations in providing help for those in need. The World Food Programme (WFP) sources much of the wheat for the global humanitarian response each year from Ukraine.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“Mr. Griffiths: When I spoke to the Council about the situation in Ukraine last month (see S/PV.9254), I highlighted the humanitarian impact of the full- scale war since it began a year ago. I spoke then of the death, destruction and hardship that the war has inflicted and continues to inflict on the people of Ukraine. I shared facts about the resulting casualties; the families bereaved; the homeless and the destitute, with two out of every five people in Ukraine in need of assistance to survive; and the people forced to flee, including more than 8 million refugees displaced to neighbouring countries. Today, if you allow me, Mr.”
2023-03-17 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9286 (2023) · source
“Meanwhile, I should remind the Council that the 2023 humanitarian response plan will still require $4.8 billion to address pre-existing needs. That is our largest humanitarian appeal this year worldwide, and it reflects the scale and gravity of the needs of Syria, 12 years into a conflict it never wanted. We know what needs to be done to provide the people affected with dignified living conditions, and I hope we are now doing all we can to help make that happen. Everyone in this Chamber and at this meeting can help to make that a reality. Rising to this occasion is a shared endeavour. We thank those who have responded to our appeals so far, and we look to all to do so and to increase our support, so that in this particular unfair, undeserved and unexpected situation the people of Syria can at least know that the world cares for them.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“We continue to work to eliminate, eradicate or go around the overcompliance that still remains and constrains the delivery of assistance. Sustained involvement to make that happen remains essential. We are very pleased with the partnership that we have had with those Member States to improve the aim of their licences so that nothing will be prevented from reaching those in need and affected by the earthquake. All those urgent efforts are necessary. An effective humanitarian response requires sustained effort beyond the time of great international attention, close coordination and of course generous support. The Syria flash appeal for three months calls for $397 million to meet the most critical needs. The upcoming donor conference in Brussels will be a pivotal moment for our response in both Syria and Türkiye.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“Donors are beginning to fly in supplies to the Turkish border and are also crossing to Damascus and Aleppo. That is essential and most welcome. Local markets can no longer readily supply cross-border operations for some of the core items, hence the need for such costly but necessary airlifts. Critical infrastructure is badly damaged. Machines are still needed to clear rubble. Equipment and repairs are needed for makeshift hospitals. And we need tools to restore access to drinking water. We all worry about the pervasive threat of cholera in north- western Syria and beyond. The United Nations is working to address unintended obstacles generated by sanctions and counter-terrorism laws, and as Mr. Pedersen said, we welcome the licences provided by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is also using the Syria humanitarian fund and the Syria cross-border humanitarian fund to funnel money as fast as possible to front-line organizations. The earthquake response, as we know well from public comment and the evidence of our eyes, has not been without challenges. The efforts to restart cross- line missions to north-west Syria were delayed. We still continue to impress on all parties the need to facilitate timely and unimpeded access for humanitarian relief and personnel to those areas and to open all routes to get to all people in every way possible, as the Secretary- General has publicly said. The growing demand for critical items and their resulting scarcity, tents being the obvious example, together with rising prices, is straining supply chains into the region.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“Those new procedures have allowed United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and other humanitarian actors to surge specialized personnel to support operations in Damascus and affected areas of Syria. In Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Latakia, the United Nations is helping people in overcrowded collective shelters and host communities, with a particular focus on responding to gender-based violence, the trauma of that morning and other protection risks, as I mentioned earlier. Referral systems, in-kind assistance and psychosocial support are among the measures being used to help mitigate the inherent risks. We released $40 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support relief operations at the outset.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“In the past two weeks, those border crossings have already allowed us to more quickly and efficiently get closer to see and provide some solace to the people in need across the north-west. Bab Al-Salam and Al-Rai will facilitate the further scaling-up of ongoing humanitarian operations, which have continued throughout through Bab Al-Hawa except for the three or four days of tragedy. United Nations staff are now conducting near-daily missions into north-west Syria to complete essential humanitarian activities — assess gaps, support, talk to, consult and be guided by local partners and affected populations, monitor programmes and liaise with local authorities. I welcome the Government of Syria’s fast-track visa approvals.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“Since 9 February, when the Bab Al-Hawa cross-border point was brought back into functioning, the United Nations has sent more than 423 trucks into north-west Syria, carrying critical food, shelter, sanitation kits and medical equipment and supplies for at least 1 million women, men and children. Many more deliveries are planned in the weeks ahead as we ramp up that to the scale that is needed and to which the people in that area are entitled. As I did on the day, I of course welcome the Government of Syria’s agreement to open the Bab Al-Salam and Al-Rai border crossing points for the United Nations and its partners to deliver humanitarian assistance to north-west Syria. As we said at the time and before, those crossings were a vital addition.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“The search-and-rescue phase of the earthquake response is ending. We all have witnessed heroic efforts to help victims caught beneath rubble, in north- west Syria for example, with very little assistance from international search-and-rescue teams, which have been able to operate elsewhere. Such moments show us that, as Council members can imagine, international efforts notwithstanding, the greatest heroism has been Syrians saving Syrians. Tragically, many first responders were victims themselves. Dozens of humanitarian workers were killed or injured during the earthquake and its aftermath. As Geir Pedersen said, and many have commented, including myself, despite a faulty start, the humanitarian community is responding to this challenge.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“The Governor of Aleppo spoke to me about the very high percentage of buildings that he feared would need to be brought down in the city of Aleppo. Thousands may need to be demolished. Many people are, of course, afraid to return to their homes, yet to be certified safe. The risk of disease is increasing amid pre-existing cholera outbreaks. North-west Syria reports a very high number of cholera outbreaks since the earthquake. The prices of food, household costs and other essential items climb higher. Most people need humanitarian assistance. Community tensions are mounting. But I would like to draw our full attention, as I have before in the Council, to the particular tragedy of the trauma that comes with such a sudden, vicious, violent and unforgiving disaster affecting people already in such dire circumstances.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“Even before this most recent tragedy, some 15.3 million people — 70 per cent of the country’s population — needed humanitarian assistance. Amid the harsh winter season, the earthquake has destroyed entire neighbourhoods, rendering them uninhabitable, as I and many others saw earlier this month. While many Syrians, as always, have opened their homes to others, collective shelters are more crowded than ever. Early assessments indicate that 5 million people in Syria require basic shelter and non-food assistance. In many areas, four or five families are packed into tents, with no special facilities for older people, people with chronic illnesses or those with disabilities. Mr. Pedersen spoke movingly of the particular vulnerabilities and circumstances affecting women and girls. Hundreds of buildings are still at a high risk of collapsing.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“At least 50,000 people were killed, including approximately 6,000 in Syria, mostly in the north-west. Many more people were injured. Tens of thousands of people still remain missing. We do not know if they are alive or dead. Hundreds of thousands are homeless. Furthermore, to add misery upon misery, the worst-affected area was hit again by strong aftershocks yesterday and, of course, a few days ago by another earthquake. Additional death, destruction and damage have been inflicted on a population already traumatized by so many years of war and conflict. This immense and almost unbelievable tragedy comes at an extremely difficult time for the people of Syria, compounding suffering in a country plagued by 12 years of conflict.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“Mr. Griffiths: I think that it will come as no surprise to you, Madam President, and to Council members that, understandably, the remarks that I will make will significantly overlap with those of Mr. Pedersen because of the extraordinary events of recent weeks in Syria and, indeed, in Türkiye. It is therefore with an apology that I will focus my remarks in this briefing on the recent earthquakes and the response to them. The earthquakes have had an enormous humanitarian impact and, as we heard from Geir Pedersen, impacts in other contexts, which is of the highest importance. It is now three weeks since the earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria. The devastating scale of the disaster is coming into sharper relief, but it is still not fully clear.”
2023-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9272 (2023) · source
“As part of the package, the United Nations will also continue to press for the facilitation of food and fertilizer exports, including ammonia, from the Russian Federation, which remain a key part of our broader effort to address global food insecurity. On the eve of this horrific one-year milestone, which comes on top of the previous eight years of conflict, we have a lot to do, we have a lot to do together and we can do better. I therefore conclude by calling on us all to remain in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, just as we do all over the world, in their time of need.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“That is something we must continue to staunchly advocate from all angles, and we must insist on the prerogatives that are enshrined in the Geneva Conventions and international law. And we need to address the war’s profound global implications for global food and energy prices, trade and supply chains and questions of nuclear safety. We are making progress where we can. The Black Sea Grain Initiative is enabling food exports to continue to reach global supply chains, helping to lower prices and maintaining an essential source of the World Food Programme wheat supplies. The extension of the Initiative beyond March, when it comes up for renewal, is of critical importance.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“More than 650 humanitarian organizations are operating today across all of Ukraine’s 24 oblasts. That is not to say that we should not reach more people, more frequently. Humanitarian access to areas under the temporary military control of the Russian Federation has become increasingly unpredictable and difficult to achieve. Despite repeated attempts and negotiations, we have been unable to launch cross-line convoys to go from one area to another, from north to south. At the risk of repeating myself, I would like to remind everyone of some basic rules of war. All parties in Ukraine or any other such context should take constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects throughout their military operations. They should allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, wherever they are.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“We have delivered life-saving aid to villages near the front line in rural parts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson and Kharkiv oblasts, using inter-agency convoys, which are now increasing in numbers, to provide a comprehensive package of support, facilitated by our constructive partnership with a wealth of national, regional and local authorities. Our operations have expanded exponentially in the past year. The 2023 humanitarian response plan for Ukraine, which I will launch next week in Geneva, requires $3.9 billion to bring assistance to more than 11 million people. We should remember, lest it be lost in history, that before February 2022 humanitarian partners were already delivering assistance mainly in the east, on both sides of the front line in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts for many years.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“Over the past year, we have provided 15.8 million people with assistance, including more than 1.3 million people who are in areas outside the control of the Government of Ukraine. We have delivered winter clothes — I saw it — heating appliances, albeit not enough them, and solid fuel and building materials. Of course, the Ukrainian authorities themselves — national, provincial and local Government— are doing all that and more. We have delivered generators to hospitals, shelters, heating points, water pumping facilities, schools and places hosting internally displaced people.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“In short, the people of Ukraine have left the whole world in awe of their resilience. Resilience despite the deadly violence. Resilience despite the power cuts and the damaged energy sector, in the middle of a savage winter. Resilience despite the mines and explosive remnants of war, which are driving displacement, preventing safe returns, hindering humanitarian aid, interrupting agricultural activities and delaying the restoration of essential services. Resilience despite the sexual violence, the trafficking, the sexual exploitation and the abuse. The people of Ukraine have been spared none of the horrors of war. And the humanitarian community has been doing its best to help to mitigate those horrors.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“I saw agricultural land destroyed, entire communities cut off from electricity and essential supplies. But in the midst of that tragedy, I also saw the remarkable drive for survival by the people of Ukraine. In Mykolayiv, I visited a bakery led by women that had continued working throughout the war, although with reduced capacity. With help from the World Food Programme, the bakery has increased production and now produces thousands of loaves every day that are distributed to people in Kherson, the neighbouring oblast, as well as Mykolayiv. People went back to work — eagerly, avidly — when the opportunity arose. In Kherson city, I saw volunteers, municipal employees and local authorities working hand in hand with humanitarian partners to provide a command centre.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“In addition, 5.3 million people have become internally displaced, many seeking shelter in collective centres. Countless numbers of people have hunkered down in basements for days and weeks on end to seek protection from bombs — a new way of life. Homes, schools, hospitals and other critical civilian infrastructure have been destroyed. Entire cities, towns and villages have been heavily damaged. This violence, as you know, Madam President, shows no sign of abating. Only last week, air strikes hit hospitals on both sides of the front line, causing death and injury among dozens of civilians. I personally saw evidence of that relentless violence when I visited Ukraine in December. I saw the devastation in the countryside around Mykolayiv, riddled with mines.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“Mr. Griffiths: For almost a whole year, the Secretary- General, I and many others have briefed the Security Council repeatedly on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. We have warned about the toxic brew of death, destruction, displacement and deprivation that the war has caused. We have spoken about the psychological trauma it has left behind. We have condemned its deadly toll on civilians. Yet the tragedy continues to unfold with no end in sight. As we near the one-year mark of this war, allow me to remind the Council of some facts. Almost40percent Ukraine’spopulation—17.6million people — need humanitarian assistance. More than 7,000 civilians have been killed. Those are only the figures confirmed by the United Nations; I am sure that the true figures are higher. Nearly 8 million Ukrainians have fled to neighbouring countries.”
2023-02-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9254 (2023) · source
“And I call on the international community to redouble its efforts precisely to boost Yemen’s economy and restore basic services, which is as crucial a priority as the many others that we in the humanitarian community profess to serve. Every month, we brief the Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen and advocate for the means to respond to people’s needs, and we will continue to do that for as long as it takes. But what the people of Yemen really want is not more briefings with people like me and others on the humanitarian situation. They want a lasting end to the conflict. This brings me back to where I began: our full support for the efforts of Hans Grundberg, his team and all the Member States that support his Yemeni-led search for peace under United Nations auspices.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“Over recent months, we have seen signs of increasing economic tension emerge between the parties, with potentially harmful consequences for the people of Yemen. We know from experience that even a small deterioration in Yemen’s economy can have major ripple effects for millions of people. Despite a certain amount of currency appreciation last year, the Yemeni rial is now trading at 1,250 to the dollar in Government- held areas. I believe that that is the lowest point since the truce was announced in early April. I urge the parties to do everything possible to avoid any actions that could further destabilize the economy.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“That is the backdrop against which Resident Coordinator David Gressly and his team have to operate to try to improve protection for humanitarian workers. The trends that I am describing — of increasing interference, restrictions and violence against our colleagues — should not continue. Aid workers, including female Yemeni aid workers, must be able to carry out their work safely, independently, rapidly and without hindrance. Anything less is an affront to the people we serve. I therefore appeal to all parties to the conflict, as we have so often, to facilitate the safe, rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief to all civilians in need and protect humanitarian personnel and assets, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law. Members may have heard that paragraph before, and I am sure that they will again.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“But with every day that passes without a solution, this issue is becoming more acute and more urgent. The security situation in Yemen also remains difficult for humanitarian operations. Aid agencies reported almost 150 incidents of violence against their personnel last year, the vast majority of them taking place in Government-controlled areas. Just last month, the office of a humanitarian non-governmental organization was attacked in Aden. Thankfully, there were no casualties, but some damage to the office’s facilities was reported. Two United Nations staff also remain detained in Sana’a after 14 months, and another five are still missing after being kidnapped in Abyan almost a year ago.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“They impede effective programme delivery by forcing delays, or even suspensions, of critical missions and programmes. And they are increasingly severing our access to Yemen’s most vulnerable people — women and girls — as they are in all countries affected by humanitarian catastrophes. Women and girls are always disproportionately affected by crises, and even more so in the case of the implementation of the mahram edict. Despite our continued engagement with the Houthi authorities and the commitments made by them to find solutions, we have yet to see any tangible change. Instead, mahram restrictions have only become more prevalent and entrenched. After many months of discussions, we are still trying to work with the authorities to find an acceptable path forward.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“That is particularly severe in areas under Houthi control, where authorities often try to compel the selection of certain contractors, restrict the travel of aid workers or otherwise seek to influence aid operations. I appeal to the leadership of Ansar Allah to remover those unnecessary and unhelpful impediments. Those constraints delay the delivery of urgent assistance. I am particularly concerned about the imposition of strict mahram requirements, primarily in areas under the control of the Houthi de facto authorities. Those restrictions have wide-ranging and, frankly, unacceptable operational impacts. They prevent Yemeni women aid workers from travelling without a male guardian, both inside and out of the country. They curb the work of our staff. And they limit the social and economic participation of female humanitarians.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“Collectively, those incidents — whether being stopped at a roadblock, not allowed to start a journey or stopped from taking needed staff on a journey — affected the provision of assistance to more than 5 million people. Again, 3,300 incidents and 5 million people affected by unnecessary and unhelpful access impediments. Bureaucratic impediments are the most frequently reported constraints, including restrictions on humanitarian movements and delays in visa and work permit approvals. We have seen some progress in the areas controlled by Ansar Allah, with approvals on project agreements during December. But that is not enough, as procedures remain extremely cumbersome. We also have to cope with attempted interference, which is prevalent at every stage of aid delivery.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“As we begin this year, I urge the international community to continue to stand in good faith with the Yemeni people by giving generously to the humanitarian appeal and narrowing the existing funding gaps for those equally life-saving livelihood programmes. We will do our part to strengthen the aid operation. That includes redoubling our engagement with all parties to the conflict to remove impediments and strengthening monitoring and accountability mechanisms, in line with the recommendations of the inter-agency evaluation that was issued last year. As we have briefed the Security Council before, access constraints remain a major obstacle in Yemen — one of the worst in the world. Last year, humanitarian partners and agencies reported more than 3,300 access incidents. That is the equivalent of almost 10 per day.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“It does not tell us the story of those families whose hopes of returning home — even in Yemen we have displacement and refugees — are fading with each passing year. And it does not reflect the fear and risk that people face, especially women and girls, while doing simple activities, such as fetching water or walking to school. In the coming weeks, the humanitarian community will release its plan for the coming year to respond to those needs. Of course, it is important to know that we cannot do this alone. In 2022, thanks to strong donor support, aid agencies delivered life-saving assistance to almost 11 million people every month. We did that despite an increasingly challenging operating environment and key funding gaps across a number of sectors.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“Meanwhile, people’s access to humanitarian assistance is being impeded, as aid agencies are forced to contend with an increasingly challenging operating environment and an unencouraging funding landscape. An estimated 21.6 million people across Yemen will need humanitarian assistance and protection services this year. It is precisely because that is such a high percentage of the country’s total population that the United Nations has for so long talked about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen as being the worst we see across the globe. But even that staggering figure does not truly convey the reality or extent of people’s suffering. It does not relay to us the impossible choices parents make as they struggle to feed their children.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source
“Mr. Griffiths: As we usher in a new year, I am hopeful that a decisive turn in this conflict remains possible. We just heard very eloquently from Mr. Grundberg about the moves he is making to make that a reality. And I want to start by being very clear that the most important efforts we can make as the international community in the humanitarian, political and any other sphere is to support Mr. Grundberg in those most important primary efforts. I wish the Special Envoy good luck. However, I also fear that the year 2023 will be another extremely difficult one for the people of Yemen.. Humanitarian needs remain alarmingly high, as the country’s economy continues to weaken and basic services hang by a thread.”
2023-01-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9244 (2023) · source