Briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the SecretaryGeneral.

Highlights:

Ukraine
International Day Of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda
Armenia/Azerbaijan
Yemen
Security Council
Djibouti
Peru
Latin America And The Caribbean
World Health Day
Hybrid Briefings Tomorrow

Martin Griffiths, the Emergency Relief Coordinator today visited Bucha and Irpin, outside of Kyiv. He was accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Olha Stefanishyna.
Mr. Griffiths described the visit as horrifying. He saw a mass grave with bodies wrapped in plastic, dozens of apartment blocks and houses destroyed, and burnedout cars in the street.
Mr. Griffiths said that the world is already deeply shocked by the images coming out of the area and echoed the SecretaryGeneral's call for an immediate, independent investigation to guarantee effective accountability.
From Bucha, Mr. Griffiths went to Kyiv, where he met with the Prime Minster Denys Shmyhal; the Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanyshyna; and the other Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereschuk; the Minister of Defence, Oleksii Reznikov; and the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Emine Dzhaparova.
Mr. Griffiths listened carefully to their views and concerns and sought ideas on how to move forward on getting to a humanitarian pause and safe passage for aid deliveries and evacuations. These are topics he also discussed with Government officials of the Russian Federation in Moscow on Monday.
Mr. Griffiths reaffirmed our commitment to helping protect civilians and reaching all those in need of humanitarian aid as quickly as possible.
He also said that, after its temporary relocation, the UN will reestablish its humanitarian presence and leadership in Kyiv, which Ukrainian authorities warmly welcomed.
Mr. Griffiths also heard firsthand accounts from the leadership in Ukraine about the recent efforts that we have got underway in the country. He said he is deeply impressed by the work, noting especially the recent lifesaving convoys to a number of critical locations.
In the past six weeks, UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs have dramatically scaled up operations. Some 160 of our partners are now present in all 24 oblasts in Ukraine, that is compared to six weeks ago, when operations were limited to eastern Donetsk and Luhansk only.
Mr. Griffiths noted that we and our partners have now reached at least 2 million people with assistance and that humanitarian convoys have been mobilized to reach thousands of people in desperate need in some of the hardesthit areas by the conflict, including Sumy, Kharkiv and Sievieredonetsk.
Our humanitarian colleagues are working tirelessly to expand the delivery of assistance. However, to reach those who need assistance the most, it is key that the parties engage with us for safe passage and humanitarian pauses.
On the funding side, the $1.1 billion Flash Appeal is now 58 per cent funded, having received $657 million so far.

YEMEN
In response to questions about the latest political developments in Yemen, the Spokesman said that we take note of the decision by President Hadi of Yemen to irrevocably delegate his full power to a newlyformed Presidential Leadership Council. We stand ready to work with the Presidential Leadership Council, as well as the Yemeni parties, to reach a lasting truce and a sustainable, inclusive and negotiated settlement to the Yemeni conflict.
We are grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its announcement of a $300 million commitment to the UNled humanitarian response. This generous contribution will go a long way in addressing the humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people across the country. Last month, a highlevel pledging conference raised $1.3 billion for the humanitarian response in Yemen.
We also warmly welcome the announcement of a $3 billion package from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to help Yemen’s economy. This support will have a major impact in stabilizing the Yemeni rial, bringing down prices and reducing fuel shortages all of which are major drivers of humanitarian needs.


Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon...