Türkiye/Syria, Sea level Rise & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (14 February 2023)

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:

- Türkiye/Syria Earthquake
- Türkiye/Syria Earthquake Humanitarian
- Sea-level Rise
- Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed/Norway
- Bangladesh
- Migrants
- Economic and Social Council
- Noon Briefing Guest Tomorrow
- Ukraine
- Honour Roll

TÜRKIYE/SYRIA EARTHQUAKE
Today, the Secretary-General announced the launching of a $397 million humanitarian appeal for the people of earthquake-ravaged Syria, over the next 3 months.
The needs are immense, he said, and the most effective way to stand with the people is by providing this emergency funding. He underscored that aid must get through from all sides to all sides, through all routes – without any restrictions.
He said that the scale of this disaster is one the worst in recent memory, and one week after the devastating earthquakes, millions of people across the region are struggling for survival, homeless and in freezing temperatures.
The UN is also in the final stages of a similar appeal for Türkiye.

TÜRKIYE/SYRIA EARTHQUAKE HUMANITARIAN
In terms of what is going on the ground, the UN continues to mobilize emergency teams and relief operations, both in Syria and Türkiye. Humanitarian efforts are being rapidly scaled up and more assessments are being planned to identify priority needs, such as heavy machinery for debris removal; medical supplies; shelter and other items, including heating; emergency food and sanitation assistance.
According to the latest updates, the first convoy of the 11 trucks, which are from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), transporting non-food items crossed into north-west Syria through the Bab al-Salam crossing, which is one of the two additional crossings the UN is now being able to be used. In addition, 26 trucks with supplies from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration and the World Health Organization (WHO) crossed through the Bab Al-Hawa crossing, bringing the total number of trucks that have crossed from Türkiye into north-west Syria through this crossing point to 84 over the past five days. They are carrying aid - from food and tents to cholera testing kits and essential medicines.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is reporting that close to 9 million people in Syria have been impacted by last week’s devastating earthquake. The damage is worse in the north-west, where more than 4.2 million people were impacted in Aleppo, and 3 million in Idlib. More than 7,400 buildings have been destroyed or damaged.
In north-west, the response capacity continues to be worrying. UN partners have conducted rubble removal. The UNHCR has distributed 900 tents. The IOM has also distributed over 1,150 tents and 1,700 non-food items kits which were pre-positioned in the area prior to the earthquakes.
Also, WHO in Syria has airlifted 37 tons of emergency medical supplies today which can cover 465,000 cases. This is the second WHO airlift, with the first having arrived on 11 February.
In Aleppo, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is providing drinking water through
emergency water, trucking to about 60,000 internally displaced persons (IDP) in shelters and impacted neighbourhoods.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners have so far supported 60,000 beneficiaries with hot meals, ready to eat packages in Aleppo, Latakia, Tartous and Hama. Education partners are also supporting the Ministry of Education for damaged schools in Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Latakia.
Over 70,000 people have benefited from protection services since the beginning of the emergency, and ten active child protection centres and 15 mobile teams are active.
The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), in coordination with OCHA, delivered on 12 and 14 February - on an exceptional basis - humanitarian assistance comprising rations, bedding, warm clothes and water, in support of the disaster relief efforts in Aleppo.
At least 20 reception centres have been set up in both the Idlib and Aleppo governorates. Partners working on food security have helped 142,000 people with ready-to-eat food, and some 50,000 people have received cash grants.
Turning to Türkiye, the UN Refugee Agency is supporting the relief efforts of the Government of Türkiye. They have supplied emergency shelter materials, blankets, hygiene and kitchen items, and solar lamps. So far, UNHCR has provided 9,000 kitchen sets, 3,000 hygiene kits, 3,000 sanitizers, over 2,100 foam mattresses and 3,300 blankets to temporary accommodation centres in Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, Malatya, Kilis and Hatay. Further tents and winter kits from the UNHCR global stocks are also being deployed.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=14%20February%202023