UN Secretary General Spokesperson Dujarric’s Statements on Gaza
UN Secretary-General Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric addressed the humanitarian situation in Gaza at his daily press conference. Dujarric noted that efforts to provide fuel to hospitals in northern Gaza have been blocked five times in the past week, leaving some hospitals without fresh fuel supplies for more than 10 days.
Dujarric recalled that Israel had made evacuation decisions, and that as a result of the continuous displacement, an overcrowded environment had formed in southern Gaza. He also reported that more than 1,000 health workers and volunteers had been deployed and trained in 11 health centers in the region to administer polio vaccines.
The first phase of the vaccination campaign aims to reach more than 640,000 children under the age of 10 in Gaza. Dujarric said they aim to reach at least 95 percent of them. “We will follow this very carefully,” Dujarric said in response to a question about the Human Rights Watch report on the torture and detention of Palestinian health workers.
Dujarric stressed that “accountability must be ensured for all violations against civilians since October 7.”
UN Security Council Reform Process
UN Secretary-General Spokesperson Dujarric responded to a question about increasing the number of members of the UN Security Council by saying, “Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is very hopeful that the member states, with their wisdom, will bring the Security Council reform process to “a conclusion.” Dujarric reported that Guterres had recently been vocal about the need for reform, especially the need to find a seat for African countries on the Security Council.
Dujarric recalled that the permanent membership structure of the Security Council was “a reflection of the world of 1945”, noting that most African countries at the time “suffered under colonial rule”. Therefore, he stressed that Africa was not represented in the current structure when the Council architecture was being negotiated.
