Alright, good afternoon. I have quite a bit of stuff for you, some of it may be useful, hopefully. The Secretary-General left Davos early this morning and he is now in Thun, which is also in Switzerland, where he is spending the day with his Special Representatives and Special Envoys, who gathered for their annual retreat with him. We will share those remarks with you in advance. And we expected the Secretary-General to emphasize the critical role that both the NAM and the G77 plus China play in fostering international cooperation, at a moment of deep division and the rising of geopolitical tensions.
His messages will focus on support to multilateralism and the renewed efforts for peace, financing for sustainable development and climate action, and the need for reforms of our global institutions. He will also urge Governments to consider his proposal of a New Agenda for Peace. While in Kampala, we expected the Secretary-General to have bilateral meetings with a number of attendees of the Summit, and he will of course also meet with the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni.
Turning to Israel and to Gaza: The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of an operation to deliver additional and much-needed medicines and medical supplies to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and to deliver vital medicines to hostages currently held in Gaza.
The entry of these critical supplies and humanitarian aid to Gaza is encouraging, however much more aid needs to come into the Gaza Strip. He commends the State of Qatar and France for all their efforts. The Secretary-General also reiterates his appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and he also reiterates his call for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and for their humane treatment.
The Secretary-General urges all relevant actors to ensure that sufficient humanitarian aid gets into and where it is needed in the Gaza Strip and calls for the reactivation of the private sector to bring basic commodities into the Gaza Strip. The Secretary-General expresses his continued concern about heightened tensions in the region and calls for an urgent de-escalation.
