Palestinian Territories
Shipment of more than 700 tons of nutritional supplements for distribution by the World Food Programme (Dec. 21, 2023)

France is extremely concerned by the humanitarian situation in Gaza and along with its partners, remains committed to assisting the civilian population.

As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna announced this past Tuesday, France will ship 705 tons of highly nutritious food provided by Nutriset to the World Food Programme. The WFP will receive and distribute the nutrition kits, which will reinforce its efforts to provide emergency food aid to civilians in Gaza.

The first ship, carrying more than 350 tons, set sail for Port Said, Egypt, on December 20 from the port of Le Havre. A second shipment is scheduled for early next week.

This brings the amount of humanitarian aid that France has delivered to Gaza’s civilian population via the Egyptian Red Crescent since October 28 to 1,000 tons. It includes emergency medical kits and supplies, foods with high nutritional value, shelters and family kits.

During her trip to Israel, the Minister reiterated her call for the establishment of a humanitarian truce – capable of leading to a permanent ceasefire – in order to permit the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of the wounded, given that the situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip is untenable.

Ukraine
France utterly condemns the latest Russian strikes (Dec. 21, 2023)

France utterly condemns last night’s drone strikes in Ukraine. For the past several weeks, Russia has engaged in a campaign of almost daily missile and drone strikes in order to terrorize the population and destroy energy infrastructure, in flagrant violation of international law.

Following the European Council meeting that agreed in principle to the opening of EU membership talks with Ukraine and reaffirmed Europe’s unwavering support for Kyiv in every area over the long term, France reiterates its tireless commitment to Ukraine’s resilience.

As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna has repeatedly emphasized, France will continue to work closely with its partners to provide Ukraine with the aid it needs to regain its territorial integrity and ensure its legitimate defense. Russia must know that we remain staunchly determined to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

France will also continue its support for the Ukrainian courts and the International Criminal Court to combat impunity for crimes committed by Russia. And France will continue its food aid to the countries most vulnerable to food insecurity as a result of the Russian aggression.

Environment
France welcomes the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the resolution concerning the Ocean Conference (Dec. 18, 2023)

France welcomes the UN General Assembly’s adoption on December 18 of the resolution it introduced with Costa Rica establishing the terms of the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC 3), which will be held in Nice in June 2025.

The adoption of this resolution by consensus sends a very positive signal for ocean conservation, which is vital to the planet and crucial to the fight against climate change.

Ahead of the Nice conference, a high-level thematic event will be held in San José, Costa Rica, on June 7 and 8, 2024, and a preparatory meeting will take place at UN headquarters in New York in July 2024.

France and Costa Rica call for stepping up ambitions and collectively increasing efforts to protect the oceans between now and June 2025.