GLOBAL INVESTORS
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the extraordinary meeting of the Global Investors for the Sustainable Development Alliance.
He told them that, during these extraordinary times, the world needs the leadership of the business sector for an effective response and a sustainable and inclusive recovery.
He added that while the immediate response is critical in limiting devastation from the disease, a long and difficult path lies ahead as communities determine how to reopen.
In his remarks, he called on business leaders to help build a fairer, greener and more resilient global economy that leaves no one behind.
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Moving on to the situation on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, as I’ve been asked about some of the latest developments, I can tell you that the Secretary-General regrets the cutting off of inter-Korean communications channels by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Such channels are necessary to avoid misunderstandings or miscalculations. June is a symbolic month for the Korean Peninsula. This Friday, June 12, is the second anniversary of the first-ever leaders’ meeting between the DPRK and the United States.
On Monday, June 15th, will mark the 20th anniversary of the first-ever leaders’ meeting between the two Koreas.
The Secretary-General hopes that all parties use the June anniversaries to redouble efforts to resume talks to achieve sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The Secretary-General reaffirms his commitment to peace and security on the Peninsula.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/SMALL STATES
Today, in a video message to address the Forum of Small States, the Secretary-General noted that COVID-19 is exposing the fragility of our world. He said that, despite the enormous scientific and technological advances of recent decades, a microscopic virus has brought us to our knees.
In his address to the virtual high-level event entitled “The UN Charter at 75: Multilateralism in a Fragmented World,” the Secretary-General said that the fragility exposed by the virus is not limited to our health systems. It affects all areas of our world and our institutions.
He emphasized that COVID-19 must be a wake-up call. In responding to the virus and all of our current global challenges – from climate change to terrorism to disarmament – we require unity and solidarity. The Secretary-General noted that we have seen such a widespread and damaging spread of the pandemic in large part because the multilateral system is not strong enough. He added that history shows repeatedly that, when the international community comes together, the UN can indeed accomplish the purposes for which it was established.
BURUNDI
Yesterday afternoon, in a statement we issued, the Secretary-General offered his condolences to the Government and people of Burundi following the death of President Pierre Nkurunziza. He also extended his sympathies to the members of the President’s family.
The Secretary-General also reaffirmed the willingness of the United Nations to support the Government and people of Burundi as they face the COVID-19 pandemic and in their continuing efforts to create a stable, prosperous and peaceful future for all of the country’s citizens.
Today, at Headquarters, the UN flags are down as they always are when a sitting head of State or head of Government dies in office.
SECURITY COUNCIL
Meanwhile, the Security Council met virtually this morning on the International Criminal Court and Sudan. The Council was briefed by Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
This afternoon, the Council will hold a closed meeting on UN peacekeeping operations in Mali.
YEMEN
The Office of the Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has concluded the first large-scale virtual consultations with hundreds of Yemenis on the opportunities and challenges of peace in Yemen. Those include the UN’s ongoing efforts to mediate between the parties to reach an inclusive and sustainable peace.
During three hours of live, interactive online discussions that took place earlier in the week on Monday and Tuesday, over 500 Yemeni participants expressed their thoughts on the prospect of a nationwide ceasefire, the future of the political peace process and key humanitarian and economic measures that are needed to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Yemen and to improve the country’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Most of the participants worked with civil society organizations and nearly 60 per cent were under the age of 41, with 30-35 per cent of the participants being women.
An overwhelming number of them expressed grave concern about the spread of COVID-19 in the country and linked the failure in Yemen’s response to the outbreak to the continued war. Ninety-five per cent of them agreed that a nationwide ceasefire is necessary for an effective response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The payment of civil servants’ salaries was flagged as one of the top issues during the consultations.
SYRIA
Moving on to Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that the massive UN cross-border humanitarian response continues to provide life-saving assistance to people in need throughout the northwest, including health items to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic.
In May alone, 1,781 trucks crossed into Syria – that is the highest number of trucks to go cross-border since the operations were first authorised by the Council in 2014. In the first week of June, we added another 567 trucks crossing the border. This scale-up has seen an average of more than 1,350 trucks crossing from the two Security Council-authorized border crossing points from Turkey in the first five months of 2020, providing food, health items and other critical support in those trucks.
Despite the massive operation, needs remain incredibly high throughout northwest Syria, with 2.8 million people in need, including over one million people living in camps or informal shelters. Without the necessary cross-border authorizations by the Security Council, civilian suffering will increase to levels unseen in nine years of conflict, including the loss of life on a mass scale.
NIGERIA
In Nigeria, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that, yesterday, more than 70 civilians were killed, and others wounded in an attack in a village in the northeast of the country. Over the course of five hours, a motorized armed group raided Gubio in Borno State, 80 kilometers from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. They destroyed homes and stole more than 1,000 head of cattle. Some residents were killed, set ablaze in their homes, while many more were shot while trying to escape.
This wave of incidents is the deadliest recorded in north central Borno State since July 2019. According to UN humanitarian sources, vigilantes and local hunters were deployed to protect the town and nearby areas, in support of military action.
ETHIOPIA
In Ethiopia, our humanitarian colleagues, along with the government and partners, have released a revised 2020 humanitarian requirements document outlining additional priorities since the release of the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan, that was back in January. The revised plan targets 16.5 million people with emergency food and non-food assistance at a cost of $1.65 billion; $506 million of that is set aside for the pandemic response and will target almost 10 million people.
COVID-19/KAZAKHSTAN
In Kazakhstan, there are more than 13,000 cases of COVID-19 and 61 deaths. The UN team, led by the Resident Coordinator, Norimasa Shimomura, is responding to the health needs as well as addressing the pandemic’s impact on livelihoods and the economy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has allocated nearly $3 million for lab equipment and more than 120,000 items of personal protective equipment for frontline health workers. WHO is leading the UN’s efforts to gather lessons learned from the response to the virus in order to help other countries stay ahead of the curve as the region prepares for a potential second wave of infection.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan, along with the Government, is working to resume routine immunizations and on safely reopening schools in the autumn, all the while protecting children of migrants who were impacted by the pandemic.
For its part, the UN Migration Agency (IOM) has provided assistance and legal support to nearly 700 migrants and their families. It has also set up a hotline for vulnerable migrants who are at risk of human trafficking.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) led a survey of 2,000 small- and medium-sized business to assess the impact of the pandemic, with strategies to resume businesses and encouraging the rehiring of employees. The UN team continues to work with its partners to curb misinformation and to promote prevention campaigns through social and traditional media, as well as other outreach.
COVID-19/MAURITANIA
In Mauritania, where we are seeing more than 1,100 cases of the virus and 63 deaths, the UN team there, led by Resident Coordinator Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah, has been working with the Government and its partners to flatten the curve and support people whose lives have been disrupted due to the pandemic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is moving to increase testing capacity from 200 to 500 per day. It has also set up a dialysis service in the emergency unit of the national COVID-19 treatment centre and has given $100,000 worth of medicine and lab supplies.
With washing hands and keeping physical distance, among others, essential to curbing the spread of the disease, we continue to support the national prevention campaign. UNICEF helped to set up a toll-free virus hotline that has processed more than half a million calls to date. They tell us that they have reached out to more than 1,500 households on risk management and provided personal protective equipment to more than 900 community volunteers who conduct door-to-door outreach initiatives.
COVID-19/PEACEKEEPING
Meanwhile, our peacekeeping missions are also continuing to help governments and local communities respond to COVID-19.
In South Sudan, the UN Mission and the UN team have provided health and safety items, such as surgical gowns and gloves, soap, and face masks to local populations and prisoners, among others. In Eastern Equatoria state, as part of efforts to spread the message on how to prevent COVID-19, 100 solar-powered radios have been distributed to frontline workers at a hospital, as well as to women’s groups and to others responding to the pandemic.
In the Central African Republic, participants in a community violence reduction programme have received specialized training in mask manufacturing, with the goal of producing about 20,000 masks for the benefit of the local community. This programme is part of the Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration activities implemented by the Mission, consisting of professional training in different trades, such as sewing, mechanics, and IT. Participants in the programme have received starter kits for income-generating activities.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Staying in the Central African Republic, a quick update on the security situation there: The UN Mission has provided reinforcements following yesterday’s attack on a checkpoint operated jointly by UN peacekeepers and the country’s armed forces in Pougol. Three peacekeepers were injured, as we told you.
There was also an incident in the capital’s third district, better known as PK5. Armed men of a militia group and traders exchanged fire. No casualties were reported and the situation is now calm.
UN peacekeepers engaged with local stakeholders and reinforced patrols in the area to prevent an escalation of violence.
Finally, we have an update on the attack that took place in Bouar yesterday. There were additional exchanges of fire between combatants of the 3R armed group and members of the Central African Armed Forces and approximately 500 civilians sought refuge in the town of Bouar. The UN Mission continues to work with the guarantors of the peace agreement, notably the African Union and the Economic Community of Central African States, to ease tensions and facilitate dialogue.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
We end on a positive note and we send our warmest thanks to our friends in the Lao People's Democratic Republic for its full payment to the regular budget.
We are very close to hitting the century mark, as they say in cricket. We have now 97 Member States paid up in full for 2020.
***The guests at the Noon Briefing were Mahmoud Mohieldin, the Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals, and Leila Fourie, the CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Co-chair of the Global Investors for the Sustainable Development Alliance.
Also speaking to the media was Dan Thomas of the UN Global Compact, who briefed on the Global Compact Leaders’ Summit in which several heads of State will join Chief Executive Officers and more than a dozen UN officials to address the private sector’s response to COVID-19, inequality and the climate crisis.
