HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

THURSDAY, 11 JUNE 2020
 

SECRETARY-GENERAL DIGITAL ROADMAP 
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the High-Level Meeting on the Impact of Rapid Technological Change on the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. He said that managing rapid technological change is a defining challenge of our generation. He stressed that we are at a turning point; that we urgently need to harness the infinite opportunities offered by digital technology in order to scale up our efforts on healthcare, the climate crisis, on eradicating poverty, and across the Sustainable Development Goals. 
And at 1:30 p.m. this afternoon, he will address the virtual High-Level Event on the State of the Digital World.  There, he will formally launch the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation which aims to connect and protect people in the digital age. He will speak about how the current pandemic has magnified the many benefits and harms of technology.  He will also lay out how the UN will act as a facilitator and platform, mobilising partnerships and coalitions between governments, citizens, civil society, academia, and the industry to ensure that digital technologies are used for the public good and to prevent further fragmentation of the internet, which would be of detriment for all. 

SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Secretary-General addressed the Council on the multifaceted crises in Mali and the Sahel, which continue to take a heavy toll on people across the sub-region. In a ministerial meeting of the Council, the Secretary-General said that in this context, he said, the COVID-19 pandemic adds another layer of complexity to an already extremely challenging situation. He expressed concerns about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country, and called for swift international action to cover the most urgent needs, as well as the destabilizing effects of the pandemic. 
Mr. Guterres welcomed the arrival of the first reconstituted units in Kidal, in Mali, earlier this year. Once these units become fully operational, he told council members and Ministers, they will strengthen national armed forces in northern Mali and pave the way for a more significant deployment of State administration and justice to the area. Turning to the situation in the country’s central region, the Secretary-General emphasized the UN Mission’s efforts to increase their action there, but added that efforts to combat impunity remain essential to stem the violence. He underscored that security responses must go hand in hand with the restoration of State authority and sustainable development. Support to the G5 Sahel remains vital, he added. And he also reiterated his call for a comprehensive support package, funded by assessed contributions, to allow for predictable and sustainable funding to support the G5 Sahel Joint Force. 

SAHEL
In a statement issued earlier today, the UN Refugee Agency said they are alarmed by the violence of recent weeks in the Sahel, which has seen hundreds of civilians targeted, triggered more displacements and hindered humanitarian activities in the area. To highlight the immense needs in the region and continue the ongoing response to the deepening crisis, UNHCR will be launching its Sahel Crisis Appeal this Friday, June 12th. 

WOMEN AND GIRLS
The Executive Director of the UN Population Fund, Dr. Natalia Kanem, and the Director General of the International Organization for Migration, Antonio Vitorino, spoke to our UN Resident Coordinators, leading the UN team’s COVID-19 response to save lives and livelihoods in 162 countries and territories. Dr. Kanem of UNFPA said it is crucial that the UN supports the focus of countries on women and girls now, safeguarding their rights, including sexual and reproductive health. When girls leave school in the poorest countries, she said, it is very hard for them to resume their studies. This also leads to an increase in child marriage, which is a violation of human rights, as a quick option for families who need to make a living. Nearly 50 million women in low- and middle-income countries are unable to use modern contraceptives and 7 million additional unintended pregnancies could occur. Six months of lockdowns could result in an additional 31 million cases of gender-based violence, according to UNFPA statistics. 
Mr. Vitorino, the head of IOM, said that migrants, many of whom are at the forefront of the response, need to be protected and included in socioeconomic recovery plans. He stressed that 40 per cent of healthcare workers in countries like Italy, the United Kingdom and United States are migrants; and 60 per cent of those are women. Mr. Vitorino said that, while people are in lockdown, migrants are risking their lives for the sake of the communities, also in delivery services and public transportation. They need to be recognized as part of societies. 

WHO
The World Health Organization today said that there are now 200,000 confirmed cases of the virus in Africa, with more than 5,600 deaths. 
WHO said the pandemic is accelerating in Africa – it took 98 days to reach 100,000 cases, but only 18 days to climb to 200,000. More than 70 per cent of the deaths are taking place in five countries: Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Sudan. WHO says that more than half of the countries in the continent are experiencing community transmission. In many instances, it is concentrated in capital cities, but cases are spreading into the provinces. Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the health agency’s Regional Director for Africa, said that, while for now, Africa still only accounts for a small fraction of cases worldwide, constant vigilance is needed to stop the virus from overwhelming health facilities.  

SUDAN
In Sudan, a team from the joint African Union-UN Mission visited the villages of Feina and Manabu, in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur, to conduct COVID-19 sensitization campaigns for community members. That included a group of 200 women in Manabu.  They also distributed Personal Protective Equipment, including water containers, hand sanitizers and soap, to community members. These villages are in conflict areas under the influence of the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid faction. The group has endorsed the Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire but has not yet joined the ongoing peace talks in Juba. 

KUWAIT
In Kuwait, which has registered more than 33,000 confirmed cases of the virus and nearly 280 deaths. Our  team, led by Resident Coordinator Dr. Tarek Elsheikh, is working with the Government to protect vulnerable groups, including migrant workers. The UN Migration Network provided recommendations to the Government on supporting workers during the pandemic. The UN has also conducted webinars on effective regulations for recruitment and placement of migrants to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. Also, the UN is supporting the Kuwait Human Rights Foundation on a declaration against hate speech and xenophobia towards migrant workers. For its part, the FAO, and the UN Office for Project Services as well as the Economic Commission for Western Asia are working with authorities to fix broken supply chains, which is a huge challenge, as you saw from yesterday’s Secretary-General’s policy brief on food security. The UN also conducted a socio-economic impact assessment of the double shock of the COVID-19 crisis and oil prices to support the Government's COVID-19 policymaking, holding a hackathon together with the World Bank on innovative business models for small and medium businesses. To support education, UNICEF and UNESCO are working with the Government on online and distance learning and school reopening measures, along with psychosocial support for teachers, parents and learners. On the health response, WHO is supporting Kuwait’s participation in solidarity treatment trials. And UNHCR has provided cash support and distributed personal protective equipment. 

AFGHANISTAN
In Afghanistan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tells us that humanitarian organizations have issued a revised Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for 2020. They are now seeking $1.1 billion to assist 11 million people in crisis. This is due to COVID-19, which is deepening a humanitarian crisis driven by armed conflict and natural disasters. Even before the pandemic reached Afghanistan, 9.4 million people needed humanitarian assistance to obtain food, clean water, basic healthcare and other essentials. OCHA warns that the economic consequences of the pandemic could outstrip the direct health impact from the virus, causing more people to spiral into financial insecurity and, in some cases, acute humanitarian needs. So far, only $227 million has been received for the response plan. 

MIGRANTS
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said today that it is deeply concerned about the persistent reports of pushbacks and collective expulsions of migrants, in some cases violent, at the EU border between Greece and Turkey. IOM also appeals to States to suspend deportations during the pandemic while facilitating voluntary returns when and where possible.  

UNCTAD
The UN Conference on Trade and Development, otherwise known as UNCTAD, said today that the international trade in goods is expected to decline significantly in the coming months due to the coronavirus pandemic. UNCTAD notes that international trade is likely to remain below the levels observed in 2019 in the second half of the year.  The magnitude of this will depend upon not only additional economic disruptions brought by the pandemic, but also on the type and extent of policies that countries will adopt to restart their economies. 

FAO
FAO said today that food markets face many more months of uncertainty due to COVID-19, but the agricultural commodity markets are more resilient to the crisis. The trade in cereals is expected to set a record high this year and next, but meat production is expected to fall due to virus-related market disruptions, animal diseases and droughts. 

EL SALVADOR
The UN Children’s Fund said today that more than 119,000 people hit by Tropical Cyclone Amanda in El Salvador need assistance. The agency estimates that $2.2 million will be required to provide critical support in the sanitation, shelter and child protection sectors to more than 35,000 people in shelters and impacted communities. UNICEF and its partners are currently providing shelters with critical supplies, water tanks and cleaning and sanitation supplies, including 20,000 surgical masks, which have been distributed to the Government.