SEAFARERS 
The Secretary-General is concerned about the growing humanitarian and safety crisis facing seafarers around the world. As a result of COVID-related travel restrictions, hundreds of thousands of the world’s two million seafarers have been stranded at sea for months. Unable to get off ships, the maximum sea time stipulated in international conventions is being ignored, with some seafarers marooned at sea for 15 months. 
Shipping transports more than 80 per cent of the world’s trade, including vital medical supplies, food and other basic goods that are critical for the pandemic response and recovery. This ongoing crisis will have a direct consequence on the shipping industry. The world could not function without the efforts of seafarers yet their contributions go largely unheralded; they deserve far greater support at any time but especially now. 
The Secretary-General calls on all countries to formally designate seafarers and other marine personnel as “key workers” to ensure crew changeovers can safely take place. 
United Nations agencies, including the International Labour Organization and the International Maritime Organization, have worked with the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Transport Workers Federation to develop protocols for crew changeovers, taking into account of course of full public health concerns. The Secretary-General calls on all governments to urgently implement these protocols, allowing stranded seafarers to repatriate and others to join. 
 
CENTRAL AFRICA
The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Central Africa, François Louncény Fall, told the Security Council that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of citizens, as well as the functioning of States and regional institutions in Central Africa. The resulting economic crisis disproportionately affects the subregion of Central Africa, where many countries are oil producers. As governments are forced to choose between the urgent public health priorities, they risk lacking the resources needed for the smooth functioning of national institutions and the financing of crucial reforms. Mr. Lounceny-Fall highlighted the efforts of regional Governments and organizations to counter the virus. But, he added, the persistence of armed conflict in some parts of Central Africa undermines our efforts to respond to challenges posed by the pandemic. The Special Representative condemned deliberate attacks on civilians, and the destruction of private property and public infrastructure, including hospitals. 
 
MALI
UN peacekeepers in Mali are working with a network of local radio stations in Gao and Ménaka to provide information about the virus. Some of the radio stations also broadcast a show called "Objectif Santé", which is produced by Mikado FM – the UN Mission radio station - in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Malian health personnel to help raise awareness about the virus. The Mission is also supporting civil rights groups in Gao, which are undertaking awareness-raising campaigns targeting youth. This includes a programme that involves the publication of messages from local influential personalities and leaders on social networks and radio. 
 
SUDAN
The African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur has urged communities in the state of South Darfur to exercise restraint and maintain calm following an incident in a camp for internally displaced people in which two people were killed and another was injured. The mission responded immediately, deploying two formed police units and a military unit in and around the camp to avert any further violence or potential reprisals. The mission is working closely with the Government of Sudan’s forces to defuse tensions and restore calm. 
The head of the mission, Jeremiah Mamabolo, called on all communities involved to exercise self-restraint and seek justice through appropriate judicial processes and refrain from meeting violence with violence. He said the mission will continue to collaborate with the IDP leaders, native administration and Government authorities on protecting civilians and engaging with them regarding this matter. 
 
LIBYA
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that nearly 24,000 people have fled their homes in the last week following increased insecurity in southern Tripoli, Tarhuna and Sirte. Most people have fled to eastern Libya. Most of the newly displaced are sheltering with relatives, friends and other host families. The UN, once again, urges all parties to the conflict to respect the rule of law, for civilians to be protected, and for all efforts to be made to deescalate tensions. Yesterday, the UN Mission in Libya expressed horror at the reports of at least eight mass graves in past days, the majority of them in Tarhuna. International law requires that the authorities conduct prompt, effective and transparent investigations into all alleged cases of unlawful deaths, the Mission said. 
 
SAHEL
Following up on the humanitarian consequences of violence in the Sahel, the UN Refugee Agency has launched an appeal for $186 million to provide lifesaving protection and assistance to refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees and host communities in the Central Sahel. As he launched the appeal in Geneva, Filippo Grandi, the High Commissioner for Refugees, highlighted the remarkable generosity of local communities but noted they are at a breaking point, particularly in Burkina Faso where the number of people internally displaced has more than quadrupled from less than 200,000 a year ago to almost 850,000 at the end of April. The appeal includes $97 million in initial requirements for 2020, $29 million to implement the COVID-19 prevention and response measures in displacement areas, and an additional $60 million to scale up UNHCR’s emergency response as part of its Sahel Strategy. 
 
ZIMBABWE
The UN team, led by the Resident Coordinator, Maria Ribeiro, is helping the Government to address the triple threats posed by the virus, the severe drought and the lingering impact of Cyclone Idai last year. The country has 332 confirmed cases of the virus and four deaths. 
To respond to the pandemic, the UN and our partners have appealed for $800 million to help 5.6 million vulnerable people – or 40 per cent of the population – in the areas of food, health, water and sanitation, education, protection and shelter, among others. Only about 20 per cent of this appeal has been funded so far. 
For its part, the World Health Organization in Zimbabwe is supporting the Government with COVID-19 surveillance and on addressing the declining rates of immunizations. 
The UN Development Programme has shifted more than $4 million from its HIV programme to the COVID-19 response and is supporting human rights monitoring and compliance by law enforcement. The UN Children’s Fund and WHO are also supporting this time community-based health services, while UN Women and the UN Population Fund are working with NGOs to curb gender-based violence. 
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has facilitated the repatriation of nearly 6,000 Zimbabwean migrants from neighbouring countries, including more than 900 returnees in the past week alone. UNICEF, IOM and WHO are also working in facilities housing quarantined children returning to Zimbabwe. 
The World Food Programe has helped nearly 1.5 million people with either cash or in-kind food distribution and it has transported personal protective equipment, as well as virus testing kits, thermometers and ventilators donated by the Jack Ma Foundation. The Food and Agricultural Organization is also assessing the status of food security in the country. 
 
SYRIA
The UN is working to address the critical humanitarian needs of the more than 11 million people in need of assistance across the whole of Syria. In January to March this year, the UN along with its partners reached on average 6.2 million people in need each month across Syria – meaning both government-controlled, and non-government-controlled areas. This assistance is saving lives, but more has to be done.  
The UN is working to scale up the response across the country, including comprehensive efforts to help contain the spread of COVID-19, both from within Syria, and importantly, through critical important cross-border assistance, which provides an essential lifeline to millions of vulnerable people living in the northwest. In recent weeks, the worsening economy and extreme volatility of the informal exchange rate in Syria has begun to impact families already struggling to cope with the impact of nine years of crisis. WFP already sounded the alarm over the rapid increase of food insecurity in the country; 9.3 million people are food insecure – and that’s an increase of 1.4 million in just six months. 
 
YEMEN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that between 10 April, when the first case of the virus was confirmed in the country, and 11 June, authorities have announced 564 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 130 deaths. OCHA notes that these numbers are not representative of the true severity of the outbreak, as Yemen’s health system does not have adequate capacity to test all suspected cases. All indications point to the rapid spread of the virus across Yemen. The Case Fatality Rate in observed cases is alarmingly high at around 24 per cent -- that’s about four times higher than the number worldwide. 
Aid agencies continue to do all they can to scale up the response to the pandemic. But the agencies do not have the funding required to deliver the scale needed, nor to continue existing programmes much longer.
As the UN has been saying, more than 30 of the 41 UN-supported programmes in Yemen will close in the coming weeks if additional funds are not secured.  Now, more than ever, the country needs the outside help. Already, incentive payments for health workers have had to be cut amidst this pandemic. 
On 2 June, at the High-Level Pledging Conference for Yemen, 31 international donors announced pledges of a combined $1.35 billion to meet the humanitarian needs. This is only about half of what was raised last year, despite the situation being worse than ever. Much of what was pledged at the event has not yet been disbursed. The UN urgently calls on donors to fulfil all pledges immediately and to consider increasing support.
 
WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR
Today is the World Day Against Child Labour, which this year focuses on the impact of the pandemic on the issue. According to a joint International Labour Organization and UNICEF Brief released today, millions more children risk being pushed into child labour as a result of the pandemic. This could lead to the first rise in child labour after 20 years of progress. ILO and UNICEF warn that evidence is gradually mounting that child labour is rising as schools close during the pandemic. Temporary school closures are currently affecting more than 1 billion learners in over 130 countries. Even when classes restart, some parents may no longer be able to afford to send their children to school.  
 
VERIFIED INITIATIVE
On behalf of the Secretary-General, the Spokesman welcomed the cross-regional statement by 132 signatories supporting his COVID-19 communications initiative and Verified. Misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories not only complicate the global response to COVID-19, they cost lives. 
 
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS 
Nicaragua and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have paid their budget dues in full bringing the total to 99 fully paid-up Member States.