Noon briefing of 20 August 2020

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

THURSDAY, 20 AUGUST 2020

In Mali, the Peacekeeping Mission reports that the security situation in Bamako remains relatively calm, with no major security incidents. While banks and large businesses have remained closed, most local shops and markets have reopened.
The UN reiterates its call to reject violence, to respect the rule of law and to preserve the rights of all Malians, including those of the President and the senior government officials who remain in detention.
The Un also repeats its call for the immediate release of President Keita and the members of his government. The constitutional and democratic order must be restored as fast as possible.
The UN Mission in Mali remains deeply committed to implementing its mandate in support of the Malian peace process and the Malian people. In this regard, the Mission stresses the need for full freedom of movement to allow the UN to carry out its mandate, to ensure the rotation of uniformed personnel, as well as medical evacuations in particular.
Now, as the work continues, the UN has received reports just a few minutes ago that four peacekeepers were injured this morning when their logistics convoy was impacted by an explosion near Gao.

SECURITY COUNCIL
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, James Swan, briefed members of the Council. He told diplomats that Somalia, like the rest of the world, is focused on confronting the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is also having a severely negative economic impact in the country, with the government projecting an 11 percent decline in GDP this year. Mr. Swan added that the UN is working to reinforce the Government’s response. UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes have reoriented their activities to give priority to the pandemic. But even before the virus, Mr. Swan stressed that more than 5 million Somalis were already in need of humanitarian assistance. 2.6 million people in the country are internally displaced, and 1 million are now being impacted by flooding. The country is also dealing with the worst desert locust infestation in 25 years. He added that the coming weeks will be decisive in determining how Somalia will proceed with the planned elections, adding that the UN will continue to support the country in this process.

LEBANON
The UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Najat Rochdi, announced that OCHA has begun the disbursement of US $8.5 million from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund to provide rapid support to families impacted by the devastating Beirut Port explosions. More than 180,000 people are now being reached with life-saving humanitarian assistance, including through funding to NGOs delivering health, food assistance, and protection. The $8.5 million allocation is complementing $6 million allocated by the Central Emergency Response Fund, announced by Mark Lowcock two weeks ago.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
In the Central African Republic, the UN peacekeepers are continuing their technical, logistical operations in support to the preparation of the country’s presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for December 27th of this year. As part of his good offices, the Head of the UN Mission, Mankeur Ndiaye, met with the country’s authorities and members of the opposition earlier this week to discuss the political situation, as well as the electoral process. That includes the ongoing voter registration operations. The UN Mission is also providing security assistance to the national electoral management body, which includes protection and transport of the electoral material as well as security for voter registration agents in the 16 prefectures that make up the country.

SYRIA
In Syria, the UN remains concerned by the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the country. As of this morning, the Syrian Ministry of Health confirmed that 1,927 people tested positive for the virus. That includes sadly 78 deaths and 445 people who have recovered. In the northwest, 58 cases were confirmed, as of yesterday, with the first death reported 2 days ago in the district of Harim, in Idleb governorate. The World Health Organization is leading UN preparedness and mitigation measures across Syria, including in the country’s northwest and in the north.

COMOROS
In the Comoros, there are more than 400 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 7 deaths. The UN team, led by acting Resident Coordinator Marcel Ouattara, continues to provide support to national authorities to boost its health and socioeconomic response to the pandemic. The UN Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization are providing support to the ministries of health and education in the procurement, transport and distribution of clean water, protective equipment, medical and sanitizing supplies to hospitals and schools, while the UN Population Fund collaborated with youth associations to install hundreds of handwashing stations across the country. On the socioeconomic side, our friends at UNDP put out a study on the impact of the virus on vulnerable populations and businesses, while working with the national chamber of commerce to assess the impact of the crisis on the private sector and formulate an inclusive recovery plan. For its part, the UN children’s fund continues to organize programmes to support the most vulnerable children and mothers across the country, ensuring continued access to education, sanitation and nutrition.

REOPENING SCHOOLS IN AFRICA
In a survey conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, the World Health Organization has found that schools are fully open only in six of the 39 countries surveyed. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF are urging governments in Africa to promote the safe reopening of schools while taking measures to limit the spread of the virus. They say the impact of extended education disruption is significant. Poor nutrition, increased exposure to violence, childhood pregnancies, and overall challenges in children’s mental development are some of the consequences faced by children.

LIBYA
On Monday, at least 45 migrants and refugees, including 5 children, died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya. This is the largest recorded shipwreck in this area this year. In a statement, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency are calling for a review of the international community’s approach to this type of situation, adding there is an urgent need to strengthen the current search and rescue capacity to respond to distress calls. UNHCR and IOM are also calling on Libyan authorities to take firm steps against smugglers and traffickers. Some 37 survivors of this week’s shipwreck – mainly from Senegal, Mali, Chad and Ghana – were rescued by local fishermen and later detained upon disembarkation in Libya.

ASIA FLOODS
In Asia, a strong monsoon season has caused floods and landslides over the past week resulting in hundreds of casualties, the displacement of millions of people, and the destruction of infrastructure. These natural disasters are hitting countries already facing the COVID-19 pandemic and the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic. The UN, the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations are supporting the Government-led responses in several countries despite challenges in travel and access to people in need, due to COVID-19. Some of the most impacted countries have been Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and China. In Bangladesh, our colleagues tell us that humanitarian organizations are providing shelter and rapid food assistance in Cox’s Bazaar, as well as repairs to damaged water, sanitation and education facilities. In Pakistan, we are monitoring the situation in case support from the UN is required, and in Nepal and China, authorities are continuing their search and rescue operations, in conjunction with humanitarian organizations.

MAURITIUS OIL SPILL
The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) today said that the oil spill off the coast of Mauritius illustrates how small island nations face an existential and developmental threat from pollution of ships endangering their vulnerable marine ecosystems and ocean economies.
UNCTAD said that this incident highlighted the need for universal participation in the international framework to provide support when environmental disasters strike and ensure small island developing states are protected. The seas and their use are governed by several international conventions, but not all are ratified by all countries that might benefit, and others are yet to enter into force. This creates murky waters when oil spills happen, as not all parties have the same liability and compensation recourse, depending on which kinds of ships are responsible for the pollution and whether they have signed up to existing conventions.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Burundi is the 110th country to have paid its regular budget dues in full this year.