SECRETARY-GENERAL/G20
The Secretary-General spoke to reporters in New York ahead of the virtual G20 summit this weekend in which he will partipate.
He stressed the need for solidarity and cooperation, as well as for concrete action now.
The Secretary-General emphasized that recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic must be both inclusive and sustainable.
He reiterated his call for vaccines to be treated as a global public good.
The Secretary-General again issued an “SOS” for the needs of developing countries, which he said are on the precipice of financial ruin and escalating poverty, hunger and untold suffering.
He called on G20 leaders to increase the financial resources available to the International Monetary Fund and pushed for the Debt Service Suspension Initiative to be extended through the end of 2021.
His full remarks are available here.
YEMEN
In a statement, the Secretary-General said:
“Yemen is now in imminent danger of the worst famine the world has seen for decades. In the absence of immediate action, millions of lives may be lost.
This arises from the combination of a drastic reduction in funding for the UN-coordinated relief operation this year compared to 2018 and 2019, a failure to sustain external support for Yemen’s economy, especially in stabilizing the value of the Yemeni Rial, and the impact of the ongoing conflict and impediments imposed by powerful Yemeni and other parties on the life-saving work of humanitarian agencies. Locusts and floods compound these problems.
I urge all those with influence to act urgently on these issues to stave off catastrophe, and I also request that everyone avoids taking any action that could make the already dire situation even worse.
Failing that, we risk a tragedy not just in the immediate loss of life but with consequences that will reverberate indefinitely into the future.”
ETHIOPIA/SUDAN
UN agencies are appealing for urgent funding to help people fleeing Ethiopia’s Tigray region into eastern Sudan.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said today that the number of people who have crossed into Sudan has now topped 33,000.
People continue to stream into the country every day from Ethiopia, and it is estimated that up to 200,000 people could take refuge in eastern Sudan in the coming six months if instability in Tigray continues.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for $24.6 million to meet the immediate needs of refugees. WFP is providing hot meals, high-energy biscuits and food rations.
The agency is providing logistics support to humanitarian organizations, establishing supply hubs to store supplies. Through its UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), it is transporting humanitarian responders to affected areas.
WFP faces a shortfall of $153 million over the next six months for its operation to meet the food needs of the most vulnerable in Sudan, including nearly $25 million to provide food and nutrition assistance to arriving Ethiopian refugees, increase the number of UNHAS flights, and road repairs to allow responders to reach remote and inaccessible areas where refugees are arriving.
For its part, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s Representative in Sudan, Abdullah Fadil, said today that about 45 per cent of refugees are children under 18 years old.
He noted that schools had already re-opened in Ethiopia in September, so schooling for these children has now been disrupted.
UNICEF is checking the immunization status of children among the new arrivals. Newly arrived refugee children will also be included in the upcoming nation-wide polio campaign.
The agency is planning for the arrival of up to 200,000 refugees.
UNHCR says that, within Ethiopia itself, the number of internally displaced people is growing by the day after nearly two weeks of conflict. The lack of access to those in need, coupled with the inability to move relief supplies into the region, remain major impediments.
EGYPT
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said today that the arrest of three human rights defenders in Egypt this week is a very worrying development that underscores the extreme vulnerability of civil society activists in the country.
The Human Rights Office added that the use of sweeping counter-terrorism laws and vague charges such as “joining a terrorist organization” and “spreading false information” to harass and criminalize the work of human rights defenders is inconsistent with the rule of law and Egypt’s obligations under international human rights law.
MYANMAR
In Myanmar, the United Nations has signed a new Action plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children with an armed group, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army. The action plan, the first signed with an armed group in Myanmar, was witnessed virtually by Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
The Special Representative commended the UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting, led by UNICEF and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, for their tireless efforts to engage with parties to conflict in Myanmar.
She also called on all parties to conflict in Myanmar to continue their efforts to put an immediate end to all violations against children, especially the recruitment and use, killing and maiming, and sexual violence.
BURKINA FASO
The Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, today began a four-day mission to support the organization of peaceful, inclusive and transparent presidential and legislative elections in Burkina Faso. The elections are scheduled to take place this Sunday, 22 November.
During his mission, the Special Representative will meet with regional partners and stakeholders involved in the electoral process in Burkina Faso.
CLIMATE
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Climate Dialogues will kick off next week, designed to maintain critical momentum in the intergovernmental process in support of an international framework for climate action and increased climate ambition. The aim is to contribute to maximum progress and ensure a minimum of delays in the multilateral climate action agenda in the run-up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) at the end of next year.
The Dialogues come on the heels of the Race to Zero Dialogues convened by the Climate Champions that wrap up this week, charting how entire sectors can transition to a zero-carbon future. They will be followed by a global event on 12 December to mark the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, hosted by the UK COP Presidency, France and the UN, which will be an opportunity for world leaders to raise global ambition to tackle climate change ahead of COP26.
AFRICA INDUSTRIALIZATION DAY
In his message to mark Africa Industrialization Day, the Secretary-General said the COVID-19 crisis hit African economies well before the pandemic spread across the continent. The result was falling demand for African commodities and products, disruptions in trade and travel, reduced remittances and foreign investment, and vast job and income losses.
In working to realize the objectives of the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa, and by following the roadmaps laid out by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Africa’s Agenda 2063, the response to the COVID-19 crisis offers an opportunity to redress structural inequalities and vulnerabilities and promote transformative change for more resilient Africa.
The Secretary-General reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations system to support inclusive, resilient and sustainable industrial development in Africa.
WORLD CHILDREN’S DAY
Today is World Children’s Day, which was first established in 1954. Since 1990, World Children's Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on children's rights.
In a tweet, the Secretary-General emphasized that children and young people must be included in decisions that affect their future, from the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to the climate crisis. He said that adults must listen and work alongside them to create a better future.
UNICEF points out that, this year, the COVID-19 crisis has resulted in a child rights crisis and that the costs of the pandemic for children are immediate and, if unaddressed, may last a lifetime.
For its part, the International Labour Organization (ILO) today announced that the French musical group, Kids United New Generation, has joined its campaign to end child labour. The singers have dedicated their latest song, Take a Stand, to the UN International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, scheduled for 2021.
The new song highlights the urgent need to take action to address the problem and calls on governments and organizations around the world to do more. ILO estimates that 152 million children are currently in child labour, of whom 73 million are in hazardous forms of work.
WORLD TELEVISION DAY
Tomorrow, 21 November, is World Television Day. The Day was proclaimed by the General Assembly in 1996, in recognition of the increasing impact television has on decision-making by bringing world attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security. The Day also highlights television's potential role in sharpening the focus on other major issues, including economic and social issues.
