HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,

DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

FRIDAY, 26 MARCH 2021

FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT 
On Monday, the Secretary-General’s Policy Brief on debt and liquidity will be published.
Also on Monday, the Secretary-General, along with the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, and the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, will convene the meeting on “Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond.”
They will also hold a press briefing at 11 a.m. The Secretary-General will be in the press briefing room and the two leaders will join virtually.
 
UNITED STATES
On Monday afternoon, the Secretary-General will meet virtually with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.  This is part of the Secretary of State’s “virtual visit” to the United Nations on Monday.
Their opening remarks will be webcast, both on our own WebTV and on the State Department’s website. 
 
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh of Chad as his new Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel and the Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, known as UNOWAS.
Mr. Mahamat Saleh succeeds Mohamed Ibn Chambas of Ghana, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service and effective leadership at the helm of UNOWAS.
Mr. Mahamat Saleh, who has served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Mali and Head of the UN Mission there – MINUSMA - brings to the position extensive national and international experience, having taken part in several peace processes in Africa, including in Niger, the Central African Republic and Sudan.
 
MYANMAR 
In a statement, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, said she remains deeply disturbed by ongoing violence committed by the country’s security forces.
Tomorrow, Armed Forces Day, marks Myanmar’s liberation from foreign power. The Special Envoy said that ensuring peace and defending the people should be the responsibility of any military, but in Myanmar, the Tatmadaw has turned against its own citizens. Women, youth and children have been among those killed.
The Special Envoy calls for the release of all those detained, including President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
As Myanmar’s Thingyan New Year approaches in April, the Special Envoy appeals for basic rights and democratic norms to be upheld in the greater interest of the nation’s prosperity under civilian rule.
The Special Envoy will continue to amplify the Secretary-General’s call for a firm, unified international response, bilaterally and collectively towards the restoration of the democratically elected government of Myanmar. She also supports the Security Council’s calls for a peaceful solution through constructive dialogue and practical reconciliation in the interests of the people of Myanmar.
 
MYANMAR/W.H.O.
Also on Myanmar, the World Health Organization (WHO) in the country strongly condemns attacks on healthcare providers and sites since the military takeover on the 1st of February.
WHO says that, between the 1st of February and the 24th of March, there have been 32 attacks on healthcare facilities and staff, resulting in two deaths and six injuries. Dozens of facilities and several ambulances have been affected in 12 states and regions.
WHO says the continuing use of force against healthcare workers, including the reported occupation by security forces in hospitals, is taking a devastating toll on Myanmar’s health system.
As the WHO Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said, the destruction of health facilities and attacks on health workers must stop. Now more than ever, health workers, health supplies and health facilities must be supported, functioning and serving all people, he has stressed. 
 
YEMEN
The Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, is on a visit to Oman. During his visit, Mr. Griffiths will continue pursuing his mediation efforts with the goal of securing a nationwide ceasefire, opening Sana’a airport, allowing fuel and other commodities into Yemen through Hudaydah ports and resuming the political process.
Mr. Griffiths met today in Muscat with Ansar Allah's chief negotiator, Mohammed Abdulsalam. They discussed the urgent need to agree on opening Sana'a airport, easing restrictions on Hudaydah ports, entering a nationwide ceasefire and resuming the political dialogue under the UN framework.
  
SYRIA
The fifth EU-UN Brussels conference on Syria will take place on the 29th and 30th of March. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be held in a virtual format. 
The event is intended to renew and strengthen the international community’s political, financial and humanitarian commitments to support the Syrian people, the neighbouring countries and the communities most affected.  
The Secretary-General will have a video message at the opening segment of the ministerial-level conference starting at 8:00 am, New York time, on the 30th of March.  
The event will be livestreamed on the EU's website and also on OCHA's Facebook page.
  
ETHIOPIA/REFUGEE CAMPS
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today said that it has gained access to the Shimelba and Hitsats refugee camps in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region for the first time since November 2020, amid ongoing security concerns. During a joint mission to the area with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNHCR found both camps completely destroyed, and all the humanitarian facilities looted and vandalized.
UNHCR reiterated the joint UN call for all parties to urgently enable the free and safe movement of affected people in search of safety and assistance, including across international and within national borders, regardless of their ethnic identification. We call for the right to seek asylum to be fully respected.
 
PHILIPPINES 
In the Philippines, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and partners are helping more than 51,000 people affected by the recent armed conflict in Maguindanao, in the south of the country.
More than 10,000 families were displaced after fighting began on the 18th of March between the Government and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
IOM has deployed teams to provide technical support in setting up camps. It is also providing supplies as well as training on how to address COVID-19.
  
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/ARAB STATES
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, took part today in the first meeting of a new platform bringing together UN entities in the Arab region in support of sustainable development. 
Ms. Mohammed stressed the importance of regional collaboration to respond to challenges that know no borders, including the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that we must turn such challenges into an opportunity to recover better together through increased solidarity.
In the Arab States, COVID-19 has exacerbated an already precarious economic situation in many parts of the countries, leading to increased poverty and inequality.
  
COVAX
South Sudan received an initial batch of 132,000 doses from COVAX yesterday and will kick off its national vaccine campaign shortly.
The first doses will go to healthcare workers and people over the age of 65. The UN team is supporting authorities to rollout vaccines in all 80 counties and has trained healthcare workers.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative, David Shearer, said that the UN won’t rest until vaccines are brought to those most in need across the country.
In Sri Lanka, the UN team there, led by Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, has been working together with UN partners to support the country’s efforts to prevent, respond and vaccinate people.
More than 260,000 doses arrived through COVAX earlier this month as part of an initial allocation of nearly 1.5 million doses scheduled to arrive in the coming months. These first doses will go to frontline workers, people over the age of 60 and people with comorbidities.
The UN team has helped Sri Lanka address the pandemic and prepare for the vaccine rollout, including through ensuring that the cold chain is in place.
  
COVID-19/SEAFARERS AND AIRCREW
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Organization for Migration and the World Health Organization released a joint statement on the prioritization of COVID-19 vaccination for seafarers and aircrew. The five organizations stressed that maritime and air transport are two essential activities that underpin global trade and mobility and are key to a sustainable socio-economic recovery.
According to them, as of January 2021, it is estimated that some 400,000 seafarers are stranded on board commercial vessels, long past the expiry of their contracts and unable to be repatriated. A similar number of seafarers urgently need to join ships to replace them.
The organizations reiterated their call upon countries that have not done so to designate seafarers and aircrew as key workers.
The full statement is available online.
 
EARTH HOUR
Tomorrow, people around the world will mark Earth Hour, which encourages individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights, for one hour. 
In his Message to mark the event, the Secretary-General said that we must all do our part to safeguard the planet and that Earth Hour is a reminder that small actions can make a big difference.
The UN is taking part, as in previous years, by having lights at Headquarters go out at 8:30 p.m. NY time.
  
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Romania has paid its regular budget dues in full. The number of fully paid-up Member States has reached 77.