PEOPLE ON THE MOVE 
In his new Policy Brief, entitled “COVID-19 and People on the Move”, the Secretary-General argues that the pandemic presents us with an opportunity to reimagine human mobility for the benefit of everyone. 
In a video message, he said that the millions of people on the move - such as refugees, internally displaced persons or migrants - now face three crises rolled into one. 
They are confronted with the health crisis — but in a context where basics such as health care, water, sanitation and nutrition are often hard to find.  They also face a socio-economic crisis, although often without access to any social protection, and people on the move also face a protection crisis. 
Yet, despite these challenges, people on the move are contributing heroically on the frontlines, in essential work, the Secretary-General added. 
Reimagining human mobility would involve four core understandings. 
First, recognizing that exclusion is costly. An inclusive public health and socio-economic response will help suppress the virus, restart our economies and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
Second, we must uphold human dignity in the face of the pandemic and learn from the handful of countries that have shown how to implement travel restrictions and border controls while fully respecting human rights, as well as international refugee protection principles. And third, no-one is safe until everyone is safe. 
Finally, the Secretary-General reiterated that people on the move are also part of the solution. 
The Policy Brief and video message are online. Also online are statements on the policy brief from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN Migration network.

AFRICA/CARIBBEAN/PACIFIC
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at an extraordinary inter-sessional summit of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.  He said that we need a much stronger response of unity and solidarity if we are to get through this pandemic together and build a safer, more stable future.  
He warned that looming crises could contribute to the deepest global depression since the 1930s.  He welcomed the debt relief initiatives by the G20 but added that they are not enough.  
The Secretary-General said that COVID-19 is exposing the fragility of our world and has laid bare deep injustices and inequalities based on income, gender, race, and more.  Returning to the systems that created this fragility is out of the question, he said.  
He repeated his call for a vaccine to be made available quickly, affordably and equally.  It must be seen as a global public good -- as the people’s vaccine, he added.

VACCINES 
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will have a video message for the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) on the Global Vaccine Summit, which seeks to mobilize billions of dollars in funding. He will laud what he calls the lifesaving miracle of a vaccination, which is the most important public health intervention in history. 
The Secretary-General will stress that a COVID-19 vaccine again, must be seen as a global public good – a people’s vaccine. We need global solidarity to ensure that every person, everywhere, has access. 
Also on vaccines, the United Nations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) issued a joint call today for unity to scale up efforts to develop, test, and scale-up production of safe, effective, quality and affordable diagnostics, therapeutics, medicines and vaccines. 
Specifically, we are asking governments, the private sector, international organizations and civil society to unite towards a people’s vaccine for COVID-19. 
The vaccine should protect the affluent in cities and the poor in rural communities, the old in care homes and the young in refugee camps. A global social contract for a people’s vaccine against COVID-19 is a moral imperative that brings us all together in our shared humanity.

LIBYA
The 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) resumed its work today (3 June) with a meeting chaired by the Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General Stephanie Williams via video conference with the five-members of the Libyan National Army (LNA) delegation. 
A similar meeting with the delegation of the Government of National Accord (GNA) is expected to take place in the coming days. 
Negotiations will continue on the ceasefire agreement and associated arrangements, on the basis of the draft presented by the UN Mission to both delegations on 23 February of this year. 
The UN Mission encourages the parties to de-escalate, consider a truce to enable improved delivery of humanitarian assistance, and to refrain from incitement and create an environment conducive for negotiations and build trust between the parties. 
We reiterated our concern by the persistent violations of the arms embargo on Libya and calls on all countries to strictly adhere to it in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions.

VENEZUELA
The Secretary-General welcomes yesterday’s announcement of an agreement between representatives of the Government and the Advisory Team of the National Assembly of Venezuela on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.  
He encourages the main stakeholders to implement this agreement in accordance with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence; and to build on this foundation to continue seeking common ground to overcome the country’s protracted crisis. 
The Secretary-General recognizes the important role played by actors including the Pan-American Health Organization in facilitating this agreement.

YEMEN 
Regarding yesterday’s pledging conference for Yemen, at the end of the day, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that 30 announcements of pledges had been made for a total amount of $1.35 billion. 
This is significantly less than the $2.4 billion that aid agencies estimate they will need to cover needs from June until December, including for the COVID-19 response. 
Closing the conference, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, said that unless we raise more money, we face a horrific outcome in Yemen.  
He added that those who have not yet pledged, including some major donors, must now stand up and play their part; while he added that those that have made pledges should provide the actual cash and money as soon as possible.

COVID-19/PEACEKEEPING 
In South Sudan, the UN Mission is helping to minimize congestion in the juvenile reformatory centre in Juba, while in Torit, we have provided personal protective equipment, including thousands of masks, glasses, gloves and disinfectants, to local hospitals. 
In Koch in Unity State, peacekeepers are working to combat misinformation by disseminating messages over loudspeakers and promotional trucks on how to protect yourself and others from the virus. 
In the Central African Republic, the twelve peacekeeping field offices support local authorities by providing material such hygiene kits, masks, protective equipment, as well as training. 
In Kaga Bandoro, in the Central African Republic, peacekeepers supported the construction of a screening centre at the prefecture hospital and, in Berberati, they assisted in the delivery of a tent, which serves as a medical post and isolation quarters. Sensitization activities carried out in collaboration with women’s groups and associations are ongoing. 
The Mission has partnered with the Diocesan Centre for Family to conduct a training workshop for COVID-19 for women leaders. Influential women community leaders were also trained through the Mission’s Female Engagement Team. 
These capacity-building activities aim to better equip women to protect their families and communities from the virus. Mission members are also continuing their work with communities to promote peace.
The UN Mission, along with local authorities, religious leaders and representatives from youth and women’s groups, organized a workshop on the culture of peace.

COVID-19/IRAN
In Iran, where there are more than 157,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 7,900 deaths, the UN team, led by the Resident Coordinator, Ms. Ugochi Daniels, has been working with the Government and the people since the onset of the outbreak. And this aims to respond to the health, humanitarian and socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) team on the ground has provided arterial blood gas analyzers, virus test kits and other essential supplies to more than 100 laboratories and hospitals. It is also helping Iran contribute data to the Solidarity Trial, an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19, which, as you know, was launched by the WHO and its partners.
WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Refugee Agency  (UNHCR), along with the World Food Programme (WFP) have brought more than 76 tonnes of personal protective equipment for front line workers as well as people taking care of the elderly, children with disabilities, and other groups with special needs. 
For its part, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are also helping the Government to assist women, girls, the elderly, and people living with disabilities, among others. 
Other UN agencies, including the UN Refugee Agency and the World Food Programme have provided hygiene items and food assistance to some of the 31,000 vulnerable refugees living in settlements, as well as protection supplies for aid workers. UNHCR is also providing psycho-social counseling and legal advice through helplines, while WFP provides cash assistance for those most in need. 
Iran is the sixth largest refugee-hosting country in the world, with more than one million refugees, mainly from Afghanistan.

COVID-19/MOLDOVA
In Moldova, where there have been more than 8,300 confirmed cases and more than 300 deaths from the virus, the UN team there, led by Simon Springett, has developed policy briefs looking into the impact of the pandemic. 
In collaboration with Oxford Economics, a new study shows that Moldova is more vulnerable to the impacts of the pandemic than most European countries. A decline in remittances deal a further blow to the economy, whose Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could drop around 8 to10 per cent. 
The service sector is also deeply affected, with women – who comprise about 70 per cent of the labour force in that sector – are especially impacted. 
The UN has also contributed $1 million from our COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund. 
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is helping to procure and distribute supplies to maternity hospitals. It has also provided supplies to mothers with children living in penitentiary institutions, as well as to children in detention facilities. 
UNICEF is working with authorities to ensure continued education to the most disadvantaged children, including pre-primary and primary schools for children with disabilities. 
UN Women has launched a campaign to inform businesses about the links between COVID-19 and gender inequalities.

HUMAN RIGHTS/ASIA 
The High Commissioner for Human Rights today expressed alarm at the clampdown on freedom of expression in parts of the Asia-Pacific region during the COVID-19 crisis. Michelle Bachelet said any actions taken to stop the spread of false information must be proportionate. 
Her office said that countries in the region already have laws governing alleged “fake news” and online media that raise human rights concerns and have been used in other contexts to deter legitimate speech, especially public debate and criticism of government policy.

WORLD BICYCLE DAY 
Today, June 3rd, is World Bicycle Day.  The Day acknowledges the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two centuries, and some of us are even using stationary bikes in this lockdown,
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) reminds us that now is a good time to take stock of the benefits of the bicycle. These include staying healthy, as well as being a sustainable mode of transport during, and after, the global crisis. 
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), safe infrastructure for walking and cycling is also a pathway to achieving greater health equity. For the poorest urban sector, who often cannot afford private vehicles, walking and cycling provide a form of transport while reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, diabetes, and even death.

CONDOLENCES 
Unfortunately, I need to end on a sad note. We are all very sad to learn of the passing of Captain Anthony Husbands, a supervisor in the UN Safety & Security Service. Captain Anthony Husbands died earlier this week from complications from COVID-19.   
He was good-natured, efficient and dedicated man, both to his family and to this organization, which he served for almost 33 years in various capacities, with a number of duties in difficult field situations and at Headquarters. 
We all work very closely and collaboratively day in and day out with our colleagues at the UN security officers and so we join the Secretary-General and all of Capt. Husband’s colleagues in extending our sympathies to his friends and family.