HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC

SPOKESPERSON FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES

TUESDAY, 5 MAY 2020

SECRETARY-GENERAL
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will launch his latest COVID-19 policy brief. This one will look at the impact of the virus pandemic on the world’s 1 billion people with disabilities. 
The policy brief highlights how people with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty and experience higher rates of violence, neglect and abuse. 
It also looks at how the pandemic is intensifying these inequalities -- and producing new threats. 
 
UNICEF
The UN Children’s Fund sais today that an estimated 19 million children – more than ever before – were displaced in their own countries due to conflict and violence, that’s in 2019. 
The agency warned that, as COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, these children are among the most vulnerable to its direct and indirect impacts. 
The UN Children’s Fund noted that internally displaced children often cannot access basic services and are at risk of exposure to violence, exploitation, abuse and trafficking, as well as child labour, child marriage and family separation. 
 
UN GLOBAL COMPACT
The UN Global Compact today warned that delays and disruptions in the supply of goods produced at and shipped by sea will cause significant shortages if governments don’t work together to keep global supply chains moving during the pandemic. Almost 90 per cent of the global trade of goods is carried by vessels. The Global Compact said that one of the most urgent concerns right now is the changeover of essential personnel needed for continuous operations. This includes 100,000 seafarers finishing their contracts every month. Travel restrictions and grounded airplanes have rendered routine crew changeovers virtually impossible. The Global Compact released a set of recommendations for policymakers to keep these supply chains moving. These include the recognition of a ‘key worker’ status system and establishing a uniform approach for granting exemption measures across maritime jurisdictions on vessels and personnel. 
 
LIBYA
The UN political mission in Libya (UNSMIL) remains concerned at the continued fighting in the country and reiterates its call for a cessation of hostilities during the holy month of Ramadan.  
Acting Special Representative, Stephanie Williams, continues her outreach to Libyan interlocutors as well as to international partners, especially the Berlin Conference’s participants, to garner support for an immediate resumption of the political process in Libya. 
Meanwhile, today, the Security Council received a briefing on Libya by the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda. 
 
SYRIA
The UN remain deeply concerned over the safety and protection of over four million civilians in the north-west of the country.  Over half of these are internally displaced, following reports of shelling over the weekend. 
Despite the 6 March ceasefire agreement between the Russian Federation and Turkey, reports of intermittent shelling continue on a daily basis. Between the 30th of April and May 4th, artillery shelling reportedly affected nine communities in the Idlib Governorate, as well as one in northern Aleppo Governorate and two in Hama Governorate. 
The massive cross-border response continues to provide life-saving assistance to people in need throughout the northwest, including health items to prepare for COVID-19 outbreaks. 
In April alone, some 1,365 trucks crossed from Turkey, providing food, health items and other critical humanitarian support. Another 133 trucks have already crossed in May. 
We continue to call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urges all parties, and those with influence over them, to ensure the protection of civilians as well as civilian infrastructure, and that is of course in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law. 
 
YEMEN
In Yemen, as of this morning, 22 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed. That’s doubling the official count from just 24 hours ago. There is a very real probability that the virus has been circulating undetected, which could lead to a later surge that may overwhelm health facilities. 
We and our humanitarian partners in Yemen are responding to the virus with focus on case management, risk communications, community engagement and protecting the wider public health system. 
Over 20 million people have now been reached with COVID-related awareness materials through television channels and radio stations, and over 7.5 million people have been reached via social media platforms, as well as over half a million people through house-to-house visits.  
The UN is also supporting direct case management. Some 333 rapid response teams have been deployed across the country to follow up on reports and refer people for testing and treatment as needed. 
Treatment facilities, including 37 isolation units are being supported by us and our partners, and we are also providing critical supplies such as ventilators and protective equipment. 
 
AFGHANISTAN
The International Organization for Migration today warned that, amidst the fight against the virus, Afghanistan is struggling to safely absorb the more than 271,000 people who have returned from Iran and Pakistan since January. IOM has deployed more than 100 health workers and is also providing training, personal protection equipment and other critical supplies. 
Also today, our colleagues at the UN Refugee Agency said that Afghan refugee returns from Iran and Pakistan are suspended due to COVID-19 precautionary measures. As of May 5th , Afghanistan had almost 2,900 confirmed cases of the virus and 90 deaths. 
 
PRISONS IN THE AMERICAS
The UN Human Rights Office today expressed their concerns over the conditions in many prisons in the Americas region, which are enabling the rapid spread of the virus. 
Pre-existing structural problems, such as chronic overcrowding and unhygienic conditions, coupled with the lack of proper access to healthcare have led to the infection of thousands of inmates as well as prison officials in the Americas. 
In many countries, the increasing fear of contagion has triggered protests and riots. The UN Human Rights Office reminds authorities that the use of force must strictly comply with the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality and non-discrimination, and that States have the duty to protect inmates’ physical and mental health as well as well-being. The Human Rights Office also calls on States to ensure widespread access to testing and healthcare for detainees, as well as protective equipment and testing for prison personnel. 
 
HONDURAS
Staying in the region. In Honduras, the UN Migration Agency – IOM- and its partners are working to provide 15,000 tests for COVID-19 for citizens of Honduras, as well as migrants who are returning to the country. Since March, the country has been receiving returning migrants from the United States at a rate of 100 people per day. Since the start of the pandemic, IOM has donated to Honduras more than 1,550 hygiene kits, as well as 800 bedding sets, 450 towels, and equipment for 770 shelters.  
 
BRAZIL
In Brazil, the UN team is working closely with national and local authorities to flatten the curve and lift the economy, focusing on the most vulnerable groups in the two poorest regions. 
Under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, Niky Fabiancic, and the Representative of the Pan-American Health Organization, we are also working to strengthen the health system. 
In the northern region, which hosts migrants and refugees from Venezuela, the IOM has donated equipment to the local health system; while the UN Refugee Agency is helping refugees and migrants apply for the Government’s emergency cash assistance. UNICEF and UN Women are supporting prevention efforts in shelters, and the UN team is sharing information in multiple languages to help combat xenophobia and protect migrants as well as refugees. 
In the Amazon region, the UN and partners are also helping local authorities protect indigenous peoples. In two major cities in the northeastern region, UN-Habitat is boosting prevention efforts in informal settlements while providing basic services to help people stay at home during the pandemic. 
To prevent the spread of the virus in prisons across the country, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and other UN entities are working directly with state courts. 
And for its part, the International Labour Organization is working to protect jobs and address the needs of informal workers. 
UNICEF has also helped to launch a website to support teachers and families’ homeschooling efforts.
 
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 
The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is continuing to work closely with the Congolese authorities and provided a broad range of technical support in supporting the Government’s COVID-19 response.   
For example, the Mission has supported the police force of the DRC in its response to the virus, including the issuance of an operational directive to help police officers implement containment measures in line with national human rights commitments.  
The UN peacekeeping mission is also working to provide locally-made personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as masks to prison staff and members of the national police and army.  
The peacekeeping mission has also provided expertise to the Congolese Ministry of Health on the topic of contact tracing to help limit the spread of the virus. The Mission itself has implemented rigorous measures to minimize the risk of infection both for its own personnel as well as the local population. No positive cases have been reported to date in the Mission.
 
MALAWI
In Malawi, the UN country team launched a nearly $140 million appeal to support the immediate health, humanitarian and socioeconomic response to COVID-19 in support of the country’s Government. 
The Resident Coordinator, Maria Jose Torres, said the new appeal will focus on local-level action to protect those most in need, while also boosting urgent health measures to curb the spread of the pandemic. Malawi has 41 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The pandemic is deeply impacting the country’s fragile economy. 
The UN seeks to help more than 7 million people, including 2.5 million children who are out of school.  Half of them are girls. The UN is also helping the Government with its distance learning options by providing food, water and sanitation, as well as planning for the safe reopening of schools. 
The UN is also targeting 4.8 million people with food and livelihood assistance, which includes supporting the Government’s universal registration system to distribute cash transfers. Four million [people] will receive health assistance, with the UN training health workers, providing personal protection equipment and strengthening the surveillance capacity. 
 
PLASTIC WASTE
The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in partnership with the Government of Japan, today launched a new project to reduce the environmental impact of cities in South East Asia by tackling plastic waste in rivers and oceans. 
The new project will use innovative technologies such as remote sensing, satellite and crowdsourced data applications, to detect and monitor the sources and pathways of plastic waste entering rivers in urban areas. 
The four pilot cities will be Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Surabaya in Indonesia; Nakhon in Thailand and Da Nang in Viet Nam.