HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC​,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
WEDNESDAY, 22 JULY 2020

 

ARMENIA/AZERBAIJAN 
Today, the Secretary-General held separate calls with President Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev of Azerbaijan and with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia. In both calls, the Secretary-General expressed his ongoing concern over the hostilities that have been reported along the Armenia-Azerbaijan international border as well as prevailing tensions.  
The Secretary-General reiterated his call for immediate and full de-escalation, refraining from provocative rhetoric, and a return to negotiations.  
To that end, the Secretary-General repeated our full support for the important efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chairs and his expectation that both leaders will continue to work towards a peaceful resolution of the longstanding conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
This morning, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, spoke by video message at the event entitled “Recover Better: Economic and Social Challenges and Opportunities”, which is a compilation of essays issued by the UN High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs. 
Ms. Mohammed said that we need all hands-on deck if we are to rebuild our economies sustainably and inclusively.  She added that the policy ideas in this compilation point the way. These approaches, she said, echo the Secretary-General's own call for shared responsibility and global solidarity in responding to the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic. 
She also reiterated that the 2030 Agenda remains our agreed framework for recovering in ways that accelerate progress on climate change, poverty and gender inequality, while also addressing the inequalities and fragilities that have been exposed or exacerbated by the pandemic.

YEMEN/HUNGER 
On Yemen, a new report warns that economic shocks, conflict, floods, desert locusts and now COVID-19 are creating a perfect storm that could see the country return to alarming levels of food insecurity.  
The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis was released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and their partners. 
It cautions that the number of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity could increase from 2 million to 3.2 million in the next six months. This would be an increase from 25 per cent of the population suffering from high levels of acute food insecurity to 40 per cent. 
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, said that, when Yemen faced a similar situation 18 months ago, there was generous funding and famine was prevented. She cautioned that they won’t be able to do the same this time unless the necessary funding is received now.

YEMEN/DISPLACEMENT 
On Yemen, our colleagues at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) say that, so far this year, more than 100,000 people in Yemen have been forced to flee their homes. 
This has mostly been due to fighting and insecurity, but IOM says that the COVID-19 pandemic is now a new cause of internal displacement across Yemen.
IOM says that more than 10,000 people have moved this year out of fear of contracting the virus, as well as the impact of the pandemic on services and the worsening economic crisis.

COVID-19/KENYA 
In Kenya, our humanitarian colleagues indicate that since the first case of the virus was confirmed on 15 March, the pandemic has rapidly spread. There have now been more than 13,000 cases and more than 200 deaths in Kenya. 
We and our humanitarian partners are supporting the Government’s response, including contact tracing, case management, community mobilization and health promotion. 
Hundreds of sets of personal protective equipment to support healthcare workers have been distributed and we have also provided infection prevention and control materials to nearly 600 health facilities.  
The UN has given 80,000 children with learning materials and nearly 25,000 children with soap, hand sanitizers, and other items. 
Some 9,000 households have received life-saving food assistance for a two-month period, while more than 1,100 households have received cash transfers. 
The UN and our humanitarian community launched an emergency appeal, as part of the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan, seeking nearly $260 million.

COVID-19/ SOMALIA
In Somalia, where there have been more than 3,100 reported cases with 93 deaths due to COVID-19, Adam Abdelmoula is coordinating the UN’s health, humanitarian and socioeconomic response to the pandemic with the government and our partners. He is also working with the Secretary-General's Special Representative, James Swan. 
The World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Development Programme, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Support Office for Somalia (UNSOS) helped boost testing capacity and supported health centres, hospitals and isolation centres in several areas.  
For its part, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) trained more than 750 health care professionals and have also supported distance learning for more than 116,000 children.  
In addition to the COVID-19 response, the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) is urging a spirit of constructive compromise at a meeting between President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed 'Farmaajo' and all the leaders of Somalia’s Federal Member States. They are expected to have important discussions on national priorities, especially elections.

COVID-19/MALI 
In Mali, our humanitarian colleagues warn us that there is a high risk of the virus spreading in the country as the healthcare system there has been weakened by conflict and insecurity. The country has 2,475 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 121 reported deaths. 
We, along with our humanitarian partners, are supporting the Government-led response efforts by scaling up testing, strengthening awareness-raising activities and providing medical supplies, as well as personal protective equipment for medical staff. Approximately 1.5 million people have been reached with information on virus prevention and nearly 330,000 people received essential hygiene kits and water and sanitation services.  
More than 1,100 health workers have been trained in infection prevention. 
In addition, the UN peacekeeping Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) tell us that they are implementing a "Citizen Mobilization for Zero Coronavirus in Mali" project in Bamako and several other regions in collaboration with partners. The project aims to support the fight against COVID-19 by involving civil society organizations to raise awareness, reaching more than 6,000 beneficiaries.

COVID-19/EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION 
A new research brief published today by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that at least 40 million children worldwide have missed out on early childhood education in their critical pre-school year as COVID-19 shuttered childcare and early education facilities. 
The report notes that lockdowns have left many parents struggling to balance childcare and paid employment. A disproportionate burden was placed on women who, on average, spend more than three times longer on care and housework than men.

COVID-19/LAW LAB INITIATIVE  
Today, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University launched a COVID-19 Law Lab initiative. The joint project gathers and shares legal documents from over 190 countries across the world to help states establish and implement strong legal frameworks to manage the pandemic.  
The goal is also to ensure that laws protect the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities and that they follow international human rights standards. 
More information online on https://covidlawlab.org

BRIEFING 
Tomorrow, I will be joined by Achim Steiner, the Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and George Gray Molina, the author of the forthcoming report entitled Temporary Basic Income: Protecting Poor and Vulnerable People in Developing Countries. They will be here to talk about this report.