TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS RELATED TO COVID-19
In a statement, the Secretary-General commended the Government and scientists and health community of South Africa for acting early to identify the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant.
The Secretary-General said he is now deeply concerned about the isolation of southern African countries due to new COVID-19 travel restrictions.
As he and others have long warned, low vaccine rates are a breeding ground for variants.
The people of Africa cannot be blamed for the immorally low level of vaccinations available on the continent – and they should not be penalized for identifying and sharing crucial science and health information with the world.
The Secretary-General appeals to all governments to consider repeated testing for travelers, together with other appropriate and truly effective measures, with the objective of avoiding the risk of transmission so as to allow for travel and economic engagement.
MIDDLE EAST
The Secretary-General spoke this morning at the General Assembly meeting on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. He reiterated his call upon all parties in the region to exercise restraint and avoid escalation.
He added that the return to dialogue on the full and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, is an important step.
DEPUTY SECRETAYR-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in London today to give the 2021 Annual Lecture at the Royal African Society on just transitions and investing in sustainable recovery.
Earlier in the day – in Geneva - the Deputy Secretary-General attended the Building Bridges Conference on sustainable finance. She also briefed Member States and met with senior UN officials there.
She will be back at home here in New York tomorrow.
SECURITY COUNCIL
Here, the Security Council received briefings this morning on Lebanon on resolution 1701.
Joanna Wronecka, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and General Stefano del Col, the Force Commander for UNIFIL, briefed Council members.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Our colleagues at the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, report to us that presumed CODECO fighters have continued to carry attacks against the displaced population in Ituri province, including an attack where 21 people have reportedly been killed. The Mission continues to do its utmost to provide protection for displaced people that have found shelter around its bases.
This is the fourth attack targeting internally displaced people in the province since mid-November, marking a worrying trend in terms of the protection of civilians and access in an area where tens of thousands of people are unable to access humanitarian assistance due to insecurity and attacks on sites hosting displaced men, women and children. There are currently 1.7 million people displaced in Ituri Province in the Congo.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Over the weekend we issued a joint press release on behalf of ourselves, the African Union, the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States, and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region as well as the European Union. That was on Friday’s high-level meeting with the President of the Central African Republic, President Touadéra. Officials welcomed President Touadéra's commitment to moving the peace process forward and the adoption of the joint road map on September 16 in Luanda as well as the ceasefire declaration proclaimed by President Touadéra on October 15. They also reiterated their support for the country.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
Today is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. In a message for the Day, which was read out a bit earlier this morning by Maria Louisa Viotti, the Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet, the Secretary-General says that as the international community strives to re-start Israeli – Palestinian dialogue, he is encouraged by recent engagements between senior Israeli and Palestinian officials. However, containing the situation is not sufficient, he adds.
The Secretary-General stresses that the overall goal remains two states living side-by-side in peace and security, fulfilling the legitimate national aspirations of both peoples, with borders based on the 1967 lines and Jerusalem as the capital of both states. He calls on the parties to avoid unilateral steps that would undermine the chances for a peaceful resolution of the conflict based on international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
The Secretary-General also calls on the parties to engage constructively to end the closure of Gaza and to improve the living conditions of all Palestinians under occupation.
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION
The International Organization for Migration celebrated its 70th anniversary and for the occasion the Secretary-General sent a video message in which he congratulated IOM for helping millions of migrants and displaced people and supporting countries to create the conditions for safe, orderly, and regular migration, over the past seven decades.
The Secretary-General called it completely unacceptable that migrants are often subjected to discrimination, xenophobia, abuse and exploitation.
Everyone – in countries of origin, transit and destination – must work to re-establish predictable and regular migration pathways, he stressed.
MALAYSIA/COVID-19
A quick COVID update from Malaysia: our UN team there, led by Resident Coordinator Karima El Korri, continues to support authorities tackle the multiple impacts of the pandemic.
The World Health Organization has been supporting the national vaccination plan, while the UN Refugee Agency is supporting vaccination programmes for refugees in several states.
For its part, IOM is providing communication materials in different languages on vaccines for migrant communities, as well as addressing vaccine hesitancy.
UNICEF is also working on building trust in vaccines among young people.
ARMENIA/AZERBAIJAN
In a statement we issued the Secretary-General said that he welcomes the 26 November trilateral meeting between the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Azerbaijan, and the President of the Russian Federation, and he took note of their joint statement and notes with appreciation the role of the Russian Federation in facilitating continuing contacts and dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
SOLOMON ISLANDS
We also issued a statement on Friday on the Solomon Islands, the Secretary-General called for an end to the violence and the protection of hard-won peacebuilding gains.
SOMALIA
And also over the weekend the Secretary-General strongly condemned last week’s deadly terrorist attack on a UN-affiliated convoy in front of the Mucassar School in Mogadishu. The attack resulted in many casualties as you know.
