Noon briefing of 16 July 2020

Later today, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will release an updated appeal to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The embargo is until one minute after midnight Central European Time/ 6 p.m. New York time. The pandemic risks triggering the first increase in global poverty since 1990.
The COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan is the international community’s primary fundraising vehicle to respond to the humanitarian impacts of the virus in low- and middle-income countries. It brings together appeals from the World Health Organization and other UN humanitarian agencies. The plan provides help and protection that prioritizes the most vulnerable. This includes older people, people with disabilities, displaced people, and women and girls, given that pandemics heighten existing levels of discrimination, inequality and gender-based violence. Since the end of March, when the plan was first launched, $1.7 billion has been raised, but much more is urgently needed.

MALI
The UN Mission in Mali reports today that a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) arrived in Bamako yesterday. The delegation is headed by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who has been appointed by ECOWAS to lead mediation efforts in Mali.
They met with President Keita upon arrival and are engaging with all stakeholders to help find a solution to the crisis.
The UN Mission is working closely with the delegation and continues its intensive good offices efforts.

BOLIVIA
The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Bolivia, Jean Arnault, and the UN System in Bolivia issued a statement expressing deep sadness over the death of Monsignor Eugenio Scarpellini, the Bishop of El Alto, who led the dialogue efforts for the consolidation of peace in the country.
“May his legacy be a source of inspiration for peace and reconciliation in Bolivia,” said Mr. Arnault and the Country Team. Our sincere condolences to the Bishop’s family and to the Bolivian Episcopal Conference.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development continued this morning with Voluntary National Review presentations by Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Malawi, Zambia, and the Republic of Moldova. In the afternoon, Liberia, Barbados, and Solomon Islands will complete the 47 presentations for this year’s Forum.
In terms of the actions to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs says it’s received a total of 182 commitments to advance the global goals by national governments and other stakeholders.

POVERTY
This morning, the UN Development Programme launched its Multidimensional Poverty Index, which shows that before the virus pandemic hit, progress was being made in tackling poverty.
Before the pandemic, 65 out of the 75 countries studied had significantly reduced their multidimensional poverty levels between 2000 and 2019. Some of the countries with the greatest progress include Sierra Leone, Guinea, India and China. However, UNDP warned that now progress is at risk, and based on projections the pandemic could set back development gains by up to 10 years. UNDP said that now more than ever, we need to work on tackling poverty – and vulnerability to poverty - in all its forms.

IRAQ
More than 150 religious and other leaders today welcomed the landmark step taken by the leaders of the Sunni, Shia, Christian, Kaka’i and Yazidi communities of Iraq, through the adoption of an Inter-Faith Statement on the Victims and Survivors of ISIL, also known as Da’esh. The global faith community welcomed the landmark statement in a virtual conference hosted jointly by the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for the Crimes committed by Da’esh/ISIL, and the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, and Religions for Peace. Through this statement, faith leaders in Iraq collectively denounced the acts of Da’esh and underlined their full support for efforts to prevent atrocity crimes, support survivors and ensure that those responsible for those crimes are held to account.

YEMEN
Yesterday afternoon the Security Council heard from the head of the UN Environment Programme, Inger Anderson, and from Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock about the conditions on the SAFER oil tanker off the coast of Yemen. Inger Anderson told the Council that the tanker had not been maintained since 2015. Its condition is deteriorating daily, increasing the potential for an oil spill. If this happens, she warned, it will cause an environmental catastrophe, impacting ecosystems and the lives of potentially 28 million people who rely on these ecosystems for their livelihoods. She added that an oil spill or explosion in the Red Sea could have a serious, long-lasting environmental impact, noting that the Red Sea is one of the most important repositories of biodiversity on the planet. 
Mark Lowcock for his part, informed Council members that last week, we received encouraging news, as Ansar Allah officials confirmed to the UN in writing that they are ready to authorize the UN mission to the tanker. They have also communicated their intention to issue entry permits for mission personnel. Mr. Lowcock welcomed the announcement and said the UN team can deploy within three weeks of receiving all the necessary permits. The Un is in touch with the Government of Yemen for their approvals, he added.

CABO VERDE
Today from Cabo Verde, where there are more than 1,700 confirmed cases and 19 deaths due to the virus: The UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Ana Patricia Graça, is supporting the Government’s response to the pandemic, with the World Health Organization, the UN Children’s Fund and the UN Population Fund having contributed money for protective equipment, testing supplies, education programmes, among other activities. The UN Development Programme is helping tens of thousands of students receive hot meals and other food supplies, while the UN Children’s Fund is supporting home schooling programmes for 100,000 students. UNDP and UNIDO are working to create jobs and help with economic recovery, while the Food and Agriculture Organization is supporting 38,000 families in a bid to boost the agriculture sector. The Resident Coordinator and the Prime Minister also launched “Ambition 2030,” a process for the development of the new national sustainable development plan for the Decade of Action.

SOUTH SUDAN
From South Sudan, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, Dr. Mohamed Ag Ayoya, has strongly condemned the killing of two aid workers and four community members in Duk County in Jonglei. This took place on 13 July, NGO staff were providing healthcare and nutrition services to community members, mostly women and children, when the area was attacked by an unknown armed group. The Humanitarian Coordinator called on authorities to take swift action to ensure the safety and security of aid workers in the country. This incident sadly brings the number of humanitarians killed since 2013 in South Sudan to 122.

SUDAN
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the country is experiencing one of the worst food crises in recent years. This is due to conflict-related displacement and high inflation rates on top of the impacts of the pandemic prevention measures. Almost a quarter of the population, some 9.6 million Sudanese, are now severely food insecure. These numbers are the highest ever recorded in the history of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis in Sudan. Food insecurity is especially concerning in some states such as North Kordofan, where the number of people facing severe food insecurity has increased by 335 per cent. The UN, along with its humanitarian partners, have provided food assistance to approximately 2.3 million people in the first quarter of this year. But more has to be done and more funding is urgently needed. The humanitarian appeal for Sudan has received just 40 per cent of the $1.4 million required.

DR CONGO
The Ebola outbreak in the Equateur Province continues to grow. The outbreak has since spread to six health zones, and 56 cases have been recorded. The World Health Organization said today that responding to Ebola, in the midst of the ongoing pandemic is complex. The Ebola outbreak is a major concern, as WHO and their partners face critical funding gaps.

LATIN AMERICA
The World Food Programme said today that two thirds of the 3 million Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru who have seen their jobs disappear during the pandemic will see their food insecurity worsen this year as Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to register an alarming 269 per cent rise in the number of people facing severe food insecurity in comparison to last year – the highest relative increase globally. Nearly 16 million people, which includes almost 2 million Venezuelan migrants will face a critical shortage. WFP said it needs an additional $328 million in 2020 to reach 3.5 million people who have been impacted by the pandemic in the region. $120 million of that would go directly to vulnerable migrants.

FOOD SECURITY
A new report released today by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) warns that the fight against the COVID pandemic is causing unprecedented uncertainties in global food supply chains. According to the Agricultural Outlook 2020-2029, the pandemic is expected to depress demand in the next few years and could further undermine food security. Beyond the pandemic, current challenges include the locust invasion in East Africa and Asia, the continued spread of African swine fever, and more frequent extreme climatic events, and trade tensions among major trade powers.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION
Angola has now paid its budget dues in full bringing the total number of financial contributions by Member States to 104.