SECRETARY-GENERAL/COVID-19
The Secretary-General had a video message for a World Health Organization (WHO) event today on “Infodemic Management: Promoting healthy behaviours in the time of COVID-19 and mitigating the harm from misinformation and disinformation.”
He said that COVID-19 is not just a public health emergency, but that it is a communications emergency, too.
The Secretary-General called for science-backed facts and health guidance to circulate even faster and reach people wherever they access information.
He said that the United Nations initiative, called “Verified”, is fighting misinformation with truth. Only together in solidarity, with a well-informed public, will we emerge from this pandemic safe, and better, he said.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/DIGITAL COOPERATION
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke via video message to the High-Level Event on “Digital Cooperation: Action for Future Generations.”
He said that the new technological era is one of vast opportunity but also new risks to global peace, stability and development.
He stressed that our collective challenge is to harness digital technologies to serve the world—to be an enabler, an equalizer, and to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
The Secretary-General said that in his Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, he made a call to Connect, Respect, and Protect all people everywhere and added that he counts on governments, civil society, and the private sector to carry forward the Roadmap for the benefit of all.
SECFRETARY-GENERAL/SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
The Secretary-General had a video message today for the Sustainable Development Goals Business Forum.
He reiterated his message that, to tackle the fragility exposed by the pandemic, we need unity and solidarity.
He stressed that governments and businesses must now work together to shift direction and find innovative and transformative solutions to the world’s major challenges.
“Equality, inclusiveness and sustainability are no longer nice-to-have, optional extras to build a more caring brand,” he said, adding that they are the indispensable keys to recovering from the pandemic and building healthy and prosperous economies and societies. He wished the Forum success in taking concrete steps towards the sustainable world we all need.
LEBANON
The Secretary-General this morning addressed the High-Level International Support Group on Lebanon and he warned that the explosion on 4 August must be a wake-up call. Eleven months after so many took to the streets calling for change, he said, we hope for tangible steps to implement economic, social and political reforms.
He said that the designation of Mustapha Adib as Prime Minister is a step in the right direction. This should be followed, he said, by the swift formation of a government able to meet the legitimate aspirations and needs expressed by the Lebanese people and to quickly deliver on key reforms and fundamental changes.
Ultimately, the Secretary-General said, reforms are not a goal in itself. They should respond to the legitimate demands of the Lebanese people for greater welfare, accountability, transparency, and the capacity to tackle corruption.
LANDLOCKED DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke live at the annual Ministerial Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Landlocked Developing Countries which was held virtually this year. He noted that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening the plight of landlocked developing countries.
He said that we must ensure that the Vienna Programme of Action and others, including the 2030 Agenda, are at the core of recovery. He stressed that we must protect against defaults and debt crises, ensure that resources and debt relief reach all countries that need them, combat illicit financial flows and also increase the trade potential of LLDCs.
The Secretary-General said that the availability of future vaccines to all developing countries, including the Landlocked Developing Countries, is fundamental to any sustainable global recovery.
YEMEN
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, issued a statement today confirming that fifteen of the UN 41 major humanitarian programmes in Yemen have already been reduced or shut down and 30 more will be in coming weeks unless additional funding is received.
“This is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, yet we don’t have the resources we need to save the people who are suffering and will die if we don’t help,” said Ms. Grande.
Between April and August, UN agencies have been forced to reduce food distributions, cut health services in more than 300 facilities and halt specialized services for hundreds of thousands of traumatized and highly vulnerable women and girls.
Only $1 billion of the $3.2 billion needed has been received this year.
Yemen is at a tipping point as conflict and economic woes drag the country to the brink of famine and risk cancelling out the gains made through humanitarian action in the past few years, the World Food Programme (WFP) also warned today.
“Yemen is a man-made crisis and there is a man-made solution. We need access, funding and eventually peace,” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. “In 2018, we pulled Yemen back from the brink. We can do that again, if we have the funds and the access.”
Conditions in Yemen have deteriorated beyond the point reached in 2018. Over 20 million people in Yemen are food insecure, with 13 million requiring WFP food assistance to meet their daily needs. Another three million people are at risk of worsening hunger as COVID-19 sweeps unchecked across Yemen.
PAKISTAN
In Pakistan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report that monsoon rains have affected several of the country’s provinces since mid-June.
To date, 400 people have reportedly died and more than 390 people have been injured. More t han 217,000 houses have been partially damaged or destroyed as a result of the monsoon rains.
Sindh provincial government authorities report that 2.4 million people are affected in more than 15,000 villages. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced while the cotton crop, the major source of livelihood in this area, was destroyed, just as it was ready for harvest.
The UN is conducting rapid need assessments in nine districts. The Government, together with UN agencies and humanitarian partners, is providing assistance and relief items including non-food items and shelter material, food packages, water and sanitation equipment, as well as hygiene kits.
To help the response in Sindh, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Julien Harneis, will release $2.5 million from the Pakistan Humanitarian Pooled Fund in the coming days.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
In a statement issued yesterday, the Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea, Gianluca Rampolla, congratulated the people of Bougainville for their active participation in the 2020 Autonomous Bougainville Government general elections.
Mr. Rampolla said that, once again, a woman has been elected outside of the reserved seats in Bougainville, which is a significant milestone for women’s political participation in Papua New Guinea.
He added that the UN remains committed to work with Hon. Ishmael Toroama, once he is inaugurated as President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville and will continue to support the implementation of the Bougainville Peace Agreement. The UN also looks forward to working with the new members of the Bougainville House of Representatives and the people of Bougainville.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SIGN LANGUAGES
Today is the International Day of Sign Languages. In a message for the Day, the Secretary-General noted that this year, we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic that has disrupted and upended lives everywhere, including the lives of the deaf community.
The Secretary-General said that it has been encouraging to see some countries providing public health announcements and information on COVID-19 with national sign language interpretation. He added that in his dedicated Policy Brief on a disability-inclusive response to the pandemic, he called for COVID-19 response and recovery measures to be accessible to all.
The Secretary-General called on all local, national and global leaders to protect and promote the diversity of sign languages and cultures, so that every deaf person can participate in and contribute to society and reach their full potential.
SENIOR PERSONNEL APPOINTMENT
Today, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General QU Dongyu announced the appointment of Ms. Gina Casar of Mexico as Senior Advisor at WFP, at the Assistant Secretary-General level.
Ms. Casar previously served as Associate Administrator in the United Nations Development Programme, Assistant Secretary-General and Controller in the United Nations Secretariat, and Assistant Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer for WFP. Her experience also includes senior public sector positions in Mexico.
In her new assignment, Ms. Casar will be working as a Senior Advisor for Workplace Culture, where she will oversee WFP’s efforts to strengthen its people management through the leadership of related divisions.
