Civilians in Armed Conflict & other topics – Daily Briefing (27 May 2020)

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
– Security Council – Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict
– High-Level Event on Financing for Development
– ECOSOC
– Women’s Participation in Peacebuilding
– Afghanistan
– Cyclone Amphan
– Airline Crash
– Africa Day
– Syria
– Peacekeeping Support to COVID-19 Response
– World Meteorological Organization
– ILO
– Joint Statement on ‘Key Worker’ Designations
– WHO
– International Day of UN Peacekeepers
– Unaffiliated Website
– Budget
– Obituary

SECURITY COUNCIL – PROTECTION OF CILIVIANS IN ARMED CONFLICT  
At the Security Council this morning, the Secretary-General said his latest report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict shows little progress. Last year, more than 20,000 civilians were killed or injured in just ten conflicts, he said, adding that this figure, which is limited to incidents verified by the UN, is just a fraction of the total. 
The report documents millions of people forced from their homes or displaced for a second, third or even fourth time. Again, last year, women and girls were subject to appalling sexual and gender-based violence. Tens of thousands of children were also victims of conflict.  
As the COVID-19 pandemic reaches every corner of the world, the Secretary-General warned that those already weakened by years of armed conflict are particularly vulnerable. The virus is not only spreading sickness and death, he said, it is pushing people into poverty and hunger. In some cases, it is reversing decades of development progress. 
The Secretary-General said he is encouraged by expressions of support for his global ceasefire call. However, he added, this support has not been translated into concrete action. Where armed conflict continues, COVID-19 makes the protection of civilians more challenging than ever – and our support more important than ever. His full remarks have been shared with you.  
Discussions at the Security Council today will be followed by a series of online thematic side events on strengthening the Protection of Civilians in armed conflict from tomorrow until Monday. More details and registration are available on OCHA’s website. 

HIGH-LEVEL EVENT ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT
Tomorrow the Secretary-General, along with the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, and the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, are convening the High-Level Event on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond.  It seeks to accelerate our global response to the significant economic and human impacts of COVID-19. The Secretary-General will stress that we must respond to the pandemic with unity and solidarity, which is a key aspect of financial support.
The High-Level Event will look at six areas of action to mobilize financing. These include expanding liquidity across the global economy; addressing debt vulnerabilities; stemming illicit financial flows; increasing external finance for inclusive growth and job creation; and strategies for countries to recover better. 
The event will happen starting at 8:00 am and likely end around 1:00 p.m. Following the conclusion of the High-Level Segment, the Secretary-General will be joined by the Prime Ministers of Jamaica and Canada for a virtual press briefing to answer your questions. We expect the press briefing to start about 15 minutes following the end of the official event and the press briefing will of course take the place of our usual noon briefing. And you will be able to watch all of the events on the UN webtv.un.org web platform.


In This Story: Afghanistan

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. Afghanistan is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south; Iran to the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan to the north; and China to the northeast.

Occupying 652,000 square kilometers (252,000 sq mi), it is a mountainous country with plains in the north and southwest. Kabul is the capital and largest city. The population is around 32 million, composed mostly of ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks.

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In This Story: Canada

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. It extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres (3.85 million square miles), making it the world’s second-largest country by total area.

Its southern and western border with the United States, stretching 8,891 kilometres (5,525 mi), is the world’s longest bi-national land border. Canada’s capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Various Indigenous peoples inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years before European colonization. The Canada Act 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British Parliament. Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy in the Westminster tradition, with a monarch and a prime minister who serves as the chair of the Cabinet and head of government.

As a highly developed country, Canada has the seventeenth-highest nominal per-capita income globally as well as the thirteenth-highest ranking in the Human Development Index. Its advanced economy is the tenth-largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks.

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In This Story: COVID-19

Covid-19 is the official WHO name given to the novel coronavirus which broke out in late 2019 and began to spread in the early months of 2020.

Symptoms of coronavirus

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

  • a persistent new cough (non productive, dry)
  • a high temperature (e.g. head feels warm to the touch)
  • shortness of breath (if this is abnormal for the individual, or increased)

Latest News about Covid-19

Below are stories from around the globe related to the 2020 outbreak of novel Coronavirus – since the WHO gave the Covid-19 naming. Most recent items are posted nearest the top.

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In This Story: Cyclone

In meteorology, a cyclone is a large scale air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure. Cyclones are characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate about a zone of low pressure and typically bring winds, rain, high waves and storm surges to the areas they pass.

In the Atlantic and the northeastern Pacific oceans, a tropical cyclone is generally referred to as a hurricane (from the name of the ancient Central American deity of wind, Huracan), in the Indian and south Pacific oceans it is called a cyclone, and in the northwestern Pacific it is called a typhoon.

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In This Story: Jamaica

Jamaica, a Caribbean island nation, has a lush topography of mountains, rainforests and reef-lined beaches. Many of its all-inclusive resorts are clustered in Montego Bay, with its British-colonial architecture, and Negril, known for its diving and snorkeling sites. Jamaica is famed as the birthplace of reggae music, and its capital Kingston is home to the Bob Marley Museum, dedicated to the famous singer. 

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In This Story: Justin Trudeau

Justin Pierre James Trudeau PC MP is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada since November 2015 and the leader of the Liberal Party since April 2013.

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