Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Cities
– Climate
– Security Council
– Lebanon
– Sudan
– Libya
– Peacekeeping
– Libya/Migrants
– Sahel
– CERF
– COVID-19/Amazon
– COVID-19/Tourism
– Financial Contribution
CITIES
Today, the Secretary-General launched his Policy Brief on COVID-19 in the Urban World. The brief says that urban areas are at the epicentre of the pandemic, accounting for an estimated 90 per cent of cases. The Brief notes that the pandemic has exposed deep inequalities in how people live in cities, with the pandemic impacting those who are already vulnerable, such as people living in slums and those without access to open public spaces near their homes.
However, the Brief says that because cities are hubs of resilience and ingenuity, their residents have quickly adapted to new ways of working and functioning and have demonstrated extraordinary solidarity.
The Brief makes a series of recommendations to tackle the inequalities in cities, including engaging with marginalized groups, avoiding disruptions of essential services, supporting local businesses and including climate-friendly plans in their recovery.
CLIMATE
Last night, the Secretary-General launched his Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. The Group will build on the outcome of last year’s Youth Climate Summit and provide young people with the opportunity to be part of the decision-making process. In a video message, the Secretary-General said that we have seen young people on the front lines of climate action, showing us what bold leadership looks like, and that the new Group will provide perspectives, ideas and solutions that will help scale up climate action.
SECURITY COUNCIL
Martin Griffiths, the Special Envoy for Yemen, informed the Security Council by VTC this morning about the progress of negotiations that have been ongoing for four months between the Yemeni parties. He said that both Parties have provided feedback on various drafts and proposals, but they have yet to reach agreement on a final text.
Mr. Griffiths said that it is important that both Parties continue to engage in the process, but the negotiations must be concluded before the window of opportunity closes. He warned that the military situation has not improved over the past month.
The Special Envoy noted that, at the beginning of this month, Ansar Allah confirmed in writing that they would authorize a long-planned UN-supervised technical mission to the FSO Safer tanker. However, he added, we are still awaiting the permissions necessary for this team to deploy.
Mark Lowcock, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, warned that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen has never been worse. He told the Council that famine is again on the horizon, conflict is again escalating, the economy is again in tatters and humanitarian agencies are again nearly broke. Meanwhile, COVID-19 is spreading out of control.
He said that there are now 43 active front lines in Yemen – compared to 33 in January. Yemenis need a nationwide ceasefire, Mr. Lowcock said.
This morning, the Security Council also unanimously voted to extend the sanctions regime in the Central African Republic for one year.
They extended the mandate of the peacekeeping mission on Cyprus for six months and adopted a Presidential Statement related to the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=28%20July%202020
