COVID-19 and the World of Work & other topics – Daily Briefing (19 June 2020)

Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
– Policy Brief/World of Work
– Bosnia and Herzegovina
– Libya
– Syria
– Yemen
– Sudan
– Japan
– Nepal
– South Sudan
– Darfur
– Women and Girls in Africa
– Venezuela
– Bolivia
– Sexual Violence in Conflict

POLICY BRIEF/WORLD OF WORK
In a new Policy Brief on COVID-19 and the World of Work released today, the Secretary-General highlighted the dramatic effect that the pandemic is having on jobs, livelihoods and well-being of workers and their families, as well as on businesses.
The Brief notes that in May, about 94 per cent of the world’s workers were living in countries with some type of workplace closure measures in place.
Massive losses in working hours, which are equivalent to 305 million full-time jobs, are predicted for the 2nd quarter of 2020. Some 1.25 billion workers are employed in high-risk sectors.
In a video message to launch the brief, the Secretary-General stressed the COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world of work upside down. He warned that this crisis in the world of work is adding fuel to an already burning fire of discontent and anxiety.
The Secretary-General noted that women have been especially hard hit and young people, persons with disabilities, and so many others are facing tremendous difficulties. He emphasized that we need action on three fronts, which include immediate support for at-risk workers, enterprises, jobs and incomes to avoid closures, job losses and income decline.
The Secretary-General added that the pandemic exposed tremendous shortcomings, fragilities and fault lines and that the world of work cannot and should not look the same after this crisis.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
The Secretary-General welcomes the agreement reached on 17 June 2020 between the relevant party leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, paving the way for the residents of Mostar to exercise their right to vote for the first time since 2008. This is an important and long-awaited agreement. 
The Secretary-General hopes that this positive momentum will enable the necessary legislative processes to unfold in a timely manner, so that the people of Mostar can partake in the country-wide local elections scheduled for later this year. 

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=19%20June%202020


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The UN’s chief administrative officer is the Secretary-General, currently Portuguese politician and diplomat António Guterres, who began his five year-term on 1 January 2017.

 

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