United Nations published this video item, entitled “Inclusion of persons with disabilities & other topics – Daily Briefing (30 November 2020” – below is their description.
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Ethiopia
– Ethiopia/Humanitarian
– Sudan
– Nigeria
– SG Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
– Mali
– MONUSCO and UNMISS Mission Updates
– World Health Organization/Malaria
– Launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2021
– Day of Remembrance for All Victims of Chemical Warfare
– Guests Today
– Guests Tomorrow
ETHIOPIA
The Secretary-General spoke on Friday with Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the former President of Liberia. She informed him of the contacts she’s held between the Envoys of President Cyril Ramaphosa in his capacity of President of the African Union, namely Joaquim Chissano, the former President of Mozambique, and Kgalema Motlanthe, the former President of South Africa, of those discussions they’ve had with the Ethiopian authorities, particularly with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed.
The Secretary-General expressed his grave concern over the consequences of the Ethiopian conflict to the civilian population and over the spread of hate speech and reports of ethnic profiling.
The Secretary-General expressed the UN’s full support for the African Union initiative led by President Ramaphosa.
Yesterday, the Secretary-General received a phone call from Prime Minister Abiy of Ethiopia, to update him on the situation in the country.
The Secretary-General once again underscored the need for the full respect for human rights, as well as for humanitarian access for the UN and our humanitarian partners.
The Secretary-General also said that Ethiopia needed a true reconciliation in Ethiopia without discrimination and in a country where every community should feel respected and be part of Ethiopia.
ETHIOPIA/HUMANITARIAN
On the humanitarian front, UN humanitarian colleagues and partners are deeply concerned about the plight of civilians in the Tigray Region, especially in the capital of Mekelle, following the latest developments reported in the city.
Even before the recent fighting began, civilians in Mekelle, which is home to nearly half a million people, had endured weeks of fuel, cash and basic commodities’ shortages. Civilian infrastructure had also been damaged.
U.N. humanitarian colleagues have received reports of critical shortages of medical supplies in Mekelle and across Tigray to treat people injured during the clashes.
Aid workers report that people have been forced to rely on untreated water to survive following the damage and destruction of water infrastructure.
Humanitarian colleagues are also warning that it is critical that essential supplies and services be restored immediately in Mekelle and across the Tigray region. The U.N., along with its partners are working with all parties to this end.
The UN and its humanitarian partners also acknowledge that the Federal Government’s stated commitment to ensure that humanitarian assistance is made available to impacted people, and calls for full, unconditional and immediate humanitarian access to reach people in need in Mekelle and across the Tigray Region.
SUDAN
The U.N. is reporting now that nearly 45,500 people – most of them children –have fled to Sudan from Tigray and other places of Ethiopia.
In Sudan, aid workers are reporting complex logistical and operational challenges. They are scaling up the response and the first UNHCR airlift with emergency assistance arrived in Khartoum over the weekend.
UNHCR has warned that the urgent need for additional refugee settlement sites, as the Um Rakuba camp in Gedaref State has reached its current maximum capacity of 10,000 people.
Full Remarks: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=30%20November%202020
United Nations YouTube Channel
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