Myanmar, Somalia, Food Prices & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (5 August 2021)

United Nations published this video item, entitled “Myanmar, Somalia, Food Prices & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (5 August 2021)” – below is their description.

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

Highlights:

– Secretary-General/COVID-19

– COVID-19/Africa

– COVID-19/Peru

– Ethiopia

– Lebanon

– Myanmar

– Somaila/Sexual Violence

– Food Price Index

Myanmar

In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, the Secretary-General welcomed the appointment of Mr. Erywan Yusof, Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, as Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar.

This appointment is an important step towards the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus adopted at the ASEAN Leaders Meeting on April 24th.

The United Nations looks forward to continuing its cooperation with ASEAN on a coherent response to the crisis in Myanmar, noting the complementary roles of the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair and the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General.

The Secretary-General renewed his urgent call to the country’s military to respect the will of the people, refrain from acts of violence and repression, and act in the interest of peace, sustainable development and human rights.

As Myanmar is facing growing humanitarian needs and the devastating impact of COVID-19, the United Nations is focusing its efforts, in cooperation with international and regional partners, notably ASEAN, to provide humanitarian and life-saving assistance.

The Secretary-General reiterated his call to ensure full and unimpeded humanitarian access to those in need.

Somaila/Sexual Violence

The Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, today said that they are appalled by the alarming increase in the scale and severity of sexual violence in Somalia.

Ms. Gamba and Ms. Patten pointed out that in 2020, 400 civilians, primarily girls, were victims of rape and other forms of sexual violence perpetrated by all parties to the conflict in Somalia. This represents a staggering increase of almost 80 per cent compared to 2019.

They noted that sexual violence was closely linked with the prevailing insecurity in Somalia. This has been marked by political tensions in the run-up to national elections, inter-communal clashes related to land-based disputes, and a surge in Al-Shabaab’s activities, which intensified during the climate of uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Special Representatives Patten and Gamba urge the Government of Somalia to take concrete measures to end and prevent the recurrence of sexual violence against women and children, while expediting the implementation of protection commitments, including at the Federal Member State level.

Food Price Index

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today said that global food commodity prices fell in July for the second consecutive month.

The FAO Food Price Index was 1.2 per cent lower than the previous month. However, it was still 31.0 per cent higher than its level in the same period of 2020.

According to FAO, the July drop reflected declines in the quotations for most cereals and vegetable oils, as well as dairy products.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=05%20August%202021

United Nations YouTube Channel

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