SG/Human Rights Report & other topics – Daily Briefing (23 April 2020)

Noon briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Highlights:
– Secretary-General – Human Rights Report
– World Immunization Week
– ECOSOC Forum
– UNCTAD
– Ramadan Video Message
– Security Council
– Yemen
– Syria
– Libya
– Uganda
– South Africa
– Central African Republic
– IOM
– UNHCR
– Myanmar
– ICAO
– ESCWA
– Democratic Republic of the Congo
– Girls in ICT Day

SECRETARY-GENERAL – HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT
Today, as he launched a new report highlighting the centrality of human rights to the COVID-19 response and recovery, the Secretary-General said the pandemic is far more than a public health emergency. It is a human, economic and social crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis.
The virus has exposed deep weaknesses in the delivery of public services, the Secretary-General said, and we must make sure that they are properly addressed in the response.
The 22-page policy brief highlights areas of concerns and lays out a series of recommendations to, among other things, ensure the availability and quality of health care for everyone; and also to promote people-centred economic responses that adequately support those most affected by the loss of their livelihoods.
In his message, the Secretary-General added that, looking ahead, we need to build back better.
He also called on governments to be transparent, and responsive and accountable. Civic space and press freedom are critical, he added, and civil society organizations as well as the private sector have essential roles to play.
By respecting human rights in this time of crisis, we will build more effective and inclusive solutions for the emergency of today and the recovery of tomorrow, the Secretary-General concluded.

WORLD IMMUNIZATION WEEK
Ahead of World Immunization Week, which begins tomorrow, the World Health Organization (WHO) today warned that shutting down immunization services during the pandemic could lead to a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and polio. WHO pointed to last year’s deadly measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, during which 6,000 people died as it was facing the largest Ebola outbreak at the same time.

ECOSOC FORUM
This morning, the Secretary-General took part in the virtual meeting of the 2020 ECOSOC FORUM on “Financing Sustainable Development in the Context of COVID-19.”
In his remarks, he said that the unprecedented scale of the current crisis demands an unprecedented response. He reiterated his three-point Call to Action, which entails taking decisive action through a global coordinated response, adopting measures to tackle the devastating socioeconomic consequences and ensuring that the global recovery leads to a more sustainable future.
He emphasized the need for a global stimulus package that is a double-digit percentage of global GDP. He added that developing countries need massive and urgent support and that now is the time to stand by our commitment and leave no one behind.
The Secretary-General also advocated for a debt moratorium and said the G20 initiative to suspend debt service payments for the poorest countries is a critical first step.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=23%20April%202020


About This Source - United Nations

The United Nations (UN) was established after World War II with the aim of preventing future wars. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states.

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.

 

Recent from United Nations:

Uganda, gaza, lebanon & other topics - daily press briefing (19 january 2024) 1

Uganda, Gaza, Lebanon & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (19 January 2024)

Very First Int’l Day of Clean Energy (26 Jan) | United Nations Secretary-General

UN News in Brief (19 January 2024) | United Nations

In This Story: Central African Republic

The Central African Republic, or Centrafrique, is a landlocked country in Central Africa.

It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, the Republic of the Congo to the southwest and Cameroon to the west. The CAR covers a land area of about 620,000 square kilometres (240,000 sq mi) and had an estimated population of around 4.7 million as of 2018.

As of 2020, the CAR is the scene of a civil war, ongoing since 2012.

2 Recent Items: Central African Republic

Secretary General/Iran, Gaza, Security Council & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (3 Jan 2024)

Security Council, Gaza, Yemen & other topics – Daily Press Briefing (20 Dec 2023)

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.

5 Recent Items: COVID-19

Global National: Jan. 19, 2024 | Health data shows influenza, COVID-19 cases decreasing in Canada

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500 hit record highs as tech stocks soar | January 19, 2024

Stock market today: Stocks climb with techs ready to roar | January 19, 2023

Dr Anthony Fauci ‘became part of the problem’ when it came to the spread of Covid misinformation

WEF summit: Canada warns of future supply shocks amid global instability

In This Story: Libya

Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad to the south, Niger to the southwest, Algeria to the west, and Tunisia to the northwest.

The sovereign state is made of three historical regions: Tripolitania, Fezzan and Cyrenaica. The largest city and capital, Tripoli, is located in western Libya and contains over three million of Libya’s seven million people. The second-largest city is Benghazi, which is located in eastern Libya.

Libya became independent as a kingdom in 1951. A military coup in 1969 overthrew King Idris I. Parts of Libya are currently split between rival Tobruk and Tripoli-based governments, as well as various tribal and Islamist militias.

Libya is a member of the United Nations (since 1955), the Non-Aligned Movement, the Arab League, the OIC and OPEC. The country’s official religion is Islam, with 96.6% of the Libyan population being Sunni Muslims.

2 Recent Items: Libya

Oil prices surge on Middle East tensions

A ‘NEW Hamas will emerge’ from ‘failed’ war in Gaza – former British ambassador

In This Story: Myanmar

Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 ethnic groups, bordering India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. Yangon (formerly Rangoon), the country’s largest city, is home to bustling markets, numerous parks and lakes, and the towering, gilded Shwedagon Pagoda, which contains Buddhist relics and dates to the 6th century.

2 Recent Items: Myanmar

Iran & Pakistan trade airstrikes, Myanmar’s civil war & who are the Houthis? | Battle Lines Podcast

How ‘tiny homes’ can protect millions in Bangladesh

Leave a Comment

We don't require your email address, or your name, for anyone to leave a comment. If you do add an email address, you may be notified if there are replies to your comment - we won't use it for any other purpose. Please make respectful comments, which add value, and avoid personal attacks on others. Links are not allowed in comments - 99% of spam comments, attempt to post links. Please describe where people may find additional information - for example "visit the UN website" or "search Google for..." rather than posting a link. Comments failing to adhere to these guidelines will not be published.