UN / SYRIA UPDATE

Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen reiterated his appeal for a complete immediate nationwide ceasefire throughout Syria “to enable an all-out effort to counter COVID-19 and spare all Syrians additional suffering,” a UN spokesperson said. UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:42
• Production Date: 2 April 2020
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: STEPHANE DUJARRIC
• Subject Topical: CONFLICT SITUATION; DISEASE CONTROL; HEALTH; HUMANITARIAN CRISIS; PEACE AND SECURITY
• Geographic Subject: SYRIA
• MAMS Id: 2542378
• Parent Id: 2542378
• Alternate Title: unifeed200402b

Description

STORY: UN / SYRIA UPDATE
TRT: 01:42
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 02 APRIL 2020, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior UN headquarters

02 APRIL 2020, NEW YORK CITY

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Najat Rochdi, the senior humanitarian advisor to Special Envoy Geir Pedersen conveyed the International Syria Support Group’s humanitarian taskforce by videoconference today. Mr. Pederesen joined and reiterated his appeal for a complete immediate nationwide ceasefire throughout Syria to enable an all-out effort to counter COVID-19 and spare all Syrians additional suffering. The Special Envoy expressed his readiness to work with all the parties to the conflict to further his appeal. Humanitarian Task Force members were informed that the virus could have a devastated impact given the protractive crisis and the extensive destruction and damage to the health systems. Syria’s public health system is fragile and will require considerable support to reinforce its capacity. Additional medical equipment and devices and supplies are urgently needed to contain a potential outbreak. Mrs. Rochdi and the UN’s humanitarian leadership in the field further stressed the importance of maintaining border and in-country crossings for the shipment of relief items, including cross-border, the movement of humanitarian workers and those requiring urgent medical care is essential. WHO is leading UN efforts to support preparation and mitigation measures across Syria, including in the northwest and the northeast. In Damascus, WHO has supported substantial rehabilitation of the Central Laboratory and procured additional essential equipment to support setting up further planned labs across the country.”

Storyline

Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen today (2 Apr) reiterated his appeal for a complete immediate nationwide ceasefire throughout Syria “to enable an all-out effort to counter COVID-19 and spare all Syrians additional suffering,” a UN spokesperson said.

The Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said senior humanitarian advisor Najat Rochdi had conveyed the International Syria Support Group’s humanitarian taskforce by videoconference, in which Pedersen “expressed his readiness to work with all the parties to the conflict to further his appeal.”

Dujarric said that “taskforce members were informed that the virus could have a devastated impact given the protractive crisis and the extensive destruction and damage to the health systems.”

He said, “Syria’s public health system is fragile and will require considerable support to reinforce its capacity. Additional medical equipment and devices and supplies are urgently needed to contain a potential outbreak.”

The spokesperson said, “Mrs. Rochdi and the UN’s humanitarian leadership in the field further stressed the importance of maintaining border and in-country crossings for the shipment of relief items, including cross-border, the movement of humanitarian workers and those requiring urgent medical care is essential.”

The World Health Organization (WHO), Dujarric said, “is leading UN efforts to support preparation and mitigation measures across Syria, including in the northwest and the northeast,” while In Damascus, “WHO has supported substantial rehabilitation of the Central Laboratory and procured additional essential equipment to support setting up further planned labs across the country.”