Press Conferences
Virtual Press Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the General Assembly’s commemoration of Nelson Mandela Day.
The Secretary-General is following with deep concern the current tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He calls for maximum restraint as a full conflict between these two countries would be disastrous.
This morning, the Security Council held a closed meeting over video conference on the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, otherwise known as UNFICYP.
As of today, WHO has confirmed 1,610 cases of COVID-19 in Yemen, including 445 deaths. The fatality rate is alarmingly high at over 27 per cent — that’s five times the global average.
In Guatemala, there are more than 38,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,400 deaths. The UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Rebeca Arias, is investing $1 million from the Secretary-General’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Trust Fund for immediate health and socio-economic needs, focusing on the most vulnerable people.
In Sudan, the U.N. and humanitarian partners, in support of the Transitional Government, yesterday launched a supplement to the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan to respond to help millions of people affected by the health and humanitarian consequences of COVID-19.
The UN Mission in the Central African Republic organized an awareness campaign in Bangui with NGOs and the Ministry for the Advancement of Women to address gender-based violence and help protect marginalized groups from COVID-19.
Nearly four million people have been displaced in the state of Assam in India and neighbouring Nepal due to heavy flooding from monsoon rains, with the death toll at 189. The United Nations stands ready to support the Government of India if required.
Today the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) launched a joint initiative for the Global Control of African swine fever.
The World Meteorological Organization today said that locusts continue to be a serious threat to food security in parts of East Africa, India and Pakistan as a result of changing climate conditions that can be linked to human activity.
To celebrate the first International Chess Day, a High-Level Virtual Event named “Chess for Recovering Better” brought together players, the UN, governments officials, permanent missions in New York, representatives of civil society and academia.
Reem Abaza, the Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, will brief the press tomorrow.
Bangladesh has fully paid its contribution to the regular budget. There are now 105 fully paid up members.
For further details please see SOURCE below.
Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General