Virtual Press Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General

Briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

• Categories: Media / Press Conferences
• Video Length: 00:31:27
• Production Date: 14 September 2020
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: STEPHANE DUJARRIC
• Corporate Name: SECURITY COUNCIL; UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION - UNESCO; UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL - UNHRC; UNITED NATIONS SUPPORT MISSION IN LIBYA - UNSMIL
• Subject Topical: CORONAVIRUS DISEASE - COVID 19; ENVIRONMENT; FILMS; FLOODS; JOURNALISTS
• Geographic Subject: AFGHANISTAN; BELARUS; DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO; LIBYA; SUDAN
• MAMS Id: 2557836
• Parent Id: 2557836

Description

The UN Mission in that Libya (UNSMIL) expressed its grave concern yesterday regarding reports that one civilian was killed, and three were injured, and a number of other demonstrators were arrested on September 12th.

The Secretary-General had a video message for the start of intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha, Qatar. He said that the start of the peace negotiations between Afghanistan and the Taliban presents a major opportunity to achieve the long-held aspirations of the people for peace.

In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, the Secretary-General said he remains deeply concerned about the situation in Belarus, particularly the continued use of force against peaceful protestors and the detention of people exercising their legitimate democratic rights.

To fight the spread of COVID-19 and to mitigate its impact in Belarus, the UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Joanna Kazana, has provided some $7.5 million to the national response, including addressing the socioeconomic impact and supporting the health system.

In his annual briefing on peacekeeping reform to the Security Council, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Head of Peace Operations, said that as the peacekeeping missions have been supporting national responses to COVID-19, they are also continuing to pursue their Action for Peacekeeping commitments. The pandemic has imposed new challenges, he said, but, in areas such as policy and guidance work, it has also created space for progress.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in a statement issued on Friday afternoon, the Secretary-General expressed his concern at the ongoing violence in the Irumu territory, notably in the borders of Ituri and North Kivu provinces.

UNESCO today released a report, which notes there has been a sharp increase this year in the global number of protests during which the police and security forces violated media freedom.

At the opening session of the Human Rights Council this morning in Geneva, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said that the pandemic has collided with many slower, and more entrenched, political and social and economic crises around the world.

In Sudan, where our humanitarian colleagues say that nearly 720,000 people have been affected by continued floods in the country, with more than 100 deaths reported.

A new ecolabel launched today by the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), which is led by the UN Environment Programme, will help shoppers reduce their environmental impact by identifying rice that has been sustainably produced.

This Saturday, the UN, along with partners from Project Everyone and 72 Films productions, are releasing the film “Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times.” That will be at 9am.

For further details please see SOURCE below.
Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General