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Daily Press Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General
I have been asked about the Secretary-General’s response to a recent letter sent to him from the Committee to Protect Journalists concerning restrictions on the press as well as the death of journalists while in detention.
The Secretary-General told the High-Level Ministerial Meeting on Yemen today that with the coronavirus pandemic, the urgency of reaching a negotiated political settlement to end the conflict has only grown.
The Secretary-General spoke in person this morning at the UN Peace Bell Ceremony on the 39th anniversary of the International Day of Peace. He said that peace is never a given – it is an aspiration that is only as strong as our conviction and only as durable as our hope.
In the Security Council, this morning, the Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Ibrahim Thiaw, briefed Council members on the humanitarian effects of environmental degradation. He said that a large number of threats to international peace and security today are linked to the environment.
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, briefed the Security Council yesterday on the humanitarian crisis in Syria. He highlighted the humanitarian impact of the economic downturn, noting that the price of a standard food basket has increased by more than 250 per cent since last year.
On Sudan, the World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up its efforts to reach nearly 160,000 people affected by devastating floods, the worst the country has seen in a century.
In Burkina Faso, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has increased by 30 per cent – from 2.2 million in January to 2.9 million in July.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Adidas, and the Nairobi-based start-up named Internet of Elephants today announced the release of a challenge through the Adidas Training mobile application. It challenges people to outrun endangered wild animals to rally support for biodiversity protection worldwide.
Our colleagues in the UN Development Coordination Office (UNSDG) tell us that Arnaud Peral of France has taken up his new post as Resident Coordinator in Tunisia this week.
Tomorrow morning, there will be a High-Level Meeting on Preventing Violent Extremism through Sport Values.
Tomorrow morning, the Sustainable Development Goals Moment event with leaders and stakeholders convened by the Secretary-General will take place.
I want to thank our friends at the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who have paid their regular budget in full, bringing us to 116 fully paid-up Member States.
For further details please see SOURCE below.
Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General
