Daily Press Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General

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

• Categories: Media / Press Conferences
• Video Length: 00:26:24
• Production Date: 23 November 2020
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: STEPHANE DUJARRIC
• Corporate Name: WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION - WMO
• Subject Topical: CORONAVIRUS DISEASE - COVID 19; HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE; REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; SECRETARY-GENERAL; SECURITY COUNCIL
• Geographic Subject: AFGHANISTAN; ARMENIA; AZERBAIJAN; DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO; DJIBOUTI; ETHIOPIA; GUATEMALA; LIBYA
• MAMS Id: 2585114
• Parent Id: 2585114

Description

Today, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, the 2020 Afghan Conference got under way. The ministerial pledging conference is being co-hosted by the Governments of Afghanistan and Finland, along with the United Nations.

Earlier today, speaking to 23 regional organizations, the Secretary-General said that our partnership with them is more important than ever.

The Secretary-General spoke yesterday at the G20 Leader’s Summit, and renewed his call for solidarity and cooperation in the face of COVID-19.

On Ethiopia, the UN remains extremely concerned about the safety of civilians in the Tigray Region, especially the more than half a million people – including more than 200 aid workers – who remain in Mekelle following information that fighting might move into the city in the coming hours.

In Djibouti, the UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Barbara Manzi, is concerned about how the socio-economic impact of the pandemic will further deepen vulnerabilities. The UN is working closely with authorities to prepare for a potential influx of people and respond to the economic consequences of the crisis.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the head of the Peacekeeping Mission, Leila Zerrougui, welcomed the sentence pronounced today against Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka, the former head of the armed group NDC (Nduma Defense of Congo), as well as co-defendents.

In Libya, the Secretary-General’s Acting Special Representative, Stephanie Williams, convened today the first virtual meeting of the second round of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF). The meeting aims to discuss the selection criteria of the unified executive authorities for the preparatory period preceding Libyan elections.

This morning, the Security Council held an open video conference on Somalia.

In response to questions, the Spokesman said that as the Secretary-General has made clear publicly, we hope that the cessation of hostilities will enable humanitarian actors to have the necessary access to all people in need in all areas affected by the conflict, including people displaced by the conflict, particularly in and around Nagorno-Karabakh. 

In response to questions about Guatemala, the Spokesman said that the UN reiterates that the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be respected.

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