Press Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General

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

• Categories: Media / Press Conferences
• Video Length: 00:26:31
• Production Date: 15 April 2021
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: STEPHANE DUJARRIC
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS INTERIM FORCE IN LEBANON - UNIFIL
• Subject Topical: ART WORKS; CORONAVIRUS DISEASE - COVID 19; DISARMAMENT; INTERNATIONAL DAYS; TRADE
• Geographic Subject: AZERBAIJAN; MYANMAR; SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES; SOMALIA; YEMEN
• MAMS Id: 2612815
• Parent Id: 2612815

Description

In response to the ongoing eruption of the La Soufrière volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock today announced an allocation of $1 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help provide urgent humanitarian assistance to impacted people, especially those who have been evacuated.

Martin Griffiths, the Special Envoy for Yemen, briefed the Security Council on his diplomatic work, for which he has recently visited Muscat, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Berlin. He also met leaders of the Yemeni Government in Amman.

I was asked in recent days about Somalia, and I can tell you that the Secretary-General is concerned over the latest political developments in that country. He urges the leaders to resume dialogue and reach an inclusive agreement based on the 17 September Electoral Model and the Baidoa Technical Committee’s proposals.

In response to questions I received about the activities of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), UNIFIL’s ongoing effort to enhance the use of cameras for monitoring at key UN positions along the Blue Line is being done in accordance with the Secretary-General’s assessment report which was welcomed by the Security Council in a resolution last year.

In Azerbaijan, our UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Ghulam Isaczai, has been supporting the national vaccination drive that kicked off nearly three months ago.

A COVAX update for you from Mauritania today, which received nearly 70,000 doses yesterday.

From Myanmar, our colleagues at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) say that 71 journalists have been arrested, with more than half of them still detained since the beginning of February. Some 24 people have been charged for allegedly spreading fake news.

Today, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the African Union launched a guide to boosting intra-African agricultural trade under the new African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.

Today, our friends at the Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) are launching a global video challenge for young people between the ages of 18 and 24. They are asking them to submit a two-minute twenty-second video.

Today is World Art Day. The Day was proclaimed at the 40th session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 2019 and aims to promote the development, diffusion and enjoyment of art.

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