Daily Press Briefing: Mali statement, SG/Extractives, DRC statement, Belarus/OHCHR, Security Council/Somalia, Gaza, Covid/Indonesia, Covax/Moldova, Montenegro, Africa Day

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

• Categories: Media / Press Conferences
• Video Length: 00:40:43
• Production Date: 25 May 2021
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: STEPHANE DUJARRIC
• Subject Topical: APPOINTMENT OF OFFICIALS; CORONAVIRUS DISEASE - COVID 19; INTERNATIONAL DAYS; SECRETARY-GENERAL; VACCINATION
• Geographic Subject: BELARUS; GAZA; MALI; MYANMAR; SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES; SOMALIA
• MAMS Id: 2622249
• Parent Id: 2622249

Description

The Secretary-General is continuing to follow the evolving situation in Mali very closely. Mr. Guterres continues to call for calm and for the immediate release of detained civilian leaders of the Malian transition.

Today, COVID-9 vaccines from the COVAX facility were dispatched to Gaza, through the Erez crossing, with the support of the Israeli authorities.

From Myanmar, our colleagues on the ground today repeated their call for an immediate release of dozens of journalists still in detention since Myanmar’s military seized power on February 1st.

Today, the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva said that, like so many others, they are shocked by the unlawful arrest and arbitrary detention of the Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich after the plane on which he was travelling was forcibly diverted to Minsk.

Today is Africa Day. In his message, the Secretary-General said that Africa’s rich and diverse cultural and natural heritage is important for sustainable development, poverty reduction, and building and maintaining peace.

This morning, the Secretary-General convened a virtual roundtable on transforming extractive industries for sustainable development.

Today, the Security Council held an open meeting on the situation in Somalia.

An update from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which is working to restore normalcy following the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano last month. The work is shifting from providing aid to recovering better and boosting preparedness for the next hurricane season which starts next week.

Yesterday, Colombia received its fourth shipment of COVAX-backed vaccines, bringing the total number from COVAX to more than one million doses arriving in Colombia. Moldova received 100,000 doses from COVAX last week, enabling the country to begin the third phase of its national vaccine campaign. For its part, Montenegro last week received its second shipment of COVAX vaccines as part of a total of 48,000 doses that the country will receive through COVAX.

Today, the Secretary-General is appointing Lieutenant General Birame Diop of Senegal as the Military Adviser in the Department of Peace Operations.

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