Press Conferences
Ethiopia, Yemen, Libya & other topics- Daily Press Briefing
On Burkina Faso and the diplomatic activities from the UN’s end, I can tell you the Secretary-General has been on the phone with various partners in the region.
On Afghanistan, you will have seen this morning that the Secretary-General, joined by Deborah Lyons, his Special Representative in Kabul, briefed the Security Council. The Secretary-General noted that, six months after the takeover by the Taliban, Afghanistan is hanging by a thread.
On a related note, our UN team in Afghanistan launched today, in Kabul, their One-UN Transitional Engagement Framework to assist the Afghan people this year. This is an overarching strategic planning document, which will ensure the coordination of the UN team’s work to reduce the suffering of the Afghan people by saving lives, sustaining essential services and preserving essential community systems.
This afternoon, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Syria, Geir Pedersen, will briefing the Security Council in person on the latest developments, and he is also expected to speak to reporters at the stakeout after that briefing.
I’ve also been asked a number of times about the humanitarian situation in Tigray: Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that a 3.5 metric ton shipment of medical supplies and equipment was flown by the UN Humanitarian Air Service and reached Mekelle, in Tigray, on Monday. The supplies are enough for approximately 35,000 people.
From Tonga, the Resident Coordinator for the UN in that part of the Pacific, Sanaka Samarasinha, is supporting the Government in the aftermath of the recent volcanic eruption and tsunami.
A COVID update for you: First, this week, Nicaragua received nearly a million vaccine doses from COVAX, which had been donated by Spain, and we thank them for their generosity. Nicaragua has now received more than 5 million vaccine doses from COVAX so far. And, in Bangladesh, the UN team there, led by acting Resident Coordinator Robert Simpson, continues to support the national response to COVID-19.The UN team is also helping to vaccinate residents at the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. On the socioeconomic front, the UN team, especially through the UN Development Programme, is helping authorities identify people who fell into poverty due to the pandemic and immediately provide support.
In a statement issued yesterday evening, the Secretary General said that he was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Brigadier General Constance Emefa Edjeani-Afenu, who passed away in her home country, the Republic of Ghana.
Tomorrow, at 11 a.m., correspondents are invited to attend the UN’s Holocaust Memorial Ceremony to mark the official International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Unfortunately, it will be held virtually this year.
We are happy to thank Malaysia for their full payment to our budget, and we are at 29 Member States on the Honour Roll.
For further details please see SOURCE below.
Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General