Cyprus, India/Covid-19, Elsie Initiative & other topics - Daily Briefing (28 April 2021)

The United Nations of Earth reporting on this issue: "Cyprus, India/Covid-19, Elsie Initiative & other topics - Daily Briefing (28 April 2021)"
The topics: Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - Cyprus - Covid-19/Media - India/Covid-19 - Mongolia/Covid-19 - Burkina Faso - Syria - Appointment - Somalia - The Sahel - Elsie Initiative - World Day for Safety and Health at Work CYPRUS This morning, the Secretary-General hosted a plenary session of the informal 5+1 talks on the Cyprus issue. He’s currently holding bilateral meetings with the various delegations as the talks continue. As we mentioned, he will host a dinner for the delegations this evening. We expect discussions to continue on Thursday. COVID-19/MEDIA The Secretary-General had a video message for an event this morning entitled “COVID-19: How do we prevent the pandemic from becoming a media extinction event?” He said that the events of the past year have reminded us that access to reliable information is more than just a basic human right – it can also be a matter of life and death. The Secretary-General said the pandemic has been accompanied by an enormous concurrent “infodemic” which has jeopardized the health of millions of people worldwide, undermining confidence in vaccines and science, and dividing communities and countries. He also noted that the pandemic has had another very dangerous side-effect: it has accelerated the financial decline of many public interest media organizations. Newspapers alone lost an estimated $30 billion last year. The Secretary-General stressed that maintaining independent, fact-based reporting is an essential global public good, critical to building a safer, healthier and greener future. INDIA/COVID-19 I know you’ve been asking about our support to India during the current surge in COVID-19 cases. Our team there, led by Resident Coordinator Renata Lok Dessallien, is supporting the authorities’ response to the pandemic by providing equipment and supplies, including to local governments. The World Health Organization and UNICEF are procuring equipment and supplies, including 7,000 oxygen concentrators and 500 nasal devices for oxygen supply, as well as oxygen generating plants, COVID-19 testing machines, and personal protective kits. WHO is also helping to set up mobile hospital units and is providing for laboratories. Some 2,600 WHO field officers have been immediately deployed to support health authorities to curb the spread of the pandemic. In the western state of Maharashtra, the second most populous in India, UNICEF has engaged experts to work on risk governance. The UN team is also continuing its campaign highlighting the three Ws: Wear a mask, Wash your Hands, Watch your distance and stay six feet apart. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=28%20April%202021


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