Occupied Palestinian Territory, Myanmar, Syria & other topics - Daily Briefing (19 May 2021)

The United Nations of Earth reporting on this issue: "Occupied Palestinian Territory, Myanmar, Syria & other topics - Daily Briefing (19 May 2021)"
The topics: Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - Security Council - Occupied Palestinian Territory - Mali - Niger - Central African Republic - Syria - Lebanon - Myanmar - Belarus - Covid-19/Bangladesh - Economic And Social Council - Global Trade Update - Protected Areas - Noon Briefing Guests Tomorrow SECURITY COUNCIL This morning, the Secretary-General spoke at the Security Council virtual Open Debate on Peace and Security in Africa. One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, it is clear that the crisis is feeding many drivers of conflict and instability. But, he added, recovery from the pandemic offers an opportunity to address the root causes of conflict, put prevention at the forefront of our efforts, and implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the African Union’s Agenda 2063. African governments themselves, he said, have shown great commitment to fight the pandemic by establishing an Africa Taskforce for a unified continent-wide approach. However, limited supply and access to vaccines, as well as insufficient support for the pandemic response, are delaying the recovery. The Secretary-General renewed his call for an equitable and sustainable vaccine roll-out worldwide. He also reiterated his appeal for measures to alleviate the debt burden that threatens to cripple the recovery in many low- and middle-income developing countries, particularly in Africa. OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY In a Flash Appeal, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said today that it urgently seeks $38 million to respond to the immediate needs and to carry out essential emergency interventions in Gaza. UNRWA said that activities cover an initial 30-day emergency response, from the start of the escalation on 10 May, and will support up to 50,000 individuals seeking safety in 50 designated emergency shelters.  Regarding funding, Mark Lowcock, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator on the ground, Lynn Hastings, hopes to release $14 million from the Humanitarian Fund for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Emergency Relief Coordinator called upon donors to accelerate their contributions to the Fund without delay. He added that the crossings with Gaza need to be opened for the entrance of essential and humanitarian supplies, including fuel and basic services and supplies to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  From his part, Secretary-General said that we are seeing immense human suffering and extensive damage to homes and vital infrastructure in Gaza. He called on the international community to ensure adequate funding for our humanitarian operations in Gaza. As a reminder, the Secretary-General will address the General Assembly tomorrow in a special session on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/ossg/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=19%20May%202021


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