Burkina Faso, Holocaust, Olympics & other topics - Daily Briefing (25 January 2022) | United Nations

The United Nations of Earth reporting on this issue: "Burkina Faso, Holocaust, Olympics & other topics - Daily Briefing (25 January 2022) | United Nations"
The topics: Noon briefing by Stephen Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights: - Holocaust - Senior Personnel Appointment - Burkina Faso - Secretary-General – War in Cities - Olympics - Syria - Yemen - Central African Republic - South Sudan - Somalia - Haiti - Honduras  - India - Financial Contributions HOLOCAUST This evening the Secretary-General will make remarks at the Park East Synagogue at its annual ceremony in remembrance of the Holocaust. Just as a reminder this is a virtual event. He will warn of the resurgence of antisemitism – the oldest form of hate and prejudice – while welcoming new efforts by the General Assembly and others to clearly define and actively combat Holocaust denial. Our response to ignorance, the Secretary-General will say, must be education. We expect the remarks to be delivered around 6 pm this evening. BURKINA FASO This morning, the Secretary-General reiterated his deep concern following the coup d'état in Burkina Faso. The role of the military must be to defend their countries and their people, he said, not to attack their governments and to fight for power. He urged the armies of the region to assume their professional role of armies, to protect their countries and re-establish democratic institutions. The Secretary-General also repeated the values of democracy do not depend on public opinion at one moment or another. Democratic societies must be preserved, he added, and military coups are unacceptable in the 21st century. Given the situation in Burkina Faso I wanted to give you a quick reminder and update on the humanitarian situation in the country. Currently, one-fifth of the population needs humanitarian aid, but access is hampered by insecurity. The number of security incidents reported has risen from 211 in 2019 to nearly 1,000 in 2021. Conflict has exposed many people’s chronic vulnerability to droughts and flooding which, combined with the effects of COVID-19, have left 2.9 million people severely food insecure during the last lean season in August of last year. The outlook for 2022 indicates that the situation is likely to get worse. Internal displacement is another challenge. Six out of ten people displaced in the Central Sahel region are in Burkina Faso. Most of the people displaced - 83 per cent of them – fled attacks or threats by Non-State Armed Groups. Last year, we appealed for $607 million for the Humanitarian Response Plan, which was only 42 per cent funded. And, finally, I just want to flag that on Thursday, Denmark, Germany, the European Union and the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs are organizing a senior officials’ meeting on Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to renew commitments for the mobilization of policy and financial support for the humanitarian and resilience response in the region. OLYMPICS I want to flag the Secretary-General’s call for the observance of the Olympic Truce for the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, which are starting next week in China. The Secretary-General said that the Olympic Truce, which starts on 28 January, calls on all parties to stop hostilities throughout the course of the games. With conflict spreading and tensions rising, this appeal represents a chance to overcome differences and find paths towards lasting peace. “As we strive to end the COVID-19 pandemic, let’s unite for a safer, more prosperous and sustainable future for all,” he said, adding that through the power of sports and the Olympic ideal, we can build a culture of peace. And as a reminder, the Secretary-General will be heading for the opening ceremony of the games, which take place on 4 February. While in Beijing, he will also meet with the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, and Chinese authorities. We expect him back on 6 February, a Sunday. Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/ossg/noon-briefing-highlight?date%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=25+January+2022


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