Virtual Press Briefing by Spokesperson for Secretary-General

This morning, to mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, the Secretary-General laid a wreath at the Peacekeepers’ memorial to honour the more than 3,900 women and men who have lost their lives since 1948, while serving under the UN flag.

We have an update on how peacekeeping missions continue to support Member States’ response to COVID-19. Our colleagues from the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) report that the Mission provided personal and household goods, including televisions and computers to communities in Kosovo, including a children’s shelter and a shelter for victims of trafficking.

Last night, the bureau of the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with the UK and its Italian partners, agreed on new dates for the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, which will now take place between 1 and 12 November 2021, in Glasgow.

In Honduras, there have been more than 4,600 cases and nearly 200 deaths from COVID-19.

In Brazil, our team, led by Resident Coordinator Niky Fabiancic, is working with national and local authorities on the health and socioeconomic pandemic response.

The volume of items sent by post has dropped 21 per cent so far this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) said today.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) released yesterday a set of guidelines to reopen tourism and help the sector to emerge stronger and more sustainably from COVID-19.

In Yemen, seven weeks after the first case of COVID-19 was announced, the virus is spreading unchecked across the country.

This morning, the Security Council held a closed meeting by video conference on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and sanctions.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights today expressed her shock at the killing of five men in Nepal by opponents of a relationship between people of different castes.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) deplores the killing of 30 migrants in a shooting on Wednesday involving a trafficker in Libya.

In Kenya, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that seasonal heavy rains have affected nearly 302,000 people in 43 of the 47 counties.

In Ethiopia, excessive heavy rains which started in April have led to flooding, displacement, loss of lives and livelihoods, as well as damage to infrastructure in different parts of the country.

In Somalia, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that seven Somali health workers were abducted two days ago from a mother and child health clinic run by an NGO in Gololey village in the Middle Shabelle region. These seven health workers and another civilian were subsequently killed.

In Venezuela, a plane carrying 12 tonnes of humanitarian aid from United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has landed in the country to support the UN humanitarian response.

In Nigeria, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partners are stepping up their assistance for nearly 4,000 displaced people who lost all of their possessions in a large fire in a camp in Maiduguri in eastern Borno State.

This year, World No Tobacco Day will be marked on Sunday. It will focus on protecting children and young people from exploitation by the tobacco and related industry.

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Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General