"GIRLS"

Presenting the Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, UN Special Representative Virginia Gamba said, “children can no longer be the last priority of the international agenda nor the least protected group of individuals in the planet. We need to give children an alternative to violence and abuse.” UNIFEED

At the opening session of today’s UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet presented a report on the central role of the State in responding to pandemics. One of the report’s key message is that failure to meet human rights obligations undermined the resilience of health systems as well as health emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. UNTV CH

UN Human Rights Spokesperson Liz Throssell today briefed reporters on the ongoing fighting in Yemen and enforced disappearances law in Pakistan. UNTV CH

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people fleeing wars, violence, persecution and human rights violations in 2020 rose to nearly 82.4 million people, according to UNHCR’s latest annual Global Trends report released on Friday.. This is a further four per cent increase on top of the already record-high 79.5 million at the end of 2019. UNHCR

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba said the COVID-19 pandemic and related response “has had startling consequences on children, including a spike in conflict-related sexual violence incidents, and yet survivors have been left out of response efforts.” UNIFEED

The outflow of refugees and migrants from Venezuela is one of the largest external displacement crises in the world. To date, over 5.6 million people have left their country. On June 17th, Canada will host an international donor conference bringing together governments and key actors involved in the response to the Venezuela situation, including the private sector, development banks and civil society. UNHCR

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “As we strive to recover better, we must also build back accessibility, investments should create new opportunities for persons with disabilities, not new barrier. As communities reopen, we must support persons with disabilities returning to school and re-entering the workforce.” UNIFEED

Amid Mali’s worsening humanitarian situation, delegates in Security Council call upon authorities to protect civilians, underline need for credible elections.

Vulnerable Venezuelan migrants and refugees who have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 health and socio-economic crisis urgently need greater support from the international community, UN humanitarians said today, ahead of a donor conference hosted by Canada next week. UNTV CH

Day 3 of the High-Level Meeting (HLM) on HIV/AIDS to undertake a comprehensive review of the progress on the commitments made in the 2016 Political Declaration towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, and how the response, in its social, economic and political dimensions, continues to contribute to progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the global health goal.