Unifeed

International Monetary Fund's (IMF) chief warned of false trade-off between the importance of health and economies: “Saving lives and protecting livelihoods go hand in hand.” IMF

World Health Programme (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that "more than 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now been reported to WHO, including more than 50,000 deaths." WHO

A spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), reported that following High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s call for governments to reduce overcrowding in prisons to prevent “catastrophic rates” of COVID-19 infection, “a number of countries have indeed been taking action on this front.” OHCHR

UN chief Antonio Guterres said his global ceasefire appeal is resonating across the world but noted that there is “huge distance between declarations and deeds” and stressed that to “silence the guns, we must raise the voices for peace.” UNIFEED

With COVID-19 cases confirmed in Sudan as two days ago, measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in the country are now having an impact on humanitarian access, deliveries and services. UNTV CH

A UN Spokesperson said that the Office of the Special Envoy for Yemen is "engaging the parties on reaching agreements on a nationwide ceasefire, humanitarian and economic measures to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, adding that "this process further aims to foster joint efforts to counter the threat of COVID-19." UNIFEED

Food insecurity levels in the Sahel region are “spiralling out of control”, the World Food Programme (WFP) said today, as it expressed concerns about the potential impact on humanitarian supply chains because of restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. UNTV CH / FILE

Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen reiterated his appeal for a complete immediate nationwide ceasefire throughout Syria “to enable an all-out effort to counter COVID-19 and spare all Syrians additional suffering,” a UN spokesperson said. UNIFEED

Ambassador José Singer of the Dominican Republic, President of the Security Council for the month of April, announced that the Council will begin holding open briefings via video teleconference (VTC), including a meeting on the issue of COVID-19, currently under discussion. UNIFEED

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Ghebreyesus today said that as the world enters the fourth month since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he is deeply concerned about the rapid escalation and global spread of infection. WHO