Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. Highlights:
- SG Women/COVID-19
- Security Council
- Yemen
- WHO– 100 Days
- COVID-19/Children
- COVID-19/ Poverty
- Sustainable Development
- Human Rights/COVID-19
- COVID-19/Civil Rights
- Lebanon
- Afghanistan
- Kenya
- Locusts
- Mediterranean Crossings
SG WOMEN/COVID-19
Today the Secretary-General released a policy brief which looks at how women and girls have been impacted by the pandemic.
In a video message he said that while mortality rates from COVID-19 are higher for men, the pandemic is having devastating social and economic consequences for women, and he warned that it could reverse the limited progress that has been made on gender equality and women’s rights.
“Progress lost takes years to regain. Teenage girls out of school may never return,” Mr Guterres said.
The brief shows that nearly 60 percent of women around the world work in the informal economy, earning less, saving less, and being at greater risk of falling into poverty. In addition, many women are now trapped at home with domestic abuses and are struggling to get access to support services.
The Secretary-General urged governments to put women and girls at the centre of their recovery efforts and he called for measures to protect and stimulate the economy that target women including cash transfers, credits and loans, and he added that unpaid care work must also be recognized and valued as a vital contribution to the economy.
“Gender equality and women’s rights are essential to getting through this pandemic together, to recovering faster, and to building a better future for everyone,” he said.
On a separate note, as of Monday, the UN flag will be at half-mast. This is a gesture of solidarity with New York, as the Government advises that all flags should be flown at half-mast while the state is under a pause order.
SECURITY COUNCIL
The Secretary-General is briefing the Security Council this afternoon, in a closed remote session, on the impact of COVID-19 and on the issues that “fall under the UN Security Council mandate” as described by the Presidency.
The Secretary-General will update on his appeal for a global cease fire and the impact of the pandemic on peace keeping operations, special political missions and on the UN’s humanitarian response.
Full Highlights:
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