This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.
UN chief renews call for calm in Myanmar, welcomes ASEAN mediator appointment
As Myanmar’s humanitarian situation worsens following the military coup there, the UN Secretary-General has welcomed the appointment of a Special Envoy for the country, by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
António Guterres said in a statement that the appointment of Erywan Yusof from Brunei as mediator marked “an important step” towards the implementation of ASEAN’s commitment to end the crisis in Myanmar.
Mr. Guterres also renewed his call for the country's military to step back from violence and repression.
The will of the people must be respected and the State’s Tatmadaw forces must act in the interests of peace, sustainable development and human rights, Mr. Guterres insisted, on Wednesday.
It’s been six months since the military-led coup in Myanmar on the first of February, which prevented the country’s elected officials from forming a new government.
The violence that followed has left more than 900 people dead – most of whom were civilians - with thousands arrested and detained.
According to reports, Mr. Erywan has been tasked with ending violence and opening dialogue between Myanmar’s military rulers and their opponents, and to oversee the delivery of humanitarian aid.
COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Africa set to ramp up: WHO
Hopeful news from Africa now where almost 90 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have now been allocated to the continent under the UN-partnered COVAX scheme.
Announcing the development on Thursday, the World Health Organization, or WHO, said that the aim was to deliver 520 million doses to Africa by the end of 2021.
The African Union also plans to deliver at least 16 million single-shot Johnson & Johnson doses to African countries, also by the end of September.
“After a tough three months, we’re seeing more positive prospects in terms of vaccine shipments to Africa”, said WHO’s Dr Phionah Atuhebwe, who blamed “unsteady supplies” as the main reason why vaccine rollout has been slow to date.
As shipments ramp up it is crucial that African countries put comprehensive vaccination strategies in place to swiftly and efficiently protect the most vulnerable,” WHO insisted.
Africa has received 91 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines so far. About 24 million people, just 1.7 per cent of Africa's population, are fully vaccinated.
To meet the end-of-year goal of fully vaccinating 30 per cent of Africa’s population, up to 729 million more doses will be needed.
Refugee resettlement numbers yet to recover amid pandemic
The number of refugees given shelter in safe host countries plunged last year because of pandemic border restrictions, which continue to hamper the resettlement of vulnerable people.
That’s one of the findings of a new report by UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the World Bank, which said on Thursday that 64,000 asylum-seekers started new lives abroad in host countries in 2019, but only 22,800 did so last year.
The downwards trend has continued in 2021, with only 4,500 people resettled from January to March, while 57 countries still deny access to non-nationals and 73 have restricted access.
According to the UNHCR - World Bank report, the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 has affected almost every aspect of the lives of refugees and other forcibly displaced people, particularly those living outside camps.
Citing data from eight refugee-hosting countries before COVID-19, the report estimated that refugees were 60 per cent more likely than host populations to be working in sectors that were highly likely to be impacted by the pandemic, such as accommodation and food services, manufacturing, and retail.
In Kenya’s Kalobeyei camp, researchers also noted that unemployment among refugees fell by around 75 per cent, compared with pre-pandemic levels – three times higher than national job losses.
They also warned that COVID-19 hit refugees and host communities equally hard elsewhere; not least in Yemen, where access to healthcare for everyone has not recovered to the level it was before the pandemic started, amid ongoing conflict.
Katy Dartford, UN News.
