With seven confirmed COVID-19 cases in Somalia, the United Nations and their humanitarian partners in the country are urgently reprioritizing activities to help prepare the response to the pandemic.
Rupert Colville, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “After the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s last week urged governments to reduce overcrowding in prisons in order to prevent catastrophic rates of COVID-19 infection, we are encouraged to note that a number of countries have indeed been taking action on this front.
The spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Jens Laerke said that “seven COVID-19 cases including two deaths have been confirmed - all cases arrived from abroad and are receiving medical treatment in isolation centres in Khartoum.”
Burkina Faso crisis and COVID-19 concerns highlight pressure on Sahel food security. Food insecurity levels in the Sahel region are “spiralling out of control”, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday, as it expressed concerns about the potential impact on humanitarian supply chains because of restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From DR Congo to Libya and Syria, humanitarians adjust to COVID-19
Nearly USD 825 million are needed for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to assist the world’s most vulnerable communities to face the new coronavirus, according to a revised emergency appeal for the pandemic launched in Geneva today.
Urgent action needed to prevent COVID-19 “rampaging through places of detention” – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called on governments to take urgent action to protect the health and safety of people in detention and other closed facilities, as part of overall efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
UN Syria envoy appeals for nationwide ceasefire to halt COVID-19. An immediate ceasefire is needed in Syria to prevent the spread of COVID-19, top United Nations negotiator for Syria, Geir O Pedersen, said on Tuesday, as he reiterated his willingness to work with all warring parties to ensure that the truce holds.
UN aid teams work round the clock to ensure humanitarian support to millions. Humanitarian actors are gearing up to find solutions for vulnerable communities hardest-hit by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including millions of children whose schools have closed, depriving them of essential meals, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
Millions of people in crises will need UN humanitarian aid in midst of COVID-19 pandemic
Human Rights Council announces ‘orderly suspension’ of activities linked to COVID-19
Human Rights Council settles into new home in response to Coronavirus COVID-19 threat
COVID-19: likely to cost $1 trillion in 2020, says UN economist, calls for confidence-building measures
COVID-19: countries, businesses must protect people as virus spreads, urges UN rights chief
Coronavirus COVID-19 wipes $50 billion off global exports in February alone
The President of the UN Human Rights Council, Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, today (2 Mar) announced that the Council will follow measures recommended by the Secretary-General concerning the Covid-19 outbreak and its implications for the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council.
Discrimination against those affected by coronavirus/COVID-19 must be tackled head on by Governments everywhere, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Thursday, in an appeal for “transparency and information” to help combat the epidemic.
Coronavirus deaths surpass 1,000 as scientists gather at WHO headquarters to discuss next steps
Amid the significant increase in numbers of infections of the novel coronavirus and additional countries reporting confirmed cases globally, the Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization has declared last night a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
The WHO has upped the global risk assessment that the novel coronavirus poses from moderate to high risk but have not yet declared the outbreak an international public health emergency.
Amid rising cases of new infections of the respiratory illness novel coronavirus in China and three other countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) today informed that their emergency committee will convene tomorrow to advise if the current situation in China constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today confirmed the presence of new coronavirus in China, a respiratory illness with 41 confirmed cases and one death to date, as investigations continue and health agencies prepare for a possible outbreak.