Syria

High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said today that broad sectoral sanctions should urgently be re-evaluated in countries facing the COVID-19 pandemic.  Such measures could have a potentially debilitating impact on the health sector and human rights, she added. 

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that the voluntary repatriation of registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan has been suspended and it has closed several repatriation centres until further notice due to the Government’s precautionary steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The Head of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic, Mankeur Ndiaye, condemned as unacceptable an attack on blue helmets in the city of Grimari, which killed a member of the Burundian contingent, as peacekeepers were trying to stop an assault by armed members of an anti-Balaka group.

The desert locust situation in the Horn of Africa remains extremely alarming, as new swarms form, causing an unprecedented threat to food security, humanitarian colleagues report.  The Food and Agriculture Organization has increased its appeal to $138 million to support regional aerial and ground control operations.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ statement on Syria, in New York today:

Humanitarian conditions in Mali continue to deteriorate due to violence, particularly in the north, east and central regions, the Humanitarian Affairs Office reports.  As of 11 March, some 86,000 people have been displaced in the Mopti region since 2018, bringing the number of displaced to 218,500 across Mali.

The United Nations is following with concern the latest developments in Guyana, particularly allegations that the tabulation of votes from Region 4 was not done according to proper legal procedures, and takes note of statements of concern issued by international observers and ambassadors accredited to Georgetown.

The number of reported cases worldwide of the coronavirus stands at 95,265, with 3,281 deaths, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said today, noting encouraging signs from the Republic of Korea, where the number of newly-reported cases appears to be declining.

In north-east Nigeria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that 7.9 million people — more than 1 out of every 2 people in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States — need aid in 2020.  With an upsurge in attacks in the area over the past year, aid agencies have been forced to scale down their work.

United Nations agencies and their partners launched an appeal today for $877 million to help some 855,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who are in Bangladesh, as well as more than 444,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in communities generously hosting those refugees.  More than half will fund vital services.