Humanitarian Response Plan in Mali & Other Topics- Daily Briefing (27 February 2019)

Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Daily Press Briefing:
- Security Council
- Zimbabwe
- Mali
- CAR
- Yemen
- Syria
- Bangladesh
- Honour Roll
SECURITY COUNCIL
As we speak, the Security Council is having debate on the initiative “Silencing the Guns in Africa” and how the association between the UN and the African Union can contribute to a continent free of conflict.The Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, said that the UN and the African Union share a common mission – to prevent conflict. In the last two years, she added, we have strengthened our joint ability to detect and defuse crises before they escalate, as well as our cooperation to resolve those crises.She noted that this partnership was bearing fruit in different countries on the continent – highlighting the developments in the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Somalia.Rosemary DiCarlo said that silencing the guns for good requires the participation of all as well as resilient societies with strong institutions, good governance and inclusive politics.She said African countries had a central role to play in making the “Silencing the Guns” initiative a success but that the international community’s support was also vital.Ramtane Lamamra, the African Union High Representative for Silencing the Guns in Africa, also addressed the Security Council.As you saw yesterday, Rosemary DiCarlo also briefed Security Council Members on the situation in Venezuela during a long debate yesterday.

ZIMBABWE
Today, the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock arrived in Harare, Zimbabwe [and he] traveled to Epworth, one of the urban areas most affected by food insecurity and economic conditions.
Mr. Lowcock met affected people including disabled people, women groups, orphans, people affected by HIV/AIDS to better understand how the situation has impacted [them[ and how they were coping. He also met with local officials and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss UN support and collaboration to address the situation.Zimbabwe is facing rising humanitarian needs as a result of erratic rains and the economic crisis, with 5.3 million people estimated to be in urgent [need of] assistance.

MALI
And on Mali, today, the UN and our humanitarian partners launched the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan requesting US$296 million to assist 2.3 million people in the country. These people are in need and over half of the requirement requested is for food security and nutrition response.Our humanitarian colleagues say that the situation in Mali has significantly deteriorated over the past years due to increased conflict and intercommunal clashes, as well as a high level of food insecurity in [certain] regions.The number of internally displaced people has tripled since the beginning of last year, to over 120,000 as of earlier this month. And around 3.2 million people are in need of assistance and protection this year.
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