Religious Freedom & other topics - Daily Press Briefing (2 April 2019)

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
Daily Press Briefing:
- Egypt
- Cyclone Idai
- Cyclone Idai Mozambique
- Global Hunger
- Somalia CERF Allocation
- Digital Cooperation
- Security Council
- Children in Armed Conflict
- Senior Personnel Announcement
- Honour Roll

EGYPT
In Cairo, the Secretary-General today met with the Grand Imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque, Professor Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb, earlier today. He took the opportunity to reiterate his respect for Islam and his solidarity with the Muslim community around the world, particularly in light of the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Secretary-General stressed that “in this time of difficulties and divisions, we must stand together and protect each other.”
He also commended the Grand Imam’s call for Muslims in the Middle East to protect Christian communities, as well as the initiatives taken by Al-Azhar to promote the true face of Islam and counter violent extremism.
Later today, he will meet with the Foreign Minister of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry. And tomorrow, he is expected to meet with President el-Sisi of Egypt.
On a related note, the Secretary-General, in a video message today, said that the world must stand together to protect all religious sites against rising anti-Muslim hatred, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, racism and hate speech. He said we must counter those who seek to demonise and divide, and we must defend freedom of religion and belief.
CYCLONE IDAI
This morning, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, addressed a Special Session convened by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President on the response to Cyclone Idai.
The Deputy Secretary-General said that three weeks since Cyclone Idai struck Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, the needs remain profound, and she flagged the continued risks of more floods, spread of diseases and the destruction of livelihoods as well as lives lost.  
The Deputy Secretary-General paid tribute to the local, national and international responders who have been on the scene from the earliest moments of the crisis. She called on Member States to fund the $392 million response for the three countries for the next three months; just $46 million has been recorded so far.
She reiterated the commitment of the UN to supporting those in the affected countries to rebuild their homes and communities.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock, also addressed the special session; he too stressed the need for more funding to the response.
CYCLONE IDAI MOZAMBIQUE
On the ground, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that it is capitalizing on receding floodwaters in Mozambique and now aims to reach 1.2 million people this week with food assistance now that roads are opening up in the worst-affected provinces. The agency has provided food assistance to 350,000 victims in Mozambique. And WFP adds that at least 500,000 hectares of crops – primarily maize – were washed away ahead of the main April–May harvest. 
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says more than 1,000 cases of cholera, including one fatality, have been reported in Mozambique, according to the Ministry of Health. Over 90 percent of the cases were reported in Beira.  
Nearly 900,000 doses of the cholera vaccine, procured by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), arrived in Beira today. An Oral Cholera vaccination campaign is scheduled to begin tomorrow and training for medical personnel is underway. 
WHO says it has deployed experts, including epidemiologists, logisticians and disease-prevention experts, to build a 40-strong team that will help restore primary care services destroyed by the cyclone.
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