Violence in Cameroon & other topics - Daily Briefing (5 November 2020)

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:

- Chief Executives Board
- Cameroon
- Ocha
- Syria
- West Bank Demolitions
- Security Council
- COVID-19/U.N. Sustainable Development Group
- COVID-19/Africa
- Food Coalition
- Global Food Prices
- World Tsunami Awareness Day
- Noon Briefing Guests Tomorrow


CHIEF EXECUTIVES BOARD
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will bring together the heads of the UN system organizations in a virtual meeting of the Chief Executives Board.  They will reflect on the main characteristics of a post-pandemic world and brainstorm on possible key elements of a Common Agenda report the Secretary-General has been asked to submit to the General Assembly.  This follows the adoption of the 21st September 2020 Declaration on the Commemoration of the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the United Nations. 
The Chief Executives Board members will discuss common approaches to an inclusive, networked multilateralism. They will also deliberate on salient emerging trends, opportunities and challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the risks for human rights, global economic prospects, deepening inequalities and climate action. 
CAMEROON
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned by reports of violence against schools, students and teachers in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon. This took place earlier this week on the 3rd and 4th of November. These reported attacks deprive children of their right to an education. These reports come on the heels of the horrific attack on a school in Kumba, in the South-West Region on October 24th, in which many children were killed and several others wounded. 
The Secretary-General stresses the need for accountability of all these acts of violence against children and education facilities and reiterates his call on all armed actors to refrain from attacks against schools and to respect international humanitarian and international human rights law. He further urges the Cameroonian authorities to swiftly investigate all attacks on schools and bring the perpetrators to justice. Attacks on education facilities are a grave violation of children’s rights.   
He strongly urges the parties to answer his call for a global ceasefire and reiterates the availability of the UN to support an inclusive dialogue process leading to a resolution of the crisis in the North-West and South West areas of Cameroon. 

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Cameroon, Matthias Naab, also issued a statement condemning the attacks.
He said these incidents are part of a pattern of violence against education facilities and personnel, as well as kidnapping for ransom of children and teachers in the North-West and South-West. 
OCHA
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, says this week we have lost six humanitarian workers in targeted violent attacks in Somalia, in two separate incidents in South Sudan, and in Northwest Syria.
This cannot be tolerated, he said in the statement.  Attacks directed against humanitarians are a violation of international humanitarian law and an obscene act against people working hard, often in extraordinarily difficult circumstances, to help vulnerable people.
Mr. Lowcock said that those who commit these atrocities must be held to account. Governments must investigate these killings and prosecute the suspects where appropriate. International humanitarian law must be upheld.

Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/conte....nt/noon-briefing-hig