UNFOLD ZERO Newsletter

Posted: 26th March 2020

Dear Southern Region CND,

We extend our greetings and very best wishes for you during these difficult times of the Coronavirus pandemic. We hope that you and your loved ones and colleagues are all well and safe and managing to adjust to the measures required to combat this global threat.

UNFOLD ZERO thanks and honours all who have been providing health and social services to people and communities impacted. We also honour authorities (cities, governments, international agencies and non-govenrmental organisations) that are active in combatting the pandemic.
  

United Nations and human security vital to combat the pandemic

In a blog, Human Security and the United Nations are vital to combatting the corona virus, UNFOLD ZERO highlights the vital contribution being made by the United Nations and its agencies in addressing coronavirus.

The World Health Organisation has been providing an invaluable source of information and public health guidance to governments and general public. Through their strong connections with health ministries and departments around the world, WHO has helped to buld the global cooperation in implementation of measures required to contain and eventually overcome this pandemic.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been playing a key role in building global understanding of the situation, political support for implementation of WHO recommendations and consideration of the political and economic measures that are required in the wake of the pandemic. See, for example, UN Secretary-General: COVID-19 Pandemic Calls for Coordinated Action, Solidarity, and Hope.
  

UN Secretary-General urges global ceasefire

The UNSG has also called for a global ceasefire, highlighting the need to halt armed conflict and roll-back economic sanctions in order to better combat the pandemic, and he has mobilized UN personnel and resources to assist in this.

In a video message released on March 23, Mr Guterres said that a ceasefire is vital ‘to help create corridors for life-saving aid. To open precious windows for diplomacy. The ceasefire would allow humanitarians to reach populations that are most vulnerable to the spread of the corinavirus.‘

See UN Secretary-General urges global ceasefire to enable management of coronavirus pandemic.

2020 NPT Review Conference to be postponed

Some civil society events turned into digital meetings

The 2020 Review Conference of States Parties to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) is likely to be postponed until 2021. This is one of a number of UN events having to be postponed or cancelled due to the corona virus situation.

UNFOLD ZERO was to be involved a number of side-events during the NPT Review conference, which are now planned to be held as digital events such as video conferences or webinars. These include the Annual Meeting of Abolition 2000  and NPT side-events on Move the Nuclear Weapons Money and Youth Voices for Climate, Peace and Nuclear Disarmament (details to follow).

For more information see NPT likely to be postponed: civil society events turned into webinars.

Yours sincerely
UNFOLD ZERO