Page 52 - Coespu 2020-2

IN DEPTH

UN POS IN THE

TIME OF COVID-19

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UN Peace Operations in the time of ternational peace and security” . tor and, enable them to continue
Covid-19 Since the pandemic could aggra- critical operations. And while the
vate tensions, cause social un- UN is not new to managing crisis,
rest and a lapse in state authori- the pace at which these had to be
By Caterina Pino ty in fragile states, now more than implemented is unprecedented.
ever it is crucial to avoid rever- Because of the fl uidity of the si-
sing Blue Helmets’ hard-
Since SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, won security gains and, to According to the Offi ce for Strategic Com-
named COVID-19 , was decla- ensure they stay wherever munication of the UN Department of Peace
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red a pandemic by the World He- they are needed the most. Operations, as of 4 June 2020, the total
alth Organization (WHO) on 11 UN peacekeeping mis- number of recorded COVID-19 cases in
March 2020, United Nations Pe- sions were able to draw on UN missions amounts to 163 confi rmed,
acekeeping and Special Political their experience with ma- 55 recovered and 3 deaths. Out of the total
missions were forced to reassess naging Ebola outbreaks in number, 112 are staff members of the Uni-
how they do business and adapt West Africa in 2014 and in ted Nations Multidimensional Integrated
their operations to this new reality. the Democratic Republic of Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)
As UN Secretary-General Antón- Congo in 2019. From the
io Guterres recently told the Se- earliest manifestation of
curity Council, “the brutal statisti- the outbreak, mitigating measu- tuation, such measures are being
cs of COVID-19 do not just refl ect res have been put in place across adapted over time, based on the
a global health crisis but signal a all UN offi ces to protect personnel, epidemiological situation on the
threat to the maintenance of in-
ensure they are not contagion vec- ground and, local governments’

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