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response. In countries with a low MINUSMA could lose some critical rated by the UN Mission in South
infection rate, lockdowns are gra- resources due to the COVID-19 Sudan (UNMISS) relays elemen-
dually being lifted and life is slowly outbreak, something the mission tary school lessons to compen-
returning to normal. However, whi- could not afford. To address this sate for the classes that children
le many countries around the wor- challenge a plan was developed are missing since the lockdown.
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ld are still grappling with the virus, to establish a mobile task for- Among other COVID-related me-
the African continent - where most ce, which enhances MINUSMA’s asures, the Justice and Correction
UN peace operations are deployed ability to implement its mandate, Service has developed operational
– is still on the periphery of the making it more agile and fl exible tools to help prison administra-
pandemic, raising tors mitigate
fears that the night- AS UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO the spreading
mare is yet to start. GUTERRES RECENTLY TOLD THE SECURITY of COVID-19
Protect, Help, in prisons. Si-
Explain COUNCIL, “THE BRUTAL STATISTICS OF CO- milarly, the UN
The UN faced some VID-19 DO NOT JUST REFLECT A GLOBAL HE- Police (UNPOL)
vehement attacks has drafted
on social media ALTH CRISIS BUT SIGNAL A THREAT TO THE guidelines on
following fears that MAINTENANCE OF INTERNATIONAL PEACE the conduct
its personnel could of day-to-day
be carriers of CO- AND SECURITY operations du-
VID-19 and spread ring this emer-
it to the local population, as it hap- and, augmenting its capabilities gency, which are being shared
pened with the cholera outbreak in with tailored units and air assets. with local police forces. Also, the
Haiti in 2010. In Somalia for exam- Most UN Peace Operations have Gender Unit of the Department
ple, Al-Shabaab has summoned reallocated programme fun-
African Union troops of bringing ding to support local institu- BLURB: “COVID-19 is the greatest
the virus in the country. In response tions efforts and communities. test that we have faced together since
to these concerns, UN Peace Ope- For example, the UN/AU Hybrid the formation of the United Nations,”
rations have adapted all their acti- Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
vities and limited any close contact carried out a sensitization cam-
with the population. In South Su- paign in IDP camps at high risk of of Peace Operations (DPO) has
dan, government forces have set- infection. MINUSMA supported the collected best practices of how
up checkpoints outside some UN reinforcement of the national CO- missions are re-orienting the im-
compounds to reduce staff move- VID-19 response through the pro- plementation of the Women in
ment. UN police have limited pa- vision of medical equipment and Peace and Security (WPS) man-
trols and suspended all training for infrastructure. In Gao, through date in light of the pandemic.
local partners that required physi- the Disarmament, Demobilization Business Goes On (almost) As
cal proximity. During activities that and Reintegration (DDR) Section, Usual
entail contacts with the population, hygienic and sanitary products For the past three months the De-
UN staff is keeping two meters apart. were handed out to communities partment of Operational Support4
The COVID-19 pandemic has ad- benefi ting from projects to reduce (DOS) has explored measures to
ded another layer of complexity to community violence. Further, the prevent and control risks associa-
the already challenging security si- Mission also managed biomedical ted with the pandemic, including
tuation in Mali and the Sahel Re- waste related to COVID-19 to avoid psychosocial, ergonomic, and
gion, which sees terrorist groups environmental contamination. other work-related safety and he-
allied with Al-Qaida and Islamic The UN Mission in Somalia (UN- alth issues. In a message to all UN
State proliferating in Ménako and SOM) supported the national go- staff, the Secretary-General An-
Gao, and improvised explosive de- vernment to draft provisional me- tónio Guterres, emphasized that
vices (IEDs) regularly injuring Blue asures to respond to the outbreak. the Organization “remains open
Helmets. There was the risk that For its part, Radio Miraya, ope- for business”, but “our work will

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