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Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 20 July 2020 - Guatemala

Pays
Guatemala
+ 2
Sources
UN DGC
Date de publication
Origine
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(excerpt)

And today I have an update for you about the work our colleagues are doing to address the pandemic in Guatemala. There are more than 38,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,400 deaths. The UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Rebeca Arias, is investing $1 million from the Secretary-General’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Trust Fund for immediate health and socioeconomic needs, focusing on the most vulnerable people. With these funds, the United Nations has trained front‑line health‑care workers and is providing food and mental health support for women. We are also helping the Government with people returning to Guatemala from Mexico and the United States, identifying those who have special protection needs. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is also screening and counselling these returnees and has provided beds, diapers and other supplies. The UN team is also helping to assess the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. With about half of all Guatemalan households depending on remittances, the impact of drastic reduction of these payments is especially worrying.