The Secretary-General issued his report on 'Protection of civilians in armed conflict', which underlines the need for continued respect of international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international refugee law by all parties and actors to ensure effective protection for conflict-affected populations and an effective response to the pandemic.

The UNHCR High Commissioner issued key protection messages on 31 March 2020 in which he advocated, inter alia, for access to asylum while also protecting public health, continued reception of asylum seekers and the processing of asylum claims and inclusion of refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and other marginalized groups in public health.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh has more than doubled over the past two weeks to over 35,000. There are now 25 confirmed cases among refugees in Kutupalong camp. To respond, UNHCR opened two isolation and treatment facilities last week with a total of 200 beds. The total capacity provided by humanitarian actors will reach 1,100 beds by mid-June.

The number of reported COVID-19 cases has risen to over 5.4 million worldwide, with over 340,000 deaths. The spread of COVID-19 is increasing rapidly in Africa, with the majority of countries experiencing community transmission.

To date, a total of 6.4 million masks, 850,000 gowns, 3,600 oxygen concentrators and 640 ventilators have been procured by UNHCR and delivered to 25 high priority countries to support UNHCR’s and partners’ COVID-19 response in these countries.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi calls for refugees to receive the rights they deserve during the COVID-19 pandemic on the WEF website.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi concluded his visit to Syria and Jordan with a pledge to maintain assistance to the most vulnerable as the situation in Syria continues to be extremely difficult for Syrian and refugee populations. Following a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Syria and Jordan, including the first six confirmed cases in Jordan’s two main Syrian refugee camps, UNHCR continues to ramp up measures to confront and contain the spread of COVID-19 among UNHCR’s persons of concern.

UN chiefs urged sustained support to Syrians on the eve of the fourth Supporting Syria and the Region conference in Brussels as the impact of COVID-19 wreaks havoc on economies and threatens to further destabilize the region. Pledges for both Syria and the region in the amount of 5.5 billion USD were raised for 2020 and an additional 2.2 billion USD in multi-year pledges.

UNHCR and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 03 February 2020, with the overall goal of ensuring refugees and other forcibly displaced can access vaccines on par with nationals. The MoU also looks at expanding coverage and quality of immunization services, promoting equity in access and uptake of vaccines, and strengthening health systems at community and primary care level.

UNHCR and IOM jointly launched a USD 1.44 billion regional plan to respond to the growing needs of refugees and migrants from Venezuela and the communities hosting them. The onset of COVID-19 has dangerously strained national and local capacities across the region. Many refugees and migrants and their host communities now face a myriad of new challenges that worsen their already precarious conditions.