A/HRC/45/31 agreed to reconvene for the third round of talks of the small body of the Constitutional Committee13 in Geneva as soon as the pandemic situation allowed. 11. The Secretary-General of the United Nations also submitted to the Security Council a summary14 of the report of the United Nations Headquarters Board of Inquiry into certain incidents that had occurred in north-west Syria since 17 September 2018. The Board analysed seven attacks on hospitals, schools, and camps for internally displaced persons and offered conclusions relating to six of the sites. Separately, on 8 April, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons released the findings of the first report of its investigation and identification team15 on the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian Arab Air Force in Ltamenah. Additionally, in April, the first trial in the world on State torture in the Syrian Arab Republic began in Koblenz, Germany. 12. On 22 March, the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic confirmed the first COVID-19 case. In response, authorities announced a host of measures, including the temporary closure of businesses, a ban on movement between governorates, a curfew and the creation of medical emergency centres. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary-General issued an appeal for a nationwide ceasefire and encouraged G-20 members to waive sanctions imposed on countries in order to ensure access to food, essential health supplies and COVID-19 medical support. 16 The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria reiterated this message and also called upon all parties to carry out unilateral releases of detainees and abductees.17 In parallel, the Government intensified calls for the lifting of coercive unilateral measures, indicating that they constituted a challenge in fighting the pandemic. 18 The Syrian Democratic Forces-linked autonomous administration in north-east Syria (hereinafter referred to as the self-administration) closed all crossings into government-held areas, banned movement between towns, imposed a curfew and set up a specialized hospital. III. Government-held areas “Every month I would go to look… They would reply that they had no news about him or even his name in their records. This continued for one year. I then gave up any hope.” - Father of a disappeared person, Rif Damascus, February 2020 13. In Dar’a and Suwayda’, the security situation significantly deteriorated, with a number of incidents of armed violence between the multitude of armed actors vying for control. In Damascus, around Rif Damascus, Suwayda’ and Dar’a, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and torture remained pervasive. The price of food and basic goods significantly increased in government-held areas, with the devaluation of the Syrian pound exacerbating an already difficult living situation. At the same time, the Government continued to prevent thousands of individuals from returning to their homes in areas that had been retaken in the preceding five years. In such areas, the denial of freedom of movement also continued to affect people’s ability to access health care, education and other vital services, and to exercise basic rights. 13 14 15 16 17 18 4 See www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/ A8CE345167D1CD0FC12584A9006285A9?OpenDocument. See www.un.org/sg/sites/www.un.org.sg/files/atoms/files/NWS_BOI_Summary_06_April_2020.pdf. Document S/1867/2020. See www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/note-correspondents/2020-03-24/note-correspondents-letter-thesecretary-general-g-20-members. See www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/ D6B51AE793261B7BC12585AE00587A85?OpenDocument=. See S/2020/471.