REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Rhéal LeBlanc, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section, United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Organization for Migration.

Yemen

Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, reminded that Martin Griffiths, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, was in Yemen. He was in Sana’a and he was currently traveling to Hodeida. He was expected to speak to the press as soon as he arrived in Hodeida. During his visit to Yemen, Mr. Griffiths had been reminding the parties to the conflict that the renewed escalation in Hodeida witnessed over the past few days should stop. He was hoping to see the quiet that Hodeida witnessed for a window of time to resume and serve the wellbeing of the people there, and also to create a conducive environment for convening the upcoming round of the political consultations in Sweden.

Mr. Griffiths emphasized that restraint is needed at the moment more than ever if we all wanted to put Yemen on the path of peace. As he said many times, the United Nations stood ready to work with the parties on a negotiated agreement, to grant a supervisory role for the United Nations in managing the port, which would protect the port itself from potential destruction and preserve the main humanitarian pipeline to the people of Yemen.
Mr. Griffiths had specific ideas that he would be presenting to the parties, and hoped that an agreement could be reached very soon. Mr. LeBlanc added that as soon as the Information Service had Mr. Griffiths’ statement from Hodeida, it would issue it as quickly as possible.

Responding to questions from journalists about the political consultations on Yemen to be held in Sweden, Mr. LeBlanc said that the exact dates still had not been set. The goal of Mr. Griffiths’ visit to Yemen was to talk to the parties to the conflict and to ensure their presence in Stockholm. Mr. LeBlanc added that new information might be available when Mr. Griffiths issued his statement from Hodeida. The political consultations were the initiative of the United Nations and it was the Special Envoy who issued invitations to the talks.

Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), read excerpts from a joint statement issued on 22 November 2018 by Mark Lowcock, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF.

“The recent de-escalation in fighting in Hodeida was providing a desperately needed respite to hundreds of thousands of civilians who remain in the city. We urge all parties to maintain it. At the same time, we remain deeply concerned for the safety and protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

We are especially worried about the Al Thawrah hospital, which was the only facility in the city equipped to provide a full range of secondary and tertiary healthcare. This facility is critical for millions people in the Hodeida governorate. Its services include a malnutrition facility, two intensive care units, and a cholera treatment centre. Over 45,000 people have received treatment there so far this year.

The hospital has remained functional and accessible. But, the frontlines remain very close by, meaning that any resumption of hostilities could quickly render the facility unusable. Al Thawrah has already been damaged several times during fighting, before the lull we have seen in recent days.

The chiefs of OCHA and UNICEF remind all parties to the conflict to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure, including this hospital and all other health facilities. They call on the parties not to occupy or otherwise use civilian sites, including Al Thawrah, for military purposes, and to guarantee that patients, their family members and medical staff have safe passage to and from the hospital at all times.

The United Nations principals also reiterate the measures needed to be implemented to prevent a potential catastrophe in Yemen. It is a package of five measures: cessation of hostilities, protection of the supply of food and essential goods, support for the economy, increased funding for the response, and engagement by the parties to the conflict with the Special Envoy to end the conflict.”

Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), made the following statement:

“As you know, millions of sick Yemenis are unable to access the critical health services they so desperately need because half of health facilities have been partially or full damaged since the start of the war, and those still in service face severe shortage of medicine and equipment. These centres rely heavily on the World Health Organization and other partners to keep functioning.

Maternal mortality is 365 per 100,000 live births. Half of children, 47 per cent, are chronically malnourished. Health facilities are functioning at approximately 50 per cent, as opposed to 90 per cent in 2013. One fifth of the districts have no doctors anymore. Millions of Yemenis are facing starvation.

Between hunger and death, there was always disease. Thousands of malnourished people were dying of diarrhea, pneumonia and measles. Yemen’s remaining health facilities must be protected from attacks. The lives of thousands of patients, including very sick children, depend on them.

The World Health Organization joins in the call for negotiated peace in Yemen. Yemenis need peace to restore their health, rebuild their health system and their lives.”

Mr. Lindmeier also announced the updates on Ebola therapeutics on Friday, 23 November, later in the evening, and a press briefing on New and Concerning Trends in Measles Cases and Vaccination Coverage on Tuesday, 27 November, at 3 p.m.

Guatemala and Nicaragua

Elizabeth Throssell, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), made the following statement:

“We welcome the ruling this week by a Guatemalan court to convict and sentence a former soldier to 5,130 years in prison for his role in the Dos Erres massacre, one of the most shocking episodes of the country’s long civil war, where more than 200 people were killed in the village of Dos Erres in 1982. Santos López Alonzo, who was a member of an elite force of the Guatemalan military, known as the Kaibiles, was found guilty of crimes against humanity and murder in 171 of these cases.

The Kaibiles suspected the inhabitants of Dos Erres of sympathizing with left-wing guerrillas, and after carrying out a search of the villages for weapons, they proceeded to systematically shoot or bludgeon to death hundreds of men, women and children. The Kaibiles also systematically tortured, including through rape, women and girls, and kidnapped children, some of whom they adopted. This verdict by the court is another important step for transitional justice in Guatemala.

The court concluded that the crimes against humanity committed in Dos Erres were part of a larger State policy of the ruling military junta. Despite the courageous efforts by victims, lawyers and civil society organizations to ensure justice, truth and reparation, and non-repetition, there have been very few prosecutions and convictions, particularly of high-level officials, and few victims have received reparations. It is, therefore, crucial that the Guatemalan State continues its efforts to investigate and prosecute those who ordered and carried out the crimes committed during the country’s 36-year long internal conflict, and to ensure the right of victims to reparations.

We urge the Guatemalan authorities to ensure that such trials, which are frequently stalled due to the militias’ use of injunctions, known in Spanish as amparo, can proceed without undue delays. This is especially important given the advanced age of many of the victims and defendants, and the consequent considerable risk of depriving people of their right to effective remedy. We urge the authorities to guarantee judicial independence and the protection from intimidation and political interference of all those involved in these cases that are a crucial part of the transitional justice process in Guatemala.

Turning to Nicaragua, Ms. Throssell said the following:

“We share the concerns expressed yesterday by 11 United Nations human rights experts regarding the ongoing repression of human rights defenders, journalists and peaceful protesters in Nicaragua. As the experts said in their press release, protesters, human rights defenders and others who have been critical of the Government have been persecuted, threatened and criminalized.

We remain deeply concerned at reports that the Nicaraguan authorities are continuing to do this, to criminalize the legitimate action of social leaders and others associated with the protest that erupted in Nicaragua earlier this year.”

Answering a journalist’s question about the number of arrested and harassed journalists and human rights defenders in Nicaragua, Ms. Throssell said that she did not have specific figures on human rights defenders and journalists. She referred to the Government’s figures published on 5 November 2018, according to which 273 persons connected with the protest were held in detention. Civil society’s figures differed; they suggested that at least 586 were currently detained. There were ongoing trials and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was concerned about due process of those trials. The authorities had prosecuted about 23 individuals.

New environmental fuel for refugees in Cox’s Bazaar

Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), made the following statement:

“This week we kicked off a large-scale distribution of energy efficient liquefied petroleum gas to Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazaar area. This project is an environmental game changer for Rohingya refugees in the Kutupalong camp, which is the largest refugee settlement in the world, and other sites in this area.

The distribution and the switch to the liquefied petroleum gas is in support of Bangladesh’s overall humanitarian response, and it aims to provide more than 200,000 refugee households, as well as a significant number of vulnerable Bangladeshi host families, with clean, healthy, safe and reliable source of energy for cooking and heating. It will also help to tackle and reverse the environmental impact of the refugee situation in southern Bangladesh.

Until now, Rohingya refugees and many of the host communities in Cox’s Bazaar have been almost entirely reliant on firewood for cooking. Refugee families spend much of their day either collecting firewood or using whatever few resources they have to buy it. The switch will also aid the protection of refugees because most of those collecting the firewood are women and children who can be at risk taking long and dangerous daily tracks.

Using the liquefied petroleum gas should also improve air quality and people’s health as refugees will no longer have to cook on open fires using wood or any other combustible material they find. According to the health workers in vast and densely populated Rohingya settlements, respiratory illnesses attributed to the smoke are the most common health problems among refugees.

The alternative fuel initiative is supported by the Bangladesh Government. The environmental impact of the refugee influx since 2017 had been significant. More than 730,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since then, joining tens of thousands of others already in Bangladesh.

The estimated 900,000 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazaar have need for 700 metric tons of wood every day for cooking alone. To tackle this, we are together with our partners providing tens of thousands of saplings in refugee settlements to help reforest the area and to improve the environment.

As part of the distribution, the refugees also receive the mandatory hands-on training on how to safely and responsibly use the cylinders and stoves they receive. The cylinders contain 12.5 kilograms of liquefied petroleum gas. This is enough to meet all cooking needs for a family of five for about a month.

Most of the stoves are produced locally, creating also jobs in the local Bangladeshi economy, and in addition to assisting refugees, every sixth stove and cylinder will be delivered to vulnerable Bangladeshi host families in the communities that have been so welcoming to Rohingya refugees.”

Mr. Mahecic pointed out to a press release issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Dhaka and Bangkok, which acknowledged the continued commitment of Bangladesh to protect refugees and their right to safe, voluntary and dignified return to their homes in Myanmar. The press release reminded that the responsibility for creating those conditions for voluntary return lied with Myanmar. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees appealed again to the Myanmar authorities to exert all efforts to create conditions and address the root cause of refugee displacement.

Modern hospital replaces bamboo clinic in Bangladesh Cox’s Bazar refugee camp

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), read the following statement:

“The International Organization for Migration launched two major new health facilities inside the world’s largest refugee settlement this week. A 250,000 USD worth hospital with 20-bed capacity replaced a former small medial post constructed from bamboo. It is first to offer in-patient services to refugees and members of the host community, living in a particularly densely populated part of the camp.

The second facility, a new health primary care facility, was also opened by the International Organization for Migration this week, in close cooperation with the Bangladesh health authorities, who will eventually take over its management and provision of services. The clinic is worth 120,000 USD and it would provide mental health and psychosocial support and it will serve people living in one of the areas of the camp most prone to landslides and flooding.

Together, the facilities will serve about 73,000 people from the refugees and local communities. Almost one million of Rohingya refugees now live in camps, often in very poor conditions.

We want to thank the donor countries who joined the International Organization for Migration for the opening ceremony this week. Those donors were Australia, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.”

Mr. Millman also announced the third edition of the International Organization for Global Migration Film Festival, which will start on Wednesday, 28 November, in Geneva, as well as a series of events across Turkey stating on 28 November and ending on 18 December 2018, the International Migrants Day.

Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), made the following statement:

“There have been more than 100,000 migrants arriving, mostly in Spain, at a rate of least 120 a day. As for the number of fatalities on the Spanish route, there were 631 this year, while last year there were 224. It was thus approaching three times more than last year’s total. What was remarkable is the 156 fatalities since 1 October 2018.

This is usually a time of slowing down on these routes. It is almost at the point now where more than half of the deaths that had occurred in the last four years. The traffic to Spain is increasing and the types of vessels are becoming smaller and smaller. We have even heard this week of people rescued from what was described as a “toy boat.” There was one wreck with 23 to 25 fatalities, which demonstrated how remarkably alarming the Spain situation has become.

We do have data that we have shared in the report today that talks about comparative routes to Europe, including the Canary Islands, which used to be a notorious route from Africa. We understand that that route has had a total of 319 deaths from 2015 to 2018, a small number compared to the mainland. But, what is important that we had only one death on that route last year; there have been 36 this year.

Libya is reporting that with the flight this week to Mali, the voluntary humanitarian return beneficiaries have crossed the 15,000 threshold for returnees from Libya to their countries of origin. That 15,000 was considerably more than all the migrants and refugees who have left Libya this year and arrived in Italy. We can safely say that Libya’s repatriation flights were now exceeding the rate of migrant crafts that were making it to Italy.”

Answering a journalist’s question about Italy’s seizure of the ship Aquarius, Mr. Millman said that he did not have information about that event, but only about the recent standoff between the Libyan coast guard and migrants on a cargo ship in the city of Misrata.

Other Announcements

Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, reminded that the Information Service had issued a note to correspondents on the Geneva Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan that will take place at Palais des Nations next week. The conference was taking place to show solidarity of the international community with the Afghan people and the Government in their efforts for peace and prosperity, and for the Afghan Government to renew its commitment to development and reform.

Mr. LeBlanc added that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would open next Monday its 97^th session (26 November–14 December, Palais Wilson) during which it would review the reports of Qatar, Honduras, Iraq, Republic of Korea, Albania and Norway.

He added that the Committee against Torture would hold its next public plenary meeting on Tuesday morning to begin consideration of the report of Maldives, whose answers to the questions raised would then be heard on Wednesday afternoon.

Mr. LeBlanc also announced that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), along with seven partners including the International Trade Centre (ITC), the World Bank and the World Trade Organization, was holding the First African Forum for National Trade Facilitation Committees in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from Tuesday 27 November to Thursday 29 November. The landmark event came as African countries sought to make interregional and international trade cheaper, easier and faster.

Mr. LeBlanc also reminded that Sunday, 25 November, was the International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women. Reading the Secretary-General’s message on that occasion, he noted that “violence against women and girls is a global pandemic. It is a moral affront to all women and girls, a mark of shame on all our societies and a major obstacle to inclusive, equitable and sustainable development.”

Finally, Mr. LeBlanc also read part of the Secretary-General’s message on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29 November), in which he urged “Israel, Palestine and all others with influence to restore the promise and viability of the two-state solution premised on two states living side by side in peace, harmony and within secure and recognised borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of both.”

Press conferences

Friday 23 November at 12:30 p.m., Room III
OCHA
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan with focus on the ongoing drought and food insecurity
Speaker:
· Toby Lanzer, Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan


Monday 26 November at 10:30 a.m., Room III
ILO
UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL MONDAY, 26 NOVEMBER at 13:00 GMT (14:00 GENEVA TIME)
Launch of the “ILO Global Wage Report 2018/19”
Speaker:
· Guy Ryder, Director-General, ILO
· Manuela Tomei, Department Director, WORKQUALITY


Tuesday 27 November at 9:45 a.m., Room III
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
Geneva Conference on Afghanistan
Speaker:
· Toby Lanzer, Deputy Special Representative, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan


Tuesday, 27 November at 3:00 p.m., Press Room 1
WHO
EMBARGO –Embargoed until 1:00pm/13h00 (EST, Atlanta) / 07:00pm/19h00 (CET, Geneva) on Thursday, 29 November 2018
New and Concerning Trends in Measles Cases and Vaccination Coverage (embargoed).
Speakers:
· Martin FRIEDE, Director a.i. of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals
· Ann LINDSTRAND, Coordinator of the Expanded Programme on Immunization
· Katrina KRETSINGER, Medical Officer in the Expanded Programme on Immunization


Tuesday, 27 November at 4:30 p.m., Room III
U.S. Mission to the United Nations Geneva
Geneva Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan
Speakers:
· Ambassador John Bass, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan
· Ambassador Alice Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs


Thursday 29 November at 10:00 a.m., Press Room 1
Jeudi 29 novembre à 10 heures, Salle 1
UNICEF
Embargoed until 00:01 GMT on 30 November 2018
Launch of UNICEF Child Alert: Crisis in the Central African Republic: In a neglected emergency, children need aid, protection – and a future (Embargoed until 00:01 GMT on 30 November 2018)
Speakers:
Christine Muhigana, UNICEF Representative, Central African Republic
Marixie Mercado, lead author of the Child Alert, UNICEF

Thursday 29 November at 11:00 a.m., Room III
Jeudi 29 novembre à 11 heures, Salle III
WMO
The provisional statement on the state of the climate in 2018, released to inform the annual UN climate change negotiations

Speakers:
· Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General
· Maxx Dilley, Director of Climate Prediction and Adaptation Branch
· Omar Baddour, scientific coordinator of the report


The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog201118