REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Corinne Momal-Vanian, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which was also attended by Spokespersons for the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the Economic Commission for Europe, the Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS, the International Organization for Migration, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

South Sudan

Jean-Philippe Chauzy for the International Organization for Migration said his organization was scaling up its operation to assist South Sudanese citizens return home from Sudan. One example was of a convoy of river barges leaving Khosti, a town south of Khartoum on a 14 day journey to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, carrying 3,000 South Sudanese returnees.

Railway operations are also being favored, he explained, with two IOM-supported trains alone recently bringing 2,700 South Sudanese from Khartoum back to their own country, and a series of similar journeys planned before the end of the year. Air assistance is also provided to the most vulnerable unable to make the journey by other means, he said.

Ms. Momal-Vanian added that the Secretary-General had in a statement last night expressed deep concern over the escalation of rhetoric between the Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan, particularly in regard to cross border support of rebel groups and incursions into one another’s territory.

Furthermore, the Secretary-General condemned the 10 November aerial bombardment on the Yida area in Unity State, South Sudan, along its border with Sudan, and the impact on civilian lives, she said. She added the Secretary-General had called on all parties to refrain from the use of force and reaffirmed that conflict can only be resolved through political dialogue.

This afternoon the Security Council would be briefed on the situation in South Sudan by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the country, she added.

Horn of Africa

Andrej Mahecic for the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that insecurity had continued to hamper aid efforts in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee complex, with the situation being exacerbated by heavy rains and the risk of waterborne diseases. Extra Kenyan police have been deployed in the camps, supported by the UNHCR, and ways to resume full operations in and around the camp are being considered, he said. Meanwhile, UNHCR staff continued to provide essential services such as food, water and healthcare.

An outbreak of cholera, believed to have been brought in by new arrivals from Somalia, has complicated the situation, he explained, with 60 suspected cases and one death. Treatment centres have been set up, providing oral rehydration solutions which can manage most cases, and the UNHCR is working with UNICEF and the Ministry of Health to train community-based health workers to provide treatment at home. Chlorine is also being introduced to water supplies to kill cholera-causing bacteria, continued Mr. Mahecic, alongside the promotion of hygiene practices such as the use of latrines and hand washing with soap.

Answering questions on the sort of security incidents causing concern, he mentioned the discovery of an explosive device by the side of the road in the Dadaab camp. He also explained that education, training, counseling and other such additional services were not currently available for camp residents due to the situation.

A nutrition survey in refugee camps in the Dollo Ado area of Ethiopia had found high levels of malnutrition among children under five years of age, then continued Mr. Mahecic.

Refugees in these camps have arrived from Somalia, he said, and report having lost children and vulnerable members of their group to malnutrition during their journey, or shortly after arrival. Programmes have been set up to address the issue, though progress is slow, he explained, however numbers have still dropped from the number of deaths seen at the height of the crisis during the summer.

Flooding continues to be an issue in the area, Mr. Mahecic added, taking the airstrip used in Dollo Ado out of service, though work continues on the new Bur Amino camp which will accommodate some of the 7,600 people currently receiving basic shelter, relief items and hot meals at the transit centre.

In response to a journalist’s enquiry he said the number of refugees arriving was small, between 170 and 200 a day. There had been some increase in arrivals in October, he noted, with those joining the camp often in dire condition.

Responding to another question, Mr. Mahecic said more aid was now going into Somalia, though still not all parts of the country are reachable. An earlier United Nations assessment showed 750,000 people were at risk of famine and many people were moving within the country towards Mogadishu in the hope of finding assistance, he said.

Central African Republic

Andrej Mahecic for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said a joint survey of displaced citizens near the northern Central African Republic town of Ndélé run by his office and the Danish Refugee Council had found acute hardship, including a high incidence of underage marriage (30 per cent of girls had been sold into marriage) and widespread use of children as labour (32.5 per cent of the 300 families surveyed).

Mr. Mahecic explained that prior to the signing of the ceasefire in June between the CAR government and one of the main rebel factions in the area, families had no access to humanitarian help, forcing them to make these sacrifices. However, it was hoped that the improved security the agreement creates would improve the situation.

Haiti

Jean-Philippe Chauzy for the International Organization for Migration said that the organization’s shelter programme for earthquake victims in Haiti had now provided temporary accommodation for 10,000 families who lost their homes in the disaster. This landmark had been part of the wider programme, administered by Haitian authorities, he said, that had seen 100,000 shelters built despite issues around land tenure and the amount of debris that needed to be moved before construction.

Nearly two years after the earthquake, however, half a million people remain homeless on the island, he added, and operations to facilitate their return is complicated by issues around financing and the inability to apply a one size fits all approach. Other possible solutions alongside temporary housing include assistance in renting accommodation, he said, with one such programme recently allowing hundreds of families to leave tented areas in a public park, thereby returning the grounds to public use.


Turkey

Jean-Philippe Chauzy for the International Organization for Migration said that new funding from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund would allow his organization to join humanitarian efforts in earthquake-hit Van, in eastern Turkey. Temperatures in the area are still dropping, he explained, and more material aid such as blankets and camp beds could now be provided for those who had lost their homes.

Geneva activities

Ms. Momal-Vanian announced the Committee against Torture had yesterday finished reviewing the report of Belarus, which is the last report considered during this session. She reiterated that, as announced on Friday, the consideration of the report of Greece, which was to begin yesterday and conclude this afternoon, was postponed to the next session in May.

The rest of the session takes place mainly in closed sessions for the adoption of the concluding observations of the eight countries examined, she said, and to examine individual complaints against States. The Committee also holds a public meeting Friday to discuss the monitoring of these two points.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Activities began its session yesterday and this morning started its consideration of the first report, which was of Estonia, said Ms. Momal-Vanian. The Committee devoted three sessions to each country, so these discussions would last until midday tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon, the Committee begins consideration of the report of Israel and on Friday morning, that of Turkmenistan. Reports from Cameroon and Argentina will be discussed next week, she said.

This afternoon, Tuesday 15 November 2011 at 12 p.m. (noon) in Room III the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development would hold a press conference on its new Least Developed Countries Report 2011, titled “The Potential Role of South-South Cooperation for Inclusive and Sustainable Development,” said Ms. Momal-Vanian, with the report itself embargoed until 17 November at 17:00 GMT. Speakers included the UNCTAD Secretary-General and members of the UNCTAD Division for Africa and Least Developed Countries.

On Wednesday 16 November 2011 at 10:00 in Room III, she continued, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) would launch the report, “Cluster Munition Monitor 2011,” at a press conference, hosted together with the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor. The report, which shows the Convention on Cluster Munitions is working, outlines progress in getting countries on board with the treaty, destroying stockpiles, and cluster munitions clearance. It includes data on every country in the world and draws together a review of global trends and developments in the past year, she said. Speakers included the Project Manager, the Editor of the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor and the Director of the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch.

Jean Rodriguez for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) added that Wednesday 16 November 2011 at 13:15 in Room III there would be a press conference around matters arising from the annual meeting of the UNECE Sustainable Energy Committee. Topics under discussion included meeting the energy challenge of supplying energy to a seven to nine billion person world population (with some focus on issues in Europe), improving energy efficiency, credible alternatives to nuclear power in our energy mix and global gas market prospects. Speakers included the Director of the Sustainable Energy Division of the UNECE and the Chief Economist of the International Energy Agency.

Sophie Barton-Knott for the Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS announced the launch of the UNAIDS World AIDS Day report in Berlin next Monday 21 November at 09:00 GMT. The report features the latest global and regional HIV estimates and trends and outlines a new investment framework for HIV, she said. If fully implemented the framework would allow countries to meet the targets they set this year in the UN General Assembly political declaration on HIV, she explained. Embargoed access to the report would be available from Friday morning, she added, with the embargo (including strict wire restrictions) holding until Monday 21 November at 09:00 GMT (10:00 a.m. Geneva time).

Mr. Hicham Hassan for the International Committee of the Red Cross announced a meeting on 17 November, to be attended by Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, as well as France, the United Kingdom and the United States, on pending cases of persons that disappeared during the 1991 Gulf War. The objective of the meeting was to get the information needed to provide families closure in knowing for certain of the death of a family member, and the location of their grave.

In June, 37 such cases relating to Iraqi soldiers were solved, he said, and he hoped this meeting would shed light on hundreds of others. A press statement on any outcomes would follow the meeting. Replying to a question, he said exact numbers of those still missing were difficult to estimate but in the last few years at least 300 cases had been solved.

Jessica Sallabank for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) announced from 23 November to 1 December the Red Cross Crescent Movement would be holding its 31st International Conference and related statutory meetings. This event, which happens every four years, would take place in the International Conference Centre in Geneva and bring together high-level representatives from the ICRC, the IFRC, 186 Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, representatives from all States that are signatories to the Geneva Conventions, other observers and humanitarian agencies, she said. The overall objective was to bring all partners together to evaluate the status and strengthening of global humanitarian action and international humanitarian law.

Nicole Engelbrecht for the International Committee of the Red Cross added that the focus this year would be on protecting the victims of armed conflict. Other topics included strengthening protection of volunteers and strengthening disaster law.

Responding to a question, Ms. Sallabank explained that the plenary sessions of the event would be held behind closed doors as some of the issues under discussion were sensitive and it was thought most appropriate that participants felt able to speak freely and frankly.