REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons for the Human Rights Council, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Update on the Human Rights Council

Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council, said that a panel discussion that morning was addressing the human rights of children in the Syrian Arab Republic. Nearly two thirds of the 8.35 million children in Syria were in need of humanitarian assistance. The Deputy High Commissioner had said that the “heinous, shameful yet preventable conflict has not only denied millions of children their fundamental human rights, it has robbed them of their very childhood.” The panellists had made pleas for the international community to take action, noting that children in eastern Ghouta and elsewhere were being killed even as the discussion was taking place. Later in the morning, the report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, which had been issued the previous week, would be presented by the Commission’s Chair, Paolo Pinheiro, and the country report on South Sudan would be presented that afternoon by the Chair of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, Yasmin Sooka. Each report would be followed by statements by the country concerned and NGOs. Oral updates would also be given on Burundi by Doudou Diène, the new Chair of the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, and the Deputy High Commissioner.

On Wednesday 14 March 2018, oral updates would be given on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Eritrea, and would be followed by a general debate on country situations. Thursday 15 March was the deadline for the submission of draft resolutions, of which a large number were expected.

Venezuela

Katerina Kitidi, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), made the following statement:

“In light of the continuing outflow of Venezuelans to neighbouring countries and beyond, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has released new guidance for governments to address the situation of persons in need of international protection and humanitarian assistance.

As a result of the complex political and socio-economic developments in Venezuela, a country that has traditionally been host to thousands of refugees, the number of people compelled to leave their homes continues to increase. The movements are taking place for a variety of reasons, including insecurity and violence, lack of food, medicine or access to essential social services as well as loss of income. While not all Venezuelans leaving are prompted to do so for refugee-related reasons, it is becoming increasingly clear that, while all may not be refugees, a significant number are in need of international protection.

There has been a 2,000% increase in the number of Venezuelan nationals seeking asylum worldwide since 2014, principally in the Americas during the last year. Although over 94,000 Venezuelans have been able to access refugee procedures in other countries in 2017, many more of those in need of protection opt for other legal stay arrangements, that may be faster to obtain and provide the right to work, access to health and education. Yet, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans remain without any documentation or permission to stay legally in asylum countries. This makes them particularly vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking, violence, sexual abuse, discrimination and xenophobia.

Within this context, UNHCR’s guidelines encourage States to ensure Venezuelans have access to territory and refugee procedures. In addition, UNHCR welcomes and calls on governments to adopt pragmatic protection-oriented responses for the Venezuelan people, such as alternative legal stay arrangements, including visas or temporary residence permits, as well as other regularization programmes, which guarantee access to the basic rights of health care, education, family unity, freedom of movement, shelter and the right to work. UNHCR applauds countries in Latin America that have introduced such arrangements, and hopes that costs and requirements are eased, where necessary to ensure accessibility.

In view of the situation in Venezuela, it is crucial that people are not deported or forcibly returned there.

Latin America has some of the world’s most progressive refugee arrangements such as the Cartagena Declaration of 1984, which is built on the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and embodies a wider refugee definition. UNHCR considers that the broad circumstances leading to the outflow of Venezuelan nationals would fall within the spirit of the Cartagena Declaration. While Governments in the region have been generous in their response, host communities receiving Venezuelans have come under increased strain and urgently need immediate and robust support, to promote peaceful coexistence and prevent manifestations of discrimination and xenophobia.

UNHCR is working with Governments to address the protection and basic needs of the outflow. Consequently, UNHCR has developed a regional response plan that covers 8 countries and the Caribbean sub-region. In particular, UNHCR seeks to strengthen national asylum and other international protection processes and step up its activities to foster a comprehensive, predictable and harmonized response to the plight of Venezuelans.

UNHCR will work towards these objectives, and in particular access to protection, in cooperation with all levels of government, other stakeholders, including other UN Agencies, most notably IOM, international organizations, civil society and the private sector, as well as facilitate the participation of Venezuelans and host communities. UNHCR’s initial financial requirements for the implementation of the regional response for the Venezuela Situation amount to USD46 million.”

Responding to questions from journalists, she said that government estimates, likely to be conservative, indicated that over 1.5 million Venezuelans were currently living abroad, and more were leaving each day. That represented one of the largest population outflows in the region since the creation of UNHCR in 1950. A significant proportion of those forced to leave Venezuela were in need of international protection. According to Government figures, as of 7 March 2018, more than 145,000 Venezuelans had lodged refugee claims since 2014: 4,040 in 2014, 10,168 in 2015, 34,183 in 2016, 94,284 in 2017 and 3,864 in 2018. The majority were seeking refugee status in the Americas. Many countries in the region had already opened their borders to them and UNHCR was now calling on all countries there to show solidarity with the Venezuelan people. It could not predict how the numbers were likely to develop, but was prepared to assist the authorities in the region in case of need.

The Guidance Note on the Outflow of Venezuelans, which offered guidance to States on how better to support the Venezuelan population, was available in English and Spanish on the refworld.org website. A financial plan for the provision of assistance by UNHCR to the population concerned was to be launched in the coming days.

Update on the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic

Alessandra Vellucci for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the United Nations Secretary General had made an important presentation to the Security Council on 12 March 2018 on the implementation of its resolution 2401, a sombre reminder that the conflict in Syria had been going on for seven years.

Michael Contet, for the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria, also recalled the speech of the Secretary-General, and added that the United Nations had been working proactively to create the conditions for cessation of the hostilities in eastern Ghouta by facilitating meetings with parties and had expressed its preparedness to act as observer. In his oral report to the UN Security Council, the Secretary General had underscored "the urgency of seeing medical evacuations, civilian protection, and full, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access as soon as possible". That call formed part of an integrated approach by the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Office of the Resident Coordinator in Damascus.

In respect of reports that an operation was taking place on the ground that morning, owing to security considerations, the Office could not make any comment on the situation until its staff had returned safely to their base.

Responding to questions from journalists about the continued presence in the town of fighters belonging to the Al Nusrah group, and whether the Special Envoy had facilitated or would be prepared to facilitate their bussing out, Mr. Contet said that the group, which was identified by a number of different names, was listed by the Security Council as a terrorist group. However, the presence of any armed group must not be used as grounds for targeting civilian areas. The United Nations had made clear its availability to facilitate progress with the removal of such forces, in the framework of the implementation of Security Council resolution 2401. The Special Envoy was following the situation closely; he was in consultation with the United Nations Secretary General and in contact with the United Nations Office and other United Nations agencies in Syria, and was working proactively to make progress.

As concerned the situation in Afrin, the Secretary General had emphasized the need to protect civilians. The current focus in eastern Ghouta was on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2401 and upholding the principle of the protection of civilians. There was clearly an urgent need there for protection of civilians, for medical evacuations to take place and for full, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access to be allowed.

The Special Envoy would respond to the invitation to attend the ministerial meeting on Syria to be held in Astana later in the week after he had consulted with the Secretary General. The Russian Federation had circulated the final declaration of the Congress of the Syrian national dialogue in Sochi as an official document of the Security Council; it called on the Secretary General to task the Special Envoy to establish a Constitutional Committee. While the situation on the ground demanded much attention, and the United Nations was working towards the implementation of resolution 2401, a more political horizon was necessary for the long-term, and the Special Envoy was not losing sight of resolution 2254 and the four baskets, in particular basket 2 on constitutional matters. Consultations were continuing with a variety of stakeholders, notably the three guarantors who had organized the Sochi meeting, European and United States officials and others from the region.

Marixie Mercado, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that, in 2017, the UN had verified 910 deaths among children in Syria, compared with 652 in 2016. Disproportionate attacks in densely populated areas killed a growing proportion of children, who now accounted for one quarter of civilian deaths. In 2017, at least 961 children had been recruited and used in the conflict – nearly triple the number in 2015. An overwhelming majority of recruited children served in combat roles, directly on the frontlines, exposing them to death and disability. It was important to note that these were verified numbers – the true figures were certainly much higher. Overall, there were now 5.3 million children in need and 2.8 million internally displaced. 2.6 million children were refugees. Over 1.7 million children were out of school, and an additional 1.3 million were at risk of dropping out. Half of health facilities were either partially functional or non-functional. Vaccination coverage had dropped from 80 per cent pre-conflict to 42 per cent in 2016.

Voluntary humanitarian returns from Libya

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that, since 28 November 2017, IOM had assisted 10,171 migrants to return home safely from Libya with support from the European Union, the African Union and the Libyan Government under the scale-up of the Voluntary Humanitarian Return programme. A further 5,200 had returned with the help of the African Union, making a total of 23,302 under the programme since January 2017. IOM had been helping migrants in Libya since 2006 but had stepped up its efforts since the reports in 2017 of slavery and abuse of migrants, with a six-month plan that would run until May 2018. The number of migrants held in official detention centres in Libya had dropped from 20,000 in October 2017 to 4,000 currently. IOM was also working with the authorities to register migrants, provide life-saving assistance in the form of health care, essential aid items and psychosocial support, improve consular services and implement projects promoting community stabilization. Nearly half of the voluntary humanitarian returns carried out by IOM from Libya were part of a larger joint initiative with the European Union to protect and assist migrants in need not only in Libya but in 26 countries along the Central Mediterranean Route, including through the provision of crucial support for reintegration of returnees in their countries of origin.

Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Millman said that IOM took available opportunities to discuss the situation of migrants with the Libyan authorities at all levels, including those situated on the migrant routes in the south of the country. It was no surprise to IOM that, despite the situation, migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and from Asia were still coming to the country, as they had been for the past 40 years. IOM believed that migration should be made safe, legal and secure and expected that the success of its programmes would demonstrate to the international community that managed migration was possible. In respect of migrant deaths in Bani Walid, IOM had received figures on persons rescued and bodies recovered in coastal areas, but did not have specific figures for Bani Walid. IOM would welcome any information that could be provided on deaths of migrants in such areas, including when there were signs that they had been tortured.

IOM announcement

Jorge Galindo, for the International Organization for Migration, said that, in the framework of the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights, Jill Helke of IOM would be participating in a panel on climate change and migration to take place on Wednesday 14 March after the screening of the documentary “The Age of Consequences”, which addressed the impact of climate change on population movement. Other participants would include Robin Bronen of the Alaska Institute for Justice.

Geneva events and announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the Conference on Disarmament was holding a public plenary meeting during the morning.

Ms. Vellucci also said the Human Rights Committee, which had opened its 122^nd session (12 March – 6 April) the previous day, would be concluding its review of the report of Guatemala and would begin consideration of the report of El Salvador in the afternoon.

Ms. Vellucci added that, having also opened its sixty-third session (12 March – 29 March) the previous day, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights would be concluding its review of the report of Mexico during the morning and would begin consideration of the report of Niger in the afternoon.

Press conference

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Human rights and humanitarian situation in Syria
Tuesday, 13 March at 11:00 a.m. stakeout position near Room XX
http://bit.ly/2p8YHC8