POINT DE PRESSE DU SERVICE DE L'INFORMATION (en anglais)
Rhéal LeBlanc, Chief of the Press and External Relations the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by spokespersons for the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Refugee Agency, World Health Organization, United Nations Children Fund, World Intellectual Property Organization, and World Trade Organization.
Geneva Activities
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women was today considering a report by Malawi. Next week, the Committee would consider reports by Madagascar on Tuesday 10 November, Timor-Leste on 11 November, and Slovakia on 12 November. Already considered were the reports by Russia, Portugal, Liberia, Slovenia, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Human Rights Committee was concluding its work today 6 November and would hold a short closing meeting in the afternoon. The Committee had presented its concluding observations at the press briefing held on 5 November, on the seven countries considered during the session: Greece, San Marino, Austria, Suriname, Republic of Korea, Iraq, and Benin.
The Committee against Torture opens a four-week session on Monday, 9 November, said Mr. LeBlanc. The Committee would consider a report by Lichtenstein on the afternoon on 9 November, a report by Azerbaijan on 11 November and a report by Austria on 12 November. China, Denmark and Jordan would follow. A background release was issued on Thursday, 5 November.
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would be the last Committee to meet this year, said Mr. LeBlanc. Its next session would take place from 23 November to 11 December, during which the Committee would examine reports by Egypt, Holy See, Lithuania, Mongolia, Slovenia, and Turkey.
Mr. LeBlanc announced that a training run for the traditional Course d’Escalade would take place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, 8 November in the Palais des Nations and its Ariana Park.
The Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review Working Group was reviewing the human rights of Myanmar today, 6 November. In the afternoon, the Working Group would adopt the reports for Micronesia, Lebanon, Mauritania, Nauru, Rwanda and Nepal, whose reviews had taken place earlier this week.
Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), announced a press conference on Monday, 9 November at 11 a.m., during which the WMO Secretary-General, Michel Jarraud, would launch the Annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. Also speaking would be Oksana Tarasova, Chief of WMO Atmospheric Environment Research Division.
Edward Harris, for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said that WIPO’s flagship Intellectual Property Report 2015: “Breakthrough Innovation and Economic Growth” would be launched in a press conference on Wednesday, 11 November at 11 a.m., Press Room 1. Francis Gurry, Director General, WIPO and Carsten Fink, WIPO Chief Economist, would speak.
Jessica Hermosa, for the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced the meeting schedule for the week of 9 to 13 November, available here.
New storm set to hit Yemen where cyclone Chapala displaced 44,000 persons this week
Ms. Nullis announced that a new cyclonic storm Megh had developed in the Arabian Sea and was expected to make the landfall on mainland Yemen on 8 November. This storm was not as big as Chapala, but it would bring considerable rainfall and so further worsen the already complex humanitarian situation in the country, aggravated by cyclone Chapala, which had hit the country earlier this week. Back-to-back cyclones in this area of the world in a space of ten days was unprecedented, said Ms. Nullis, explaining that it had occurred because sea surface temperatures were above average at the moment, due to a naturally occurring climate phenomenon called Indian Ocean dipole, which had a big impact on climate in Africa and parts of Australia.
Ms. Nullis called the media attention to the report by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which examined a number of extreme weather events that had occurred in 2014, to establish whether they were result of human activity. The report was a contribution to the rapidly growing science of attribution which was making increasingly possible to examine individual weather extremes - cyclones or heat waves - and establish whether they were a result of human activity.
Jens Laerke, for the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), briefed on the humanitarian situation in Yemen in the wake of cyclone Chapala which had displaced about 44,000 people and had killed eight persons including two children. Chapala had caused widespread flooding and damage to property and crops in south-east Yemen. The areas most impacted by the storm were Socotra Island and Shabwah and Hadramaut governorates.
The coastal road from Aden to Mukalla, the principal supply route for humanitarian relief to people in need in Yemen, had been damaged, hampering delivery of humanitarian relief items by trucks, while access to affected areas was hindered by lack of security, due to presence of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Supplies were being delivered by air, sea and land. OCHA continued to deploy the United Nations Disaster and Coordination (UNDAC) Team to support humanitarian action in Yemen, in response to the Chapala disaster and the armed conflict in the country.
More information in OCHA Flash Update 3.
Responding to questions, Ms. Nullis said that Megh would be slightly weaker than Category 1 hurricane and should not have the strength of cyclone when it landed in mainland Yemen. Winds should not be a problem, but rainfall would, she stressed, especially as the storm was projected to affect the already vulnerable areas. The Indian Ocean dipole was a phenomenon similar to El Niño and would probably last several months rather than weeks, Ms. Nullis explained.
Asked about the armed groups impeding delivery of humanitarian aid, Mr. Laerke said that no attacks on relief convoys had been reported so far.
Andreas Needham, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), added that UNHCR had delivered 3,000 non-food item kits and 1,000 tents to families affected by Chapala in Mukalla district. In the light of the cyclonic storm Megh, UNHCR office in Somalia had reiterated its appeals to those intending to cross the sea to Yemen not to do so.
Europe Refugee Crisis: UNHCR anticipates 600,000 new arrivals from Turkey by end of February 2016
William Spindler, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), briefed on the support provided to refugees and migrants in the Greek islands affected by a four-day shipping strike that had ended this morning. An estimated 20,000 refugee and migrants were currently on the islands, and Mr. Needham welcomed the recent agreement for more reception places in Greece which would be a key in stabilizing the situation. Progress had been made this week with the first planned relocation of asylum-seekers from Greece to European Union countries, with the relocation of 30 Syrians and Iraqis to Luxembourg, he said.
UNHCR briefing note can be accessed here.
Asked about the appeal UNHCR had launched on 5 November, Mr. Needham said that $96 million had been requested for the next four months, as it was anticipated that people would continue to arrive at the rate of 5,000 per day. The most pressing needs were winter clothes, blankets and other winter supplies, to upgrade and improve the existing reception centres, provide emergency winterized shelter, provide transport to those unable to walk, and support the volunteers providing welcome, support and shelter to refugees arriving at the Greek islands. Dry and warm clothes must be provided to refugees on several occasions as they get wet and cold on their journey, stressed Mr. Needham.
WHO to declare end of Ebola transmission in Sierra Leone
Fadela Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that this week was the seventh week without Ebola cases in Sierra Leone. If no new cases were reported by tomorrow, 7 November, WHO would declare the end of the Ebola transmission in this country. The ceremony was scheduled to take place in Freetown, with the presence of the President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, and the WHO representative, Anders Nordström. The declaration should be available on the WHO website at 9.00 a.m.
One-in-five of the 2,200 persons infected with cholera in Iraq is a child; UNICEF and WHO accelerate response
Christophe Boulierac for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), briefed journalists on efforts to protect children and communities from the effects of a cholera outbreak which infected more than 2,200 people, one-fifth of them children, across 15 of the country’s 18 governorates. UNICEF – alongside WHO – was supporting the response led by the Iraqi Ministry of Health, delivering and securing clean water supplies, providing treatment for people showing cholera symptoms and implementing a national communication campaign. Further spread of the disease was an issue of concern, especially in the light of torrential rains that had affected large areas of the country, the ongoing conflict and huge population movement due to past and upcoming religious festivities. UNICEF was also concerned about the situation of marginalized and displaced children and women who were disproportionally affected by the disease.
Cholera aggravated already extremely difficult situation of children in Iraq who were affected by violence and in need of protection. It had direct impact on education, as the beginning of the school year had been delayed for a month because of the seriousness of the situation. This was in a country where the situation of education was dramatic: more than two million children and adolescents in Iraq were out of school and an additional 1.2 million were at risk of dropping out; one million children lived in areas outside the Government’s control, and more than 5,300 schools across the country – nearly one in five – would not be used this year. Humanitarian response in Iraq remained seriously underfunded, with UNICEF urgently needing $12.7 million dollars for its cholera emergency response, stressed Mr. Boulierac.
UNICEF press release on the situation of education in Iraq available here.
Ms. Chaib reminded the journalists that WHO and the Iraqi Ministry of Health were implementing a massive vaccination campaign against cholera for 250,000 persons in 62 refugee and displaced persons camps in 14 of the 18 governorates. The second round of vaccination was scheduled for early December. While vaccination would slow down the spread of cholera among displaced and refugee population, Ms. Chaib said that it was not a magic bullet: the most important was to provide water and sanitation facilities in overcrowded camps and to undertake social mobilization campaigns.
Responding to questions, Ms. Chaib explained that the vaccination campaign was concentrated on the population living in camps where risks of transmission were greatest because of overcrowding, lack of sanitation, hygiene and clean water. Since the population in the region was very mobile, vaccinating the population in camps also ensured that those who had received the first dose also received the second dose. No cases of cholera had been reported in Syria; a few cases had been registered in Kuwait and Bahrain, but they had been rapidly contained, she said, stressing that of the two million vaccines in the pipeline, WHO was using a quarter – 500,000 – for the Iraqi campaign.
Asked about the situation of cholera in ISIS-controlled areas, Ms. Chaib said that epidemiological surveillance and data from ISIS-controlled areas were not available and that, for security reasons, WHO did not have a presence there. The focus of the vaccination campaign on 62 internally displaced person camps had been decided in conjunction with the Ministry of Health.
Heads of all WHO country offices were currently in Geneva and Ms. Chaib said that she would try to organize a press briefing with the representatives from Yemen, Syria and Iraq on the health situation in those countries.