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 International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization.

Human Rights Council

Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, speaking on behalf of Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council, said that, that morning, the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review was reviewing the human rights situation in Chad. The Working Group was scheduled to adopt its reports on Jordan, Malaysia and the Central African Republic that afternoon. Those reports would be made available at a later stage.

Yemen

Hervé Verhoosel, for the World Food Programme (WFP), read the following statement:

“Despite having been targeted by more than 50 shells in recent days, the silos of the Red Sea facilities are intact and we have apparently not lost any of our stock of more than 51,000 tonnes of wheat – enough to feed more than 3.7 million people in Northern and Central Yemen for one month.

As of just a few days ago the facilities have come under the control of the coalition. WFP needs access the facilities again as soon as it will be safe in order to resume activities.

WFP has not had access to the Red Sea Mills since late August due to increased conflict in the area from both parties. Like other humanitarian agencies, WFP is neutral in the conflict and is in Yemen only to support the civilian population.

These facilities account for 25% of WFP’s wheat milling capacity in the country each month, and sees 21,000 tonnes of wheat transit through the facilities.

David Beasley, WFP Executive Director is in Yemen since yesterday to assess the food security situation and to work with the country team and the partners on WFP’s plan to reach a higher number of people in need of assistance.

Despite the difficult situation, WFP already helps 8 million Yemenites every month with food or food vouchers.”

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

The conflict in Yemen – raging since March 2015 and recently intensified by clashes in and around Al-Hudaydah over the weekend – has disrupted the lives of millions of Yemenis. Nearly ten per cent of the population, or 2.3 million people, are displaced as of June, according to the UN Migration Agency’s (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix.

The devastation of essential infrastructure has exacerbated struggles faced by the Yemeni population to find livelihood opportunities and provide for their families. As a result, an estimated 22 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian assistance and almost 18 million are food insecure, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The protracted conflict and subsequent displacement has also halted the education of nearly two million children, that the Ministry of Education and UNICEF estimate, are not attending school. Recognizing the need for children to have a safe place to play, IOM has established 31 Child Friendly Spaces in Yemen.

IOM safe spaces allow children a respite from conflict – a place to play, learn and regain a sense of normalcy. Children participate in a variety of activities including games, artwork, puppet theatre, and storytelling. More than 170,000 girls and 230,000 boys have been served in centres operating in Aden and Sana’a to date.

Since March 2016, IOM has provided community based psychosocial support to nearly 400,000 children that utilize these spaces. More than half of these children have been displaced from their homes and live in informal sites throughout the country.

According to Anwar Al- Shami from IOM Yemen, “Our teams have learned of several incidents of child suicide, sexual and labour exploitation, family separation and recruitment since the war broke out in Yemen. We are striving to provide a safe place where children and families feel supported.”

IOM staff psychologists have provided more than 100,000 psychosocial consultations for children and their guardians the CFSs since 2016. IOM also provides mental health and psychosocial support in 61 health facilities across the country.

Responding to a question on access to the Red Sea Mills, Mr. Verhoosel, for WFP, said that free access could not be secured until the fighting had stopped.

Responding to a question on the status of the Global Compact for Migration, Mr. Millman, for IOM, said that promoting the Global Compact was a matter of persuading rather than convincing States. IOM was proceeding on the assumption that most States would support the Global Compact. For more specific messaging, IOM deferred to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration, Louise Arbour.

Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that Louise Arbour had expressed regret regarding the fact that some States had announced their intention not to become parties to the Global Compact. Ms. Arbour had highlighted the many benefits of the Global Compact and its overall aim of improving the management of cross-border movements of people.

Libya

Hervé Verhoosel, for the World Food Programme (WFP), read the following statement:

“As the Italian Prime Minister host a ministerial meeting on Libya today and yesterday to support the Libyan stabilization process and encourage Libyan economic reforms, in presence of the UN envoy Mr. Ghassan Salame, I take the liberty to remind you of some facts.

60% of internally displaced people are vulnerable to food insecurity and 1.3 million people need humanitarian assistance. We have limited operation in the country and are working with local partners. At the end of 2017, 630 000 people were food insecure in Libya.
In 2018 WFP targeted a limited number 175,000 people for food assistance. So far this year WFP assisted 85,000 people.

WFP partnered with UNHCR to provide food to migrants in Tripoli detention centres and, on 25 September, UN Humanitarian Air Services managed by WFP started providing flights for the humanitarian and donor community from Tunis to Tripoli and Misrata.

Unfortunately renewed fighting in Tripoli has led to a new wave of displacement and limited port access and road blockages caused food prices skyrocketing and limited food importing in a country that depends on food imports.

Food insecurity remains a challenge due to protracted displacement, disruption to markets, and lower food commodity production. Livelihoods and access to basic social services have been affected by the conflict, exposing the most vulnerable people to a high risk of inadequate food consumption and forcing people into negative coping strategies such as spending savings, cutting the number of daily meals and reducing non-food related expenses, particularly in health and education.”

Mediterranean migrant update

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that, earlier that morning, IOM had issued a press release stating that a search was under way for a number of migrants who remained missing after a boat had capsized off the coast of Turkey the previous day. The IOM team in Ankara had since made clear that four migrants remained missing: an Iranian adult, two Afghan adults and an Afghan child. By late the previous day, the Turkish coast guard had found the bodies of six Afghans, including five children. Five Afghan adults had been rescued.

Mr. Millman also said that the same IOM press release had included information on the alarming rise in the frequency of car accidents involving migrants along the northern highway linking the Turkish-Greek border in Evros and Thessaloniki. There had been eight fatal car accidents on that highway. The most recent fatal car accident had occurred on Friday evening near Kavala, a location in which three previous fatal car accidents had occurred. There had been more car fatalities involving migrants in 2018 than in any previous year. Such accidents accounted for a fairly large proportion of all migrant deaths in the continent of Europe in 2018.

UNCTAD announcements

Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said that the Least Developed Countries Report 2018 would be published on 20 November 2018 at 6 p.m. Geneva time. There were 47 least developed countries, including 35 in Africa. There would be a press conference on Thursday, 15 November 2018, at 11 a.m. The report would address the development of the so-called “missing middle”, by which was meant the layer of small- and medium-sized enterprises that was so critical to a country’s economy. The discussion would focus on how policies to promote entrepreneurship could alter an economy’s structure. The issue was of major relevance to the Sustainable Development Goals. The speakers would include Mukhisa Kituyi, UNCTAD Secretary-General; and Paul Akiwumi, Director, Division on Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special programmes, UNCTAD.

Ms. Huissoud also said that Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD, was participating in the Paris Peace Forum and the Internet Governance Forum. UNCTAD was well placed to address issues of Internet governance, as it serviced the Commission on Science and Technology for Development.

WHO announcements

Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that, owing to competing demands on Dr. Peter Salama’s time, it had been necessary to cancel the press conference on Ebola scheduled for that afternoon.

Mr. Lindmeier also said that the WHO World Malaria Report 2018 and the new country-driven response to malaria would be launched on Monday, 19 November, in Maputo, Mozambique. A virtual press briefing would be held on Wednesday, 14 November 2018, at 4.30 p.m. Geneva time, with dial-in options only. The four speakers were Dr. Pedro Alonso, Director, WHO Global Malaria Programme; Dr Abdisalan Noor, the lead author of the report; Dr. Kesete Admasu, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria; and Dr. Alastair Robb, Senior Advisor, WHO Global Malaria Programme. The WHO World Malaria Report 2018 would be launched in conjunction with a new approach to jumpstart progress against malaria, which focused on the 11 countries – India and 10 countries in Africa – that accounted for approximately 70 per cent of the global malaria burden. The report was under embargo until 2 p.m. Geneva time on Monday, 19 November 2018.

Geneva announcements

Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that World Diabetes Day would take place on 14 November 2018 and World Philosophy Day on 15 November 2018.

Mr. LeBlanc also said that, that morning, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances was holding a public meeting with States parties, United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, intergovernmental organizations and representatives of national human rights institutions and civil society. The Committee would close its 15th session on Friday, 16 November, when it would issue its concluding observations on the three countries whose reports it had considered at the session, namely Japan, Mexico and Portugal. On 12 November, the Committee against Torture had opened its 65th session. That morning, the Committee had begun its consideration of the report of Peru, which would be continued the following day. The Committee planned to review six States at the current session, namely Canada, Guatemala, the Maldives, the Netherlands, Peru and Viet Nam. The full schedule was available online.

Mr. LeBlanc added that the United Nations Development Programme had extended to journalists an invitation to meet Ambassador Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, the new Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, the following day at 9.30 a.m. in Press Room I.

To conclude, Mr. LeBlanc said that the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) would shortly issue a press release on the Kids for Human Rights International Drawing Competition, which had been launched in June 2018. It was a collaboration between UNIS, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Gabarron Foundation. Children from across the world had been invited to enter the competition, which aimed to raise awareness of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The competition, which had closed on 31 October, had been a resounding success. Children from 71 countries had submitted more than 17,000 artworks. The daunting task of selecting the winning entries would be entrusted to an international jury. The members of the jury included the Spanish artist Cristobal Gabarron; the Syrian-Palestinian cartoonist Hani Abbas; Kate Gilmore, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights; Spanish journalist and television presenter Susanna Griso; Tomás Paredes, President of the Spanish chapter of the International Association of Art Critics; and Jayathma Wickramanayake, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Youth. The entries would be judged over the following days, and the winners would be announced on 10 December, Human Rights Day. The winning entrants would be honoured as part of a ceremony on 13 December, in Room XX, and there were plans to exhibit some of the artworks in the passerelle from 10 to 21 December. The press release would be issued in English, French and Spanish.

Press Conferences

Tuesday, 13 November at 12:15 p.m., Press Room 1
OCHA
Update on the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe
Speaker:
• Bishow Parajuli, UN Resident Coordinator in Zimbabwe

Thursday, 15 November at 11:00 p.m., Press Room III
UNCTAD
Presentation of the Least Developed Countries Report 2018 (under embargo until 20/11/2018 at 17:00 GMT, 18:00 Geneva)
Speakers:
• Mukhisa Kituyi - UNCTAD Secretary-General
• Paul Akiwumi - UNCTAD – Director - Division on Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special programmes

Thursday, 15 November at 1:30 p.m., Room III
UNRWA
UNRWA’s work, achievements and challenges in 2018 and beyond.
Speaker:
• Mr Pierre Krähenbühl, UNRWA Commissioner-General


Mr. LeBlanc confirmed that Jan Egeland, the Special Advisor to the UN Special Envoy on Syria, would hold a stakeout on Thursday, 15 November. Full details would be issued shortly.

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog131118