REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Corinne Momal-Vanian, the Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Health Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Organization for Migration, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme.

Haiti

Corinne Momal-Vanian said the cholera epidemic in Haiti continued to spread. It had already infected over 20,000 people and resulted in the deaths of more than 1,300 people. It was known that medical interventions, when possible, save lives. In fact, the death rate in hospitals has dropped to about 2.4 per cent. Without access to treatment, either at home or in a health facility, however, the mortality rate could rise to as high as 25 per cent. In the Nord department, for example, where logistical and security challenges had constrained operations for the last few days, the mortality rate was now 9.3 per cent.

Elisabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that only USD 6.8 million had been received following the USD 164 million appeal launched over a week ago. The remaining funding and in-kind donations were needed urgently for the next six months to replenish stocks and ensure appropriate human resources. It took, for example, an average of 130 people to manage a 100-bed cholera treatment center, highlighting that development actors on the ground needed further assistance and more personnel. Social mobilization and information campaigns were also very important. This was notably highlighted by people with other illnesses or pregnant women who were afraid of going to hospitals and cholera treatment centers in case they were infected with cholera, or people eating water purification tablets.

Ms. Byrs went on to say that Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, was visiting Haiti on 23-24 November. Ms. Amos would notably give a press conference at the logistics center of the United Nations and visit a cholera treatment center and a camp for internally displaced persons.

In response to a question, WHO cholera expert Claire-Lise Chaignat said that approximately 5,700 children under the age of 5 have been affected by cholera and about 100 children under the age of 5 have died of the disease. It should however not be forgotten that there was an underreporting of cases, among other reasons because it was challenging for patients to access health care. On another note, Ms. Chaignat underscored the importance of acting with urgency to tackle the cholera epidemic; the epidemic did not wait – it continued.

Gregory Härtl of the WHO added that, officially, cholera affected 8 out of Haiti’s 10 departments, but that WHO was working on the assumption that cholera was present in the whole country.

Pakistan

Christian Cardon of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that around 80 per cent of the flood-affected population in Pakistan lived on agriculture. The main challenge for returning subsistence farmers was to till the land and sow crops before the winter. In order to support the farmers, the ICRC had donated farm machinery, distributed seed and fertilizer, supported the Ministry of Agriculture’s veterinary activities and enrolled people in cash-for-work projects, mainly to clear debris and renovate farm irrigation systems. In terms of health, the focus has now shifted to preventing or treating mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. ICRC's emergency phase would be completed in December, meaning that around 1.4 million flood victims would have received one-month food rations since July through the organization. Nonetheless, a significant emergency remained in Pakistan.

Ms. Byrs added that 14 million people in Pakistan were still in need of emergency relief assistance and altogether 20 were million affected. Humanitarian efforts in Pakistan continued, Ms. Byrs said, pointing to the fundraising event for the flood victims to take place on Friday, 6.30 p.m., at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices. Tickets for the event were 50 Swiss Francs and available at SAFI and in front of the cafeteria.

Iran

Rupert Colville of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said a press release on the human rights situation in Iran had been sent out to journalists. In the press release, the United Nations High Commissioner, Navi Pillay, expressed deep concern about the crackdown on human rights defenders in Iran, particularly Nasrin Sotoudeh, who had been on hunger strike since September, members of the Centre for Human Rights Defenders, founded by Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, as well as the Committee for the Defence of Political Prisoners in Iran and the Committee of Human Rights reporters.

HIV Prevalence in South Africa Highest among Farm Workers, New IOM Report Says

Jemini Pandya of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said an IOM study had found that farm workers in South Africa's Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces had the highest HIV prevalence among any working population in Southern Africa. The survey found that an average of 39.5 per cent of farm workers who had tested were HIV positive. This is more than twice the UNAIDS estimated national prevalence for South Africa of 18.1 per cent. HIV prevalence was significantly higher among female employees with almost half of the women (46.7 per cent) testing positive compared to just under a third (30.9 per cent) of the male workforce.

The Malelane site had recorded the highest prevalence at district level, with nearly half the agricultural workforce (49.1 per cent) testing HIV positive. This figure was much higher than the government's data on the district which put the prevalence at 34.9 per cent. Malelane shared borders with Mozambique and Swaziland, thus the farm worker population in the area was roughly 60 per cent South African, 24 per cent Mozambican and 14 per cent Swazi.

The Musina site that borders Zimbabwe had registered an HIV prevalence of 28.1 per cent, nearly twice as high as the surrounding Vhembe district's HIV prevalence of 14.7 per cent. This site comprised of mostly cross border migrants, with roughly 60 per cent being Zimbabwean nationals, Ms. Pandya said. She added that more information on this and other topics was available at the back of the room.

New escalation mars return prospects to northern Yemen

Andrej Mahecic of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said at least 20 people had reportedly been killed and others wounded over the past ten days in the worst violence in northern Yemen since the signing of the cease fire in February. According to local non-governmental organizations, civil society and displaced Yemenis, the renewed clashes between Al Houti forces and pro-government tribes had erupted in a remote northwestern part of Sa’ada province on 13 November.

A few Yemenis arriving in Sa’ada City from this isolated mountainous area said that heavy fighting, concentrated namely in Monabih and Qatabir districts bordering Saudi Arabia, was continuing. A local clinic treating wounded civilians has reportedly been looted, Mr. Mahecic said.

Information on resulting displacement was patchy. According to eyewitness accounts, families from the village of Jalhow in Monabih district had crossed into neighbouring Saudi Arabia. UNHCR was in the process of dispatching a small team from its regional office in Riyadh to establish the numbers and assess needs. This was an alarming escalation. UNHCR added its voice to that of the local mediation committee in calling for calm and protection of the civilian population. Instability and slow implementation of the peace agreement was prolonging internal displacement in Yemen. More than 300,000 Yemenis were still displaced and need help.

To date only around 20,000 Yemeni internally displaced people have returned to Sa'ada governorate. Many saw insecurity, fear of reprisals and new fighting, and extensive destruction of houses and infrastructure, as being the key obstacles to their return. and mines and unexploded ordnance also remained a serious threat. The victims were often children, shepherds or returnees.

Due to the fragile security situation in Sa'ada UNHCR staff are only able to access the displaced and returnees in a radius of a seven kilometers around Sa'ada City. As of recently, there had been some movement of humanitarian workers outside the security belt around the city, but UNHCHR remained very concerned about the lack of access and the humanitarian situation in other parts of the governorate. Yemen also hosted some 170,000 refugees, mostly Somalis and other nationals from the Horn of Africa.

Geneva Activities

Ms. Momal-Vanian said the Committee on the Rights of Migrant Workers had opened a two-week session yesterday. This morning, the Committee would conclude its examination of the report of Albania before commencing the review of Ecuador’s report this afternoon. The report of Senegal, the last report scheduled for this session, would be examined on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.

This Thursday marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Ms. Momal-Vanian went on to say. The message of the Secretary-General on this occasion was available at the back of the room in English and French. Elimination of violence against women was a high priority issue for the Secretary-General.

On Monday 29 November UNOG would further commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, with a special meeting taking place at 4 p.m. in Room XIX. A press note had been issued yesterday.

Over the next couple of weeks, UNOG Director-General Sergei Ordzhonikidze would meet all the regional groups of Geneva-based Ambassadors, as he did every year, to brief them on the outcome of the General Assembly, on the Millennium Development Goals Summit, and the high-level meeting on disarmament which had taken place in New York, and to discuss the activities of UNOG.

Turning to forthcoming press conferences, Ms. Momal-Vanian gave a reminder that the UNAIDS 2010 report on the global AIDS epidemic would be launched today at 11.30 a.m. in Room III in the presence of the UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé.

The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), for its part, would hold a press conference on the Landmine Monitor 2010 tomorrow at 10 a.m. in Room III. Speaking would be UNIDIR Senior Researcher and Project Manager John Borrie and Mark Hiznay of Human Rights Watch.


UNDP Agenda

Adam Rogers of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said UNDP Associate Administrator Rebecca Greenspan would appoint Iker Casillas as Goodwill Ambassador on 6 December. Interviews with Ms. Greenspan could be arranged and she would also available at a press conference. On another note, Mr. Rogers said this year’s soccer Match Against Poverty would take place in Athens on 15 December, where the team assembled by Goodwill Ambassadors would play against Olympiakos. The funds would go to Haiti and to Pakistan.

Mr. Yiping Zhou, Director, UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, pointed to the Global South-South Development Expo 2010 which was taking place from 22–26 November. Hosted by the International Labour Organization, the Expo was convened by UNDP Special Unit. The purpose was to showcase successes and solutions in all areas of development that affect the wellbeing of individuals. The event saw the participation of more than 50 Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Director-Generals, and deputies from all regions, Mr. Zhou underscored.

OCHA Agenda

Ms. Byrs said a media advisory with the details of the press conference following the launch of the humanitarian appeal 2011 on 30 November was available at the back of the room. The press conference would take place at 12.30 p.m. in Room III. Press kits – embargoed until 30 November at 12.30 p.m. – would be distributed at Friday’s press briefing.

Max Gaylard, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian Territory, would be in Geneva on 2 December, Ms. Byrs went on to say. A press briefing would be held at 11 a.m. in Press Room I.

UNCTAD Agenda

Catherine Sibut-Pinote of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said UNCTAD would hold its primary launch of the 2010 Report on Least Developed Countries on Thursday at 10.30 a.m. in Room III. Speaking would be UNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi and the author of the report. French and Spanish press kits were available at the back of the room, while the English version had already been made available on Friday, along with the reports. Spanish summaries would be available on the website.

The 2010 Report on Least Developed Countries reflected upon the development strategies of these countries and provided a starting point for reflection on the LDC 4 conference to be held in May 2011 in Turkey. Between 2002 and 2007 growth rates had been about 7 per cent, but poverty had not diminished in some least developed countries, Ms. Sibut-Pinote underscored.

WMO Agenda

Clare Nullis of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) gave a reminder that there would be a press conference on the Annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin at noon tomorrow.

On Thursday 2 December WMO would be releasing a provisional statement on the status of the global climate in 2010. The report would be launched in Cancun, but it could also be launched in Geneva in addition as the main author of the document was here. A provisional press conference was provisionally planned for Thursday.

Journalists interested in meeting WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud at 8.30 a.m. on Friday for an informal press encounter ahead of the Cancun summit should inform Ms. Nullis.

UNECE Agenda

Jean Rodriguez of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) reminded us that - in the context of the Committee on Sustainable Energy meeting from 24-26 November – UNECE was to give a press conference on “Securing energy supplies: the role of unconventional gas resources” tomorrow in Room III from 1.15 p.m. to 2 p.m. Speaking would be Mr. Andrey Vasilyev, UNECE Deputy Executive Secretary, Mr. Richard Smead, Director of the American Clean Skies Foundation, and representatives of Statoil ASA, Gazprom and the International Energy Agency. In addition to the press conference, journalists were also welcome to participate in the meeting of the Committee on Sustainable Energy which convened in Room XII until Friday.

UNEP Agenda

Isabelle Valentiny of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said UNEP would launch a report on carbon dioxide emissions this noon in Helsinki, ahead of the Cancun climate conference. The document had already been sent to journalists this morning but was embargoed until noon Geneva-time. The report calculated the difference between the emission level to be reached by 2020 if the temperature rise were to be maintained below 2 °C and the emission level that could be achieved if all Copenhagen commitments were implemented. The report had been developed jointly by UNEP and 30 international institutes.

On another note, Ms. Valentiny said a press release on the International Tiger Forum, currently being held in St. Petersburg, was available at the back of the room. A second press release on the meeting between CITES, INTERPOL and four other international agencies, meeting to discuss measures against illegal trafficking, was also available.

WHO Agenda

Paul Garwood of the World Health Organization (WHO) said a European consultation of more than 40 countries would be held on 25/26 November in Oslo to discuss the non-communicable diseases epidemic taking place across the world, with a particular focus on Europe. The main purpose of the consultation was to plan the United Nations General Assembly Summit on non-communicable diseases taking place next September. Efforts and measures to overcome diseases such as diabetes, cancer, cardio-vascular diseases and chronic lung diseases would be discussed. These four types of diseases accounted for more than 6 per cent of the world’s annual deaths. A final press conference would be held in Oslo on Friday 26 November. Journalists were also offered a briefing by Dr. Ala Alwan, Assistant Director-General for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, in early December here in Geneva.

WHO further planned to organize a briefing on 1 December on the 3 December International Day of Persons with Disabilities. WHO disability experts would outline the current challenges and new measures launched to help persons with disabilities, and one of the short-films to be launched on 3 December could be previewed.