REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Elena Ponomareva-Piquier, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by spokespersons for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Economic Commission For Europe, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration.

Secretary-General’s Activities / Retreat with Regional Organization Chiefs

Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said that the Secretary-General would be hosting a two-day retreat starting next Monday, 11 January, outside New York City, which would include the heads of 14 regional and other organizations. The Secretary-General intended to launch high-level discussions on how the United Nations and those organizations could enhance their cooperation on peace and security.

Geneva Activities

In Geneva, Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier announced that on Monday, the Committee on the Rights of the Child would open its three-week fifty-third session, which would run from 11 to 29 January at Palais Wilson. The Committee would be meeting in two chambers to overcome the backlog in consideration of State party reports, reviewing reports of 11 countries with regard to the implementation of the Convention and/or its two Optional Protocols. At the session, the Committee would examine reports presented by Mongolia, Paraguay, Burkina Faso, Estonia, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Ecuador, Israel, El Salvador, Norway and Liechtenstein. Background communiqués were available in English and French in the press room and had been sent to journalists.

Human Rights / Sri Lanka

Rupert Colville of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) fielded a number of questions from journalists regarding the report released yesterday by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, on the authenticity of a videotape which appeared to show the summary execution of bound, blindfolded, and naked Tamils by Sri Lankan soldiers.

Asked about the High Commissioner for Human Rights stance on the authenticity of the video, Mr. Colville observed that the High Commissioner had repeatedly called for a full, broad and impartial investigation into allegations of serious human rights violations during the war in Sri Lanka. The report by Mr. Alston was the latest element in a series of worrying events, reports and allegations about what went on during that war. OHCHR believed that it was in the best interests of Sri Lanka itself if there was a proper and impartial investigation. There was clearly a question of credibility hanging over many of the allegations around the war.

“Obviously, if the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and Sri Lankan Government has done nothing wrong, [they] will have nothing to fear from an international investigation”, Mr. Colville added.

John Zarocostas, Head of the Association of Journalists Accredited to the United Nations Office at Geneva (ACANU), in particular expressed dissatisfaction that UNOG journalists had not been given advance warning of the press conference held in New York yesterday by Mr. Alston, in which he discussed the findings of his report, and that the highly technical and complex forensic report had not been made available to journalists prior to the press conference, under embargo, to enable them to sift through the contents. Another journalists requested that such press conferences in New York should be connected by audio link to Geneva.

UNCTAD Event: Global Appeal Against Loss of Biodiversity

Catherine Sibut-Pinote of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said available at the back of the room was a press release on an UNCTAD initiative to mobilize 500 prominent figures from government, international organizations and the private sector in a call for action against the rapid loss of the world’s biodiversity. The two-day event, organized in connection with the International Year of Biodiversity, would be held E-building of the Palais des Nations. Beginning with a high-profile business seminar on 20 January, the event would conclude on 21 January with a cocktail at 6:30 p.m. followed by an “EcoChic” fashion show and exhibition launch celebrating sustainable fashion and accessories, to be held in Room XX at 8 p.m. On Tuesday she would distribute further media materials, including the list of participants and designers.

Environmental and Climate Meetings in Geneva

Jean Rodriguez of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) said that, on 18 December, the States parties to the Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to the ECE Air Pollution Convention had adopted a number of decisions reinforcing that Protocol, most notably adding seven new substances to the list of those covered by that instrument. POPs were chemical substances that were particularly harmful, as those pollutants remained in the environment or in human and animal organisms for many decades and could cause birth defects, immunological and reproductive problems and cancer, among others.

In addition to enlarging the number of substances covered by the Protocol from 16 to 23, States parties also revised and strengthened the obligations for eliminating the production and use of the original 16 POPs, such as DDT. The parties also fixed limits for atmospheric emissions of incinerated waste, and adopted guidelines on best practices for controlling emission of such pollutants. A press release was available.

Mr. Rodriguez also announced that, next week, from 12 to 15 January, the Working Party on Pollution and Energy would meet at the Palais des Nations would meet in Room VI. The Working Party dealt with emissions standards and quality standards for carburant.

Carine Van Maele of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recalled that, on 3 September 2009, the World Climate Conference had decided to establish a global framework for climate services. Next week, on Monday and Tuesday, there would be an intergovernmental meeting at the Geneva International Conference Centre to decide on the high-level independent advisory group, to be set up by the Secretary-General of WMO, to decide on the structure and content of that framework. The WMO Secretary-General would inform the States of his proposed candidates for the group, and make available his proposal for their mandate. The text of the Secretary-General’s proposal was available in the press room.

A-H1N1 Flu Virus

Gregory Hartl of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the weekly epidemic update on H1N1 would be posted today. The main figure from the update was that there were now 12,799 laboratory confirmed deaths worldwide.

Mr. Hartl also highlighted that the first vaccine delivery had taken place yesterday, to Mongolia. The second vaccine delivery, to Azerbaijan, was expected today.

Asked to comment on a report that the President of Poland had said companies should pay for any of the damaging side effects caused by vaccines, Mr. Hartl noted that the vaccines had been used on at least 150 million people so far. Their safety profile had been shown to be the same as for seasonal influenza vaccines and WHO continued to recommend that high-risk groups should be vaccinated. Side effects beyond a rash or soreness at the vaccine entry point were extremely rare and were investigated rigorously.

There had also been reports that certain countries had been required to sign a liability waiver by drug companies before they would send supplies, a journalist said. Mr. Hartl said he would have to research that issue and get back on it.

Aid Situation in Somalia

Asked for further details of the situation of aid agencies in Somalia, Emilia Casella of the World Food Programme (WFP) said it was hoped that the cessation of aid operations in Southern Somalia would be temporary. There was no new news since Tuesday about when that could happen. WFP staff had already been moved out of that area to other areas where WFP operations were ongoing. They were not seeing any quick movement, but no doors or lines of communication had been closed.

As to whether the United States had imposed any conditions on WFP assistance for 2010 in Somalia, Ms. Casella said she was not aware of any conditions being imposed by any donor in that country.

Elisabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reiterated that as far as the United Nations was concerned there was no question of abandoning the people of Somalia. It was true that, following incidents of extortion, looting, assaults and kidnapping against humanitarian actors, there had been a steady reduction of humanitarian staff in Southern Somalia for the last six months. The suspension of WFP’s programmes in Southern Somalia was the last chapter in that story. However, other agencies were still working in the central south zone, albeit with difficulty.

“Discussions are also under way to determine whether and how other programmes, such as nutrition, could be adjusted to mitigate any potential negative effects in the area under suspension”, Ms. Byrs added.

Asked whether non-governmental organizations or locals were continuing in the absence of United Nations relief agencies, Ms. Byrs stressed that the United Nations worked closely with non-governmental organizations. Ms. Casella noted that WFP had taken over the caseload of a major NGO that had left Somalia last year, CARE. So, while WFP worked in conjunction with local and international NGOs, if it had become difficult for a United Nations agency to work in Somalia it was also extremely difficult for non-United Nations organizations to operate there.

Kenya Floods

Ms. Byrs said that between 27 December 2009 and 5 January 2010 there had been torrential rains in the Northern, Central and Western Kenya, affecting some 30,000 persons. The Kenyan Red Cross had reported that 21 persons had died so far in the floods, but that number was provisional. The hardest hit district had been Turkana in Northern Kenya, where some 20,000 persons were affected, and 10,000 had been left without shelter.

There had been serious damage to infrastructure, including schools, water systems and roads, with many villages cut off from aid deliveries. Many of those in a camp in Naivisha, in central Kenya, were in a situation of extreme want. OCHA was participating in a joint assessment mission with the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Kenyan Government. As could be expected, OCHA’s first concern was that the floods would lead to a fresh outbreak of cholera, and there was an urgent need for water purification tablets and the Kenyan Red Cross needed additional stocks of anti-cholera medicines.

Humanitarian Situation in North of Yemen

Dorthea Krimitsas of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the head of the ICRC delegation based in Sa’ada, in Yemen, had said yesterday that harsh weather conditions in the north of Yemen were making the situation of those fleeing the conflict there even worse. The temperatures were ranging from 20 degrees during the day to 0 at night, increasing the risk of respiratory infections, especially among children. While fighting was ongoing in Sa’ada and along the border with Saudi Arabia, as well as in the old town of Sa’ada City, safety remained the primary concern, but shelter and access to food, water and health care was as vital. It was hard to estimate the number of people left without vital aid. According to information ICRC received, people continued to flee the fighting and there continued to be a regular influx of internally displaced persons into Sa’ada City.

Access was another major concern, with access to most parts of Sa’ada Governorate and Amran remaining extremely difficult. Nevertheless, in conjunction with local partners and the Yemeni Red Crescent, ICRC had distributed assistance to some 73,000 displaced people and continued to run five camps in the area, as well as one across the border in Saudi Arabia, and to provide health assistance, including medication, to the Yemeni Red Crescent in Sa’ada City. ICRC also supplied health care centres north of Amran with basic medicines.

Ms. Krimitsas said ICRC reiterated its call on all parties to ensure that civilians were better protected and to allow and facilitate safe passage for humanitarian aid.

Regarding access to detainees, Ms. Krimitsas said that ICRC stood ready to carry out visits to persons detained in relation to the conflict. To date, however, the ICRC had undertaken no visits and had no figures on how many people had been arrested, detained or captured in the framework of the conflict.

Other

Fadéla Chaib of WHO said that next Tuesday she would brief journalists on the upcoming WHO Executive Board meeting, which would held from 18 to 23 January in Geneva. She would have a media alert with information about the topics to be discussed and modalities for attendance by journalists.

Ms. Casella of WFP reminded journalists of the funding problems encountered by the WFP-run United Nations Humanitarian Air Service last year, which provided transportation for humanitarian actors, including non-governmental organizations and journalists, in otherwise unreachable places, including in Darfur and Afghanistan. The service in Côte d’Ivoire, which had shut last year, was still not open. She had asked the WFP Head of Aviation to brief journalists on the global operations of the Humanitarian Air Service in 2010, at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, 13 January, in room 1.

Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) drew attention to a new IOM report on increasing migratory flows out of Ghana, notably of trained young people, creating a huge brain drain in that country. Today 56 per cent of doctors left the country, while some 60 per cent of faculty posts in Ghanaian polytechnics remained unfilled for lack of trained staff. Next week IOM would release a similar report on Mauritania. A press note in English was available and a French version would be ready this afternoon.