REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Corinne Momal-Vanian, the Director of the UN Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which was also attended by Spokespersons for and Representatives of the World Bank, the UN Refugee Agency, the UN Children's Fund, the World Health Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Organization for Migration.

Horn of Africa

Adrian Edwards of the UN Refugee Agency said that UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, had yesterday concluded a five-day mission to Ethiopia and Kenya where recent weeks had seen dramatic increases in the numbers of refugees crossing from Somalia fleeing conflict and drought. Since the start of July, around 11,000 people had arrived in Ethiopia and more than 8,600 in Kenya. Daily arrival numbers were currently averaging 1,700 and 1,300 people in Ethiopia and Kenya respectively.

Mr. Guterres had visited refugee camps at Dollo Ado in southeast Ethiopia, and at Dadaab in Kenya. The condition of recent arrivals, children in particular, had become a matter of increasing concern: In Dollo Ado one in every two arriving children below five years in age was malnourished. In Dadaab, malnourishment was found in one-in-four children arriving in the primary reception camp at Ifo. In both Ethiopia and Kenya, UNHCR and partners were focusing on screening children and vulnerable individuals without delay to ensure the immediate provision of life-saving food and services.

In his various public statements over the past few days, Mr. Guterres had appealed for a rapid and substantial international response to this crisis, as well as support for populations of all countries affected by the drought. Yesterday, in Nairobi, the High Commissioner had met Kenya’s Internal Security and Acting Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. George Saitoti. The two had agreed on the need for the international community to organize substantial humanitarian operations inside Somalia. They had reviewed the implementation of a joint UNHCR-Kenya Security Partnership Programme at Dadaab under which UNHCR supported policing efforts. And they had also agreed that UNHCR’s Kenya Country Representative and Kenya’s Director of Security at the Foreign Affairs Ministry would conduct a common assessment of reorganization and expansion areas at Dadaab to allow for a more effective response to the security, protection, and assistance needs of new arrivals.

Marixie Mercado of the UN Children's Fund said that over the past weeks UNICEF had seen and heard the harrowing stories of the women and children who had made it to UNHCR camps in Ethiopia and Kenya for lifesaving assistance. In Ethiopia, the numbers of children who were at high risk of death due to malnutrition had increased by 45 per cent since 2009. In Somalia, the proportion had increased by a third over the same time period. Kenya had seen the most significant deterioration, with an increase of 200 per cent in the numbers of children who were severely malnourished since 2009.

Last week UNICEF had launched an appeal for almost USD 32 million dollars to reach over 2 million malnourished children with urgent humanitarian assistance over the next three months. UNICEF was scaling up life-saving efforts in therapeutic feeding, in providing access to safe water and sanitation, as well as in preventing the spread of killer diseases, including measles, through vaccination campaigns. Of an expected caseload of 480,000 severely malnourished children this year, UNICEF and partners had treated almost 164,000 by May.

The prospects for a rapid recovery before the end of the year were everything but promising, and there was a need to act now to prevent this crisis from turning into a humanitarian catastrophe. This could not be done without funds. At this point, UNICEF had received 62 per cent of its funding appeal for Somalia, 25 per cent for Ethiopia and 26 per cent for Kenya.

Tarek Jasarevic of the World Health Organization said from 25–29 July the UNICEF and WHO Offices in Kenya and Somalia, with support from the Kenyan Ministry of Health, would begin vaccination campaigns along the Somali-Kenyan border and in the Dadaab refugee camps. The vaccination package would cover polio, measles, vitamin A supplements and deworming tablets. A total of 215,000 children under five were targeted in the Dadaab refugee camps, Fafi and Lagdera districts and the migration corridors of refugees such as Garissa municipality. Vaccination campaigns were also planned in and around Mogadishu as internally displaced persons were increasingly coming to the capital.

WHO was deeply concerned at the health status of the population in affected areas. Increasingly frequent drought episodes had exhausted the coping capacity of communities in a region where resources and services were already scarce. The depletion of household resources due to drought or high food prices was having a serious impact on the general health and nutritional status of the population.

The vicious circle of hunger-health-poverty meant that fewer resources were dedicated to health care just as health needs increased as result of poor diet. Additional factors such as lack of water and precarious sanitation, resulting from population displacements, would further increase the risk of communicable diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, diarrhea, acute respiratory infections and measles. Cases of cholera and measles outbreaks were already reported in Djibouti and Ethiopia.

The areas most severely affected by the drought were also those suffering from some of the highest disease burdens in the region. The effects of the drought were also aggravated by very weak health care systems, with limited human resource and medical supplies, and very low immunization coverage.

In Somalia, for example, child health was among the poorest in the world. Infant mortality was estimated at 88 per 1,000 live births and under-five mortality at 142 per 100,000. In the first half of 2011, at least three Somali children died of malnutrition every day. In parts of Southern Somalia, one in three children was malnourished, Mr. Jasarevic underscored.

In the current crisis, the main objective for health partners was to avoid unnecessary excess mortality and morbidity from malnutrition and communicable diseases among the communities. At the country level, WHO was supporting the Ministries of Health of the affected countries and health partners to deliver critical health services, respond to diseases outbreaks and mobilize resources for critical life-saving interventions.

So far, WHO's emergency health response has received only 22 per cent of the funds needed for Somalia, 5 per cent of the funds needed for Djibouti and less than 2 per cent of the funds needed for Kenya. The health sector as a whole was also under-funded, with 25 per cent 9 per cent and 5 per cent of funds received for Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti respectively. WHO appeals to donors to give generously in order to help the health sector respond to this looming humanitarian crisis.

Mr. Colville said that the Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Somalia and the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, had just issued a press release on large-scale starvation in the Horn of Africa.

South Kordofan

Elisabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that the situation in South Kordofan remained unpredictable and that heavy bombardments continued in and around Kadugli and in Delami, a town 100 kilometers north-east from Kadugli. More than 2,000 people had reportedly been displaced from Delami, and the Sudanese Red Crescent Society had dispatched a joint team to conduct a rapid assessment of needs.

According to estimates of the Sudanese Government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission, the number of people who remained displaced in South Kordofan State had decreased significantly from the 73,000 believed to have been initially displaced by the fighting that first erupted on 5 June. However, OCHA had received no information as to the estimate of remaining numbers of displaced.

Preliminary results from the inter-sectoral assessment undertaken in Kadugli town indicated that the most urgent humanitarian needs continued to be food, water, medical services and shelter for the displaced. Humanitarian actors also reported that key access roads and bridges needed immediate repair and that mine clearance activities were critical.

The USD 620 million appeal for South Sudan was only 34 per cent funded, and the demining and health sectors were only 26 per cent funded. These appeals would be revised on 20 July, said Ms. Byrs, adding that the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs would give a press conference on 20 July at 2.30 p.m. in Room III.

Yemen

Emilia Casella of the World Food Programme said that the WFP continued to operate in Yemen despite the ongoing political turmoil, occasional bouts of violence and a lack of fuel. The WFP had recently conducted two field assessments. In terms of food, findings included that food insecurity was on the rise in Yemen’s four most food-insecure governorates, and that families were beginning to implement negative coping strategies such as liquidating their assets, skipping meals and diverting funds from health care and from education. They did so because the price of fuel in the black market has risen by 500 per cent since January 2011 and the price of bread has increased by 50 per cent, with the prices of flour, sugar and milk having risen between 40 and 60 per cent and water prices also going up. This was contributing to a worsening situation for the general population and affected the most vulnerable people.

Regarding the situation of internally displaced persons in Aden, WFP’s assessment found that 90 per cent of the approximately 30,000 internally displaced persons in the city were entirely dependent on the local community for their daily food needs. Moreover, 40 per cent of those internally displaced persons who had been interviewed said that food was their most profound need. About 52,000 people have been displaced from Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan governorate, spreading into different governorates. The WFP was providing food to 18,000 of the 30,000 who went to Aden. These people were sheltering in 52 schools, and the rest of the displaced were sheltering with relatives and receiving food assistance from Islamic Relief.

Ms. Mercado said that at least 63 children had been killed during protests and demonstrations across the country since February 18. Nine additional cases were under verification now, which would bring the total to 72. Over 700 children have been wounded, including 130 by live bullets or ammunition. The remaining children were injured during physical violence and exposure to tear gas. The majority of casualties occurred in Sana’a, Aden and Taiz. UNICEF repeats its call for all parties to protect children from all harm.

UNHCR scales up aid to thousands fleeing Pakistan’s latest conflict zone

Mr. Edwards said that UNHCR was scaling up its help to people fleeing recent fighting in north-western Pakistan. This decision came after a UN assessment visit last weekend to Kurram agency along the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. Central Kurram agency was the latest theatre of Pakistan military operations against insurgents. The fighting, which started in late June, had forced people to flee their homes in eight villages across an area of 80-square-kilometres.

Local authorities believed up to 12,000 families (around 84,000 people) could be displaced by the operation. Over the past two weeks, more than 700 families had sought refuge in a new camp set up by local authorities in the Durrani area in Sadda town of Lower Kurram. The New Durrani camp was located about 30 kilometres from the conflict zone, said Mr. Edwards.

Kurram Agency bordered eastern Afghanistan and the restive tribal areas of Orakzai, Khyber and North Waziristan in north-western Pakistan, he went on to say. It had been wracked by conflict in recent years, fuelled by long-standing sectarian tensions and an influx of militants from neighbouring areas. In 2010, some 130,000 people had already fled Lower Kurram and taken refuge in the districts of Peshawar, Kohat and Hangu in Khyber Pakhtunkwa province. Most were still unable to return due to simmering tensions in their home areas.

In the past three years, more than 4 million people had been displaced in successive waves of conflict between government forces and militants in north-western Pakistan. While the vast majority had since returned home, some 400,000 people from South Waziristan, Orakzai, Kurram,
Khyber, Mohmand, Bajaur tribal areas remained displaced.

Senegal/Hissène Habré

Mr. Colville of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the High Commissioner welcomed Senegal's announcement that it was suspending its proposed repatriation of Hissène Habré to Chad. She had called for a stop to his repatriation to Chad because she was not satisfied that the conditions for security and fair trial were guaranteed in Chad, and because there appeared to be a real risk that he would be tortured if he were to be returned there.

Nevertheless, the High Commissioner stressed that this should not simply mean a return to the status quo, with Mr. Habré continuing to live with impunity in Senegal, as he has done for the past 20 years. It was important that rapid and concrete progress was made by Senegal to prosecute or extradite Mr. Habré to a country willing to conduct a fair trial.

This has been High Commissioner's position all along. It was also the position of the African Union, as well of much of the rest of the international community. It was a violation of international law to shelter a person who has committed torture or other crimes against humanity, without prosecuting or extraditing him.

The High Commissioner noted that at the recently concluded summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, the African Union had called on Senegal to prosecute or extradite Mr. Habré to any other country willing to try him. She also noted that the African Union had also invited African States that were Parties to the Convention against Torture to indicate their willingness to try Habré. However, to date, no such African country had volunteered to do so. So far, the only country that had indicated a willingness to put him on trial was Belgium.
DR Congo

Mr. Jasarevic said that 115,484 measles cases and 1,145 related deaths have been reported since September 2010 in the DRC's Sud Kivu, Katanga, Maniema, Kasaï Occidental, Equateur, Bas Congo and Kasaï Oriental provinces. The outbreak began when follow-up mass immunization campaign activities were halted by lack of funding. The outbreak was officially announced last April when the situation could no longer be controlled by limited vaccination campaigns.

The Ministry of Health, the WHO, UNICEF and MSF had conducted the first mass immunization campaigns in April and May. Close to 6 million children were vaccinated in the most affected areas. However, the epidemic has spread to other provinces not covered by the vaccination. Health partners were preparing a mass immunization campaigns to be conducted in 11 of the country’s provinces. The first two campaigns were planned this month, targeting 915,000 children in 9 provinces.

The first campaign should take place on 14–19 July in Kasaï Occidental, Bas Congo, Equateur and Province Orientale. The second campaign was scheduled to take place from 21–25 July in Kasaï Occidental, Kasaï Oriental, Katanga, Maniema and Sud Kivu. WHO and UNICEF were seeking additional USD 9 million to carry out these two campaigns next September and early next year.

Regarding cholera, 1,449 cholera cases and 74 related deaths had been reported in Kisangani (Province Orientale) since last March. The outbreak had then spread along the Congo River to Equateur and Bandundu provinces and to the capital Kinshasa. As of 8 July, 3,245 cases had been reported and 192 people had died, with a mortality rate of 6 per cent.

The DRC's The Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and other health partners, was organizing hygiene promotion campaigns and setting up water chlorination points. It was also worth noting that cholera treatment was now available free of cost in the DRC.

Joint IOM-UNHCR appeal to help tens of thousands of Angolan refugees return home

Jemini Pandya of the International Organization for Migration said that UNHCR and IOM were today jointly appealing for close to USD 21 million to help about 60,000 Angolan refugees to return to their country this year and next. Although the large-scale voluntary repatriation operation of Angolan refugees ended in 2007, about 146,000 Angolan refugees in total remained in Botswana, the DRC, the Republic of Congo, Namibia and Zambia, nearly 10 years after the end of Angola's brutal civil war. Many of the refugees in the DRC and Zambia were still living in camps and dependent on humanitarian assistance.

With the five host countries and the Angolan government keen to find durable solutions for the Angolan refugees, helping those who want to return home provided a unique opportunity to bring closure to one of the most protracted refugee situations in the world. Over the past few weeks, 124 refugees from two camps in Zambia had already been assisted home by IOM and UNHCR. Nearly 9,000 Angolans out of more than 25,000 in Zambia have so far expressed a desire to return home. UNHCR had already begun mass information campaigns and go-and-see visits to enable refugees to make an informed decision on returning to Angola.

The two organizations would work together on the operation which included assisting refugees obtain vital documentation, the provision of medical screening, shelter and other humanitarian assistance at way stations and transit centres in the host countries. IOM would transport the refugees and their belongings to Angola by road or air, while in the DRC, it would also provide technical support to immigration authorities at the main land border points between the two countries.

The Organization, which had been asked by the Angolan government to establish and operate transit and reception centres in Angola for returning refugees, would also focus on the rehabilitation of roads and the transportation of the refugees to final destinations. The Angolan Ministry for Social Welfare and Reintegration, which was coordinating the Angolan voluntary repatriation operation with UNHCR and IOM, would provide returnees with social reintegration kits. These included construction and agricultural tools and items for income-generating activities as well as a three month food ration which IOM would distribute. In addition to providing technical advice and support to the Angolan government, UNHCR would monitor the returns, address any protection issues that may occur and work with authorities on issuance of civil documents.

Migrants Evacuated from Misrata as On-Going Conflict Continues to Take Toll

Ms. Pandya said that more than 230 migrants and over 40 wounded people had been evacuated by IOM from the Libyan port of Misrata on Monday 11 July. The evacuees, due to arrive in Benghazi later today, were mainly migrants from Niger with others of Chadian, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Nepalese, Bangladeshi and Yemeni nationality. The 232 migrants, mostly young single males, had been living in a Libyan Red Crescent camp, where increasing numbers of migrants have gathered. Congestion and rising tensions at the camp had necessitated the evacuation of the men during this 11th IOM rescue mission to Misrata.

The 12th mission, due to evacuate migrants and severe medical cases on 14 July, would prioritize families, particularly women and children. A rapid IOM assessment of the camp in Misrata during the evacuation operation had revealed an urgent need for additional tents and hygiene supplies as well as improved cooking facilities. IOM was approaching non-governmental organizations to work closely with the Libyan Red Crescent and IOM in order to address these problems quickly.

IOM staff heading this latest rescue operation said that upon the departure of the IOM-chartered boat from Misrata port, the pier area began to be bombarded, but that the boat successfully managed to leave. They also reported on the lack of sufficient medical facilities in Misrata and Benghazi itself to cope with the numbers of severely wounded. The IOM-boat’s departure was delayed by several hours as a steady stream of severely wounded patients was being transferred to the pier for evacuation.

Nearly 7,900 people, including migrants and wounded, had now been evacuated by IOM from Misrata to Benghazi since this operation began in mid-April. IOM was also continuing its other evacuation operations from inside Libya where migrants were being taken by road from Tripoli to Ras Adjir on the Tunisian-Libyan border and from Benghazi to Salloum on the Egyptian-Libyan border for eventual return to their home countries.

Since last week, IOM has also evacuated close to 530 migrants, mainly Chadians, by air from the southern Libyan city of Sebha to Chad. Many hundreds more would be evacuated from Sebha and Gatroun in the coming days and weeks.

ECOSOC

Ms. Momal-Vanian said that the Economic and Social Council was this morning holding a panel discussion on “Financial support for the development efforts of LDCs” and would organize a special event to mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development this afternoon. The ECOSOC would also discuss the annual overview report of the UN system Chief Executives Board for Coordination.

The coordination segment would continue until Thursday morning, before the Council would start its debate on operational activities on Thursday afternoon.

Next week, during its Humanitarian Affairs Segment, the ECOSOC would hold a discussion on “The role of the UN and the international community in supporting the capacity of the Government of South Sudan to manage the transition”. The discussion would take place on 19 July, with the presence of several Ministers, including the Kenyan Minister of State for Public Service and the South Sudanese Minister for Labour and Public Service.


Transparency in Trade Initiative

Selina Jackson, the Special Representative of the World Bank to the UN and the WTO, said that she was here to brief the press about the Transparency in Trade initiative which would provide free and easy access to data on tariff and non-tariff measures, and information on policies affecting trade in services and investments.

The initiative, the first of its kind, was aimed at creating a one-stop-shop where everyone – policy-makers, businesses and member countries alike – could find data related to trade policies. Joining the World Bank in this initiative were the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the International Trade Center and the African Development, in cooperation with the UN Statistics Division.

The press conference to launch the Transparency in Trade initiative would be held on Monday, 18 July at 11.15 a.m. at the World Trade Organization. Speaking would be the President of the World Bank, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the President of the African Development Bank, and the Executive Director of the International Trade Centre.

Other

Ms. Momal-Vanian said that the Human Rights Committee was continuing to examine the report of Ethiopia this morning and would conclude its review this afternoon. The Committee would consider the report of Bulgaria on Wednesday afternoon and on Thursday morning, before reviewing that of Kazakhstan on Thursday afternoon and on Friday.

Ms. Momal-Vanian said that the WHO would give a final press conference on the Second Consultation on the Global Action Plan for Influenza Vaccines on Thursday, 14 July at 1.10 p.m. in Room III.

The World Food Programme would give a press conference on its operations in Afghanistan tomorrow at 11 a.m. in Press Room I.