REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Corinne Momal-Vanian, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which was also attended by Spokespersons for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme (Basel Convention), the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Floods in Central America

Elisabeth Byrs from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua remained on high alert of further flooding as each country was still subject to intense and constant rains. Belize was also feeling a strong impact, she said. As a whole, around 1.2 million people were affected in some way or another and the numbers were constantly evolving.

A flash appeal for US$15.7 was to be launched for El Salvador tomorrow, she continued, which could assist 300,000 people in the next six months. More than 56,000 people had been displaced in the country with 69% of territory affected.

In Nicaragua, a team of five UN disaster experts were providing assistance and both countries were appealing for international assistance, said Ms. Byrs. A flash appeal for Nicaragua was also being worked on, as well as a CERF request. There was also a developing public health situation in many areas with increasing cases of flood-related illnesses.

Answering a question on the situation in Mexico, she said the regional office of Panama was in contact with the authorities and was monitoring the situation.

Gaëlle Sévenier from the World Food Programme (WFP) said it was difficult to know how exactly many people needed help. The WFP had launched an emergency operation, in cooperation with the local governments, which had already provided food assistance for 230 000 people.

The programme needed to spend US$6 million to help people in the next thirty days, she added, and although Spain had already given EUR1million and Luxembourg EUR 360,000, more donors were needed for the remainder.

It was worth remembering that food security was already precarious before the disaster she said, with prices doubling in previous years. And this is unlikely to improve as the floods in Honduras, as an example, were thought to have wiped out 64% of existing rice crops.

Jean-Philippe Chauzy from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) added that his organization was looking for $US 2.7 million in total to help the Central American region.

The situation in El Salvador was extremely precarious, he explained, and it was one of the worst areas affected, suffering in the last ten days high levels of rain, a ten percent increase in food prices and damage to many crops.

In Guatemala people fleeing their homes were taking refuge in public places such as schools and churches, he continued. Meanwhile in Nicaragua his organization was working with its partners to provide essential assistance, and the appeal for funding would allow them to particularly target children as a particularly difficult group to help.

There was also a need for funding for the IOM to help in Honduras, he said, where evaluations showed a difficult humanitarian situation.

Turkey

Ms. Jessica Sallabank from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said an initial assessment of the earthquake in Eastern Turkey on Sunday showed the situation was very serious, and a major relief operation was being led by the Turkish Red Crescent, as well as the country’s military.

Thousands of people could still be trapped under rubble, she said, as up to 2,256 buildings may have collapsed. The latest figures showed 279 people had been confirmed as dead, with around 1,300 injured. Capacity in local and field hospitals was reported to be good, and the Iranian Red Crescent was also providing assistance. The priority of the Red Crescent on the ground was to assist the wounded. Roads were generally passable, she explained, and cargo planes could land. Although no request for international help had yet been received, the IFRC was ready to do so if needed.

Libya-Niger-Chad

Jean-Philippe Chauzy (IOM) outlined the findings of a report the IOM had compiled into the reintegration needs of migrants from Niger returning from Libya, noting that many conclusions could also be applied to those returning to Chad.

The survey estimates that the return of some 90,000 mostly uneducated young men was having a chronic negative impact in many parts of the country, as 86% of these had previously remitted money to support family members. They were now, however, returning without work, or the ability to engage in self-employment, causing serious food insecurity.

The majority of those returning wanted to work in agriculture or trading, he said, and there was some work that could be done to help them in the future. Two pilot reintegration projects had begun and would help set up income generating activities.

When asked whether the recent cessation of conflict in Libya would change the situation, Mr. Chauzy explained that returnees would not have the resources to return to Libya as they often had loans and other debts to pay. He stressed it would take time for the Libyan economy to recover.

Responding to a question about reports by Human Rights Watch of the execution of 53 prisoners in Sirte, Ravina Shamdasani of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said the office had also heard the allegations and called again for due process, whichever side combatants had taken in recent hostilities.

North-South movements of hazardous waste

Michael Stanley Jones and Ibrahim Shafii, representing the Secretariat of the Basel Convention, announced a historic agreement ending 15 years of deadlock over banning North-South movements of hazardous waste, known as the Ban Amendment.

The groundbreaking decision, containing a set of measures aimed at strengthening international control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes, was adopted on 21 October, the closing day of the 10th meeting of the Parties to the Convention (COP10), in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. The amendment will enter force once an additional 17 parties ratify it. The Parties also adopted the Cartagena Declaration on prevention and minimization of hazardous wastes for countries that may seek to trade in waste.

Responding to a previously emailed question, Ibrahim Shafii noted that the ban was the result of an exceptional decision to stop the movement of hazardous waste in the countries that had ratified the amendment, provided that an additional 17 countries sign up to the amendment in addition to the 71 that already had. This is instead of the normal procedure where all parties must agree.


Geneva activities

Ms. Momal-Vanian said the Committee on Human Rights would this morning complete reviewing the report on Norway, the last country with a report during this session. Following this a private session was to be held this afternoon, with the Committee reviewing the situation in Malawi, in the absence of a report. On Thursday afternoon, the Committee would hold a public meeting for an exchange of views with the parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The session then ends Friday November 4.

Catherine Sibut-Pinote from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said that the launch of the sixth joint report between UNCTAD and the OECD on investment policies in G20 countries would be tomorrow morning (Wednesday) at 11:00am.

A delegation from Egypt, including the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, would visit tomorrow, she said, for the presentation of the first study on the information economy in his country. The minister will then be discussing the outcomes of the report at 14:30 in Room 26.

A presentation of works of three apprentice stylists from the Instituto di Design Madrid (IED) would be held on Friday evening, continued Ms. Sibut Pinote, showing works made of recycled materials, as part of a UNCTAD partnership with the Biotrade Initiative.

Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson of the World Health Organization, reminded that a press conference on the reform of the Organization would be held this Thursday 27 October at 14:30 in Press Room 1. The press conference would feature Andrew Cassels, Director of Strategy, Director-General's Office, WHO.

A press conference was also planned for Thursday 27 October at 10:30am, added Ms. Momal-Vanian, for the launch of the publication: “The Global Burden of Armed Violence in 2011: Lethal Encounters,” with Keith Krause, Programme Director of the Small Arms Survey, Sara Sekkenes, Conflict Prevention and Recovery Partnerships, UNDP, and Ambassador Alexandre Fasel, Swiss Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) would hold a press conference on Wednesday 26 October at 14:00 in Room III, she added, on the launch of the report “State of the World Population 2011: People and Possibilities in a World of Seven Billion.” The press conference would feature Ambassador Martin Dahinden, Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Ms. Safiye Cagar, Director, Information and External Relations Division, UNFPA.

The International Labour Organization would hold a press conference on Monday 31 October at 11:30am also in Room III, said Corinne Perthuis. This would cover a report on employment across the world, looking in particular at the consequences for the social world of the financial crisis, concluding that a lack of employment could prolong the recession and that the creation of employment should be a central priority, she said.

Ms. Jessica Sallabank from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies announced a two-day meeting, starting today, on “International Dialogue on Strengthening Partnership in Disaster Response: Bridging national and international response: Bridging national and international support.” This was to bring together countries affected by major disasters, donors and representatives to discuss common challenges and ensure closer cooperation and coordination of national and international assistance, she said.