REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Ahmad Fawzi, Director a.i. of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by spokespersons for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the International Organization for Migration.

Geneva Activities

Ahmad Fawzi, Director a.i. of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, informed the press that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
was meeting this morning to complete its review of Norway, and at 3 p.m. would commence its review of the Netherlands, the last country report to be considered this session. The Committee would then meet in private for the remainder of the session before closing it on Friday 28 August and issuing its concluding observations for the reports of Colombia, Costa Rica, Niger, Suriname, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Czech Republic, Norway and Netherlands.

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities started a new session on Monday. This week it would consider the reports of Kenya, Ukraine and Gabon. The reports of Mauritius, Brazil, Qatar and the European Union would be reviewed next week. A background press release was available here.

The Conference on Disarmament was meeting in public this morning and would hold another public meeting on Friday, 21 August 2015, noted Mr. Fawzi.

On the occasion of the seventieth commemoration of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations Office at Geneva was organizing a film screening about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, today, Tuesday 18 August, at 4.30 p.m. in Room XIV of the Palais des Nations. It would be followed by a panel discussion on the humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, and disarmament and non-proliferation education. The Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Michael Møller, would make remarks at the panel discussion. A group of Youth Messengers of Peace from Hiroshima and Nagasaki would also participate in the event.

On 19 August, the United Nations Office at Geneva and humanitarian agencies would celebrate the seventh World Humanitarian Day, announced Mr. Fawzi. The events would include a panel discussion in Room XX from 4.30 p.m. until 5.30 p.m. with the participation of António Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees, Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General of the IFRC, Peter Maurer, President of the ICRC, Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Nan Buzard, Executive Director of the ICVA, as panelists.

The discussion would be followed by the Sérgio Vieira de Mello Foundation Commemoration and Award Ceremony in the same room, from 5.30 to 6 p.m. The commemoration would acknowledge humanitarian workers who had lost their lives in the line of duty, and the award would be presented to the Interfaith Peace Platform from the Central African Republic. The events would be webcast live at http://webtv.un.org. More information on World Humanitarian Day can be found here.

Greece

William Spindler, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), reported that the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece was accelerating dramatically and had now reached the 160,000 mark. The latest figures compiled by UNHCR in Greece showed the number of sea arrivals from 1 January to 14 August 2015 to be 158,456. During the same period, 1,716 refugees and migrants entered Greece through its land border with Turkey, bringing the total number of arrivals (sea and land) to 160,172.

The pace of arrivals had been steadily increasing in recent weeks. More refugees and migrants arrived in Greece during the month of July (50,242) than during the whole of last year (43,500). Last week (8 to 14 August) a total of 20,843 people arrived by sea in Greece, almost half as many as during the whole of 2014. The vast majority of last week’s arrivals were Syrians (16,997 people or 82% of the total), Afghans (2,847 or 14%) and Iraqis (582 or 3%), confirming that the overwhelming majority of arrivals were likely to qualify for refugee status. The latest figures from Greece brought the total number of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean this year to some 264,500, including 158,456 to Greece, approximately 104,000 to Italy, 1,953 to Spain and 94 to Malta.

In response to questions regarding responsibilities of the Greek Government towards the refugees, Mr. Spindler said although there was a lack of reception facilities and poor conditions, many things the Government could do were not dependent on resources. He called on the Government to provide leadership and better coordinate the situation, which would facilitate UNHCR’s job. There was also a need to build up the conditions in the whole country, as well as in neighboring countries, including The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The full text of the media advisory is available here.

Syria

Rupert Colville, for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that the outrageous bombing of a busy local marketplace in the centre of Duma, in Eastern Ghouta of rural Damascus, had deepened the intense suffering of the civilian population in the area, which had been under siege by Government forces since 2013.

According to survivor accounts, on Sunday, there were two rounds of attacks: initial air strikes were followed shortly afterwards by surface-to-surface missiles which hit people who had rushed to the scene to help. At least 111 civilians had reportedly been killed and at least 200 others were injured, many of whom were in a serious condition. The death toll was likely to rise, particularly since those injured were being treated in field hospitals which were sorely inadequate, given that the two-year siege of Duma had led to a serious shortage of medical supplies, said Mr. Colville.

The attacks also resulted in massive destruction of civilian infrastructure, he added. OHCHR had managed to talk directly to some residents of the area, who said that the protracted siege by Government forces was the biggest problem they faced. The residents pointed out that the siege had resulted in more death and destruction than this single incident, particularly horrific though it was.

Any intentional direct attack against civilians or civilian objects as well as the use of indiscriminate weapons in densely populated areas were serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law and could amount to a war crime for which individuals could be held responsible, said Mr. Colville.

OHCHR had repeatedly urged the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, given that calls for accountability and justice in Syria had gone unheeded for four years now.

The OHCHR briefing note can be found here.

Libya

Rupert Colville, for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that OHCHR was extremely concerned by recent events involving militants claiming allegiance to ISIL in Sirte, Libya. It seemed that fighting erupted in the city’s third district after a local imam, Khaled Ben Rajab al-Ferjani, who was known for his vocal opposition to ISIL, was shot dead on 10 August. He was reported to have been killed while resisting abduction by ISIL fighters.

Residents had told the human rights division of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) that most civilians had fled the area where fighting was taking place by the morning of 13 August. The district was reportedly indiscriminately shelled by ISIL forces during the fighting. The total number of fatalities was not yet known, but unconfirmed estimates received by UNSMIL ranged between four and 38.

By 13 August, ISIL had reportedly captured at least 16 men from the third district, said Mr. Colville, and OHCHR had serious concerns about their safety. Witnesses had reported seeing four bodies hung from poles in three separate locations, including a roundabout, in Sirte. It was unclear at this point whether those individuals were killed during the course of the fighting or had been summarily executed. UNSMIL’s human rights division was seeking more information about the incident.

UNSMIL and OHCHR had previously expressed deep concern at apparent reprisals carried out by ISIL militants against civilians in Libya whom they perceived to be opposing them. In July, ISIL deliberately destroyed at least seven homes of Sirte residents, known for their opposition, and also summarily executed a man they accused of “treason,” whose body they put on public display, said Mr. Colville.

In response to a question on alleged collaboration between ISIL and one of competing governments in Libya, Mr. Colville replied that he was not aware of any links and that it was not ISIL’s style to join up with anyone. Sirte was the only major city under ISIL’s control, as Derna was controlled but lost by ISIL in June. ISIL was present in various locations, he added.

Leo Dobbs, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), described how UNHCR and its partners, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), were trying to help Libyans save lives at sea and improve the collection of corpses.

UNHCR had helped to set up a forum to improve Libya’s response to boats in distress off its coast by streamlining information sharing and coordination with international organizations. They hoped that the new contact group would boost Libya’s ability to save lives at sea, collect bodies at sea or along the coast and improve the humanitarian care of the rescued on disembarkation.

The contact group, including Libyan officials responsible for search and rescue, border security and detention centres for rescued or intercepted boat people, was established at a recent workshop in Tunis organized by UNHCR and IOM. Aimed at discussing ways to minimize the loss of life among refugees and migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean from Libya, the contact group would meet at least three times over the coming nine months. It would also provide training in areas such as information management, communications, body retrieval and identification of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants. Funding for the contact group had been provided by the European Union.

The briefing note can be found here.

Yemen

Rupert Colville, for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that civilian casualties continued to be reported as a consequence of the armed conflict in Yemen. Between 31 July and 14 August, at least 119 civilians were killed or injured in Yemen. Of these at least 34 civilians were killed and 85 were wounded. Since the escalation of the armed conflict on 26 March, OHCHR had recorded at least 6,221 civilian casualties. That figure included at least 1,950 civilians killed, and 4,271 wounded.

The OHCHR briefing note can be found here.

Israel – Palestine trade

Matthew Brown, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), briefed that an UNCTAD study launched today looked into ways of assisting the Palestinian people to improve their economic situation. The study reflected on the 2013 World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation, and what Israel’s obligations towards Palestine would entail once the Agreement came into force.

The legal study found that Israel, as a WTO Member and also as an occupying power, would have significant obligations towards Palestine to help Palestine. Those obligations would include the creation of efficient and transparent customs procedures, the reduction of document requirements and processing time, and the strengthening of customs and revenue collection by the Palestinian National Authority.

It was hoped that such measures would reduce the extreme poverty, hunger and unemployment that people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories were experiencing, said Mr. Brown, noting that in 2014 unemployment in Gaza reached an unprecedented 44 per cent. The study was being introduced to Palestinian policymakers in Ramallah, Palestine, today, but it could be read online in English and Arabic on the UNCTAD website, noted Mr. Brown.

Mediterranean migrants

Joel Millman, of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that IOM teams who met survivors of another Mediterranean tragedy this past weekend learned grisly details of an asphyxiation that claimed dozens of migrants’ lives. On Saturday, in the Channel of Sicily, 49 migrants had been found dead on a ship carrying over 300 people. The survivors were rescued by the Italian Navy ship “Cigala Fulgosi”, 21 miles off Libya’s coast.

The tragedy was the latest in a long list of catastrophic events occurring in recent weeks, said Mr. Millman. A total of 350 migrants had died since 5 August, bringing the total number of deaths at sea in the Mediterranean to nearly 2,350 since 1 January 2015.

The IOM briefing note can be found here.

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog180815