REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by spokespersons for the United Nations Office of the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Human Rights Council, the International Organization for Migration, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Development Programme.

Sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva said that, as part of the Secretary-General’s initiative to fight sexual harassment in the workplace and to support victims and witnesses, a number of new measures had been taken. The “Speak up” helpline would be operational from Tuesday 27 February. Open 24 hours a day, the helpline would be a resource for UN Secretariat personnel to speak confidentially with an impartial and trained individual who could provide information on protection, support and reporting mechanisms. The goal was to attend to the needs of personnel, and to empower them to make informed decisions on action, if they wished to do so.

A specialized team focusing on the investigation of sexual harassment was being created, and additional investigators were under recruitment. Particular attention would be given to increasing the number of female investigators. The overall aim of the process was to place the focus on victims. The Secretary-General had underscored the importance of fostering an inclusive environment in which every person was valued and respected. Otherwise the United Nations would not live up to the principles for which it stood as an organization.

Responding to questions, Ms. Vellucci said that the current announcement referred mainly to the United Nations Secretariat. However, the Secretary General had discussed the matter in the context of the Chief Executive Board, which brought together the heads of all United Nations organizations. An inter-agency task force had been set up to ensure that action against harassment would be system-wide.

It was commonly understood that sexual harassment occurred within the organization while sexual abuse or exploitation was when members of the organization exploited their position to obtain sexual favours from persons outside the organization. The Secretary-General had taken measures to address both problems. In the case of peacekeepers, responsibility for taking action ultimately lay with the Member State of the persons accused. In one recent case, a team of Ghanaian peacekeepers in South Sudan, who had been accused of sexual misconduct, had been recalled and confined to barracks, and the UN had received assurances from the Ghanaian authorities that they would collaborate with investigations. The United Nations had a policy of zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse and offered persons guilty of that offence no second chances. An information card had been prepared in six languages to remind persons working for the United Nations of their obligation to abide by the organization’s moral standards.

Asked about the recent reports of aid workers trading food and other assistance for sexual favours in Syria, Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that the United Nations worked with a number of partners in its operation in Syria. The allegations seemed to refer to partners and not to United Nations staff. However, he wished to be clear that the United Nations did not condone, and had never condoned such behaviour, for itself or its partners. The United Nations was a champion of gender equality and women’s rights. The fact that it had achieved gender parity in its senior management positions gave an indication of where the organization stood on that subject.

In response to the same query, Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that it was important to understand that all emergencies involved a risk of sexual abuse and exploitation. To abuse and exploit people in need of assistance was a despicable and dehumanizing act, and UNHCR condemns it unreservedly. When allegations of abuse had surfaced in southern Syria, UNHCR had acted immediately, despite the difficult circumstances on the ground. However, it had no access to the areas where the alleged incidents had occurred and the allegations when they surfaced in 2015 were incomplete, fragmented and unsubstantiated. In Syria, UNHCR worked as part of a concerted UN effort to assist millions of people. The suggestion that the UN somehow controls the situation in a war zone and the implied conclusion that the UN can somehow turn this control on and off is simplistic and disconnected from the reality of aid work in an open conflict.

Responding to a question about the vetting of the organizations with which UNHCR collaborated, Mr. Mahecic said that, in many areas, UNHCR had to work remotely through partners on the ground. From the outset, it demanded that those partners adhere to a strict code of conduct, which covered sexual exploitation and abuse, and included provision for training and capacity-building. Despite the fact that the allegations were uncorroborated in 2015, UNHCR had taken further action by training and capacity building for its partners. In addition, UNHCR has due diligence procedures and as part of follow up in Syria UNHCR introduced additional monitoring and reporting mechanisms, and random checks with aid recipients.

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that practices such as sexual abuse committed by persons delivering aid on behalf of the UN, as had been reported in Syria, was completely unacceptable. WHO had a zero tolerance policy and mechanisms through which staff could report concerns and suspicions of wrongdoing. The WHO Office of Internal Oversight Services was responsible for dealing with cases of sexual harassment and abuse. Persons found to have engaged in such acts would be subjected to disciplinary measures, which included dismissal from service. If they faced criminal proceedings, the WHO would cooperate fully with the national authorities.

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that UNICEF had long included in all its cooperation agreements and contracts a clause prohibiting sexual exploitation and abuse, in accordance with UN policy.

In Syria, UNICEF had taken additional steps to further protect vulnerable women and children, including through the use of third party monitors.

Following the July 2015 meeting in Amman where there were reports of possible cases of sexual exploitation in aid delivery in southern Syria, UNICEF did a review of its local partners and contractors in southern Syria and was not aware of any allegations against them at this point.

Syria – Eastern Ghouta

Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that following military operations on Sunday in East Ghouta, which had claimed the lives of 30 people, including women and children, reports from partners and other reliable sources indicated that the fighting was continuing that morning in and that shelling between East Ghouta and Damascus was ongoing in both directions.

The United Nations was ready to move lifesaving convoys into East Ghouta, and to evacuate hundreds of casualties, as soon as security conditions permitted. In the current situation, that was not possible.

In response to questions, Mr. Laerke said that what people in East Ghouta and throughout Syria urgently needed was the immediate implementation of the 30-day ceasefire, in accordance with the recent Security Council resolution. He called on all sides involved in the conflict to abide by the terms of that resolution. He was unable to comment on unilateral declarations made by one or another of the parties involved. Actions, not words, were needed in order to save lives in East Ghouta. Only a change in the situation on the ground would enable lifesaving programmes to be implemented. The ceasefire mandated by Security Council had to be observed by all the warring parties otherwise there could be no genuine cessation of hostilities.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the United Nations was ready to act but had to be sure that there were no obstacles, physical or administrative standing in its way. Any ceasefire of any length was, of course, welcome but what was required was full implementation of the Security Council resolution. She could not comment on the actions of individual members of the Security Council, but the resolution had been passed unanimously and as stated by SG Guterres on 26 February, it’s now needed to be fully implemented.

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that a medical evacuation plan for East Ghouta did exist. It had been drawn up in 2017. WHO had sent a number requests in that regard to the Syrian authorities. Twenty-nine people had been evacuated from East Ghouta in late December 2017. If and when the plan was implemented, the Syrian Red Crescent Society would be taking the leading role.

Responding to a question about the number of persons to be evacuated from East Ghouta, Mr. Jašareviæ said that a list containing more than 1,000 names had been compiled. Of those, around 600 had been classified as moderate or severe cases.

Mr. Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that the evacuations, when they took place, would of course involve Syrian government authorities.

Responding to a question about how the safety of persons evacuated from East Ghouta would be monitored and guaranteed, Mr. Laerke said that he could not comment on unilateral evacuation plans, but all humanitarian actors agreed that the only way to guarantee the evacuees’ safety was for all the sides involved in the fighting to accept the terms of the ceasefire. He had no information about negotiations for the withdrawal of Al Nusra Front fighters from East Ghouta.

Update on Human Rights Council

Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council, said that the high-level segment of the Human Rights Council would continue that morning. Fifty persons were scheduled to speak. Cuba, Turkmenistan and Uruguay, which had been expected to speak would no longer do so. The high-level segment would continue until noon on Wednesday 28 February, with 20 dignitaries due to deliver statements. That would be followed by the general segment at the ambassadorial level with 10 scheduled speakers.

The Council would then hear from the first of 20 independent experts: the Independent Expert on foreign debt, who would update the Council on recent missions to Panama, Switzerland and Tunisia, and the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, who would provide information on a recent mission to Chile.

There would also be a panel discussion to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.

Responding to questions about the participation of Iranian Justice Minister Alireza Avaie in the Human Rights Council, Mr. Gomez said that the Council did not invite individuals to speak during the high-level segment. It was the sole responsibility of States to designate speakers. While the Council did not subscribe to many of the views it heard, it believed that it was important to dedicate space to many different opinions, with a view to promoting States to act on behalf of victims of human rights violations.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the Iranian Justice Minister was on a European Union sanction list but not on a United Nations Security Council one.

Funding of OHCHR

Elizabeth Throssell, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), made the following statement:

“Norway has pledged to increase its funding for the UN Human Rights Office, giving us up to 150m Norwegian krone – that’s some USD 18m dollars – a year over four years. This increased contribution is all the more valuable at a time when the human rights situation around the world, as signalled by the High Commissioner in his speech to the Human Rights Council on Monday, is bleak.

Norway has long been one of our strongest supporters and its commitment to increase its annual donation is, of course, most welcome. In fact, there is impressive support for human rights from Scandinavia. Denmark is doubling its funding for 2018 from some USD 5m to USD 10m, and in 2017, Sweden was our second biggest donor with some USD16m.

This commitment comes in the context of a global pushback on human rights. Last year, we received a record USD142.8m in voluntary contributions, which was good news, but we still fell short of the funds we needed to respond to all requests for assistance.

We have just launched our appeal for extra-budgetary funding for 2018 – with our most ambitious target yet, amounting to USD278.3m.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 70 this year, and we are using the anniversary to appeal to all UN Member States for voluntary contributions, so we can widen our funding base from the current 63 countries. This is essential not only to fund our work but to show the true breadth and diversity of international support for human rights.

Later this year, the UN Human Rights Office will launch its programme of work for the next four years. The aim is to build support across the world, from Governments and other actors, for human rights, to help prevent violence, to expand civic space – in essence, to help us address the many challenges of our time from a human rights perspective
We therefore hope there will be widespread and sustained support to enhance the predictability and flexibility of our resources, and allow us to stand up for the human rights of everyone, everywhere.”

In answer to questions, Ms. Throssell said that wished to call upon all United Nations Member States to support the work of OHCHR, and she hoped that the list of countries making voluntary contributions would be longer in 2018 than it had been in 2017.

In response to a question about the United States contribution, she said that she understood that the US Congress was currently in the process of discussing the issue of voluntary contributions for 2018 and that more precise information would be available towards the end of March. In 2017, the United States had made a voluntary contribution to OHCHR of just over USD20m.

Ms. Throssell explained that, thanks to all the voluntary contributions it had received in 2017, OHCHR had helped to rehabilitate 45,000 victims of torture. In addition, OHCHR staff had monitored 567 trials around the world. They had also monitored demonstrations, sometimes at great personal risk, for example in DRC. One vital aspect of OHCHR work was human rights training. In 2017, it had conducted 2,600 training courses for around 54,700 government and civil society partners in more than 50 countries. The courses had covered issues such as monitoring human rights abuses, access to justice, responsible business practices, anti-discrimination standards and interaction with UN treaty bodies and the Human Rights Council. OHCHR had more than 60 field offices distributed all over the world. All the offices did vital work although, clearly, the situation was much more challenging in some areas than in others.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Responding to a question about the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Elizabeth Throssell for the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that the Office had received confirmation that two persons had been killed during protests at the weekend, while 47 people had been injured and 102 had suffered arbitrary arrest, including two women and one child. The OHCHR had already expressed its concern about recurring patterns of repression in DRC. The right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly had to be respected and the violent suppression of protests would not resolve the country’s political tensions.

Lassa Fever in Nigeria

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), made the following statement:

“The latest figures released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) found that between 1 January and 25 February 2018, 1,081 suspected cases were reported, of which 317 were laboratory confirmed. Of these 90 deaths were reported and 64 lab confirmed. The number of confirmed cases during the past eight weeks is more than the 305 cases reported in the whole of 2017, which until now had the biggest Lassa fever outbreak.

Lassa fever is endemic to several West African countries. Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone have all reported confirmed Lassa cases in the past month. While Lassa fever is endemic to Nigeria, the current outbreak continues to report high numbers, generating strong concerns. Seventeen states are reporting cases, but the outbreak is concentrated in hotspots in the three southern states of Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi. Currently it is too early to say why this year’s outbreak is so extensive as investigation is still ongoing.

WHO is helping to coordinate health actors and is joining rapid risk assessment teams travelling to hot spots to investigate the outbreak. WHO is supporting the Lassa fever Emergency Operations Centre at the NCDC to revise the Lassa fever Incident Action Plan, and to strengthen surveillance, infection prevention, control and treatment, as well as better coordination and conducting Lassa fever research and development.

WHO initially donated 40 boxes of personal protective equipment and other infection prevention and control materials to the NCDC and to the affected states. WHO is also supporting NCDC coordination with key national and state health actors, and stakeholders, and with partners in the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) for additional technical support as necessary.

The outbreak is overstretching health facilities in the hot spots and WHO is working with the state governments and the non-governmental partners, ALIMA and Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) to rapidly expand treatment centres.

Health workers need to be sensitized on the proper management of Lassa fever patients, including the wearing of personal protective equipment and treating patients in dedicated centres. WHO will be providing training to health care workers in infection, prevention and control of diseases within the health care setting in the areas most affected by Lassa fever.

The response to Lassa fever involves a wide range of partners who are providing different kinds of expertise and support. The partners include United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, ALIMA (Alliance for International Medical Action), Nigeria Red Cross Society, UNICEF, University of Maryland and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness of 2-21 days duration that occurs in West Africa. The Lassa virus is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or faeces. Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in hospitals lacking adequate infection prevention and control measures. Lassa fever is known to be endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, but probably exists in other West African countries as well.

The overall case-fatality rate is 1 per cent. Observed case-fatality rate among patients hospitalized with severe cases of Lassa fever is 15 per cent. About 80 per cent of people who become infected with Lassa virus have no symptoms. One in five infections result in severe disease, where the virus affects several organs such as the liver, spleen and kidneys. There is no vaccine for Lassa fever but antiviral ribavirin is proved to be effective if given in the early period of the disease. The incubation period of Lassa fever ranges from 6–21 days.”

In response to questions, Mr. Jašareviæ said that the best way to prevent avoid Lassa fever was through good community hygiene, which meant minimizing contact with rodents through appropriate food storage and waste management. As in the case of Ebola, Lassa fever could be transmitted from person to person through bodily fluids. That meant that health-care workers were at greater risk than others, particularly if they were inadequately trained and equipped. It was also important to isolate suspected cases. Haemorrhaging could occur in the later stages of the disease, if untreated, but mortality rates were much lower than for Ebola.

Update on Monsoon preparations in Bangladesh

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), made the following statement:

“The UN Migration Agency is providing search and rescue training; setting up emergency medical centres; establishing bases for work crews and light machinery; and upgrading shelters to mitigate disasters when the monsoon and cyclone season hits the world’s biggest refugee settlement in the Cox’s Bazar region of Bangladesh in coming weeks. 
 
As Bangladesh’s annual wet season approaches, IOM is also working to secure infrastructure and boost resilience among Rohingya refugees and the local community. This includes the creation of disaster risk reduction safety committees to warn the refugees of what to expect and how to prepare for the wind and rain that are expected to bring deadly floods and landslides to the Cox’s Bazar camps.

Around 700,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar over the past six months. Most now live in tarpaulin shelters on bare, unstable slopes – ground which will quickly turn to mud when the rains arrive.

Studies prepared by IOM and its partners indicate that at least 100,000 refugees and vulnerable families in the local community face life-threatening risks from landslides and floods. Thousands more refugees are also at risk from disease and may be unable to get aid, if flooding cuts off access to parts of the settlement.

On 1 March, IOM will take part in a one day emergency simulation to help develop rapid and coordinated responses to emergency situations. Other participants will include members of the independent,  multi-agency Inter Sector Coordination Group (ICSG), UNHCR, government authorities and local agencies.

Work to improve roads and drainage, stabilize slopes, protect against further erosion, and upgrade 120,000 shelters before the rains arrive is already underway. But given the scale of the refugee population, the lack of suitable land, and the challenging  environmental conditions, it will be impossible to move everyone at risk. Rapid emergency response action will be vital to reduce loss of life.

To boost resilience in face of the dangerous conditions ahead, at least 650 people from the refugee and local communities are receiving search and rescue, and first aid training  from IOM, in conjunction with Bangladeshi Fire Service and Civil Protection Department. Those trained will act as community focal points in emergency situations, spreading early warning messages for weather events and assisting in first line emergency response.

With landslides and mud expected to cause road closures and blockages of major drains and waterways, it will be crucial to be able to clear these as quickly as possible.  Light machinery will be installed and work crews established at ten strategic points across the district as part of the Site Maintenance Engineering Project – a joint initiative between IOM, UNHCR and WFP.”

Accession of Chad to UNECE Water Convention

Jean Rodriguez for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), made the following statement:

“Chad has become the first African country and the first country outside the pan-European region to accede to UNECE's Water Convention, which has been providing a framework for cooperation and exchange on water for the past 20 years.

This is a major breakthrough given the importance of water cooperation for sustainable development and peace, especially given the security situation around Lake Chad over the past years.

The inextricable links between water, peace and security were stressed by Secretary-General at the Security Council in June 2017. The SG stressed ‘it is essential that nations cooperate to ensure water is shared equitably and used sustainably’.

Chad is a landlocked country facing significant water management challenges and largely dependent on water resources shared with its neighbours — Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Libya, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan. In a context of growing water scarcity, effective cooperation between countries is increasingly important.

By acceding to the Convention, Chad confirms its strong commitment to the sustainable management of transboundary waters through the principles and rules of international law.

Chad’s accession to the Water Convention builds on decades of cooperation with neighbouring countries, in particular in the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Niger Basin Authority.

The UNECE was issuing a press release that included a quote from the Minister of Environment, Water and Fisheries of Chad, Mr. Sidick Abdelkerim Haggar, explaining the country’s decision.

UNECE Executive Secretary stated that ‘sustainable water management is of cross-cutting importance for achieving the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals, notably target 6.5 which aims, to implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation by 2030.’ UNECE, together with UNESCO, is a custodian agency for reporting on SDG indicator 6.5.2, which measures transboundary water cooperation.

The process of acceding to the Water Convention has already helped to bring key stakeholders in Chad together to address concerns and priorities for the country’s water management. These include government as well as parliament and civil society.

By chance, Chad’s accession to the Convention, which was reported to the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs in New York last week, coincides with the Saving Lake Chad Conference currently being held in Abuja, Nigeria. The high-level segment of the Conference will take place tomorrow morning and the leaders of all the countries participating are expected to participate.”

In response to a question concerning the viability of the project to create a channel from the Ubangi River to replenish Lake Chad and bring water to Sahel countries, Mr. Rodriguez said that the project did not currently fall within the ambit of the Water Convention. However, the issue was one of the agenda items of the conference currently being held in Abuja. The next meeting of States parties to the Water Convention would be held in October 2018 in Kazakhstan. Other African countries had also expressed an interest in joining the Convention, notably Ghana and Senegal.

Geneva events and announcements

Jean-Luc Martinage, for the International Labour Organization (ILO), said that ILO would be soon be launching its "World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends for Women 2018 – Global snapshot”. The Snapshot would provide updated statistics on employment and unemployment rates for women, as compared to men, women’s participation in the labour market throughout the world, their salaries and their access to social security. The document would be presented at a press conference on Wednesday 7 March by Damian Grimshaw, the new ILO head of research, and Shauna Olney, ILO head of gender, equality and diversity. It would be under embargo until 10 p.m. on that day.

Sarah Bel, for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said that UNDP was organizing a photography exhibition in the Palais des Nations entitled “Survivors – Stories of survivors of violent extremism in Sub-Saharan Africa”. The event, which showcased the work of the photographer Malin Fezehai, would be officially opened at 1 p.m. on Wednesday 28 March by the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands and the Permanent Representative of Chad. It was due to run until 9 March.

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that a press conference was to be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday 1 March for the occasion of World Hearing Day, which fell on 3 March. The conference would serve to give the latest statistics on hearing loss throughout the world. Currently, around 466 million, of whom 34 million were children, suffered from disabling hearing loss. The Conference would also highlight potential hearing problems arising from excessive exposure to sound on personal audio devices, in workplaces and at entertainment venues.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the Conference on disarmament continued today its high-level segment, during which it would hear this morning and this afternoon (following the provisional list of speakers) statements from dignitaries of Slovenia, Spain, Senegal, Republic of Korea, Sweden, Canada, Egypt, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Ireland and Japan. This high-level segment was set to last until tomorrow midday.

Ms. Vellucci also said the Committee on the rights of persons with disabilities was concluding this morning its review of the report of Seychelles. This afternoon, the Committee would begin its review of the report of Russian Federation.

Ms. Vellucci added that the Committee on the elimination of discrimination against women was reviewing today the report of Saudi Arabia.

Press conferences

Tuesday, 27 February at 1:30 p.m. in Room III
Permanent Mission of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Press Conference by Jorge Arreaza Montserrat, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
http://bit.ly/2CqSlX2

Wednesday, 28 February at 1:00 p.m. in Room III
Permanent Mission of the State of Libya
Current state of migration situation in Libya
http://bit.ly/2osTc0Y

Friday, 2 March at 12:00 p.m. in Room III
Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar
Latest update on the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar
http://bit.ly/2BT8uDO

Tuesday, 6 March at 9:30 a.m. in Room III
UN Environment
Promote, Protect, Respect Environmental Rights
Launch of the UN Environmental Rights Initiative
http://bit.ly/2GML7L9

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog270218