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 the spokespersons for the World Health Organization, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration and the International Labour Organization. Later, Catherine Huissoud, of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, took over the chair.

UNOG campaign against casual sexism
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that Director-General of United Nations Office at Geneva, Michael Møller, had launched a campaign to combat casual sexism in the Organization, and encouraged everyone to support it.
Responding to a question from a journalist, she said that, although the Organization would not have the power to take action in the case of a perpetrator who was not a staff member, it could nevertheless raise awareness among the hierarchies of other institutions concerned and encourage discussion on the subject.

World Health Assembly
Fadela Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the second day of the seventy-first World Health Assembly would include discussions in Committee A on Health, environment and climate change, Addressing the global shortage of, and access to, medicines and vaccines, and the Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property. At 2.30 p.m., discussions would begin on the Draft thirteenth general programme of work, 2019–2023; they were expected to last the whole afternoon. The second technical briefing would take place at 12 midday on “Primary health care is key to achieving universal health coverage and health for all”, in the lead-up to the fortieth anniversary of the Alma Ata Declaration on primary health care and the High-level meeting on health coverage to be held in New York in 2019, in line with a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly.

On Wednesday 23 May, there would be an information session on the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Mr. Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General of Emergency Preparedness and Response, together with representatives from WHO and Member States. The discussion at the Assembly would then continue as outlined in the agenda, with items on public health preparedness and response, the report of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergency Programme and WHO’s work in health emergencies.

Ebola in DRC

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that, according to information provided by the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday 22 May 2018, the total number of cases of Ebola was 51, of which 28 had been confirmed in the laboratory, 21 were probable and 2 were suspected cases. There had been 27 deaths so far.
Vaccination had begun in Mbandaka on Sunday 21 May, with a total of 33 people, including health workers and some persons in communities in Mbandaka, vaccinated - the Regional Director of the Epidemiology Programme had been the first person to be vaccinated. The vaccinations would continue in Mbandaka the next day and it was hoped that the campaign in Bikoro would begin in about one week’s time, after preparatory work led by the Ministry of Health, with the support of WHO, Médecins Sans Frontières, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
In response to questions from journalists, Mr. Jašareviæ said that there were now several branches of infection within the outbreak, as each individual infected had his or her own ring of contacts. A total of 540 vaccines had been sent to Mbandaka and would be administered as soon as the preparatory work of installing the cold chain, training the vaccination teams and carrying out social mobilization within the communities affected had been done. Community engagement was an essential part of the process, and UNICEF and IFRC would be working with the communities to explain the background and the procedure before vaccinations teams could be sent in. Those in the ring of contacts of known cases would be identified and their informed consent would need to be obtained before they could be vaccinated. They would then be monitored by medical staff at 3 days and 14 days after vaccination. As the vaccination was still in the experimental stage, it was not yet known how long it remained effective. A mobile laboratory had already been set up in Bikoro and another was being established in Mbandaka. So far 7,540 vaccines had been shipped to the country, and a total of 300,000 had been made available. The vaccines had been donated by the manufacturers, thus facilitating the use of funds given by governments and organizations to cover operational costs.
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) would be giving a press conference on the response to the Ebola outbreak in press room 1 at 1 p.m. on Tuesday 22 May 2018.

Migrant deportations from Algeria

Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the High Commissioner would be making a speech that afternoon in Vienna to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action on human rights, in which he would draw attention to the current backsliding on human rights commitments, particularly in Europe.

She then made the following statement:

“We call on the Government of Algeria to cease the collective expulsions of migrants, particularly from sub-Saharan African countries. While exact figures are difficult to obtain, the number of people expelled is believed to run into many thousands.

A UN human rights team earlier this month visited Niamey, Agadez and Arlit in Niger where they interviewed 25 migrants who had been expelled from Algeria in recent months, as well as speaking to others familiar with the situation. What they heard was that Algerian authorities frequently carry out mass round-ups of sub-Saharan African migrants in various parts of the country. Our team heard of three incidents that took place in Oran on 9 March, 8 and 14 April, in the Duira neighbourhood of Algiers on 10 and 19 April, and in Boufarik on 18 April. Raids are reportedly carried out on construction sites in Algiers, as well as in neighbourhoods known to be populated by the migrants. Some also reported having been stopped in the street and detained.

What is particularly worrying is that most of the people we spoke to said that they were not subjected to individualised assessments, and were not informed of the reasons for their detention, nor were they allowed to pick up their belongings, passports or money before they were expelled. Many had to leave behind everything they had.

While some were transferred to Niger rapidly, others were detained in military bases in Blida and Zeralda on the outskirts of the city of Algiers or in a compound in Oran before being transferred to Tamanrasset in southern Algeria. Conditions of detention are reported to be inhuman and degrading. From Tamanrasset, Nigeriens are transferred by bus to Agadez in Niger, while the others are crammed into big trucks to be transferred to the Nigerien border where they are abandoned and left to walk hours in the desert heat to cross the border into Niger.

We heard testimony indicating that migrants who remain in Algeria are, understandably, very fearful. There are also concerns that the campaign of expulsions would foster racism and xenophobia against sub-Saharan Africans.

The collective expulsion of migrants, without individual assessment or any due process guarantees, is deeply alarming and not in line with Algeria’s obligations under international human rights law, including the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, which Algeria has ratified. According to international human rights law, migrants shall not be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. In case of arrest, detention and expulsion, due process guarantees including the right to legal advice and assistance, the right to consular protection, the right to information and the right to a remedy, shall be respected. They shall not be arbitrarily deprived of property or documents. Returns should be only carried out in accordance with international law, in safe conditions and with dignity.

We urge Algeria to implement the recommendations made by the Committee on Migrant Workers in April, including to explicitly prohibit collective expulsions and establish monitoring mechanisms to ensure that expulsions of migrant workers are carried out in strict compliance with international standards. The Committee also called on Algeria to ensure respect for the right to seek asylum and the principle of non-refoulement.”

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that his Organization had issued the following statement by Mr. Giuseppe Loprete, IOM Chief of Mission in Niger:

“Just over the past four months we’ve rescued and assisted about 3,000 migrants from all nationalities in West Africa. Most commonly the victims are from Mali, Guinea Conakry and Cameroon. Migrants reach the border at Assamaka, a small village on Niger territory, now the most used entry and exit point between Algeria and Niger.

We notice three common scenarios:

1. Migrants are stopped by the police in Algeria while attempting to enter the country.

2. Migrants are expelled from Algeria after having been detected on construction sites or at other jobs where migrants toil, at times for several years.

3. Migrants coming back from Libya via Algeria to Niger.

All migrants — irrespective of their nationality or condition — tell us stories of abuse, threats and violence while on the road. IOM, as well as human rights organizations, are recording their stories.

Almost all migrants suffer from evident trauma; they don’t accept their condition and don’t understand why this is happening.

While showing scars on their bodies, some migrants repeat shocking descriptions of the abuses they’ve suffered.

Once dropped by trucks 20–30 km from the border, migrants start walking under the heat at 45 C, usually without water, and often carrying children or what few belongings they manage to bring with them. There is only sand and desert around them, dunes where migrants have lost their lives — often unrecorded or recognized. Some migrants have shared their videos, captured with their own mobile phones. Over 1,500 migrants are now in Agadez, Niger at the IOM transit centre hoping to reach home soon.”

In answer to questions from journalists, Ms. Shamdasani said that no exact figures were available on the number of undocumented migrants in Algeria and the Committee on Migrant Workers had requested the Algerian Government to provide them. However, the collective expulsions also affected documented migrants, as the migrants’ documents were only very rarely checked. Moreover, migrants being expelled were asked to give their thumbprints on documents written in Arabic, which many of them did not understand. All governments were under both a moral and a legal obligation to ensure that migrants were treated humanely; they should not be arbitrarily arrested or deprived of their personal property and any returns that did take place must be conducted in accordance with the law, safely and in dignity.

Mr. Millman, responding to questions from journalists, said that, although no statistics were as yet available, there had been a clear increase in the number of Algerian nationals attempting to cross the Mediterranean, shown in both the number of drownings and the number of migrants arriving in the Balkan countries. There seemed to be a general increase currently in expulsions of migrants from many countries, but it should be remembered that countries with petroleum-based economies, in particular, always attracted migrant workers.

Venezuela

Responding to a question from a journalist, Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that, in March 2018, the High Commissioner had expressed his serious concern about the human rights context in Venezuela, including repression and restrictions to the rights of freedom of expression, opinion, association and peaceful assembly, as well as political participation, did not fulfil the minimum conditions for free and credible elections.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the United Nations Secretary-General had taken note of the results of the presidential elections in Venezuela. Beyond the current political juncture, the Secretary‑General remained concerned about the current situation in Venezuela as major challenges continue to severely affect the welfare and livelihoods of its people. He had called on political actors to address these challenges urgently, within the framework of respect for the rule of law and human rights.

Health care in Libya

Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), made the following statement:

“Violence in Libya continues to have a devastating impact on health care in the country, with hospitals and other medical facilities bombed, shelled and looted; medical personnel targeted, attacked and even taken hostage or arbitrarily detained; and patients at times denied prompt life-saving care or attacked while getting treatment, according to a paper published today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

“These attacks are a major violation of international law and a tragic disregard of our common humanity. All too often, there is no respect for the sick and no sanctity for those who provide care. This must end,” said Ghassan Salamé, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of UNSMIL.

Between 1 May 2017 and 1 May 2018, the UN has recorded 36 attacks on medical facilities, personnel or patients, although the actual number is likely to be significantly higher.

Among the incidents cited, the Sabha Medical Centre in southern Libya was shelled or hit by stray bullets 15 times between February and May. In November 2017, the Jalaa Hospital in Benghazi saw people shooting in the corridors with AK-47s. On 18 February, a woman in labour and her unborn child died when armed men delayed their passage at a checkpoint as they were trying to leave Derna.

Armed groups, including those formally integrated into Ministries, have assaulted, threatened and even unlawfully deprived healthcare workers of liberty. Doctors and other hospital staff face insults, intimidation and beatings by fighters seeking preferential treatment for injured members of their armed groups and their relatives. In one case, a fighter reportedly held a gun to a doctor’s head, forcing the doctor to resuscitate his mother.

Under international humanitarian law, which applies to situations of armed conflict, hospitals and other medical facilities, medical personnel and medical transport must be respected and protected at all times, while attacks targeting them are prohibited.

“Threatening doctors at gunpoint, attacking medical facilities, preventing sick and wounded people from receiving timely treatment – this is utterly shameful behaviour, affecting some of the most vulnerable people in Libya, and the healthcare workers who have the power to help them,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said. “Intentionally directing attacks against medical facilities and personnel, wilful killing or harming of sick or wounded people may constitute war crimes.””

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the Special Representative for Libya, Ghassan Salamé, had given a briefing to the United Nations Security Council the previous day on the situation in Libya.

Responding to questions from journalists, Ms. Shamdasani said that there were no reliable figures for the number of attacks that had occurred and the number of 36 was very likely to be much lower than the real figure. The reasons behind the attacks were equally uncertain and could include demands for preferential treatment or a failure to distinguish between legitimate military objectives and civilian facilities.

Sharp rise in forced displacement in north of Central America

Aikaterini Kitidi, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), made the following statement:

“UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is seeing a significant increase in the number of people fleeing violence and persecution in the North of Central America. With many individuals on the move and in serious peril, we are calling on the international community to uphold their protection needs, while helping countries in the North of Central America address the root causes.

More than 294,000 asylum seekers and refugees from the North of Central America were registered globally as of the end of 2017, an increase of 58 per cent from a year earlier. This is sixteen times more people than at the end of 2011.

Applications for refugee status by people from this region are also increasing worldwide. Between 2011 and 2017, 350,000 refugee applications were made globally. Among them, nearly 130,500 were filed in 2017 alone.

The vast majority of those fleeing are seeking refugee protection either to the north in Belize, Mexico and the United States, or (and increasingly) to the south in Costa Rica and Panama. Many are vulnerable women, or children either unaccompanied by or who have become separated from their families.

We hear repeatedly from people requesting refugee protection, including from a growing number of children, that they are fleeing forced recruitment into armed criminal gangs and death threats. As people journey across borders and onwards they face numerous dangers, including violence at the hands of criminal groups, often leaving women in particular vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation. Yet, faced in their home countries with high levels of homicide, particularly affecting women, as well as violence against women and LGBTI communities, people are taking these journeys out of desperation.

UNHCR has been working with governments and civil society partners to help matters through a tailored regional protection and solutions framework known locally known by its Spanish acronym, MIRPS. Through this framework, people who are forcibly displaced can access improved reception and shelter capacity, more efficient and effective refugee procedures, and enhanced solutions. These include ensuring that refugees and asylum seekers have access to national welfare assistance programmes and job markets. The latter in particular helps with integration, as it means refugees can contribute back to their host communities. In addition, the framework sets out shared mechanisms for resettlement or other legal pathways for those most at risk, while enhancing cooperation with development actors to address the root causes of forced displacement in the sub-region.

However, the needs in the region are huge. For this year, UNHCR’s work requires some US$36.2 million to provide protection and assistance to those affected by the North of Central America situation. So far only 12 per cent of the funding needed has been received.”

Responding to questions from journalists, Ms. Aikitidi said that every individual who feared for his or her life or safety must have access to an asylum procedure. Preserving family unity was a fundamental tenet of refugee protection. The unity of the family should be preserved in the best interest of children and society as a whole. Most of the people attempting to enter the United States across its southern border were coming from three Central American countries – Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras – which were experiencing high levels of violence and persecution, often targeting children and youth and forcing families to flee. There were some circumstances which would necessitate taking a child into care, for example where the relationship was questionable and especially where trafficking may be suspected. The best interest of the child should always be a primary consideration. As regarded detention, UNHCR encouraged States to use alternatives to detention for asylum-seekers while their claims were processed. Detention should be the last resort and special facilities should be provided to ensure family unity. The United States of America had a strong track record and expertise in ensuring proper reception for families.

Efforts to protect Bangladeshi Villagers, Rohingya Refugees from Monsoon Flooding

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

“A major canal dredging and renovation project is underway to protect local residents and refugees in southern Bangladesh from impending monsoon floods. The project is one of several initiated by IOM, the UN Migration Agency, to safeguard hundreds of thousands of people in Cox’s Bazar ahead of heavy monsoon rains and the cyclone season.

Over nine kilometres of abandoned canals are currently being dredged and renovated in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya sub-district to prevent flooding and allow water runoff during heavy rains in the region, which is prone to some of the heaviest monsoon downpours in Bangladesh.”

Latest on Mediterranean arrivals

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that in the month of May 2018, for the first time since 2016, the number of migrants arriving in Italy had been less than those arriving in Spain and Greece, figures for the latter being more than twice those for Italy. Arrivals to Italy in May 2017 had numbered over 1,000 each day, while May 2018 had seen just over 1,000 for the whole month.

UNHCR announcements

Aikaterini Kitidi, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that UNHCR would be giving a briefing on Wednesday 23 May at 10 a.m. in room XXVI on the situation in Nigeria and the Lake Chad region, with speakers including Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and the UNHCR Regional Representative for West Africa and Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Nigeria Situation, Ms. Liz Kpam Ahua.

ILO announcements

Hans von Rohland, for the International Labour Organization (ILO), said that ILO would be launching its joint report with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on the impact of HIV and AIDS on the world of work: Global estimates on Thursday 24 May.

He also said that there would also be a press conference 24 May at 10:00 a.m. in Press Room 1 on the Preparation of new ILO standards to fight harassment and violence at work, with Manuela Tomei, Director, Working Conditions and Equality Department.

Finally, he announced that the President of Colombia and Nobel laureate, Juan Manuel Santos, would speak to the International Labour Conference on 1 June 2018, as would the President of Ireland and the President of the Central African Republic on 7 June 2018.

Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said the Committee on the Rights of the Child would review of the initial report of the Russian Federation under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography on Tuesday morning; that would be followed by the report of Lesotho under the Convention on Wednesday on Tuesday afternoon and that of Norway on Wednesday afternoon. All the meetings would take place at the Palais Wilson.

Ms. Vellucci also said that the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, also meeting at the Palais Wilson, would begin its work on Tuesday morning and review the report of Honduras in the afternoon, followed by that of Austria on Wednesday afternoon and that of Albania on Thursday afternoon.

She further said that the United Nations Secretary-General had issued a message to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May 2018.

Press Conferences
Monday 28 May at 12.30 p.m. in Room I
OCHA
The deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic.
Press conference by Ms. Najat Rochdi, Humanitarian Coordinator in the Central African Republic

Tuesday, 22 May at 2:30 p.m. in Room III
UNRWA
Launch of UNRWA 2017 Annual Health Report, with particular highlights on current situation of health and health care situation in Gaza
Press conference by Dr Akihiro Seita, Director of Health
https://bit.ly/2kguazK

Wednesday, 23 May at 11.00 a.m. in Press Room 1
UNCTAD
Publication: Special Issue of the Commodities at a Glance Series : the Shale Gas (Embargo 24 May at 5 pm GMT)
Press conference by Janvier Nkurunziza, Chief, Commodity Research and Analysis Section, Alexandra Laurent, Statistician, Commodities Branch
https://bit.ly/2rQvNr9

Friday, 25 May at 12:00 p.m. in Press Room 1
UNCTAD
Presentation of the Economic Development in Africa Report 2018 - Migration and Structural Transformation (Embargo 31 May at 5 pm GMT)
Press conference by Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary General, Paul Akiwumi, Director, Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes
https://bit.ly/2wmsiyl

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The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog220518