REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service, United Nations Office at Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by spokespersons for the Human Rights Council, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Organization for Migration and the World Health Organization.

Syria

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service, read the following statement:

“This morning, Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Syria invited Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States for joint consultations at the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The Special Envoy would like to take this opportunity to follow-up on the 25 June meeting and discuss with senior representatives of these countries the way ahead on the political process pursuant to Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), including the United Nations effort to facilitate the establishment of a constitutional committee, and the broader dimensions of the effort.

Special Envoy de Mistura is set to brief the Security Council during the General Assembly next week in New York on 18 September.”

In response to journalists’ questions, Ms. Vellucci said that the briefing before the Security Council would be webcast live.

Human Rights Council

Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council, said that the Council would continue its dialogue that morning with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, and with Adama Dieng, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide. That was due to be followed by a briefing by Inga Rhonda King, President of the Economic and Social Council, and the presentation of a series of thematic human rights reports by Kate Gilmore, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Council would then hold its general debate on Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and
cultural rights, including the right to development, which was scheduled to continue through the afternoon until the end of the day.

On Monday 17 September, the Commissions of Inquiry on Burundi and on the Syrian Arab Republic were scheduled to present their written reports, followed by an oral update from the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan. The Commission of Inquiry on Burundi will hold a press stakeout on Monday, 17 September at 12:00 p.m. near Room XX at the end of the interactive dialogue on Burundi and presentation of their report to the Human Rights Council. The Permanent Mission of South Sudan was likely to give a press conference following the meeting but details were not yet available. The Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar was to present its report at 9 a.m. on Tuesday 18 September. The report itself would be made available under embargo before the meeting.

Yemen

Hervé Verhoosel, for the World Food Programme (WFP), read the following statement:

“The security situation in Hudaydah is deteriorating rapidly with the conflict threatening the continuity of humanitarian assistance to the city and surrounding areas where needs are among the highest in the country.

Humanitarian workers, infrastructure and food have been targeted in recent days. A number of security incidents have been reported since Wednesday including at the Red Sea Mill silos, which are responsible for milling a quarter of WFP monthly wheat requirements. Furthermore, a mortar shell launched by an unidentified armed group also hit a WFP warehouse in Hudaydah holding enough food to assist 19,200 very hungry people. A guard at the warehouse was injured as a result of the incident.

Fighting has been reported in extremely close proximity to the WFP office and guests house on multiple occasions, which could potentially compromise the safety and security of 33 WFP staff in Hudaydah city currently working round the clock to assist Yemenis suffering from acute hunger and malnutrition. WFP is doing everything it can to ensure the safety and security of its staff.

The ongoing clashes taking place near the Red Sea Mill silos, a critical facility for WFP operations, could impact the agency’s ability to feed up to 3.5 million very hungry people in northern and central Yemen for one month. The ongoing clashes could jeopardize the shipments of 46,000 tons of wheat expected to arrive in Hudaydah within the next ten days.

The importance of the Red Sea Mills silos cannot be underestimated. Every month they store large quantities of wheat for WFP and are responsible for milling about a quarter of the wheat flour the agency distributes to some of the hungriest people in the country.

Despite the uptick in violence, operations are ongoing and WFP will do everything it can to ensure its operations continue throughout the region without interruption. In August, despite high levels of conflict in southern Hudaydah, WFP provided emergency food assistance to around 700,000 people, out of 900,000 people in the governorate considered to be at severe risk.

WFP is extremely concerned about the series of security incidents in Hudaydah city these past few days in and around deconflicted sites critical for the humanitarian response in Yemen. With 8.4 million people facing serious hunger in Yemen, we cannot afford any activities that would disrupt operations aiming to provide food and nutrition.

We condemn any attempt by any side of the conflict to use humanitarian aid and facilities as a tool in this violent conflict and appeal to all parties to the conflict to let aid workers do their work. WFP warehouses, trucks, facilities, silos and most importantly staff are neutral and should not be used by any party to the conflict or targeted by any party to the conflict. Yemen has been and will continue to be on the brink of a famine and we have been working around the clock over the last two and a half years to ensure that this does not happen. WFP will hold parties accountable for any breach of its facilities and warehouses.

The agency’s message to all groups involved is: ‘Do not use our facilities as part of your conflict ground and do not target our warehouses on grounds that it has been breached. Enough!”

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), read the following statement:

“After more than three years of fighting, the situation of children in Yemen is getting worse not better. Yemen has the largest number of children in need of humanitarian aid globally. Over 11 million children – 80 per cent of the country’s children – desperately need humanitarian assistance. Social services are barely functioning and the whole country is on the verge of collapse. When services fail, children are the first to suffer.

September means back to school in many countries, including Yemen. The school year started on 9 September in the South, and it should start on September 15 in the North.

Children’s education is one of the greatest casualties of war. Like other sectors, the education sector in Yemen is on the brink of collapse because of the ongoing conflict, political divide among parties to the conflict, and chronic underdevelopment.

For this school year, UNICEF estimates that 2 million children are out of school and that close to 4 million other primary school students are at risk of losing access to education – mainly in the northern provinces of Yemen – because about 67 per cent of public school teachers across the country have not been paid for nearly two years. Many have looked for other work to survive or are only teaching a few subjects.

The quality of education is at stake. Children are not getting their full lessons due to the absence of their teachers. Even when schools are functioning, the schools days and years are shortened. More than 2,500 schools are out of use; 66 per cent of them damaged by airstrikes and ground fighting, 27 per cent closed and 7 per cent used by armed groups or as shelters by displaced populations.

Education is important because children who cannot go to school in a country like Yemen face a bleak future. Boys are early targets for military recruiters. Over 2,635 children (all boys) have been recruited and are being used by armed forces and armed groups. Girls are at greater risk of marriage. A 2016 survey in six governorates revealed that close to three quarters of women had been married before the age of 18 and 44.5 per cent before the age of 15. Out-of-school children become illiterate and unskilled parents, transmitting poverty to the next generation.

Thanks to the UNICEF response so far in 2018, more than 142,000 children have been provided with access to education via temporary learning spaces, school rehabilitation, school grants, and classroom furniture. More than 70,000 children are receiving psychosocial support. More than 131 schools have been rehabilitated; others are currently being rehabilitated.

Peace and recovery are an absolute must if children in Yemen are to resume their schooling and get the quality education they urgently need and are entitled to. We call upon all education authorities across Yemen to work together to find an immediate solution to provide salaries for all teachers and education staff. The international community, donors and development partners should also support incentives for teachers while searching for long-term solutions to the salary crisis in Yemen.”

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, reminded journalists of a statement made the previous day by Lise Grande, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, who had asked parties to the conflict “to do absolutely everything possible to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and ensure people have access to the aid they are entitled to and need to survive”.

In response to questions from journalists, Mr. Verhoosel said that no stock had been stolen from WFP facilities in Hudaydah but, as a result of the attacks, stock in certain warehouses was no longer useable or accessible. The attacks against the Red Sea Mill silos were particularly worrying because a wheat shipment of 46,000 tons was due to arrive in the coming 10 days and would transit though the silos. It was difficult to say whether the attacks had been deliberate or collateral but reports suggested that the facilities had been hit by mortar fire, which was usually targeted. WFP therefore renewed its appeal to all parties not to target or attack any humanitarian sites.

Colombia-Venezuelan border

Hervé Verhoosel, for the World Food Programme (WFP), read the following statement:

“Colombia is facing an unprecedented crisis as thousands of people from Venezuela continue to cross the border daily due to lack of food, medicine and other basic needs. Colombians and their Government are doing all they can to step up to this challenge. The country has made progress in its peace process and ending hunger; however, as the migration crisis grows in proportion, recent gains are being jeopardized.

The crisis is affecting host families and communities receiving large numbers of migrants, particularly indigenous communities which welcome new arrivals but face very difficult living conditions.

WFP is providing food assistance to the most vulnerable in Colombia as well as Ecuador — where many migrants are now heading — especially women and children, who lack access to basic services, face protection risks and do not know where their next meal is coming from. Migrants are highly vulnerable. Usually women are the heads of the most vulnerable families, who have limited access to basic services and face risks, such as being recruited into sex work or by armed groups.

When migrant families arrive at temporary shelters, they receive hot meals and can stay for 3 to 5 days, but they have to leave to make room for new arrivals. Many of them become homeless or live in informal settlements. It is difficult for migrants to find jobs, which creates uncertainty as to how they will manage to feed their families. If they find food, it is neither nutritious nor diverse enough.

WFP is supporting local government and civil society groups by providing food assistance to the most vulnerable, including women, children and people living in temporary shelters and on the street. The Colombian Government has asked the United Nations for support with the influx of migrants. WFP is committed to assist Colombia and to contribute to an Integrated United Nations Response Plan to address food security, health, nutrition and education. WFP has appealed to donors to give generously to support a scale-up in its food assistance programmes in Colombian border areas.

WFP has provided emergency food assistance to more than 60,000 migrants from Venezuela in the border departments of Arauca, La Guajira, and Norte de Santander. WFP has recently started operating in the department of Nariño, bordering Ecuador. Almost 33,000 people have been reached through WFP-supported community kitchens in Arauca, La Guajira and Norte de Santander. These community kitchens provide two daily hot meals to the most vulnerable people, especially women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The number of people seeking assistance is expected to rise.

With the help of its implementing partners, WFP has provided over 19,500 people with pre-paid cards in Arauca. Beneficiaries can redeem these cards – worth USD 75 each — to buy nutritious foods and hygiene items in a number of local shops. In La Guajira, WFP is helping to expand the current school meals programme to provide additional hot meals to 10,000 children in need. As per the request of the Colombian Government, WFP will carry out activities aimed at promoting integration and stability for migrants and host families.

As the flow of migrants into Colombia is expected to rise, WFP hopes the international community will continue to support this emergency response. WFP urgently needs more than USD 22 million to meet the food and nutrition needs of the migrants arriving from Venezuela.”

In response to questions from journalists, Mr. Verhoosel said that the word “migrants” rather than “refugees” was used to describe those leaving Venezuela as many of them had declared their intention of staying in Colombia rather than returning to Venezuela. WFP efforts were aimed only at Venezuelans who had left their country, not the host communities. According to the latest information those communities were, for the present, very welcoming; however, they too were facing difficult economic circumstances and the influx of so many new arrivals was placing them under serious strain.

Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines and Hurricane Florence in the United States

Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said that Typhoon Mangkhut was the strongest tropical cyclone so far in 2018, with winds exceeding 90 km/h extending 220 km outwards from the centre. On its forecast track, Typhoon Mangkhut was due to hit the northernmost islands of the Philippines on the night between Friday 14 and Saturday 15 September as a category 5 equivalent hurricane, with winds of 210 km/h, gusting to 305 km/h. It was then forecast to track towards the Chinese coast between Hainan and Hong Kong.

Although it would weaken when it made landfall, its impact was expected to be severe. There would be heavy associated rainfall and waves of between 3 and 12 metres close to the storm centre. With storms such as Mangkhut, water was often more deadly than wind and, in fact, a storm surge of up to six metres above mean sea level was expected in some areas.

The Philippines was vulnerable to tropical cyclones, although Mangkhut was not quite as powerful as Typhoon Haiyan, which had left more than 6,000 people dead in 2013. Disaster management services had learned many lessons from Haiyan and the death toll for Typhoon Mangkhut would hopefully be lower.

As Hurricane Florence was about to make landfall in the United States its wind speed had weakened to a category 1, with maximum sustained winds of 150 km/h. As in the case of Mangkhut, the main threat was from water more than winds. Life-threatening, catastrophic flash flooding and prolonged significant river flooding were likely over portions of the Carolinas and the southern and central Appalachians through the following week. According to the United States National Weather Service (NWS), Florence was forecast to bring rainfall of between 508 mm and 1016 mm to parts of North and South Carolina. The threat of catastrophic flooding the storm would bring, could not be overstated, NWS had said.

Current research did not show evidence that climate change would lead to an increase in the overall number of tropical cyclones, but it did point to some increase of their intensity and in the amount of rainfall they brought. Climate change might also be altering the track of hurricanes. In fact, the course of Hurricane Florence was unusual, as such weather events were normally seen either further south or further north. Research was also focusing on whether climate change might be affecting the speed with which hurricanes moved. Hurricane Harvey in 2017 had stalled and remained stationary over Houston and there were similar fears surrounding Hurricane Florence, which was a very slow-moving storm.

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that IOM was running operations in both the Americas and in the Philippines in the face of extreme weather events there. With peak hurricane season arriving in early September, IOM in Haiti was intensifying its emergency preparedness capacity thanks to additional funding from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). The new funding would allow IOM to have ready for distribution hygiene and kitchen items for 2,500 vulnerable families as well as home repair materials.

Bernard Lami, Head of Operations for IOM in Haiti had said: “Thanks to this new grant from ECHO, IOM will preposition additional non-food item stocks in Port-au-Prince and in the regions. IOM has a long-lasting experience in emergency response in Haiti; we are prepared.” IOM would remain on high alert until the season ends on 30 November 2018.

On a separate front, IOM had dispatched a team to the Isabela province of the Philippines in anticipation of extreme weather there. The team would employ a drone to gather advance information on coming storms.

Ebola in the DRC

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that UNICEF was opening a new Ebola-response front in the city of Butembo, an important commercial hub with one million inhabitants. The response involved the deployment of a team of 11 specialists in community communication, education and psycho-social assistance, as well as in water, sanitation and hygiene to help contain the disease and avoid any further spread of the epidemic.

UNICEF also continued to work with its partners in Mangina and Beni, with a particular focus on outreach to local communities to ensure that strategies remained effective and sustainable, and to defuse local resistance against the Ebola response, especially in the Ndindi neighbourhood of Beni.

When rumours or unsubstantiated fears about Ebola spread among communities, that was always a matter of concern for UNICEF. The agency had sent out multidisciplinary teams who sought to ensure that any response was sensitive to cultural beliefs and practices, particularly around caring for sick and diseased individuals, and to address popular concerns about secure and dignified burials.

In answer to questions raised by journalists, Mr. Boulierac said that, although there had been some resistance, including aggressive resistance, to the UNICEF Ebola response – notably in the Ndindi neighbourhood of Beni – he had not heard about any UNICEF staff being physically endangered. It was important not to underestimate resistance or reluctance on the part of communities. On the contrary, such resistance should act as an spur to understand the local culture more deeply and accurately, and to respond using agents of change from within the communities themselves.

In answer to another query, Mr. Boulierac said that Ebola victims, particularly children who had survived or been orphaned by the disease, were at risk of stigmatization. UNICEF sought to provide psychological support in such cases. In fact, it had already trained 35 psychosocial workers in Butembo to help children overcome traumas associated with stigmatization and/or separation from their parents.

Responding to journalists’ questions, Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that, as of the morning of 14 September, Butembo had six confirmed or probable cases of Ebola and three deaths, while overall there were 137 confirmed or probable cases and 92 deaths. Fifty-two ring vaccination programmes had been carried out around 55 recently confirmed cases. Of these, 17 were around health-care workers. A total of 8,902 persons had been vaccinated, including 2,054 children. More than 1,750 cases were currently under surveillance.

Although good progress had been made, cases were still arising, also as a result of unsafe burial practices. It was vital to be able to follow up on new cases quickly. Contact tracers sometimes met with community resistance and awareness-raising remained a key challenge. Sometimes cases arose in areas with serious security issues, although all areas had so far been reached, thanks also to support from MONUSCO.

Outreach to communities was vital. When resistance to WHO action arose, the organization tried to counter it through community leaders and the local authorities. Although there was still not enough data to determine the effectiveness of the experimental drugs being administered, their use had led to recovery on the part of patients. He had no information about persons refusing vaccination. In Beni, 97 per cent of contacts had been followed up. Overall the figure was 91 per cent.

Cholera in Zimbabwe

Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the Government of Zimbabwe had declared a cholera outbreak on 6 September and a state of emergency on 11 September. The chief source of concern was the fact that the outbreak had arisen in the city of Harare, which was home to over 2 million people. A fast-moving outbreak in a heavily populated area required a speedy and forceful intervention to prevent it getting out of control

According to the authorities, the outbreak had begun on 1 September. As of 14 September, the number of suspected cases stood at 4,000 with 25 deaths. Currently, the rate of infection was between 400 and 700 persons per day. As part of the state of emergency, the Government had shut down a number of schools, banned the sale of meat and fish by vendors in affected areas and, most importantly, begun repairing broken sewage pipes and improving the water supply.

Medecins sans frontières had already set up three cholera treatment centres while WHO was working with local authorities and other partners to track cases, provide cholera kits and deploy cholera vaccination campaign experts.

Responding to questions, Mr. Lindmeier said that the situation was more worrying in a densely populated city than it would be if it had arisen in a remote rural area. A risk assessment was currently being conducted. WHO cholera kits were designed to treat around 100 persons and included rehydration salts, intravenous fluids, antibiotics, etc. WHO was currently discussing with the national authorities about the possibility of launching a vaccination campaign. However, any such campaign would be a supplementary action and the most important thing was to improve water and sanitation. In the meantime, community engagement and promotion activities were ongoing to make people aware of the perils of the disease.

In response to another question, Mr. Lindmeier said that the current world incidence of cholera – around 40 different outbreaks ranging from the endemic to the minor and the major – was within the normal range.

MERS in the Republic of Korea

Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the Republic of Korea had officially reported a laboratory-confirmed case of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The victim was a 61 year-old male who had recently returned to Korea from a business trip to Kuwait that had lasted from 16 August to 6 September. He was currently receiving treatment in a hospital isolation ward. It was the first confirmed case in Korea since the MERS outbreak of 2015.

Korea had acted quickly, reporting the case to WHO on 8 September, the same day on which the case was confirmed to be one of MERS. Korea had also conducted contact tracing and communicated the risk to the public. The case was unusual but not unexpected: 27 countries outside the Middle East had reported cases of the disease since its first discovery in 2012.

WHO was working with the authorities in Korea who were closely monitoring 21 individuals who had had close contact with the patient. All of them had been quarantined in their homes. A further 408 persons, including passengers on the plane that had brought the patient back from Kuwait, were under passive surveillance. The patient’s travel history in Kuwait was also being investigated.

Reports on Child mortality report and tuberculosis

Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that WHO would be holding a virtual press conference for the launch of the 2018 edition of its Global Tuberculosis Report. The conference would be coming from New York and would be held at 11 a.m. New York time on Tuesday 18 September. The main speaker would be Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the WHO Global Tuberculosis Programme. The report itself would be made available about 24 hours before the conference.

Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, which was led by UNICEF and included partners such as WHO, the World Bank Group and the United Nations Population Division, was due release a new report on child mortality. The report would be sent out that day but was under embargo until 18 September.

Migration into Europe report

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that there had been a remarkable rise in the numbers of irregular entries into Europe across its land borders with a total of 17,966 irregular migrants entering the continent by land between January and early September 2018. Most of the movement was via routes in the Balkans but Melilla and Ceuta were also implicated. That figure represented more than three times that of 2017. It could be that migrants were avoiding dangerous sea routes and opting to move by land instead.

Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the Conference on Disarmament was scheduled to hold a public plenary meeting that morning at 10 a.m. Before the closure of the 2018 session that day, the Conference was to adopt its annual report to the General Assembly.

Ms. Vellucci said that the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) would be meeting in private in room XVII of the Palais des Nations until the end of its current twentieth session on Friday 21 September, when it would issue its concluding observations on the reports of the seven countries it had reviewed during the session: South Africa, Algeria, Bulgaria, Poland, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta and Philippines.

She said that the Committee on the Rights of the Child would open its seventy-ninth session on Monday 17 September during which it was due to review reports from six countries on their implementation of the Convention and its two Protocols : Mauritania, El Salvador, Lao People Democratic Republic, Niger, Benin and Saudi Arabia.

She reminded journalists that the Human Rights Council was continuing its thirty-ninth regular session (10 to 28 September) in Room XX of the Palais des Nations.

She also said that the sixth edition of the Geneva Peace Talks on the theme of “Peace without Borders” would be held on 21 September, the International Day of Peace, from 4 to 6.30 p.m. in Rome XVIII of the Palais des Nations.

Press Conferences

Vendredi 14 septembre à 15h00 dans la salle de presse 1
Mission permanente de la République du Burundi
Les dessous d’un rapport sur le Burundi
M. Willy Nyamitwe, Conseiller Principal chargé de la Presse, des Médias, de l’Information et de la Communication au Cabinet du Président de la République

Monday, 17 September at 12.00 p.m. Stakeout area near Room XX
Human Rights Council / Commission of inquiry on Burundi
The Members of the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi will meet the press, at the end of the interactive dialogue on Burundi and presentation of their report to the Human Rights Council.
Doudou Diène, President of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi
Françoise Hampson, Member of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi
Lucy Asuagbor, Member of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi

Tuesday, 18 September at 9.30 a.m. in Press Room 1
UNHCR
Briefing on UNHCR’s recent initiatives to fight sexual exploitation and abuse, and sexual harassment
Kelly T. Clements, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees
Diane Goodman, UNHCR’s Senior Coordinator on sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment
Caroline Harper, UNHCR’s Senior Advisor on Inclusion, Diversity and Gender Equity

Tuesday, 18 September at 12.15 p.m. Room III
OHCHR Press Conference
Independent International Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar
Publication of Full Report of the Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar and Presentation to the HRC
Mr. Marzuki Darusman, Chairperson, Independent International Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar
Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Member of the Independent International Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar
Mr. Christopher Sidoti, Member of the Independent International Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar

Wednesday, 19 September at 9.30 a.m. in Press Room 1
UNICEF
Update on the situation of refugee and migrant children on the Greek Islands, Greece
Lucio Melandri, UNICEF Country Coordinator in Greece. Just back from a mission to Lesbos and Samos Islands.

Wednesday, 19 September at 11.00 a.m. in Room III
WIPO
Launch of Pat-INFORMED, a new partnership between WIPO and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) to promote the accessibility of patent information for health agencies tasked with procurement of medicines
Francis Gurry, WIPO Director General
Thomas Cueni, IFPMA Director General

Thursday, 20 September 2018 at 11 a.m. in Press Room 1
UNCTAD
Presentation of the Trade and Development Report 2018: Power, Platforms and the Free Trade Delusion (Embargoed 26 September at 5 p.m. GMT)
Isabelle Durant – UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General
Richard Kozul-Wright – UNCTAD – Director – Division on Globalization and Development Strategies

Thursday, 20 September at 2.30 p.m. in Room III
IIIM
International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011 (Mechanism)
Second Report to the General Assembly
Ms Catherine Marchi-Uhel, Head of the Mechanism

(A on IIIIM to investigate worst cases of hrts violation and is vv different fm CoI – she is supposed to give regular briefings on her findings

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog070914