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 Office of the Special Envoy for Syria, UN-Water, the World Health Organization and the International Organization for Migration.

Climate issues

Daniella Bostrom Couffe, for UN-Water, said that UN-Water was releasing a new policy brief entitled “Climate Change and Water”. It was available on the UN-Water website, and a press release had also been issued. The brief was being released in connection with the Climate Action Summit 2019, which had taken place the previous day, and the High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly. The brief contained recommendations for adapting to and mitigating climate change. Many of the effects of climate change were felt through water. Indeed, 90 per cent of all the natural disasters that had taken place over the previous decade had been water-related. They included floods, droughts, heat waves and storms. Water management could be used as a tool to mitigate the effects of climate change. Currently, an estimated 3.6 billion people lived in areas that were potentially water-scarce at least one month a year. It was projected that, by 2050, the number of such people would have grown to between 4.8 and 5.7 billion. However, that number could be more than halved if countries limited global warming to 1.5 degrees instead of 2 degrees.

Ms. Bostrom Couffe, for UN-Water, said that the brief also included a discussion on mitigation strategies. One such strategy focused on green infrastructure. Approximately two thirds of natural wetlands were disappearing. Owing to various factors, including agriculture, drainage and mining for fuel, massive amounts of carbon were being released. Wetlands covered around 3 per cent of the surface of the Earth, but they held twice as much carbon as all the forests on Earth combined. Restoring natural wetlands was thus an effective way of limiting the effects of climate change. The brief also included a discussion of transboundary water management. Some 123 countries shared aquifers, rivers and basins, which affected around 40 per cent of the population on Earth. Greater cooperation among countries in that regard would reduce conflict and the knowledge gaps that were exacerbated by climate change.

Responding to questions on the low profile of water on the international agenda, Ms. Bostrom Couffe, for UN-Water, said that water was often taken for granted. However, many countries were paying close attention to the activities of UN-Water. Indeed, some of the recommendations contained in the policy brief were already being implemented. Several of the countries that were leading the discussion of water and sanitation in the United Nations were holding an event on Wednesday, 25 September, in New York. Tajikistan, Morocco and Singapore had been particularly active in that regard. UN-Water wished to raise greater awareness of its work among the public and political decision-makers. Several countries in Africa, which was affected by drought, were implementing mitigation techniques. They included Ghana and Nigeria. Nigeria planned to organize a sanitation initiative, building on work done in India, with a view to eradicating the practice of open defecation, in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal No. 6.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the final press release on the Climate Action Summit 2019 had been issued the previous evening. In his closing remarks, the Secretary-General had discussed many of the specific commitments that had been made at the event. The full list of the commitments made could be consulted at https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/. The Secretary-General had also spoken about the commitment of the United Nations to become as carbon-neutral as possible and had mentioned various other actions, including the decision of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund to divest from the coal energy sector.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, also mentioned that, the previous evening, the jet d’eau in central Geneva had been illuminated with green lights to mark the Climate Change Summit 2019 and to raise awareness of the need to fight climate change.

SDG Summit 2019

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that Tuesday, 24 September, was the first day of the SDG Summit 2019, which was taking place in New York to draw attention to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was the first United Nations summit on the SDGs to be held at the level of Heads of State and Government since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015. It was a critical opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the 17 Goals and their associated many targets. The list of speakers, which could be consulted online, was impressive and included Heads of State and Government. The discussions would be webcast. Further financial support was needed to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as the SDGs remained underfunded.

On Thursday, 26 September, there would be a High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, which would bring together leaders from government, business and the financial sector to help unlock the necessary resources and partnerships and accelerate progress.

Syria

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, recalled that, on Monday, 23 September, the Secretary-General had announced the agreement of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Syrian Negotiations Commission for a credible, balanced and inclusive Constitutional Committee.

Jenifer Fenton, for the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria (OSE), said that the Special Envoy, Geir O. Pedersen, had been in Damascus and was currently in New York. He was pleased that there had been an agreement on the full package on the Constitutional Committee. The Special Envoy had facilitated the agreement of the Syrian-owned and Syrian-led Constitutional Committee in accordance with his mandate under Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). As the Secretary-General had noted on Monday, 23 September, the Constitutional Committee planned to convene in Geneva in the coming weeks. The Special Envoy believed that the Constitutional Committee could open the door to a broader political process. The Secretary-General had stated that the launch of the Constitutional Committee must be accompanied by concrete actions to build trust and that it must meet the legitimate aspirations of all Syrians.

Ms. Fenton, for OSE, added that the European Union would be convening a high-level event on Syria on the margins of the 74th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on Tuesday, 24 September at 1.30 p.m. (New York time). The Special Envoy was scheduled to speak at the event, which would be webcast. The Special Envoy would also brief the Security Council on Monday, 30 September. That briefing would also be webcast.

Health emergencies in Africa

Responding to questions on cases of undiagnosed febrile illness in the United Republic of Tanzania, Ms Fadéla Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that WHO had not yet received the information that it required to fully assess the potential risk of the situation. WHO and partners continued to engage with national authorities and stood ready to offer technical expertise and support to the United Republic of Tanzania. WHO advised against the application of any restrictions of travel or trade to the United Republic of Tanzania in relation to the situation, based on the currently available information. WHO continued to urge the Tanzanian authorities to share information as required under the International Health Regulations (IHR).

Responding to follow-up questions, Ms. Chaib added that WHO had a mandate under the International Health Regulations to request countries to provide information on events that might constitute a public health emergency of international concern. The main way of doing so was through a system of National IHR Focal Points, which were the national centres designated by each member State to manage interactions under the IHR. The information provided by National IHR Focal Points was then shared with other member States. Although WHO did not have the power to compel a country to provide information, it did have access to other sources, including academia and NGOs. In the case of the United Republic of Tanzania, WHO had requested information not only from the National IHR Focal Point, but also through its existing network and relationships in the country.

Ms. Chaib added that the Disease Outbreak News report issued on 21 September reflected all the information that had been available to WHO at the time. The report had been relatively detailed. The Tanzanian health authorities had announced that the case under examination was not from the Ebola virus. WHO had a network of reference laboratories that could be used to conduct a second verification. The WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was in New York for the 74th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. He was in constant contact with his team in Geneva. Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, was also in New York.

Responding to a request for clarification of the precise chronology of events, Ms. Chaib said that, on Tuesday, 10 September 2019, through its regular event-based surveillance process, WHO had been made aware of unofficial reports regarding the death of a person with suspected Ebola virus disease in Dar es Salaam. It had been unofficially reported that the identified contacts of the deceased person had been quarantined in various sites in the United Republic of Tanzania. Under articles 9 and 10 of the IHR, WHO had immediately sent a verification request to the country’s National IHR Focal Point. On 11 September, WHO had been made aware of unofficial reports that a test performed at the Tanzanian National Health Laboratory had been positive for Ebola virus disease for that patient. On the same day, WHO had received unofficial reports regarding another suspected case of Ebola virus disease in Mwanza, located in the northern region of the United Republic of Tanzania, who later tested negative for Ebola virus disease. WHO continued to reach out under the IHR to the Tanzanian health authorities to verify those reports.

Continuing her explanation of the chronology of events, Ms. Chaib said that, on 12 September 2019, WHO had been informed by unofficial sources that a 27-year-old patient with suspected Ebola virus disease had been admitted to hospital in Dar es Salaam. Despite several requests, WHO had not received further details of this or any other case from the Tanzanian authorities. WHO had continued to reach out to the Tanzanian National IHR Focal Point and had conducted an internal Rapid Risk Assessment. The available information had been communicated to the National IHR Focal Point of all member States. On 14 September, the Ministry of Health of the United Republic of Tanzania had announced at a press conference that there was no Ebola virus disease outbreak in the country. WHO needed more information in order to conduct a proper risk assessment, the results of which would be shared with the international community. In that regard, WHO stood ready to provide technical support to the Tanzanian authorities, including through its networks in the country. The United Republic of Tanzania had prepared for an outbreak of Ebola. WHO would share any further information that it received.

Responding to a question on the availability of Ebola virus disease vaccines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ms. Chaib said that, the previous day, WHO had issued a statement in which it had welcomed the introduction of the new experimental Ebola virus disease vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, which would begin in mid-October. The vaccine would be given as a two-dose course, 56 days apart, and would be provided under approved protocols to targeted, at-risk populations in areas that did not have active Ebola virus disease transmission. It would serve as an additional tool to the vaccine currently in use, rVSV-ZEBOV-GP, which was manufactured by Merck. The vaccine manufactured by Merck had proved highly effective. Decisions regarding the introduction of new vaccines were for national health authorities.

Ms. Chaib added that WHO welcomed the introduction of the new vaccine, which would complement the tools already in place to end to the Ebola virus disease epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It should be recalled that, in 2014 and 2015, WHO had been short of means to combat the Ebola virus disease in West Africa. The introduction of a new vaccine was also in line with the recommendations of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization. WHO was ready to assist the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the roll-out of the second experimental vaccine. To date, more than 200,000 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo been vaccinated against Ebola virus disease with the vaccine manufactured by Merck.

Responding to questions on criticisms that had been made regarding the activities of WHO in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ms. Chaib said that WHO was working with the Government to manage the provision of the vaccine manufactured by Merck under agreed protocols and subject to an import permit. It should be borne in mind that the vaccine was experimental and required an ultracold chain. It had to be kept at -79 degrees. As a result, it could not be brought into the country in large quantities, as the risk of loss and waste would be too high. Vaccine shipment had been uninterrupted since the beginning of the outbreak, and there had been no shortages or delays in its provision. WHO was also in contact with Merck to ensure that supplies were adequate. The claim by NGOs that WHO was not vaccinating enough people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was not supported by the available data. The epidemic curves at the health zone and village levels showed that, over the previous three months, transmission had stopped after one or two weeks of ring vaccination, even in areas in which transmission had initially been very intense.

Human Rights Council update

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, speaking on behalf of the Human Rights Council, said that, on Tuesday, 24 September, from 9.30 a.m. until 3 p.m., the Council would discuss the report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent before holding an interactive dialogue on racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia. Between 3 p.m. and 5.15 p.m., there would be an oral update and interactive dialogue on human rights in Ukraine, which would involve the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kate Gilmore. That same day, there would be an interactive dialogue on human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which would also involve the Deputy High Commissioner. On Wednesday, 25 September, the interactive dialogue on human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo would be continued, and interactive dialogues would be held on Libya, Cambodia, Somalia and the Sudan. Further information could be obtained from Sarah Lubbersen or Rolando Gomez.

WIPO announcement

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, speaking on behalf of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), said that, beginning at 9.50 a.m. on Friday, 27 September, at the headquarters of WIPO, a conversation on intellectual property and artificial intelligence would take place. Member State delegations and others would explore the future of artificial intelligence and the intellectual property system. The issues on the agenda included the impact of artificial intelligence on the intellectual property system and policy, and the question of who owned the rights to products created by artificial intelligence programmes. The panellists included a UK-based technologist and academic who claimed to have filed the first patent application in which an artificial intelligence programme was listed as the inventor.

Ms. Vellucci added that the Assemblies of the member States of WIPO would be held on 30 September-9 October. The items on the agenda covered the full range of the organization’s activities, and there would be many interesting side events, including those hosted by Viet Nam, the Russian Federation, Finland, Italy, the Philippines, Thailand and Ukraine. More details were available on the WIPO website. Both events would be webcast, but journalists were also welcome to cover them in person.

IOM press event

Responding to a request by a representative of the Association of Accredited Correspondents at the United Nations (ACANU) for a press conference with António Vitorino, the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that the Director-General was currently in New York for the 74th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. However, he would pass on the request of ACANU once the Director-General had returned.

Finally, Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that, on Thursday, 26 September, at 7 p.m., the Information Service would host a screening of the Babushkas of Chernobyl at the Cinema Cinérama Empire as part of the Ciné-ONU initiative. As usual, the screening would be followed by a debate.

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog240919