REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Yvette Morris, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the briefing which was attended by spokespersons for and representatives of the World Health Organization, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Meteorological Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

Secretary-General’s Activities / European Visit

Ms. Morris said that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would be in Geneva next week. He would speak at the opening ceremony of the International Telecommunication Union’s Telecom World and visit the exhibition on Monday. He would join the Secretary-General of the ITU and other dignitaries at a press conference at 12 o'clock.

On Monday afternoon, the Secretary-General would make opening remarks at the third edition of the Geneva lecture series, organized by UNITAR – the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. Former Russian President and President of Green Cross International, Mikhail Gorbachev would also deliver a lecture on “Resetting the Disarmament Agenda”.

Secretary-General Ban was in Denmark today, where he would meet Prime Minister Anders Rasmussen. Prime Minister Rasmussen would chair December's Climate Change negotiations in Copenhagen. Speaking to the press in Sweden yesterday, on the first leg of his current European trip, the Secretary-General had reiterated calls for world leaders to respond to the political and moral imperative to reach a good agreement in Copenhagen. The text of Mr. Ban's remarks was in the press room, Ms. Morris added.

Massacre in Guinea

Ms. Morris then drew attention to a number of United Nations’ statements condemning this week's killing or wounding of hundreds of civilian demonstrators at an opposition rally in Guinea. There were statements by the Secretary-General and the Security Council and they were available in the documentation centre.

Human Rights Council

Ms. Morris said the Human Rights Council was wrapping up its session today, and was due to consider the 15 remaining draft resolutions. Among the drafts still on the table were those on the Gaza Fact Finding Mission and on freedom of expression. Up till the start of the briefing, at 10:30 a.m., no action had been taken on either of those drafts.

ITU Telecom Forum 2009

Sanjay Acharya of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said “the Greatest Show on Earth” started next week – ITU Telecom World 2009. The meeting would kick off on Monday with an opening ceremony at 9 a.m. Present would be United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President Kagame of Rwanda, the Vice President of Bahrain, the CEOs of China Mobile and Saudi Telecom and many others. There would be a press conference at 12 p.m., and there would be an official joint opening of the forum by Heads of State at 2:30 p.m. On Tuesday, 6 October, the Heads of State and CEO Round Table would take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. A press briefing would also be held on the latest information and communication technology (ICT) figures, on Wednesday, 6 October at 11 a.m. Advance press copies were available at the back, under embargo until Tuesday afternoon, along with a press release and an executive summary on the findings.

ITU Telecom would hold a forum, with about 240 speakers, focusing on ICTs role as a stimulus for economic growth and defining new business models; driving innovation in ICTs, as well as green ICTs; on cyber security; and so forth. ITU Telecom was a networking platform, but also an ICT show case. In that regard, Nokia, Microsoft, Saudi Telecom, Worldcom, Cisco, Lucent, and so on, would be participating. There would also be thematic pavilions, where the United Nations Development Programme, WHO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UNAIDS and others would be present.

Series of Natural Disasters in Asia

Flooding in the Philippines

Elisabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that six countries in Asia were touched by major natural catastrophes, notably tropical storm Ketsana, which had affected 3 million people, mostly in the Philippines. The phase of search and rescue was coming to an end, and now aid agencies were turning their attention to caring for those in the shelters and to cleaning up the debris. However, aid delivery was being complicated by the very limited telecommunications, the devastated infrastructure for water and sanitation, and difficulties in transporting food to victims.

There would be a donors’ meeting in Geneva on Tuesday, and a Flash Appeal for emergency assistance to the Philippines would be issued by the end of next week. According to the latest figures, 2.5 million were affected by the storm; 687,000 had been evacuated; 277 were confirmed dead; and 42 were missing. Nearly 400,000 persons had taken refugee in 561 evacuation shelters; 346,000 were with host families; and 736,000 had been displaced. However, Ms. Byrs noted that those were only preliminary figures and the numbers were expected to grow. There was a briefing note at the back of the room.

Ms. Byrs also noted that the Philippines was still being threatened by another typhoon – typhoon Parma – which was expected to hit the Philippines either this afternoon or over the weekend. Typhoon Parma had been downgraded to a level 4 typhoon. However, the new typhoon would be coming in to an already devastated region, and flooding and mudslides would obviously be expected. OCHA was very concerned. Some 8.5 million lived in the path of the typhoon and 1.8 million were living in areas that were expected to bear the full force of the storm.

Emilia Casella of the World Food Programme (WFP) said that in the Philippines, WFP’s first response had been to roll out 750 metric tons of food, mostly rice, for 180,000 people affected by the storm there. Now WFP was looking to launch an emergency food relief programme for 1 million people for a three-month period, till the end of this year. In addition to that, there would be a distribution of high-energy biscuits for children under five – probably something like 200,000 children would receive those biscuits in the coming period.

Ms. Casella noted that WFP was the head of the logistics and emergency telecommunication cluster, so it had launched a special operation and was already putting in place telecommunications systems for the affected areas so that the humanitarian community and the Government could keep telecommunications going. And WFP would also put in place three heavy lift helicopters, that would allow the humanitarian community to implement emergency relief activities; that meant bringing in equipment, medical supplies, staff, and high-energy foods, as well as moving people who might be trapped in certain areas. The combined funds WFP was seeking to cover the food relief, the telecommunications and logistics and the air support was $26.5 million. However, they knew there was another storm coming that was expected to hit the Philippines and so they would likely have to reassess the situation.

Veronique Taveau of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities was very difficult and even critical in areas. The tens of thousands of families affected by the storm were among the poorest in Manila. Moreover, the conditions of the families staying in overcrowded shelters further aggravated the hygiene situation. UNICEF and partners had distributed water to 100,000 people, as well as distributing thousands of water purification tablets, jerry cans, and hygiene kits at numerous evacuation centres where people were sheltering. UNICEF was also working in close collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent the outbreak of epidemics of diarrhoea, measles and dengue fever. UNICEF was also working to ensure that 20,000 children could return to school as soon as possible. They had sent tents that could be used as temporary schools, “school in a box” kits and early childhood kits and more would be sent in the coming days.

UNICEF had also taken on a protection role, Ms. Taveau noted, putting in place a rapid registration system for unaccompanied children and providing psychological assistance to affected children in centres for the displaced. UNICEF expected to ask for $4 million in the framework of the Flash Appeal: $1 million for nutrition; $1 million for water and sanitation; $1 million for protection; $550,000 for education; and $500,000 for coordination and logistics.

Fadéla Chaib of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that WHO had a regional centre in the Philippines. WHO had sent first aid kits, as well as 10,000 containers of water. This weekend, WHO would send zinc tablets to avoid the spread of diarrhoeal disease. Because of the lack of clean drinking water and sanitation, the risk of outbreaks of diarrhoeal diseases and skin infections were WHO’s greatest concern. It had already provided preliminary emergency assistance of $50,000 to the Philippines. WHO would announce its response needs as part of the Flash Appeal to be released next week.

Ms. Byrs said that it was estimated, so far, that the total Flash Appeal for emergency relief in the Philippines alone would be $60 million.

Gaëlle Sévenier of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that WMO was closely following the development of two typhoons in the Pacific Northwest. On 1 October at 12 p.m. GMT, typhoon Parma had been situated to the east of the Philippines, and was moving west-northwest at 20 kilometres an hour in the direction of Luzon. Typhoon Parma was a strong typhoon, with winds speeds reaching up to 55 miles per second. It was expected to hit the Philippines in the next few days. At the same time, 2,500 kilometres east of typhoon Parma, typhoon Melor was developing. It was moving north-by-northwest, with winds reaching top speeds of 40 miles per second. The Regional Meteorological Centre in Tokyo was closely following these systems.

Earthquake in Indonesia

Ms. Byrs said that on 30 September there had been two strong earthquakes in Indonesia – 7.6 and 6.2 on the Richter scale – followed by a third yesterday, 1 October, of force 7 on the Richter scale. Padang, a town of approximately 1 million, had been the most affected, along with Pariaman, both on the island of Sumatra. The earthquake yesterday had centred on the province of Jambi, which had 15 villages, but there were still no clear figures on deaths and other destruction there. It was clear that it had been a major quake. The Government had reacted very quickly and had sent 20,000 tents, as well as blankets and food items. Search and rescue teams had been sent. There were also search and rescue teams from Japan and Switzerland on the ground, and experts and rescue workers from China, Australia, Russia, Germany and Singapore were en route. Padang airport, the centre for incoming relief supplies and personnel, was operational.

According to reports, 40 per cent of the buildings in Pariaman were damaged. The work of rescuers was greatly impeded, however, by continuing rains and mudslides. Urgent needs were heavy lifting and earthmoving equipment; food and clean drinking water; and emergency medical kits.

Ms. Byrs noted that United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Teams were in place in the three Asian countries directly touched by the disasters: Indonesia, the Philippines and Samoa. The amount of funds needed for emergency assistance to Indonesia was still under discussion.

Ms. Casella said WFP had not received an official request from the Government in Indonesia to provide assistance, but expected that that might soon happen and was gearing up to do so. WFP already had more than 3,000 metric tons in warehouses throughout Indonesia, including 100,000 tons of high-energy biscuits. In addition, WFP was working with a logistics and rice supply agency in Indonesia to explore getting more rice that could be distributed over a three-month period. WFP was already sending heavy lifting equipment from Banda Aceh to Padang, and was shifting two disaster management units. WFP was on the job and ready to begin work just as soon as they were called on by authorities to do so.

Ms. Taveau said the situation in Indonesia was dramatic, with one third of those affected by the earthquakes being children. Among UNICEF’s priorities were to prevent the outbreak of epidemic diseases and to get children back to school as soon as possible. In that regard, UNICEF had sent 250 tent-schools, which were expected to arrive within 48 hours in the affected areas. Another priority was to provide post-traumatic treatment for children and to ensure the protection of children, including the protection of children who had lost their families, from being exploited or abused, as well as efforts to unite children with their families. A press release was available at the back of the room.

Ms. Chaib noted that WHO was part of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team sent out yesterday. WHO had learned that a number of buildings, including hospitals, had been destroyed in the region of Padang. The Health Department of Sumatra had opened two mobile hospitals in the region, with more than 150 doctors deployed, but, as previously mentioned, they were encountering problems in accessing those affected. There had also been hundreds of doctors and other health workers deployed to the region to monitor the emergence of epidemics.

Ms. Byrs clarified that while the Philippines and Samoa had appealed for international assistance, Indonesia had so far only said that such assistance was “welcome”.

Tsunami in Sumatra

Ms. Sévenier said that, although tsunamis were seismic in origin, since the Boxing Day tsumani in 2004 it had been decided that tsunami alerts would be transmitted through WMO’s Global Telecommunication system. Alerts were immediately issued for earthquakes but, according to experts, only 1 earthquake as 10 unleashed a tsunami. Most of the time the alerts were issued and then retracted.

Addressing all the natural disasters that had just struck in Asia, Brigitte Léoni of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), while noting that WMO played a major role in the early warning system for tsunamis, said it was UNESCO that coordinated the early warning system for tsunamis in the Pacific. Yesterday, a regional alert had been signalled seven minutes after the earthquake, but it appeared that many persons in the coastal areas had not been warned. Technology was not everything. It was also a matter of who transmitted the alert and how the population reacted to it. Since 2004, UNISDR had undertaken a lot of work and preparatory exercises in this area and had worked with a number of different populations, but there was clearly still much to do.

Turning specifically to the situation in Sumatra, the total collapse of the hospital in Padang proved once again that hospitals in seismic zones absolutely had to be built to be earthquake resistant. There was a prevention framework in place, the Hyogo Framework for Action, which had been elaborated four months after the 2004 tsunami. The lesson of this series of natural disasters in Asia was that it was important now more than ever to invest in catastrophe prevention, in particular in Asia. “We know what we should do; the problem is we are not applying it yet”, Ms. Léoni concluded.

Situation in Somalia

Andrej Mahecic of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)said the civilian population was bearing the brunt of the latest upsurge in fighting in the troubled South Central region of Somalia and sparking a new wave of displacement. According to UNHCR’s local partners, 145 people had been killed and another 285 injured in heavy clashes in Kismayo, Beled Weyne and Mogadishu during September alone. Yesterday, for the first time, clashes had erupted between Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam, two Islamist groups who had been working together to topple the Government. According to hospital sources, some 12 were killed and 50 injured. In September, 17,000 had become displaced, 11,000 of them from Mogadishu. UNHCR was extremely concerned about the dire humanitarian situation of the hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by the continuing conflict.

Insecurity in the Afgooye corridor was already significantly limiting humanitarian access to the internally displaced, but the situation could further deteriorate. There were also serious regional repercussions, with more than 50,000 Somalis having fled to Kenya since the beginning of the year and another 22,000 journeying across the Gulf of Aden in rickety boats to Yemen. UNHCR provided assistance to more than 515,000 Somalis in nearby countries and there were more than 1.5 million internally displaced in Somalia and the number was constantly increasing, Mr. Mahecic stressed.

Displaced Women and Women-Headed Households in Iraq

Jemini Pandya of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that IOM’s biannual Governorate Profiles of the displaced in Iraq, released a few weeks ago, had highlighted the vicious cycle of despair most displaced Iraqis were in – without work, which impacted on their ability to obtain adequate food or shelter. The situation was extremely grim for all the displaced, but for those families headed by females it was infinitely worse. An average of 1 in 10 displaced families in Iraq were headed by females, and nearly a quarter of those families were living in squatter camps or public buildings with limited to no access to basic health and social welfare services. Almost all of the women-headed displaced families were unemployed, which made them especially vulnerable to eviction, exploitation and violence. Anecdotal evidence also suggested that displaced Iraqi women were particularly vulnerable to become involved in prostitution and trafficking. With that in mind, IOM was now starting a $2 million programme, funded by the United States State Department, to provide psychological help, legal and health support to female-headed displaced households in Iraq.

Other

Ms. Chaib said the weekly H1N1 epidemic update would be posted around 12 p.m. today on the WHO website.

Ms. Morris noted that immediately following the briefing, at 11:30 a.m., there would be a presentation of the UNDP 2009 Human Development Report on human mobility and development. That information was under embargo until Monday, 5 October at 5 a.m. Geneva time.

At 12:30 p.m. – and this was a time change – the High Commissioner for Refugees would do a wrap up press conference for the annual UNHCR Executive Committee Meeting.

And on Monday, 5 October, at 2:30 p.m. in Press Room 1, George Deikun, a senior policy adviser at UN-HABITAT would brief on World Habitat Day, Ms. Morris announced.

Samar Shamoon of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said that the Assemblies of Member States of WIPO finished last night. They signalled strong support for the Organization’s strategic realignment with the approval of a programme and budget for 2010-2011, which boosted WIPO’s development-related activities, among others. And, in what the WIPO Director General described as a “significant decision”, Member States decided to renew the mandate of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property, Traditional Knowledge, Folklore and Genetic Resources. A press release was available.