REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
Yvette Morris, the Chief of the Radio and Television Section of the Information Service, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by Spokespersons for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund, the International Organization for Migration, the Human Rights Council, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization.
Côte d’Ivoire
Yvette Morris said that the Secretary-General had pledged UN support in restoring the rule of law in Côte d'Ivoire following the surrender yesterday of the country’s former President Laurent Gbagbo to forces loyal to President Alassane Ouattara. The Secretary-General had spoken with President Ouattara and former President Gbagbo remained in the custody of President Ouattara's Government, which was responsible for Mr. Gbagbo’s physical safety. In a statement issued yesterday, the UN spokesman in New York had stated that, at the request of Mr. Gbagbo and in line with its mandate, the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) would provide security and protection while Mr. Gbagbo was in custody. In his conversation with Mr. Ouattara, the Secretary-General had underlined the UN's expectation that, with Mr. Gbagbo now in the hands of the President’s forces, any future bloodshed would be avoided. The Secretary-General had stressed in particular the need to ensure that there was no retaliation against Mr. Gbagbo’s supporters. In this regard the Secretary-General welcomed President Ouatara’s call for the immediate establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Committee. The text of the Secretary-General’s statement was available on the internet and could be made available to journalists.
Responding to a question, Ms. Morris said that the UN forces, along with French forces, had surrounded the hotel where Mr. Gbagbo had sheltered, but Mr. Gbagbo had surrendered to the forces of Mr. Ouattara. Under-Secretary-General Alain Le Roy had made this very clear in a statement to the press after his meeting with the Security Council yesterday.
Elisabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that the Emergency Humanitarian Action Plan for Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Guinea had been revised. It was now seeking $ 160 million, up from $ 32.7 million of the previous, unrevised appeal. The revised appeal was 15 per cent funded, but would be revised on the basis of more precise evaluations and emerging needs. The appeal covered the needs of 2 million crisis-affected people, including some 800,000 displaced persons, over a period of nine months. The capture of Laurent Gbagbo did not change the humanitarian situation, said Ms. Byrs, adding that humanitarian staff still needed access to people in need as humanitarian agencies were trying to step up their efforts, both in Abidjan and in the east. An eight-member United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team had been deployed to enhance the efficiency of the humanitarian response. Divided into two teams, these experts would probably be based in Man and Bouaké. On Liberia, where there were some 130,000 refugees, Ms. Byrs said that the UN's $ 146.5 million appeal was now 26 per cent funded. However, more funds were urgently needed to provide food, shelter and better medical treatment, both for Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire.
Emilia Casella of the World Food Programme said the WFP had launched an airlift operation to provide food to the areas that were most difficult to reach. There would be two rotations of food cargoes to Man today for a total of 30 metric tons, and there would probably be another one tomorrow with 15 metric tons of food. In addition, the UN's Humanitarian Air Service was able to resume operations into Côte d’Ivoire, and at least one flight into Man and one flight into Bouaké were expected for today. The next flight was scheduled for Thursday, but it was hoped that as the humanitarian community was able to step up its operations both the humanitarian air services and cargo services would be supplying more. Another airlift had arrived yesterday from Dubai to Accra, filled with both food and other humanitarian cargo, which would then be delivered on from Accra to western Côte d’Ivoire and parts of Liberia. The WFP was particularly hopeful now that some people might be able to return and begin planting. The planting season was beginning now and it was vital that farmers get to their land and start to plant their crops, as there would otherwise not be enough food for people during the harvest season. On another
note, Ms. Casella said the WFP Country Director for Côte d’Ivoire might be in Geneva tomorrow and a briefing could be scheduled late in the day.
Marixie Mercado of the United Nations Children's Fund said that, for UNICEF, the most urgent priorities are to re-establish safe water supplies, resume emergency immunisation campaigns to prevent disease outbreaks, provide stronger protection measures -- particularly in areas where there had been mass killings -- and to return children to school as quickly as possible. Across the country, most cities were running out of chemical products to treat water. Others, such as Duekoue in the west and Bouna in the north, were without water because of broken electrical cables in Duekoue or electric shortages in Bouna. UNICEF was working to get water treatment supplies to affected cities but, in the interim, was informing the population, primarily via radio, on options for treating water at household level with chlorine, or by exposing it to UV rays. It was also working to repair cables and bring in generators.
Ms. Mercado said that there was a high risk of measles and cholera outbreaks, and preparations were underway to resume immunisations as quickly as possible. Shortages of essential medicines were also critical. In the north, stocks were sufficient for between two weeks to a month, including for ARVs -- this in a country with the highest HIV prevalence in the region. In the west and south, stocks had been looted. On Sunday, with the help of ONUCI, UNICEF had provided medicine, nutritional supplements and supplies including blankets and soap to the Treichville Hospital in Abidjan, which had been the first delivery in weeks. Children who had witnessed mass killings and violence were in urgent need of psychosocial support. Where there were camps for the displaced, UNICEF was supporting psychosocial activities, but much more needed to be done, and UNICEF was working to bring in more partners. Ms. Mercado said that returning children to school as quickly as possible was critical in helping children regain a sense of normalcy and in supporting the recovery process. UNICEF was preparing the distribution of school kits for over 600 schools across the country as soon as conditions permit.
Jumbe Omari Jumbe of the International Organization for Migration said that IOM, as the lead agency for camp coordination and management, was working to identify and register an estimated 800,000 internally displaced persons scattered around the country and to provide emergency camp management support and humanitarian assistance, particularly to people in Abidjan, where over 1 million had left their homes. For this purpose, in addition to the appeal, IOM was appealing for $ 41.6 million for that particular aspect of humanitarian aid. IOM staff, in coordination with Caritas, UNHCR and the World Food Programme, as well as UNHCR, had registered and assisted more than 27,000 internally displaced persons in the west of the country, particularly in Duekoue. The capture of Mr. Gbagbo may mean the beginning of the end of the political situation in Côte d’Ivoire, but humanitarian assistance would be needed for many years to come, particularly given that there were some 200,000 stranded migrants. IOM had notably been approached to evacuate some 50,000 Malians who were taking shelter in their embassy. This and other issues would be tackled when the funds for this appeal were received.
Cédric Sapey of the Human Rights Council said that the President of Human Rights Council had today appointed three high-level experts who would serve as members of the Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of serious abuses and violations of human rights committed in Côte d’Ivoire. The Council had resolved by consensus to dispatch the Commission at its sixteenth regular session in March through a resolution, and the President had now named the three Commissioners. Chairing the Commission would be Vitit Muntabhorn of Thailand, who had formerly served as Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and as Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Also on the Commission would be Suliman Baldo of Sudan, a widely recognized expert on conflict resolution, emergency relief, development, and human rights in Africa. Mr. Baldo had spent seven years at Human Rights Watch as a senior researcher in the Africa division and currently works as the Director for the Africa Programme at the International Center for Transitional Justice. The third member of the Commission was Reine Alapini Gansou of Benin, a lawyer and the Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights since 2009. The Commission was due to present its findings to the Council at its next session in June. The Council’s President, Ambassador Phuangketkeow, urged all parties concerned to extend full cooperation to the Commission of Inquiry in discharging its mandate.
Ravina Shamdasani of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that OHCHR noted President Ouattara’s pledge last night that Laurent Gbagbo would be treated fairly and in accordance with the law. OHCHR stressed the essential need for open and transparent investigations leading to a fair trial and accountability for all the perpetrators of violence on both sides of the political divide. Accountability and the rule of law were important preconditions for national reconciliation. OHCHR understood that a number of former FDS soldiers loyal to Gbagbo had also been arrested yesterday, and it was unclear where they were taken and how they were being treated. OHCHR's human rights staff in Abidjan were looking into this situation. International fair trial standards included the need to press charges as soon as possible after arrest.
Ms. Shamdasani said that meanwhile the security situation remained tense in Abidjan. There had still been looting and pillaging of homes yesterday evening and OHCHR welcomed the President’s efforts to secure Abidjan. It echoed the Secretary-General's calls for all parties to the conflict to avoid reprisals. OHCHR's investigation teams in the west of the country had been reinforced and were continuing to investigate the violence and killings in that area. Its team had so far established that 536 people had been killed in the west of the country, in Duékoué, Guiglo, Blolequin and Bangolo, in the past few weeks. But the number could very well be much higher than this and OHCHR was continuing investigations in that area, said Ms. Shamdasani.
Libya
Ms. Casella confirmed that the ship which had arrived in Misrata on Friday completed its off-loading of cargo. It had departed from Misrata and the food had been handed over to the Libyan Red Crescent and was destined for distribution via local hospitals. On Sunday, the WFP had sent 11 metric tons of vegetable oil to Benghazi and a convoy had left Cairo International Airport en route to Benghazi with other humanitarian non-food items, including telecommunications. This week, around 700 metric tons of wheat flower would be delivered by truck to Benghazi and there would be a number of WFP-chartered convoys by road into Benghazi on behalf of other humanitarian agencies.
Andrej Mahecic of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that over the past week more than 500 Libyans had fled conflict in Libya’s Western Mountains region and sought shelter in the Dehiba area of southern Tunisia, some 200 kilometres south of the border crossing at Ras Adjir. They had told UNHCR that mounting pressure on the cities of the Western Mountains by government forces, lack of basic medical supplies and shortages of food had prompted their departure. This group was mainly of Berber ethnicity, and had very limited resources. They had significant humanitarian needs. The Tunisian authorities had allocated a sports field in Remada town, some 45 kilometres from the border, where UNHCR had established a camp with 130 tents so far. Electricity and water had been connected and other services were being set up. UNHCR was working with a local partner and the Tunisian Red Crescent to rapidly provide support. The local community in Tunisia had also offered considerable assistance, opening homes to hundreds of Libyan families. Youth hostels in Dehiba and Tataouine further west were also being used to shelter families and a school near the camp in Remada has offered to enrol Libyan students.
Mr. Mahecic said that UNHCR was hearing from people crossing into Egypt of displacement in eastern Libya between Ajdabiyya and Tobruk, with thousands of families now in Benghazi and Tobruk. While many were staying with local families, a small number were taking refuge in schools and empty buildings. People told UNHCR they feared to be trapped in Ajdabiyya should government forces prevail. An estimated 1,200 displaced families were in Tobruk itself where UNHCR’s stores of aid items – mainly blankets and mattresses – were being distributed by UNHCR's partner, the Libyan Red Crescent. People continued to flee Libya by sea. This morning the Maltese armed forces had rescued a boat carrying 116 people - one of them a woman who had died. Over 1100 people had arrived in Malta from Libya on five boats since 26 March. Meanwhile in Italy, three boats carrying about 1,000 people arrived on Lampedusa island from Libya over the weekend, mainly Somalis and Nigerians. Since 26 March, 3,358 people who had departed from the Libyan coast have reached southern Italy.
Mr. Mahecic said as of this weekend almost half a million people had fled the violence via the land borders in Libya, including 199,7000 to and 236,151 to Tunisia, with the rest distributed to other neighbouring countries such as Niger, Algeria and Chad.
Mr. Omari Jumbe said that an IOM-chartered ship with a capacity to carry 1,000 passengers had left Brindisi in southern Italy yesterday to evacuate thousands of stranded migrant workers from the Libyan port of Misrata. The ship would arrive in Benghazi, Libya later today to load humanitarian aid donated by aid agencies and local people, including blankets, food, water and medical supplies, before sailing on to Misrata, located 130 kilometers west of the capital, Tripoli. Thousands of migrant workers were thought to be stranded by fighting between the government and rebel forces in the city, with reports suggesting there were between 7,000 and 8,000 either inside or around the port waiting to be evacuated. The evacuation of migrant workers by sea followed two earlier IOM evacuations from Benghazi to the Egyptian port of Alexandria, but this was the first time that a ship had been sent to Misrata. Aid workers believed that there may be thousands of people trapped in the city. Migrant workers evacuated from Misrata port would be taken to Benghazi port, where they would be put on buses to Sallum at the Egyptian border. Upon their arrival in Sallum, IOM would assist non-Egyptians with their onward return to their home countries, as part of its ongoing evacuation operation.
Syria
Ms. Shamdasani said that OHCHR was deeply concerned about reports of the intensification of killings of protestors by security forces, as well as mass arrests of human rights defenders and the harassment of journalists. A number of journalists, international and Syrian, as well as Syrian bloggers, had reportedly been arrested and TV signals suspended of at least one private TV station. Syrian authorities must immediately release journalists detained for doing their jobs and respect the right to freedom of expression.
The High Commissioner had emphasized to the Syrian authorities that the use of force against peaceful protestors had not quelled discontent anywhere in the region and that the authorities must take immediate action to stop the excessive use of force, particularly the use of live ammunition, against peaceful protestors.
Iraq
Ms. Shamdasani, with regards to the reported violations in the Ashraf Camp by Iraqi forces last Friday, said that the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq had still not been able to enter the camp in order to independently verify the allegations of human rights violations. While the situation appeared to have calmed down according to reports, it remained urgent that independent observers were allowed immediate access to the camp in order to establish the truth of the matter.
Other
Ms. Morris said that the Secretary-General would chair talks on Libya in Cairo on Thursday. That meeting would look at ways of ensuring close coordination between the UN, the African Union, the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the European Union.
In Geneva, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities began its fifth session at Palais Wilson yesterday. It had reelected the Australian expert Ronald McCallum as President. The Committee, set up in 2009, had this morning begun considering its first ever country report. The representative of Tunisia was presenting that report and those discussions were due to continue until the end of tomorrow morning’s meeting. Concluding observations should be made public at the end of the session on Friday.
Ms. Morris said that State Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention would meet in Geneva from Wednesday to Friday to prepare for the 7th Review Conference, to take place in December.
Today marked the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarain.
The Russian Mission was organizing a wreath-laying ceremony at noon at the Monument to the Explorers of Space, a gift of the former USSR to the Palais des Nations. The UNOG Director-General would be among the speakers.
Ms. Morris said there would be a WHO press briefing on the new Lancet series on stillbirth at noon in Press Room 1m under embargo until 01:01 Geneva time on Thursday, 14 April 2011. Also, WTO would give a background briefing on the agenda in preparation for the next meeting of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body (scheduled for Thursday 21 April) tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Press Room 1.
WIPO would give a press conference on the 2 millionth international patent application under WIPO’s patent cooperation treaty on Thursday at 11 a.m. at its premises. Speaking would be Director-General Francis Gurry. Also on Thursday, the Red Cross would be launching the Sphere Handbook 2011 edition “Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response” in Press Room 1 at 2.30 p.m.
Catherine Sibut-Pinote of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said UNCTAD Member States were meeting until tonight to define the principal theme and four to five sub-themes to guide UNCTAD XIII, to be held in April 2012 in Doha, Qatar. The intention was to reestablish development as central element of globalization and to analyze it not only from an economic point of view, but also from a social perspective. A press release would be distributed later today.
Ms. Sibut-Pinote said UNCTAD would publish an information note tomorrow on a workshop to start on Wednesday in Ramallah on the modeling of the Palestinian economy.
Fadéla Chaib of the World Health Organization said that Gregory Härtl hoped to receive more information on the situation in Japan in the coming hour and was available to answer questions.