REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the Spokespersons for the World Health Organisation, World Meteorological Organization, World Food Programme, United Nations Refugee Agency, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Children’s Fund, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Trade Organization.

Floods in the Balkans

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), stated that the floods in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, were the worst floods in more than a century. In both countries the most pressing situations included floods evacuees and landslides, animal carcasses in the water and possible consequential diseases.

Preliminary reports indicated that 54 people had lost their lives, 22 in Serbia and 32 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The number of missing was still being compiled.

Social service infrastructures such as social health centres and schools had been severely affected by the floods. In particular, in Serbia, 150 schools in the most affected areas remained closed.

Mr. Boulierac said that, as water was now receding, there were fears of waterborne diseases and infections. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the number of people directly affected by the floods was now estimated to be around one quarter of the country population, or one million people, according to the Government. Those areas had received heavy rainfall for 250 liters of water per square metre, which was the highest in the last 120 years.

As a consequence, 55 municipalities had been affected by the floods, eight municipalities heavily affected and 300,000 people out of their homes, including 50,000 children.

The agricultural lands were very affected and there were more than 2,000 landslides that represented the greatest challenge.

In addition to that, more than 230 public institutions, schools and health centres were out of function or destroyed. The authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina had issued strong warnings related to the unearthing of mines and other unexploded devices from the 1992-1995 conflict as a result of the landslides.

In terms of UNICEF response, a series of interventions in both countries had been launched with relevant Government counterparts to protect children from the consequences of the floods.

In Serbia, UNICEF was taking the leading in the child protection and education sector. UNICEF had mobilized 120 volunteers psycho-social workers, mostly psychologists students and trained them in collaboration with the partners over the weekend in order to be deployed to child-friendly spaces.

UNICEF had also procured hygiene kits and blankets to cover the basic needs of 2,000 families and water pumps.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNICEF was taking the lead of water sanitation, hygiene protection and education sectors in cooperation with other partners. UNICEF had procured locally 300 hygiene kits and had distributed more than one ton of chlorine to decontaminate water supplies in the affected areas. Some of the items which had been distributed or were in the pipeline, were: disinfection materials, food, pumps and rain clothes.

In terms of funding, UNICEF was requesting an initial USD 3,6 million to meet the immediate and medium term needs of children and women in the affected areas in both countries.

Tarik Jasareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that waters were receding and people were starting to return home. The focus of health authorities in the affected countries was now on surveillance and prevention of water and vector-borne diseases, strengthening the surveillance system and the early warning system for communicable diseases, as well as the recovery of damaged health facilities.

An issue of concern was the significant number of dead animals in waters in flooded areas. They represented a risk to public health, but the risk was manageable if right precautions were taken. People should not touch dead animals, which should be disposed of in accordance with the advice of public health and veterinary authorities. The water with dead animals inside was unsafe to drink or to swim in.

WHO Regional office in Copenhagen focused its actions on shipping emergency kits and mobilizing supplies. There had been financial support from Italy, Norway and Russia. Water and sanitation specialists were working with the Serbian authorities and local experts to assist in the aftermath of the disaster.

Elisabeth Byrs, for the World Food Programme (WFP), announced that 75 metric tons of emergency food rations would be transported tonight on a commercial flight from the humanitarian depot in Dubai to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they would arrive on 24 May at 6 a.m.

Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), added that the WMO was working with their members in the region to assess what damage had been done to meteorological equipment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the town Doboj, the equipment was completely submerged, the local office was completely destroyed and all the records had been lost.

Ms. Nullis explained that the meteorological services had given very good warnings in advance, also through the website called Meteoalarm. In the days ahead of the flooding, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia had had alerts so the authorities had been warned. Without those warnings, the death toll would probably have been much higher. It was important to rehabilitate the destroyed equipment in order to prepare for potential similar scenarios in the future.

Ms. Nullis also said that, as always, it was very difficult to attribute one particular extreme event to climate change, be it drought, heat wave or floods, to climate change. What could be said was that, heavy rains such as those seen in the Balkans in the previous week, were very likely a scenario of climate change.

Asked whether animal carcasses represented a public health treat, Mr. Jasareviæ explained that their bodies could release bacteria as they were decomposing, thus exposing people to disease-causing pathogens. Outbreaks were seen rarely, but it was best not to touch dead bodies of either humans or animals. They should be buried or disposed of. Rodents attracted to carcasses might end up carrying some pathogens.

Central African Republic / Cameroon

Adrian Edwards, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that in Cameroon, UNHCR and its partners were battling to help growing numbers of refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR), many arriving malnourished and ill after walking and hiding in the bush for weeks before reaching the border.

Since mid-April, the rate of deaths among refugee children had been particularly high. Twenty nine children, the youngest a baby and the eldest a nine-year old, had died between April 14 and May 18 – most of them at therapeutic feeding centers, where they had arrived already gravely ill. Dehydration, hypothermia and severe anaemia had been the main causes of death.

Refugees from CAR had been arriving in Cameroon since 5 December through some 30 border points across an area over hundreds of kilometres. At present, there were 85,000 refugees in some 300 villages, making it extremely challenging for humanitarian agencies to meet their needs. In the worst-affected area around Gbiti, which lay about 400 kilometers east of Yaounde, severe malnutrition rates among newly arriving refugee children were running at close to 40 percent.

Mr. Edwards said that UNHCR was relocating refugees away from the border to six set up sites, as well as to several villages. More than 25,000 refugees had so far been moved, which had become additionally pressing amid reports of infiltration of anti-Balaka fighters into Cameroon. On 14 May, gunfire from CAR had been heard near a spontaneous refugee site in Gbiti.

At present, more than 2,000 refugees were crossing into Cameroon weekly, down from the recent peak of more than 10,000 in the last week of March. Arrivals had decreased in early April after anti-Balaka militiamen, who had attacked refugees on the way, blocked the main roads leading to Cameroon. Newly arriving refugees told UNHCR that many of their family members remained trapped in the bush in CAR.

UNHCR had established three new bases in eastern Cameroon to better help refugees arriving across the border, but had not been able to reach all 30 entry points. Since March, UNHCR had had 35 staff in three teams in the area. Each team included specialists in protection, community services, registration, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, site planning and shelter.

While the humanitarian efforts were saving lives, UNHCR was accelerating the deployment of more NGOs for the critical sectors of health and nutrition. Currently, NGO capacity was worryingly thin in the refugee hosting areas. Several agencies had reported difficulties in covering the vast array of needs.

Mr. Edwards explained that the UNHCR was working with UNICEF, the World Food Programme and five medical aid agencies to reduce malnutrition rates and deaths. That included the provision of therapeutic and supplementary feeding for the malnourished, general food distribution, vaccination campaigns, and the supply of clean water, sanitation and shelter.

Further funding was needed to expand services and better address the situation. UNHCR renewed its call for donors to urgently step up funding to humanitarian operations in Cameroon. Of the USD 22.6 million which the UNHCR was seeking to help this population, only USD 4.2 million had been received thus far. In addition, the Regional Refugee Response Plan for Central African Republic was only 12 percent funded at present. That plan involved UNHCR and 14 partners in the four countries affected by the CAR refugee crisis - Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, and it represented the humanitarian responses of six UN Agencies, IOM and eight NGOs.

Ms. Elisabth Byrs for the World Food Programme (WFP) stated that the situation of refugees and third country nationals in Cameroon was dramatic. The WFP had categorized the Cameroon – CAR refugees emergency operation a “Level 3” Response (urgent and complex operation on a large scale) to ensure that appropriate resources were allocated and the WFP could respond in a timely and effective manner.

Ms. Byrs explained that the crisis in Central African Republic had already forced around 78,000 people to take refuge in regions of Cameroon located close to the border with CAR. The WFP was very concerned by the health status of children and women arriving from CAR in Cameroon, suffering from acute malnutrition and related diseases. 80 per cent were women and children, and in some camps, global acute malnutrition rates were surpassing 25 per cent, above the emergency threshold which stood at 15 per cent.

With the start of the rainy season, the WFP anticipated a deterioration of the living conditions in the camps with risk of diseases; it had scaled up its interventions and had started distributing special fortified foods as a complement to the regular food basket in some areas where refugees had settled and at transit sites. A “blanket feeding” programme was under way to provide assistance to the same vulnerable groups for six months.

Ms. Byrs specified that the WFP had already distributed food to over 42,000 refugees in camps and border areas, but the growing refugee population scattered in multiple locations was putting a strain on WFP resources.

WFP had supplied special nutrition stocks to health centers near camps and entry points; treatment of moderately acute malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women was ongoing. A 30-day ration of supplementary nutritional food had been provided to 2,124 children under five and 1,153 pregnant and lactating women at Gbiti entry point in light of the dire nutrition situation of arriving populations.

WFP had launched an eight-month emergency response operation to assist refugee populations in Cameroon that targetted 100,000 people at a cost of USD 15.6 million. So far, no contribution had been received, and WFP operation continued on loans granted by the Headquarters.

Answering a question, Ms. Byrs said that she did not have a figure of how many children could perish as a result of acute malnutrition and related diseases. Food had already been distributed to over 42,000 refugees in the area, but the growing refugees population was scattered over a wide area, which was putting an additional strain on the WFP.

Ms. Vellucci said that Babacar Gaye, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in CAR, had called on the anti-balaka militia to lay down their arms and the ex-Séléka to stand ready to enter the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process. She said that he had added that the support that the international community was trying to mobilize for the country would be in vain if the parties did not act responsibly for the long-term stability of the country.

Asked for more information on the state of refugees, Mr. Edwards explained that the journey people were making from Central African Republic was a journey of starvation and death. A number of people were severely wounded. People had to be taken away from unsafe areas next to the border. There were six sites to which people were being moved. With refugees across such a wide area, there was a real problem organizing movements, and more support was needed to expand capacities.

On what kind of injuries those people had, Mr. Edwards said that they had knife cuts, gunshot wounds, and people arriving in an extremely poor physical shape, often a result of having lived in bushes for weeks.

Mali

Mr. Edwards stated that armed confrontation in Kidal in northeast Mali on 17 May and again on 21 May between Tuareg MNLA fighters and Government forces had prompted new displacements, with small but growing numbers of people fleeing southwards or into neighbouring countries.

UNHCR’s partner in northern Mali, IEDA Relief, estimated that Kidal town had so far seen 3,000 people fleeing affected neighbourhoods. People were mainly heading to the city outskirts or in the direction of Gao, where 400 people had so far arrived. Those people had told UNHCR teams that they had been forced to hide in their homes in Kidal for two days without food, and while waiting for the fighting to decrease. They had also said that more people were poised to flee both Kidal and Menaka to Gao.

Mr. Edwards said that Gao itself was not calm, and buses leaving the city towards Bamako were packed with people worried that the city might be attacked. UNHCR was ready to provide relief for 2,000 displaced persons in Gao and, in coordination with other UN agencies, to 1,000 internally displaced in Kidal, including blankets, jerry cans and buckets.

In Burkina Faso, 18 new refugees arriving from Gao and Bamako had been seen in Bobo Dioulasso on 22 May. In Mauritania, refugees at the Mbera camp, just across the border from Mali, reported having been contacted by family members in the Timbuktu area asking for help in getting to Mbera.

The displacement reported during the week followed several months in which Malian refugees had been returning home spontaneously. As many as 12,000 refugees had headed back to the Gao and Timbuktu regions, many receiving aid from the UNHCR. Thousands of internally displaced people had also returned to their home areas since mid-2013.

Mr. Edwards informed that, as of early May, some 137,000 Malians had still been refugees in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania, while 137,000 others had still been internally displaced within Mali as a result of the volatile security in the North.

Ms. Vellucci said that the Secretary-General had said, in his statement on the situation in Mali, on 21 May, that he was deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating situation in Kidal, and he called for the immediate cessation of fighting and the establishment of a ceasefire. The Secretary-General had particularly emphasized his concern for the security of civilian populations, and recalled that the protection of civilians was an obligation for all parties. He had condemned the killing of civilians and called on the perpetrators to be held accountable.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), informed that the humanitarian organizations had just issued a report on the situation in Katanga, which for some time had gone somewhat unnoticed internationally. The organizations were trying to draw international attention to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Katanga.

Mr. Laerke explained that the fighting between the Congolese army and armed groups had displaced thousands of people since the beginning of the present year. Over one thousand homes in more than 70 villages had been burned down in an area around three villages called Manono, Mitwaba and Pweto, locally known as the triangle of death. Over the previous year, the situation had overall deteriorated dramatically with a number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) constantly increasing. A year earlier, there had been about 350,000 IDPs in Katanga, there were now half a million. Since 2011 there had been a tenfold increase of IDPs in Katanga, from 50,000 in 2011 to half a million today.

In 2013, there had been nearly 2,000 reported cases of violence against civilians, which included rape, executions, kidnappings and forced recruitments of minors into armed groups. A number of humanitarian organizations were working there, including the United Nations, the Red Cross, national and international NGOs, but insecurity, limited access to victims, and limited funding were severely affecting their work.

Mr. Laerke specified that, thus far, aid organizations there had received only 15 percent of the USD 832 million which they needed for humanitarian actions in 2014.

Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories

Cécile Pouilly, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), informed that the High Commissioner had written to the Israeli Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva to express her very serious concerns about a recent incident involving the killing of two Palestinian teenagers in the occupied West Bank.

On 15 May, Israeli security forces had allegedly shot and killed two Palestinian minors taking part in a demonstration in Beituniya, in the West Bank, commemorating the 66^th anniversary of what Palestinians call the “Nakba Day.”

The initial findings of OHCHR’s team on the ground indicated that the two minors aged 16 and 17 had presented no direct threat at the time that they had been killed. The killings might amount to extrajudicial executions under human rights law as well as wilful killings under international humanitarian law.

While OHCHR welcomed reports that an investigation into the incident had been opened, it was also calling for the investigation to be prompt, thorough, effective, independent, impartial and transparent. OHCHR also urged Israel to make public the findings of the investigation and any steps regarding accountability that were taken.

Ms. Pouilly said that the event came amid a series of incidents involving the excessive use of force by Israeli security forces in the West Bank, as reported in the High Commissioner’s previous report to the Human Rights Council.

OHCHR had repeatedly raised its concerns about the excessive use of force by Israeli security forces and the lack of accountability for such incidents. Any use of force by the Israelis had to be in accordance with the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms.

Answering a question, Ms. Pouilly specified that an investigative team had been on the ground, to look into the events on the spot and reconstitute what exactly had happened at the incident scene.

Syria

Ms. Pouilly informed that, according to information the OHCHR had received, units of the Syrian armed forces had broken yesterday through the siege imposed for more than a year on Aleppo Central Prison by some armed groups and succeeded in entering the prison’s compound.

The safety and physical integrity of a number of prisoners and detainees, in particular 53 political detainees whose identity was known to the OHCHR, were at imminent risk.

OHCHR had also received information that a number of prisoners had completed their sentence. Those prisoners, as well as those arbitrarily detained, had to be immediately released. All detainees and prisoners should receive the medical care which they had been deprived of for too long as a result of the siege.

OHCHR reminded the Government of Syria of its obligations to safeguard the safety and security of all detainees and prisoners.

Asked how many prisoners with completed sentences had not been released, Ms. Pouilly responded that there were about 2,500 prisoners and detainees in the Aleppo prison. There was no exact information on the number of those who had completed their sentences. OHCHR was hoping that the Government of Syria would listen to its recommendations.

Answering a question, Ms. Pouilly reiterated that the detainees had been kept in prison during the siege.

Asked if the OHCHR had any comment on the failure of the Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court, Ms. Pouilly stressed that the High Commissioner for Human Rights had repeatedly called for the referral of Syria to the ICC. The Secretary-General had issued a strong statement the previous day.

Ms. Vellucci said that in a statement, the Secretary-General had called on the Council and pleaded with their Members to set aside their differences and finally work together on a joint approach that could bring to an end the long nightmare for the Syrian people. His remarks were available on request.

Dominican Republic

Ms. Cécile Pouilly, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the OHCHR welcomed the adoption yesterday of a new citizenship law in the Dominican Republic, as part of the efforts by the Government to restore the nationality of thousands of individuals who had been affected by the ruling of the Constitutional Court in September 2013.

The recently approved law was an important step towards restoring the nationality of those who had been already included in the Dominican Civil Registry.

OHCHR was, nonetheless, concerned by the situation of individuals who had not been registered at birth and who might represent a large majority of those affected by the Court ruling. OHCHR stressed the importance of a transparent and effective process in order to restore their nationality.

Ms. Pouilly said that the OHCHR would continue to monitor the situation closely.

World Health Assembly

Fadéla Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed about the final days of the World Health Assembly, and referred to the Journal, which contained all the details. The two committees had restarted their sessions work and were discussing disability and handicap. Afterwards, they would go the subjects of autism, psoriasis, the draft new action plan for the newborn health, mercury, polio, engagement with non-State actors, and the international health regulation. That was all taking place in room XVIII.

The Committee A was somewhat delayed, its agenda was full, and the afternoon session might go well into the evening. Committee B, which was meeting in Room XVII, was discussing financial and administrative issues.

Ms. Chaib said that the last technical briefing would be on the topic of “The role and priority setting in universal health coverage: the value of international support for health intervention and technology assessment”. The speaker would be Dr Marie-Paule Kieny, the Assistant Director-General for the Health Information and Systems, representatives of Thailand, Ethiopia and Iran, as well as representatives of universities and NGOs. The briefing would take place in room XVII from 12.30 p.m. to 14.15 p.m.

Answering a question, Ms. Chaib said that all the technical briefings were open to the media. She clarified that there had been no technical briefing on tuberculosis.

Ms. Chaib also confirmed that media requests for a press conference by Dr Chan had been forwarded to her but her agenda had not allowed her to schedule one.

It was subsequently announced that a press briefing on WHO reform would take place in Press Room 1 at 3 p.m today.

Hurricane Season

Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), informed that on 26 May, the WMO would issue a press release on greenhouse gas concentrations in spring 2014.

Ms. Nullis said that the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had issued its predictions for the upcoming 2014 Atlantic hurricane season outlook, forecasting a near-normal or below-normal season. There was a 70 percent likelihood for eight to 13 named storms, of which three to six could become hurricanes, including one to two major hurricanes. That compared with the seasonal average of 12 named storms. In contrast, in the Eastern Pacific, the NOAA was expecting that there would be actually more named storms than usual, with a 70 percent chance for 14 to 20 named storms. The reasons for both was the anticipated development of the El Niño phenomenon, which had opposite impacts in the Atlantic and the Pacific zones.

WMO was monitoring the evolution of the potential El Nino phenomenon and would keep the public updated because of its major impact around the world.

On hurricanes, for the first time in 2014 the National Hurricane Centre was going to be issuing maps on storm surges on an experimental basis. Hurricanes were categorized according to wind speed, and until now there had not been much attention to the storm surges which had killed the most people, as was seen with Sandy and the Haiyan in the Philippines.

Geneva activities

Ms. Vellucci informed that the Committee against Torture and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights were closing their sessions this afternoon. Round-up summaries would be sent out to the press at the end of the day.

The Committee against Torture would hold a press conference in Press Room 1 at 2 p.m. in order to present its concluding observations on Cyprus, Guinea, Lithuania, Montenegro, Holy See, Sierra Leone, Thailand and Uruguay.

The Committee for the Rights of the Child would start its session on 26 May, and would consider reports of India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Saint Lucia and the United Kingdom. The background press release had been distributed on 22 May.

The Conference on Disarmament would hold its next public session on 27 May.

Ms Vellucci announced that today was “International Day to End Obstetric Fistula”, and the Secretary-General had sent out a message on the occasion, which was available from her office.

Ms. Vellucci announced that a press conference for the launch of the report: “World of Work 2014: developing with jobs” would take place in Press Room III on 26 May at 10 a.m. Speakers would include Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General, and Raymond Torres, Director of the ILO Research Department. The report would be under embargo until 27 May at 00:01 GMT.

Melissa Begag, for the World Trade Organization (WTO), informed that the Director-General would meet with Swiss Federal Councillor Schneider-Amman and private sector representatives in Bern on 26 May. In Geneva, in the WTO Green Room on 27 May at 3 p.m, he would receive the instrument of acceptance of Yemen, confirming Yemen’s membership terms; the event would be open to journalists. The same day, Mr. Azevedo would meet with the ILO Director-General Mr Guy Ryder.

Ms. Begag also informed that the Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation would meet between 26 and 28 May, while the Trade Policy Review of Ghana would take place on 26 and 29 May.

The spokesperson for the International Labour Organization also attended the briefing, but did not speak.
The webcast for this briefing is available here: … http://bit.ly/TBP3Gj