REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
Corinne Momal-Vanian, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by Spokespersons for and Representatives of the International Labour Office, the United Nations Mine Action Service, the Economic Commission for Europe, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Programme.
Geneva Activities
Ms. Momal-Vanian said the Committee on the Rights of the Child was this morning reviewing the initial report of the United Kingdom under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Next week, the Committee would be considering the reports of India, Indonesia and Saint Lucia.
The Conference on Disarmament will be holding its next public plenary at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 3 June.
International Labour Office
Hans von Rohland of the International Labour Office (ILO) reminded journalists that the World Social Protection Report would be launched on Monday, 2 June at a press conference in Press Room 1 at 10 a.m. A note to correspondents with the details had already been sent to journalists. The report, a press release, and a summary of the report would be made available to journalists on a site protected by a password today.
On 4 June at 1 p.m., ILO would be launching a book on “Transforming Economies”, including strategies and good practises on how to change an agricultural country into an industrial one.
Mr. von Rohland said concerning the International Labour Conference and the work of the Committee on the Application of Standards, available at the back of the room was an index of observations regarding which certain countries were invited to supply information to the Committee, and the timetable of the work of the Committee. The timetable was provisional and could change. The meetings of the Committee would be held at the ILO. After the Committee concluded its meetings, it would prepare a report which would summarize all its work and which would later be adopted by the Conference on 11 or 12 June.
A journalist asked for an interview with the Prime Minister of Jordan on 9 June. Mr. von Rohland said that in principle, the Prime Minister of Jordan had confirmed his attendance, but suggested that the journalist may want to approach the Jordanian mission for an interview. He would also contact the mission, and inquire whether the Prime Minister would give a press conference.
Roundtable/United Nations Mine Action Service
Bruno Donat, Chief of the Geneva office of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), said on Monday, 2 June at 11 a.m., the United Nations would be hosting a roundtable discussion in Room S-5 with interested parties entitled “Maputo: The United Nations – all ears”. The roundtable was mostly in preparation of the upcoming Third Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention in Maputo in June. At the roundtable discussion, States parties, non-governmental organizations and universities would be coming in to give their input to the United Nations. The United Nations Secretary-General was the depository of the Convention, and this roundtable would allow for frank discussions with stakeholders. He asked if there was interest among journalists to attend the roundtable or to receive feedback on it afterwards via a press conference or a press release. It was agreed that interested journalists would contact Mr. Donat.
Mr. Donat said there was a media advisory at the back of the room with more details.
Economic Commission for Europe
Jean Rodriguez of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) said on Tuesday, 3 June, ECE would be celebrating with its partners the International Level Crossings Awareness Day (ILCAD), which was launched in 2009. The aim would be to draw attention to the security problems concerning level crossings. There were tens of thousands of accidents at level crossings every year, millions of near misses, and around 6,000 deaths, but the problem had not received the attention that it merited. On this occasion, the ECE, along with the International Union of Railways and the Federal Office of Transport of the Swiss Confederation, had produced a film, which explained the problem and recommended what could be done to improve the situation by the public, the authorities, and railway operators. The launch of the film would be in Portugal, organized by the International Union of Railways.
Mr. Rodriguez said available at the back of the room was a press release on energy issues which would be at the centre of debates at the meeting of the Parties to the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and its Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment, which would be held from 2 to 5 June. On 3 June in the afternoon, a seminar on wind and hydro energy would look at good practice in the application of the Convention and the Protocol and would examine issues of landscape analysis, spatial planning and environmental challenges in the framework of environmental assessment for such activities and plans. On 4 June in the afternoon, there would be a seminar on the globalization of the Convention and the Protocol and the role of international financial institutions. The seminar aimed to provide some insights regarding interested countries’ practice and development needs for their possible future accession to the two instruments. Participants would then explore ways to raise awareness of the two UNECE treaties in other regions. The high-level segment would be held on 5 June, and would be opened by the Acting Executive Secretary, Michael Møller. Attending would be the Minister for Environment of Lithuania and the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Ukraine. Mr. Rodriguez said he would be back next Friday to tell journalists about the results of the meeting. It was expected that the meeting would adopt an amendment to the Protocol to allow States from outside the region to participate.
All the seminars would be held in Room XVI. There were more details in the press release. He would send journalists the detailed programme.
OHCHR/Field-Based Structure in Republic of Korea
Ravina Shamdasani of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a resolution in March, the Human Rights Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to “follow up urgently on the recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry” on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)” and “provide the Special Rapporteur with increased support”, including through the establishment of a field-based structure. The field-based structure was designed to strengthen human rights monitoring and documentation as steps towards establishing accountability, and enhance engagement and capacity-building with the Governments of all concerned States, civil society and other stakeholders. It would also help maintain visibility of the human rights situation in the DPRK through sustained communications, advocacy and outreach initiatives. Since the March resolution, consultations had continued between Member States and OHCHR about setting up this field structure in order to follow up the work of the Commission of Inquiry and implement the Council’s resolution in the most efficient and effective manner. On Wednesday 28 May, the Republic of Korea informed OHCHR that it accepted to host the field-based structure. The location of the field structure in the Republic of Korea had many advantages: namely proximity, a common language, unimpeded access to victims and other first-hand witnesses. The Republic of Korea was also a major hub for civil society and victims groups focusing on the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The structure and its staff would, of course, be able to function there independently and in accordance with United Nations principles. The precise operational details were still to be finalized within the next few months, and they would be keeping other Member States informed throughout the process.
OHCHR stressed its commitment to following up the Commission of Inquiry report in order to ensure accountability of the perpetrators of gross human rights violations, including crimes against humanity and international abductions, and to help ease the ongoing sufferings of the people living in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
OHCHR was pleased that the Republic of Korea had agreed to host the field-based structure, which would provide the United Nations Human Rights Office with a greatly strengthened capacity to work on human rights issues in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
In response to a question on whether there were precedents for such field-based structures, and how many staff were expected to man the structure, and if they included local staff, Ms. Shamdasani said OHCHR was still waiting for the budget to be cleared in New York by the General Assembly. They expected to have between five and six international staff members and probably some national staff as well. OHCHR had many different ways of engaging with countries including country offices, human rights advisers who were sometimes based with United Nations missions in different countries, and where access to the country in question was not possible, they often worked with the surrounding areas, for example in the case of Syria, where OHCHR had a structure in their Beirut office to work exclusively on issues in Syria. It was the first time such a structure would be set up for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Asked if there had been any engagement by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on this issue, and if OHCHR had had contact with them, Ms. Shamdasani said that country had been informed that the decision had been made and that the structure was being set up. The most recent engagement OHCHR had had with them was within the context of the Universal Periodic Review recently.
OHCHR/United States’ Supreme Court Ruling on Death Penalty
Ms. Shamdasani said on Tuesday (27 May), the Supreme Court of the United States issued one of its most important rulings with regard to the use of the death penalty against people with mental and intellectual disabilities. The case involved a death row prisoner in the state of Florida. Until now, the state of Florida had refused to review any evidence about a defendant’s purported intellectual disability unless she or he scored 70 or below on an IQ test. The defendant in this particular case had scored 71 on one IQ test. The United States Supreme Court ruled in this case that it was unconstitutional to refuse to take into account mental factors other than an IQ test. The Court stated that “intellectual disability is a condition, not a number.” The ruling would affect not only Florida, which was the state with the second-largest number of people on death row after California, but also other states that still used the death penalty in the United States. Judges would now be required to take a less mechanical approach to mental disability in capital cases.
In 2002, the Supreme Court made it clear in the Atkins vs. Virginia case that no state may execute people with mental disabilities. Tuesday’s decision of the US Supreme Court in the Florida case picked up where Atkins v. Virginia left off, making it clearer now who counted as an individual with intellectual disabilities. In its judgment, the Court also stated that: “The death penalty is the gravest sentence our society may impose. Persons facing that most severe sanction must have a fair opportunity to show that the Constitution prohibits their execution. Florida’s law contravenes our Nation’s commitment to dignity and its duty to teach human decency as the mark of a civilized world.” OHCHR welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling as a significant step towards limiting the scope of the death penalty in the United States, and urged United States’ authorities to go further and to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.
Asked if OHCHR had submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on this case, Ms. Shamdasani said she would like to double check this but her understanding was that in this case, OHCHR had not. OHCHR had submitted amicus briefs in other cases. The position of OHCHR and the United Nations on capital punishment was nevertheless very clear.
Asked if OHCHR saw any signs that indicated that the United States could issue a moratorium, Ms. Shamdasani said she understood that there was a Bill on the abolition of the Federal death penalty, which was currently pending at the United States Congress. Of course, OHCHR would very much welcome this and would stand ready to assist in any way that they could.
Central African Republic
Ms. Momal-Vanian said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had issued a statement yesterday condemning the recent attacks in the Central African Republic. Journalists would have heard of the attacks the day before on the Notre Dame de Fatima church in Bangui. The Secretary-General called for an immediate end to the cycle of violence and retaliatory attacks. Ms. Momal-Vanian said the attack followed violence in the capital earlier in the week. The Secretary-General encouraged the Central African Republic’s Transitional Authority to do everything within its means to prevent further violence in the capital and throughout the country, and to take concrete measures to ensure that perpetrators were held accountable.
Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba of the High Commissioner for Refugees said in the Central African Republic, also spoke of the attack in Bangui on the Notre Dame de Fatima church which had resulted in the deaths of at least 17 people and 27 civilians reportedly abducted by assailants who drove them to an unknown location. The attackers – who arrived in pick-up trucks in the early afternoon – threw grenades into the church compound before opening fire on people, using small arms. A priest was killed during the attack, while two children and two adults died yesterday of their injuries. At the time of the attack, Notre Dame de Fatima was hosting 9,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), including 2,050 who arrived there only a week earlier to escape from a recent rise in insecurity in nearby neighborhoods. Others had been staying there since December 2013. UNHCR strongly condemned this attack against innocent civilians and called on all sides of the armed conflict to protect civilians, in line with their obligations under international law. UNHCR also called on all sides of the conflict to allow for the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance and unhindered access to the people in need of protection and aid.
Insecurity in the Central African Republic’s capital had increased drastically since last weekend. On Sunday 25 May, three people were killed in the PK5 neighborhood, purportedly by Anti-Balaka elements, while they were heading to an inter-communal reconciliation football match. On Monday and Tuesday, the situation remained tense and shootings were reported. On Wednesday, inter-communal hostilities culminated with the attack at Notre Dame de Fatima, which was now totally empty. The attack was among the worst on any IDP site in Bangui since the Seleka group was removed from power in January 2014. Churches, monasteries and mosques had till now been safe havens for IDPs across the Central African Republic. In Bangui where the security situation remained tense, 32 out of 43 IDP sites were religious institutions. Those who fled from Notre Dame de Fatima had either moved to the surrounding neighborhoods or southwards towards 10 sites in Bangui and the adjacent area of Bimbo. Many fled without anything – no money, no food, not even a mat to sleep on. Others had bullet wounds that needed to be attended to urgently. Compounding their hardship, the overcrowded IDP sites they moved to faced shortages in water, food, shelter and basic healthcare. The second half of the month of May was also violent in other parts of the Central African Republic. In Bambari for example, in the Ouaka province, clashes erupted on May 21 and 24 between French Sangaris elements and armed civilians over the implementation of confidence-building measures and the cantonment of ex-Seleka forces. Meanwhile, UNHCR partners had documented progressive returns in zones of the northwestern Ouham-Pende and the northern Ouham provinces. With the mixed displacement trends, the overall number of IDPs remained at 557,000 across the Central African Republic, including 132,000 in Bangui. There were also 120,994 Central African Republic refugees in neighboring countries.
Christiane Berthiaume of the International Organization for Migration said IOM also condemned the attack on IDPs in the Notre Dame de Fatima Church. Available in the press notes was a statement by IOM Director General William Lacy Swing in which he condemned the attack in the strongest terms and the continued violence that had ensued. He called on all parties to the conflict to put down their arms and to focus on rebuilding the Central African Republic. The violence in the Central African Republic spread on Thursday. Numerous roadblocks and incidents around Bangui interrupted commerce and prevented the provision of humanitarian services. Streets were deserted except for groups of youths manning roadblocks. Shooting and explosions were frequently heard around the city. IOM staff were at their homes or hotels. The situation in the country was very tense and of concern.
Asked if it was the Ex-Seleka that attacked the church, or was there any idea about the attackers, Ms. Lejeune-Kaba said that nobody knew exactly who the assailants were. They just knew that they were armed. It was unclear who they were. What was known was that 27 people were abducted, and UNHCR had no idea where they had been taken. In the past, whenever UNHCR heard about abductions, sometimes there had been requests for ransoms, while other times people disappeared and were never found again. With respect to security, these IDP sites were open areas, but the IDPs who were there felt that security was a bit better than in their neighbourhoods. The Sangaris and the MISCA troops were currently trying to bring back security, and they had secured some of the IDP locations, but they were not everywhere at the same time. When those troops were around, it could be a deterrent. Most of the attacks were at night, or at times when these troops were not present.
Asked why attacks had increased in the past few days, Ms. Lejeune-Kaba said there was nothing they could really say was a single cause. Before, a lot of the attacks were committed by Anti-Balaka militias, against the Muslims, but most of the latter had left Bangui. What they had noticed now was that the violence on IDP sites still continued by Anti-Balaka against Christians. It seemed that the attackers had arms which they used against IDPs to get whatever they wanted. They had also set up justice systems within IDP camps and people had been reporting cases of violence, including rape. Then last week, the attacks were stepped up.
A journalist asked if the Notre Dame de Fatima church was Catholic and asked what was being done to help those who left the church. Ms. Lejeune-Kaba said the church was Catholic. The situation was hard; almost all staff of humanitarian agencies were unable to move around. A colleague told her that yesterday, protesters angry at the attack on the church had thrown stones at cars owned by humanitarian agencies. No one was hurt, but there was a lot of tension in Bangui now. Another colleague told her that today they would try to help those who were wounded in the attack. The IDPs who had left the church were spread among 10 different sites, and all these sites were already overcrowded, with very little basic facilities. That was why UNHCR was calling on all sides to allow humanitarian agencies to do their work, because these people were clearly traumatized. They had left with nothing.
Ms. Berthiaume said the situation was so tense that colleagues on the ground had been unable to move around and had remained confined to their hotels or offices. The situation was very serious.
Answering a question about the identification of those who were refugees within the Our Lady of Fatima Church in Bangui, Ms. Lejeune-Kaba said that they were Christian IDPs.
Responding to another question, Ms. Lejeune-Kaba said the church was now completely empty and all 9,000 IDPs who had been there had fled.
Answering another question about the earlier PK5 neighbourhood attack in Bangui, Ms. Berthiaume said that Muslims who wanted to be evacuated had left but some of them wanted to stay.
Asked if UNHCR or other UN bodies had thought of coordinating with peacekeeping forces there to escort some aid to the areas that were insecure, Jens Laerke of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted that OCHA staff were presently working from their hotels. As soon as security conditions on the ground allowed it, there was an agreement between the United Nations and non-governmental organizations to carry out an assessment. Obviously the first thing that they would do was find out where people had fled to. Coordinating distributions with peacekeeping forces was something they kept as a last resort to gain maximum humanitarian space in which to operate. In this particular incident, he would have to double check if there was a request for any convoy on any particular occasion.
Ms. Lejeune-Kaba said the French and MISCA troops had been helping with escorting agencies, especially outside of Bangui. MISCA and Sangaris were currently working to remove road blocks and check points that had been set up and tyres that had been burnt.
Elizabeth Byrs of the World Food Programme said on 27 May, WFP dispatched five trucks carrying 50 tons of food along with one truck belonging to MERSECOR with different support equipment for WFP staff in Bambari as well as food. The trucks were escorted and the guards would remain in Bambari for two weeks to provide additional protection to the WFP compound.
Philippines
Ms. Berthiaume said last Wednesday in the Philippines, a fire claimed the lives of a mother and six of her children who had been living in a camp in Tacloban for long-term displaced persons following the Haiyan super-typhoon. This tragic incident showed that durable solutions had to be found for these displaced people, they could not remain in the tents. Haiyan had struck in November and now they were at the end of May and displaced people were still in camps. They were now about to enter the typhoon season and not one of these tents would survive even a mild tropical storm. Even before this latest disaster, IOM had started to set up pilot temporary shelters in Tacloban, after consultation with the city government and groups representing displaced persons. The low-cost, quick-build dwellings were designed to get people out of tent cities and other unsafe zones and structures, while they were waiting for durable solutions or permanent relocation. Along with an initial 300 units, IOM was proceeding with emergency evacuation planning with community leaders so people could move to pre-identified safe evacuation areas in case of disaster. There were more details in the briefing notes.
Syria
A journalist asked for a comment on the Syria draft resolution presented at the United Nations Security Council on ensuring humanitarian access to the remote and hard-to-access parts of Syria through Iraq and Turkey. Ms. Momal-Vanian said that the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Kyung-wha Kang addressed the Security Council on this issue the day before, saying once again that the situation was not satisfactory and it was getting worse. Ms. Kang said “we once again appeal for rapid, unhindered and safe access to every Syrian in need, all delivery routes must be made available to use, both cross line and cross border. Medical and surgical supplies urgently need to reach the wounded and the sick.” Valerie Amos, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, had also spoken often on this and next week she would talk to the press about it. However, Ms. Momal-Vanian said she could not comment on a draft resolution submitted by Member States to the Security Council.
Ms. Byrs said that WFP was the big operational and logistics agency in Syria and anything which could improve access was more than welcome.
Yemen
Ms. Byrs said that in Yemen, WFP was enhancing its operation because 5 million Yemenis were in danger of slipping into severe food insecurity. Yemen was in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, with more than 10 million people, almost half the country’s population, either hungry or on the edge of hunger. Of those, 4.5 million Yemenis or 22 per cent of the population were found to be severely food insecure. Another 5 million were at risk of slipping into severe food insecurity. Child malnutrition rates were among the highest in the world, with close to half of Yemen’s children under five years – 2 million children - stunted and 1 million acutely malnourished. WFP was scaling up its nutrition interventions in the five coastal governorates: Aden, Hajja, Hodeidah, Lahz and Taiz, where 50 per cent of Yemen’s malnourished children were located. The response included a blanket supplementary feeding programme for children under five using Plumpy-Do to reduce their risk of acute malnutrition. This aimed to reach 325,000 children under the age of two each month. Other treatment initiatives focused on reaching 200,000 children under five as well as 157,000 pregnant and nursing women, supplying them with Plumpy-Sup and wheat soya blend. The security situation remained a concern for humanitarian actions. Despite the difficulty in movement, WFP had a robust presence in Yemen, reaching people through 3,600 food distribution points across the country. In May, WFP aimed to reach 750,000 persons with food aid, and in April, it reached 839,000 beneficiaries. In June, WFP would begin implementing a two-year recovery operation, which would support people in overcoming barriers to food and nutrition security and manage the consequences of conflict and natural stresses and address long-term hunger. This two-year operation was targeting six million people and would cost $491 million. For WFP’s regular Yemen project, it needed $ 117.5 million to cover operations until December. There were more details in the briefing notes.
The representatives of the World Health Organization and the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also attended the briefing, but did not brief.
The webcast for this briefing is available here: …http://bit.ly/1koybIf