REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Ahmad Fawzi, Director a.i. of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by spokespersons for the Human Rights Council, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Yemen peace talks start in Switzerland

Mr. Fawzi said that the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced today, 15 December, the start of a cessation of hostilities in Yemen. The ceasefire was a critical first step towards building a lasting peace in the country, said the Special Envoy, and urged all parties to respect this initiative and work towards establishing a comprehensive and permanent end to the conflict.

The UN-sponsored consultations aimed at finding a durable settlement to the Yemen crisis started today, 15 December in Switzerland, said Mr. Fawzi. These consultations sought to establish a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, secure improvements to the humanitarian situation and a return to a peaceful and orderly political transition.

Urging the delegations to ensure full respect for the cessation of hostilities, the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen said “The cessation of hostilities which was called today should mark the end of military violence in Yemen and the transition to progress based on negotiations, dialogue and consensus. Making peace is a fundamental requirement to rebuild Yemen, rehabilitate the basic infrastructure, address the consequences of the war, provide the necessary environment to normalize life in all governorates, and resume economic activity.”

The peace talks for Yemen were facilitated by the Special Envoy and attended by 24 Yemeni representatives and advisors. UN experts were working with the delegations present to provide support to develop agreements which would improve humanitarian access and delivery and to aid in the development of a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire.

The United Nations TV team was at the location to cover the opening statement by the Special Envoy for Yemen, and the footage would be available later today, 15 December, said Mr. Fawzi.

Full statement available in English and in Arabic here.

Answering questions on the duration of the talks, Mr. Fawzi said that the Special Envoy was flexible and he also recalled that during the press conference in Geneva last week, Mr. Cheikh Ahmed had said that the talks would go for as long as needed.

On the makeup and the composition of the parties, Mr. Fawzi said that the two parties had arrived over the past two days; initial delays were overcome and they were now in place, as agreed with the Special Envoy. The UN team was in place as well.

Asked whether the ceasefire was being observed, Mr. Fawzi said that he would report any development from the ground as soon as he had it.

The United Nations

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave a press conference on Monday, 14 December, focusing mainly on COP 21 and the marvellous achievements of Paris. Full transcript available here.

Syria consultations

Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Syria, was currently in Geneva where he had met with the Director-General Michael Møller and was heading to New York shortly, said Mr. Fawzi.

Mr. de Mistura continued to work on the outcomes of Vienna 1 and 2 talks, and it was hoped that today’s meeting between the United States Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov would add some clarity as to when the next International Syria Support Group meeting would take place and where.

Mr. Fawzi confirmed that Mr. de Mistura would not be briefing the press at the moment and said that the United Nations Information Service continued to impress upon him the importance of talking to the Geneva press corps.

Geneva Activities

Mr. Fawzi announced press conferences to take place in Geneva this week:

As Yemen’s conflict neared the one-year mark amidst ongoing peace talks, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) press briefing would provide an update on the current health situation in Yemen and the response and funding requirements of the WHO and health partners. At 11.30 a.m. in Room III by Dr Ahmed Shadoul, WHO Representative in Yemen.

Also today, 15 December, at 2.30 p.m. in Press Room 1, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) would present its Commodities and Development Report 2015: Smallholder Farmers and Sustainable Commodity Development, under embargo until 17 December at 10 a.m. GMT.

On Wednesday, 16 December, at 10 a.m. in Press Room 1, the International Labour Organization (ILO) would launch the Global Estimates of Migrant Workers and Migrant Domestic Workers, under embargo until 9 p.m. GMT.

Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council (HRC) announced the upcoming special session of the Human Rights Council concerning the human rights situation in Burundi at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 17 December. It was expected that the High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein would open the session.

The organizational meeting for the special session would be held on Wednesday 16 December at 11 a.m., and would be opened to the press. Informal consultations on the draft resolution on Burundi would take place at 2.30 p.m. today, 15 December in Room XXIII.

At 12.30 p.m. today, 15 December, outside Room XX, High Commissioner Zeid would address the press on the occasion of the launch of yourHCR, a year-end report from the Universal Rights Group and the Norwegian Mission, which contained detailed analysis of the work of the Human Rights Council in 2015 and States’ participation. Details here.

Answering questions, Mr. Gomez said that Burundi would be represented by the Permanent Mission of Burundi to the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The next human rights treaty body meeting would be the Committee on the rights of the child, said Mr. Fawzi. They would hold a three-week session from 11 to 29 January 2016 to consider reports by 14 countries: Benin, Brunei Darussalam, France, Haiti, Iran, Ireland, Kenya, Latvia, Maldives, Oman, Peru, Senegal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

OHCHR deeply alarmed about the situation in Burundi, fears civil war

Cécile Pouilly, for Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), expressed deep alarm by the latest developments in Burundi’s unfolding crisis, the death of dozens of people in attacks against military camps in Bujumbura on Friday, 11 December, and the heavy fighting that followed. The security services had later on carried out intensive house searches in the Mussaga and Nyakabiga neighbourhoods, arresting hundreds of young men, allegedly summarily executing a number of them and taking many others to unknown locations.

While the number of people killed in the recent event was unclear, OHCHR documented 452 cases of arbitrary arrests and detentions since November, 56 cases of extrajudicial executions and ten cases of torture and ill-treatments, and was able to ensure the release of 389 persons arbitrarily detained, said Ms. Pouilly. With the latest series of violent events, the country seemed to have taken a new step towards outright civil war and tensions were now at bursting point in Bujumbura.

The High Commissioner urged all the actors in the current crisis, including political leaders and State authorities at the highest level, to take every step possible to stop this deadly escalation and engage in a meaningful and inclusive dialogue.

Further information in the press release.

Responding to questions, Ms. Pouilly said that the Office in Burundi was in contact with the Government and was expressing its concerns about the deteriorating situation in the country. OHCHR was also voicing its concerns publicly when the situation deteriorated, as was the case now. It was hard to give exact figures on the number of people arbitrarily executed primarily because of restrictions on movement of OHCHR staff due to security situation, but in November, there had been 452 cases of arbitrary arrests and detention, 56 cases of extra-judicial executions, and ten cases of torture. OHCHR did not know how many had been killed in Friday’s events, while the Government claimed that 150 persons had been involved as attackers, and 79 had been killed; some were saying that civilian casualties could be as high as 200, but OHCHR had no means to verify this figure at the moment.

Adrian Edwards, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that the borders had reopened since the elections in Burundi and that refugees arriving in neighbouring countries reported increasing difficulties and harsh treatments while trying to leave the country. More than 230,000 Burundians had fled to neighbouring countries, primarily Tanzania, but also Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Rwanda, since last April.

Violence in Israel and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories continues

OHCHR continued to be gravely concerned at the unrelenting violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Israel, where 21 Israelis and 117 Palestinians lost their lives and thousands were injured since the current escalation started at the beginning of October, said Ms. Pouilly. Although international attention on the crisis had waned, the level of killings, injuries and arrests had continued with, on average, one person dying every day. All instances of the use of force resulting in death or injury by law enforcement officers should be the subject of prompt, independent and impartial investigations, stressed Ms. Pouilly, and called on both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to act decisively to de-escalate the situation.

See more here.

Responding to questions, Ms. Pouilly said it was important to not turn one’s back to what was happening in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The situation was very tense, particularly in Hebron, with the latest series of attacks. There was no single solution to this situation and OHCHR was appealing to all to live up to their responsibilities.

High number of arbitrary arrests in Cuba sends chilling message to human rights defenders and civil society activists

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, had issued a press release on Cuba, expressing his concern at the extremely high number of arbitrary arrests and the short-term detention of individuals, including human rights defenders and dissidents in recent weeks. Mr. Zeid urged Cuba to respect the right to freedom of expression and assembly and to release those arrested.

Responding to questions, Ms. Pouilly said there had been an increase in the number of arbitrary arrests, with more than 1,500 persons arrested over the past month; this sent a chilling message to human rights defenders and civil society activists, she said. Non-governmental organizations were being targeted, including Ladies in White, an NGO whose representatives had been arrested on Human Rights Day. OHCHR had received information that, in some cases, detention was rather short and, in others, rather long.

A journalist asked whether authorities were reacting to an increase in the activities of civil society. Ms. Pouilly said that there had been problems before around Human Rights Day, but that this year the phenomenon was bigger.

High Commissioner for Human Rights takes stock of human rights challenges in his address to the Human Rights Council

The High Commissioner had delivered today, 15 December, a wide-ranging speech to members and observers of the Human Rights Council, briefing them in particular on his travels this year to the Central African Republic, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Brazil and the Republic of Korea, where he opened an office to work on the human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

In his speech, High Commissioner Zeid took stock of some of the key human rights challenges of the day, including climate change, intolerance, and a number of protracted armed conflicts as well as a number of States teetering on the edge of an abyss, with the smallest trigger potentially resulting in a disastrous outbreak of mass human rights abuse and violations.

See the full speech here.

West and Central Africa conference on financing for water and sanitation opens in Dakar, Senegal, says UNICEF

Christophe Boulierac for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that every day, 500 children under the age of five died from lack of safe water and sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa, and it was crucial to get more funding to water and sanitation sector, particularly in this region. It was for this reason that UNICEF, together with the Government of Senegal and the African Minister’s Council on Water, convened the first West and Central Africa conference on Innovative Financing for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene which opened today, 15 December in Dakar, Senegal.

Mr. Boulierac said that representatives of 24 governments in the sub-region were meeting with major investment banks, international organizations, businesses and experts, to find new mechanisms to raise the estimated $20 to 30 billion that would be needed every year to bring universal access to water and sanitation to West and Central Africa. Without speedy action, the situation could drastically worsen within the next 20 years, as rapidly rising populations outstripped the efforts of governments to provide essential services.

Details in this press release.

Asked about funding requirements for water and sanitation, Mr. Boulierac said that $20 to 30 billion was the regional requirement; given the urgency of the problem, the Conference sought to discuss new financial models which would involve governments, regional institutions, banks and the private sector.

UNICEF fears hunger in Malawi, soon to start mass-screening of children for malnutrition

UNICEF was starting a mass-screening of children under the age of five for malnutrition across the country. More than half of children were already malnourished and Malawi struggled to cope with drought which caused the first maize deficit in a decade. Recent vulnerability assessment had revealed that 2.8 million people in the country were in need of urgent food aid. The mass-screening of children was a proactive measure that would bring services to people and communities to ensure that no child was left out. Hungry, desperate families may not have the means or the resources to take sick children to be assessed, he explained. The results were expected early next year, concluded Mr. Boulierac.

UNICEF to partner with Germany on improving care and protection of 300,000 refugee and migrant children

Sarah Crowe, UNICEF representative, who had just returned from Berlin, briefed on the humanitarian situation of refugees and migrants who had arrived in Germany this year. Although it was the end of the destination and the safe haven for one million refugees and migrants, it was really the beginning of new journey for some 300,000 children, she said. Acute challenges still lied ahead and UNICEF had announced on December 14 that it would partner with the Government of Germany to work with partners and help fill the existing gaps in care and protection of refugee and migrant children. She visited Templehof – an old pre-WW11 airport hangar – and conditions were very elementary; 2000 people housed in tents and pre-fabs; it is run by a private company with NGOs supporting on health, families from Syria and Afghanistan who she met had been there for nearly two months since it was opened.

There were worrying signs of exposure of refugee women and children to violence, sexual abuse and exploitation in emergency holding centres and elsewhere in the country. Very little was known about the situation and needs of the 300,000 children, including the 57,000 unaccompanied minors, stressed Ms. Crowe and said that this lack of data and statistics would be one of the areas which UNICEF hoped to fill. While unaccompanied children were taken care of by the youth and welfare system, UNICEF was concerned about the children who arrived with their families and who fell between the cracks in terms of access to schooling, play, or learning facilities. They were basically left to their own devices while their families were trying to get settled.

Extraordinary efforts were already under the way in Germany, but they were clearly not enough, and the welfare, protection and education systems were stretched very thin. Under the new agreement, UNICEF would boost those efforts and would seek to bring its expertise from other regions and other refugee situations, particularly in the area of protection, learning and play, counselling and child-friendly spaces, said Ms. Crowe.

Read more in the press release.

Asked about exploitation and sexually abuse of refugee women and children, Ms. Crowe said that the biggest worry right now was that not enough was known about threats and risks and that one of key areas of UNICEF's work would be to analyse the situation with non-governmental organizations and the Government.

Women and children were exposed to risks at all levels, in reception centres and in communities, because they did not know the language, and because protection mechanisms and guidelines were lacking. At the moment, not enough was known about their situation: over the past two months cases of violence had been reported in the media, and UNICEF was worried this was only a tip of the iceberg.

Initially, UNICEF would be supporting the Government and partners in over 200 accommodation centres across the country to help improve standards of care and protection of children that conformed to German standards.