REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
Ahmad Fawzi, Director a.i. of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing attended by spokespersons for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme and the United Nations Refugee Agency.
UN Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General and Director-General
Mr. Fawzi announced that the Secretary-General would be launching his Report for the World Humanitarian Summit today at 11 a.m. ET (5 p.m. CET), and the launch would be webcast on webtv.un.org. A press briefing by the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, would follow at 1 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CET) and would also be webcast.
The Secretary-General was then going to Canada and would be in Ottawa on 11 February, meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet, as well as with Syrian refugees. He would be in Montreal on 12 February and would give a lecture to students at McGill University, before returning to New York on 13 February.
Mr. Fawzi also said that the Deputy Secretary-General was currently in Dubai, participating in the World Government Summit hosted by the Government of the U.A.E. He would then travel to Munich, leading the UN Delegation to the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), on 11 February, and would attend the Munich Security Conference from 12 to 14 February. The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, would also attend the ISSG in Munich on 11 February.
Mr. Fawzi mentioned that the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva would also be attending the Munich Security Conference, and said that the schedule of his appointments was available online. He was currently at the Conference on Disarmament.
In response to a question, Mr. Fawzi said that he could provide to the press statements that would be made at the Munich Security Conference by the Deputy Secretary-General and the Director-General.
Geneva activities
Mr. Fawzi said that the Conference on Disarmament (CD) was having a public meeting today at 10 a.m. The 2016 session had begun under the Presidency of Nigeria (until 21 February); the CD would also be successively chaired by Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland and the Republic of Korea.
Mr. Fawzi also announced a press conference of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) on 11 February at 11:30 a.m. in Press Room 1. The topic would be “The Human Cost of the Hottest Year on Record: Disasters in 2015,” and the speakers would be Robert Glasser, Head of UNISDR, and Debarati Guha-Sapir from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters.
Other announcements
Mr. Fawzi said that the Secretary-General had appointed Jane Holl Lute of the United States as Special Coordinator on improving the United Nations’ response to sexual exploitation and abuse. The appointment of Ms. Lute was part of a series of ongoing measures derived from the Secretary-General’s analysis of the High Level External Independent Review Panel on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by International Peacekeeping Forces in the Central African Republic, which had submitted its report on 17 December 2015. Ms. Lute would be supporting the ongoing efforts of the Secretary-General and the leadership of UN Offices, Departments, Funds and Programmes to better align our peacekeeping and human rights systems and to strengthen United Nations response to sexual exploitation and abuse.
Ms. Lute had been serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Internet Security (CIS). She was also serving as Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for Relocation of Camp Hurriya Residents Outside of Iraq. From 2003-2007 she had served as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping responsible for comprehensive on-the-ground support to all UN peace operations worldwide, and from 2007-2008 she had supported the Secretary-General’s establishment of the Department of Field Support serving as acting Under-Secretary-General.
Zika
Julie Lyn Hall, for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, (IFRC), informed the press that the IFRC had launched a USD 2.4 million appeal aiming to support the countries currently affected by the Zika virus. This appeal was currently being revised due to the geographic spread of the Zika virus and the amount of work needed to be able to control the mosquitoes and reduce the risks associated with the virus. The work that IFRC was doing with its national societies was to help and support communities to clear up (remove mosquito breeding sites), clean up (making sure no mosquito eggs remained in place), and help communities “keep it up.” A long-term, sustained effort with an almost daily routine was required to control the mosquitoes responsible for the spread of Zika but also dengue, which accounted for over 25,000 deaths a year. Breeding sites were also associated with dirty water.
In response to a question, Ms. Hall said that Zika was being reported in as many as 29 countries, and that in all of them, IFRC national societies would be working with the communities on the actions described above. Those most at risk were those living in urban, slum areas with many mosquito breeding grounds. However, the mobility of the mosquitoes (which could fly up to 200 meters from where they hatched out) required entire communities to take action. She also said that the most intensive activities were focused on the countries in the Americas where the virus was present, but that the same mosquito was present in a band around the world going from the southern Mediterranean to the southern tip of South America. Many of the countries situated in this band that did not yet have Zika, already had dengue, and had integrated vector control programmes aiming to reduce the presence of mosquitoes. In those countries, it was necessary to scale up mosquito control activities. It would help with dengue and diarrheal illness, and would also help prepare the ground for the potential arrival of Zika, made possible by the fact that the eggs of the mosquitoes could survive for many months in cold temperatures, travel on moving vehicles (planes, boats, inside tyres and bamboo which was moved around the world), and hatch in warmer temperatures. This is why cleaning was paramount, scrubbing surfaces where mosquitoes might have laid eggs with soapy water and eliminating any standing water.
Preventing sexual transmission of the Zika virus was very important, particularly with pregnant women, and this would require more research, as well as some potentially complicated messaging. Ms. Hall also mentioned that IFRC was working with WHO to put together guidelines on blood transfusion to avoid transmission in that way. Many non-Zika affected countries had already put out a recommendation to wait 28 days after returning from a Zika-affected country before donating blood.
In response to another question, Ms. Hall said that IFRC was looking at scaling up Zika-related preparedness and mosquito-control programmes in the Middle East, where the mosquito was present, with benefits for dengue and for diarrheal illness.
For the World Health Organization (WHO), Christian Lindmeier said that there were standard protocols in place in many countries for deferring blood donations for individuals returning from countries affected by mosquito-borne infections such as dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever or malaria. There were no new standards necessary for Zika. In response to another question, Mr. Lindmeier mentioned the need to be careful regarding the association between Zika and Guillain-Barré Syndrome, as more research needed to be done. This was one of the reasons why the public health emergency had been declared the previous week. Three Guillain-Barré deaths had been reported in Colombia but they were not confirmed Zika deaths. Colombia had about 20,000 Zika cases and about 100 Guillain-Barré cases. Guillain-Barré had been seen in Colombia, El Salvador, Brazil and French Polynesia. Mr. Lindmeier would confirm to the press as soon as possible whether the three Guillain-Barré deaths in Colombia had been reported to WHO. He also clarified that Guillain-Barré was attacking adults, over 12 years old. Ms. Hall then said that IFRC was working very close with WHO so that the national societies could have the right information, as more and more research was being done.
Regarding advice to pregnant women on avoiding infection, Mr. Lindmeier said that the Zika virus had been found in blood and semen but that the conditions of transmission were not yet clear, depending on the viral load, for how long after infection it could be transmitted, etc. The WHO and other partners around the world were working on this in order to have clarity as soon as possible, to be able to formulate guidelines and move forward with medicine and vaccine development. In the meantime, vector control and personal protection were the most effective ways to prevent spread.
In response to another question, Ms. Hall said that IFRC was working with the UN Refugee Agency and with the International Organization for Migration on refugee camp management issues in Africa. The national societies were providing support with vector control and personal protection. IFRC was helping scale up those efforts in sustained way. An interactive map of the countries where IFRC was focusing its efforts would be available online shortly and Ms. Hall would share the link with the press. There were national societies in 190 countries around the world.
Mr. Lindmeier described some measures which could be taken to protect oneself from infection. Limiting exposure started with personal protection, including measures such as wearing long clothes in the morning and evening hours, using insect repellent, protecting doors and windows with mosquito screens, and using a mosquito net. Mr. Lindmeier would check back whether some insect repellents could be harmful for pregnant women. The elimination of breeding sites was also key, through fumigation and getting rid of stagnant pools of water.
In response to another question, Mr. Lindmeier said that it was unknown why the microcephaly cases were concentrated in Brazil and much more research was needed to find out. WHO was watching the developments in other South American countries very carefully to watch out for other microcephaly cases. In response to another question, Mr. Lindmeier said that currently, there were no specific travel recommendations, and WHO was leaving this up to national authorities. In conclusion, Mr. Lindmeier mentioned that he would try to have Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO Assistant Director-General - Health Systems and Innovation, update the press on the latest developments in Zika research, on 12 February before the press briefing, possibly at 10 a.m.
Syria
For the World Food Programme (WFP), Bettina Luescher informed the press that the WFP had started distributing urgently needed food to people displaced by the recent surge in violence in northern Aleppo. The food had been transported on cross-border convoys from Turkey into the small town of A’zaz, about 30 kilometres northwest of Aleppo city. Over the following days, distributions would reach another 21,000 people. WFP was extremely concerned about the situation on the ground, with access and supply routes from the north to eastern Aleppo being cut off. WFP was helping more than four million displaced people inside Syria. More than 30,000 people were reported to be on the move due to the Aleppo violence. WFP was urging all parties to the conflict to give them immediate access to the affected communities, to be able to distribute food to families.
In response to a question, Ms. Luescher said that fighting was cutting off aid routes and some of the access points had been cut off. The situation had been escalating in and around Aleppo, with people on the run, trying to flee to Turkey. It was still necessary, however, to get into the cut-off areas, and bring pre-positioned food to areas before they were cut off. WFP had been appealing to obtain access to 18 besieged locations, and was waiting for final permission to get trucks with food and other aid supplies to Madaya, Foah and Kefraya, which they had been able to enter in the previous month. In response to another question, Ms. Luescher said that WFP was not the only player helping those on the run, and that the situation on the ground was very fluid.
In response to the crisis in Aleppo, Ms. Luescher said that it was important to be very flexible and fast in bringing in food. It was also crucial that the sieges stop. She confirmed that most people fleeing Aleppo were concentrated in the towns of A’zaz and Afrin, where the food was being delivered.
For the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), William Spindler said that NGOs in northern Aleppo had been providing assistance and humanitarian relief to internally displaced people (IDPs). Turkey had also been providing assistance and had accepted a number of vulnerable, wounded persons into Turkey. UNHCR was asking Turkey to open its border to all civilians from Syria who were fleeing danger and seeking international protection. He also said that there had to be a political solution to the conflict but that UNHCR was dealing with the consequences of the conflict on the humanitarian side.
In response to another question, Mr. Spindler said that there had been humanitarian deliveries from Turkey close to the border, where about 5,000 people were hosted in communal tents in the vicinity of Kilis and had been receiving assistance. He underscored that Turkey had had a very generous policy in terms of receiving refugees, and that all countries had an obligation to open their borders to people fleeing persecution.
Haiti/El Niño
Ms. Luescher updated the press on the situation in Haiti, where the numbers of severely food-insecure population had doubled in the previous six months. After three consecutive years of drought, exacerbated by El Niño, some areas saw losses of up to 70% of the harvest. WFP was scaling up its operations and would feed some one million people, also helping them buy seeds. WFP was also continuing its school feeding programmes.
South Sudan
Ms. Luescher said that she would share more information about South Sudan with the press shortly. Mr. Spindler said that the latest update from 5 February said that 658,000 refugees had fled war, food insecurity and human rights abuses in South Sudan since December 2013. The total number of people displaced was 2.4 million, including 782,000 refugees and 1.56 million IDPs.