REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service, United Nations Office at Geneva, chaired the briefing attended by the spokespersons for the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Meteorological Organization, and the Human Rights Council.

Syria

Michael Contet, for the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria (OSE), mentioned two statements published by the OSE in the past week. In a 17 June statement, the Special Envoy had announced his intention to convene a seventh round of intra-Syrian talks, with the target date for the beginning of the talks set for 10 July, with an intention to have a series of rounds of talks throughout the summer, including in August and September.

The other statement, on 16 June, had taken stock of the two days of joint technical meetings which the OSE had completed with technical experts from three opposition groups: the High Negotiations Committee, the Cairo Platform and Moscow Platform. That meeting had come in the framework of the technical consultation process announced at the end of the sixth round of talks. The OSE saw the meeting as an important step, as it was the first time that experts from the various opposition groups invited to participate in the formal rounds of intra-Syrian talks, had sat together with UN experts and officials in the framework of the formal consultative process derived from the intra-Syrian talks. The mandate of those consultations was to develop options. The substance of the deliberations during the meetings had revolved around a schedule and process for drafting a new constitution, and how it could be approved by the Syrian people, in keeping with the ambitions of resolution 2254. The OSE hoped that the experts would meet again ahead of the next round of talks.

In response to questions, Mr. Contet said the framework in which the talks were being called for remained the same, that of resolution 2254. The resolution dealt both with the substantive agenda and with the composition of the invitees. The invitations would be sent according to the same lines as those which had been used in the case of previous rounds in 2017. In terms of the duration of the upcoming round, the Special Envoy wanted to be flexible in order to serve the purpose of what he wished to achieve with the Syrian parties, and remained open-minded as to how long the round should last in order to be able to do good work with the invitees.

Mr. Contet also stressed that the fact that the meeting with technical experts had taken place in a joint manner was an important step in the right direction. It had taken place in the context of technical consultation, which was a specific framework. Face to face, direct engagement between the Government and the opposition under the aegis of UN-facilitated mediation was further down the road, and the Special Envoy had said many times that as a mediator, it was his ultimate objective to facilitate this discussion.

The 17 June statement also carried a reference to the readiness of the OSE to engage Syrian invitees in the context of the technical consultations, and that applied to all invitees. The OSE was hopeful that it would be possible around the next round of talks to continue doing that with all invitees.

In response to further questions, Mr. Contet added that the OSE had been struck by the constructive, business-like atmosphere of the discussions over the past week. It was important to note that this was a stage in the process where various invitees to the intra-Syrian talks could sit with the UN and into the substance of the matter. It was a process with incremental gains on the way, but the momentum seen in the meeting was positive.

The invitation to various Syrian invitees to the intra-Syrian talks to be involved in the technical consultations was extended to all intra-Syrian talks invitees, including the Government. OSE was hopeful that by 10 July such engagement would happen with the Government as well.

Jens Laerke, for the United Nations Office of the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that on 19 June, the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) had been able to deliver humanitarian assistance to besieged East Harasta in rural Damascus, providing life-saving assistance for 11,000 people in need. However, some surgical items had been removed from the convoy, and some medicines and medical materials had been reduced in quantity during the approval and loading process. The UN had originally asked to reach 33,000 people but only 11,000 were approved.

That convoy had come just two days after a similar convoy movement had tried to deliver to East Harasta but had been unable to cross into the area. They had been forced, after many delays, to abort the mission late in the day. On the way back to Damascus the convoy had been shot at. Two drivers from the SARC had been hit, one had undergone surgery and was in a stable condition as of 19 June, and the other had been grazed by a bullet but not seriously injured. The UN condemned in the strongest possible way the attack on the convoy, and stood in full solidarity with the SARC. It was without doubt a violation of international humanitarian law.

Asked about who had shot at the convoy, Mr. Laerke said that this was not known.

Ms. Vellucci said that on 19 June the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General had also condemned the attack.

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that UNICEF had delivered humanitarian supplies as part of the convoy to East Harasta on 19 June. UNICEF had delivered health supplies, including paediatric kits, medicines, nutrition supplies, educational materials, and children’s clothing kits. Some medical items had been removed, including diarrhoeal disease set packing, and manual resuscitation kits, which were medical equipment used to help restore breathing. The supplies UNICEF had sent on 19 June were enough for 9,000 people. There were an estimated 8,000 children in East Harasta.

Bettina Luescher, for the World Food Programme (WFP), said that WFP had been doing air bridges to Qamishli, but had now been able to use the land route again, which was cheaper, better and more efficient. On 16 June, three trucks loaded with 3,000 food rations – enough food for 15,000 people – had reached Qamishli. The cargo had been offloaded and distributed. This was the first time that WFP was able to do a road delivery since December 2015, when all land deliveries had been suspended because of interrupted access through international borders. Once regular land access to Hassakeh would be established, WFP could phase out gradually the airlift operations to Qamishli. This would provide a more cost-effective modality and allow WFP to provide monthly assistance to 250,000 people – more than it could reach through the airlift. Since July 2016, and 519 airlift rotations had been completed.

Tarik Jasarevic, for the World Health Organization (WHO), added that WHO and partners had delivered 6.5 tons of medical equipment as part of the East Harasta convoy. Ten items had been rejected, including surgical equipment, trauma medicine, mental health medicine, and some other equipment including one ultrasound.

WHO had visited the driver who had been wounded during the attack on the first convoy. He was in a stable condition and had had a kidney removed.

WHO had also participated in a smaller convoy which had entered East Harasta on 19 June and had visited all facilities in the area. Two children in need of advanced medical care had been evacuated to Damascus by the SARC.

Regarding the outbreak of vaccine-derived polio in Syria, Mr. Jasarevic said WHO had received confirmation of 15 new cases from the same area of Mayadin, which was south of Deir ez-Zor, and one case from Raqqa. Children who had been confirmed as having vaccine-derived polio had had an onset of acute flaccid paralysis between 3 March and 23 May. Under normal circumstances it took 6 to 8 weeks to have lab confirmation of vaccine-derived polio. The outbreak of vaccine-derived polio meant there was significant under-immunization in the community and WHO needed to plan to help vaccinate those children. There were plans to go into the Deir ez-Zor area including Mayadin, and vaccinate 320,000 children under the age of five in Deir ez-Zor and 90,000 children in Mayadin. The preparations for this were ongoing.

In response to questions, Mr. Jasarevic said that there had been a wild polio virus in Syria in 2013 with 36 cases, and it had been stopped. Wild polio virus was even worse that the vaccine-derived polio virus, as it spread more geographically and was more virulent. Vaccine-derived polio, however, was very serious and already 17 children had been paralyzed. As late as March and April 2017 there had been partial vaccination campaigns in the area, but security remained an issue and that’s why many children were not vaccinated. Vaccine-derived polio was polio circulating for a long time and mutating in a way that provoked paralysis in children. The answer to the outbreak was to vaccinate as many children as possible and to strengthen the surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis in order to be able to test more if needed. For every child that was paralyzed, there could be as many as 200 asymptomatic cases. The new cases dated from March to May as lab confirmation took time, and there were 15 new lab confirmations from the children captured by surveillance, who had acute flaccid paralysis, which could be caused by many things, including polio.

Asked about the case in Raqqa, Mr. Jasarevic said that a health assessment was underway to see if the virus was circulating in Raqqa, or if it was someone who had travelled to Raqqa and then had developed acute flaccid paralysis and was tested.

Yemen

Tarik Jasarevic, for the World Health Organization (WHO), provided updated figures on the situation regarding cholera and acute watery diarrhoea in Yemen. Since the second wave of the cholera outbreak had begun and since WHO had started to collect data on 27 April 27, until 19 June, there had been 170,286 suspected cases and 1,170 deaths. The number of suspected cholera cases was therefore rising: 20 out of 22 governorates had been affected. WHO was responding and scaling up its response together with UNICEF, local health authorities and other partners to try to treat sick people and contain the outbreak. WHO and UNICEF were refining their response strategy focusing on the worst-affected areas within the worst-affected districts. Those hotspots were the source of much of the country’s cholera burden.

Since 27 April, WHO had provided more than 220,000 bags of intravenous fluid and 425 bags with cleaning supplies, 62 cholera kits, and another 17 supplementary cholera kits.
WHO and partners had established 144 diarrhoea treatment centers and 206 oral rehydration therapy corners. More than 1,900 beds had been set up across 121 districts in 20 governorates for the treatment of cholera patients. WHO also continued to chlorinate water sources in various districts and to provide water purification tablets and cleaning supplies to diarrhoea treatment centers, therapy corners, and to other health facilities.

Asked how the response was able to meet the needs, Mr. Jasarevic said that it was a very challenging situation with more than 2,000 suspected cases per day. Cholera was endemic in Yemen, and it was currently the largest cholera outbreak in the world. The fatality ratio was under 1 per cent right now, but there were pockets where it was higher. Cholera was quite easily treatable. For mild and moderate cases, patients just needed an oral rehydration solution. For complicated cases, people had to be given intravenous fluids and sometimes antibiotics. The treatment was the same whether it was cholera or some other pathogen causing acute watery diarrhea.

Mr. Jasarevic added that WHO obviously needed more support for this response. WHO had issued an appeal on water and sanitation together with partners to request what was still needed. It was important to be able to provide treatment to those who were sick, and to help to have clean water (as cholera was transmitted through contaminated water). This was difficult in a country where the health system was collapsing. UNICEF and WHO had started to pay incentives to health workers in some governorates, since health facilities did not have the funds to run their daily operations. There was also an issue of waste collection which affected the quality of water, which was why it was important to provide water purification tablets and to chlorinate sources.

Asked whether the outbreak was slowing down or accelerating and if it had been contained, Mr. Jasarevic said that the numbers were going up, and WHO was trying to race against the spread and to get treatment and water and sanitation measures to every corner, especially to those hotspots which were basically exporting the bacteria to other places. He added that it would be very difficult to say that the outbreak was being contained at that stage.

Asked if the mortality was higher because the population in Yemen was suffering and was thus more susceptible to cholera, Mr. Jasarevic reiterated that the fatality ratio was under 1 per cent, which was something that had been seen in other outbreaks. If people did not get treated while they were in a severe phase, their chances of dying were much higher than if they could get to a treatment center where they could get intravenous fluids and antibiotics.

Mr. Jasarevic also said that health workers had not received their salaries for more than six months. He explained that either health workers did something else to make money to feed their families, or hospitals tried to charge patients, which meant that people who did not have money could not afford those services. Health workers were finding innovative ways to work in order to continue treating poorer patients, but it was very difficult.

Asked if most of the cases or most of the hotspots were in Houthi-controlled zones or in zones controlled by the Yemeni Government and the Saudi coalition, Mr. Jasarevic said that 20 out of 22 governorates had been affected, which meant that the outbreak was spread across the country and covered areas controlled by different groups.

Heatwaves

Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said that parts of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the United States had seen very high May and June temperatures. The heatwaves had arrived unusually early and they were occurring in a context of the earth experiencing yet another exceptionally hot year. WMO had received figures on 19 June from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which confirmed separate analyses from NASA and from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting, that had said the five months till the end of May had been the second hottest on record. 2016 had been hotter because of a combination of a very powerful El Niño event which had a warming effect, and long-term climate change. In 2017, there had not been an El Niño event but very high temperatures were still being seen.

The German Weather Service, Deutscher Wetterdienst, acting as WMO’s regional climate centre for Europe, had issued advisories which were then taken up by the national metrological services and used as guidance. The Deutscher Wetterdienst had issued a climate watch advisory valid until at least 25 June, which warned of significantly above normal temperatures and heatwaves for the most part of the western Mediterranean, from Portugal to the western Balkans. It was then up to the National Metrological Services to issue warnings, alerts, and guidance.

Ms. Nullis gave the example of Portugal, which had been hit by very devastating and tragic wildfires. One of the contributing factors to that were the extremely high temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius which Portugal had seen over the past weekend. The Portuguese National Meteorological Service had said that over that weekend, one third of its weather stations had had temperatures higher than 40 degrees Celsius. As of today, parts of Portugal were under an amber alert, which was the second highest warning level for heat, including the area affected by the fire. Just as importantly, the Meteorological Service was saying that, as today, five municipalities were at maximum fire risk and 58 were at very high fire risk.

Spain had also been hit by the same heatwave and a number of places had broken temperature records for June in the previous days. This included Granada Airport with 41.5 degrees Celsius, Madrid Retiro with 41.3 degrees Celsius, and Madrid Airport with 40.1 degrees Celsius.

Today, 51 departments in France had an amber alert according to Météo France. A number of temperatures level had been broken in France. Météo France was saying that the very high temperatures would continue until 24 June. Current temperatures between 32 and 38 degrees were more than 10 degrees Celsius above what would normally be seen at this time of year.

Parts of the US, notably Arizona and parts of California were also seeing very high temperatures. The forecast for Las Vegas today showed a high of 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius).

The temperature in the United Arab Emirates had topped 50 degrees Celsius on 17 June, with a temperature of 50.5 degrees in the mid-Sahara. Heat in Morocco had peaked on 17 June, with a new reported record of 52.9 degrees.

At the end of May 2017, the town of Turbat, which was in a remote area in south-western Pakistan, had reported a temperature of 54 degrees Celsius. It seemed like this was a new temperature record for Asia. If it were to be verified, it would have equaled a record, which WMO also still had to verify, which had been set in Kuwait in July 2016. WHO would set up an investigation committee to see if that indeed was a new temperature record for the region.

The high temperatures the world was seeing in 2017 were in the absence of an El Niño. According to the latest outlook issued by the Bureau of Meteorology of Australia today, the likelihood of an El Niño later in 2017 was, in fact, diminishing. As of 20 June, the Bureau of Meteorology had downgraded its El Niño watch to inactive status. WMO would put all the different models from around the world together to come up with a consensus forecast based on the models and the expert opinions, in the upcoming weeks.

Ms. Nullis then introduced Omar Baddour, WMO Senior Scientist. Mr. Baddour said that heatwaves were extreme events, and that when we crossed a threshold defined by local conditions, then a heatwave was called and an advisory could be issued. Heatwaves were part of natural variability in most cases, but the extremity and frequency of occurrence of heatwaves as evidenced in past years had been increasing because of climate change and long-term warming. In the case of Europe, invasions of warm air from the Sahara could reach the Scandinavian peninsula.

Heatwaves were very critical for health. In past heatwaves, such as the one which had affected Europe in 2003, significant mortality had been recorded (70,000 deaths in 2003). In 2015, Pakistan and India had recorded about 4,000 deaths associated with a very short heatwave. There were also other implications, with additional casualties due to forest fires for example.

This was why WMO was very active in the area of early warnings, and collaborated with the WHO on heat health guidance to help countries manage heatwaves.

In response to questions, Mr. Baddour clarified that the 54 degree Celsius temperature in Kuwait was a record for Asia. The current world heat record was of 56 degrees Celsius, reported in the Death Valley in the United States in 1913. The 70,000 casualties associated with the heatwave in Europe in 2003 had been recorded in several countries, especially in Western Europe, including Spain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Asked about what was to be anticipated in the coming months, Mr. Baddour said the weather forecast range did not go beyond a two-week time frame and it was too early to say. However, according to the current state of global temperatures, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change findings that global temperature was a cause of increasing frequency of heatwaves, it was likely that more extreme heatwaves could occur in Europe, Asia and North Africa in June and July. Mr. Baddour also said that early warning systems and preparing hospitals contributed to lower the number of casualties. Ms. Nullis added that countries such as India had introduced heat health advisories and actions plans to learn from past mistakes and protect lives in the future.

In response to a final question. Mr. Baddour said that WMO would wait until the end of summer to complete its full assessment of the current heatwave, when it would compile national statistics and aggregate them in a statement to be issued at the end of the year.

Mediterranean update

On World Refugee Day, Cécile Pouilly, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said UNHCR had received information on 19 June at night about three new shipwrecks in the Mediterranean. UNHCR feared that at least 130 people were dead or missing.

The first and largest of those incidents had involved a rubber dinghy that had left Libya on 15 June and had begun taking on water just hours into its journey. From the Italian coast guard, and the four survivors - Sudanese and Nigerian nationals – UNHCR understood the boat had been carrying at least 133 people. 129 people were missing.

The second incident had involved a boat carrying at least 85 people which had broken in two and had sunk on 19 June. People who had witnessed the sinking said the boat had been among three that had left Libya on the evening of 15 June. There were many families with children aboard. The nationalities of those lost were Syrians and people from North African countries.

A third shipwreck was reported to have left seven more people dead or missing. Survivors had been disembarked on 19 June in Messina, Sicily. Their boat had left Libya on 14 June. A pregnant woman from Cameroon had lost her husband in the shipwreck.

Today was World Refugee Day. Those incidents were a reminder of the grave dangers that people confronted when forced to flee their countries because of war and persecution. Since the beginning of 2017, over 77,000 people had tried to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. This was among the world’s most dangerous routes – a journey that no one took lightly.

Despite the heroic work of those involved in rescue at sea, the death toll on the Mediterranean continued to rise. More than 2,000 people were reported to have died or gone missing since the start of 2017. With so many lives at stake, UNHCR appealed again for enhanced rescue operations and more viable and safe alternatives for those in need of international protection so people were not compelled to take such dangerous journeys. More efforts were also needed to address the root causes behind these movements of people to Libya, including by solving conflicts and reducing poverty.

In response to a question, Ms. Pouilly said that when it came to the main nationalities for 2017 crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe, the breakdown was as followed: Nigeria, followed by Bangladesh, Guinea, Ivory Coast, the Gambia, and Syria.

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), added that
in the first incident, IOM had identified the four survivors, two Sudanese and two Nigerians. In that case, the witnesses had told IOM staff that they had drifted after a group of Libyan smugglers had stolen the craft’s engine. This was not the first time IOM had been told about such a situation. They had apparently drifted for a while before the boat had capsized. Libyan fishermen had been involved in rescuing those four survivors. The other cases were similar. The survivors had been brought to Palermo, where most of the debriefing had been done. For the second incident, it had been in Reggio Calabria. Some questions remained unanswered for the moment as to whether there had been two or three incidents because of the sailing times being so close together, and the involvement of the Libyan coast-guard and of civilians in the rescue.

IOM was happy to report that the number of people rescued from the Libyan coastline by Libyan themselves had passed ten thousand (it stood now at 10,044). Sadly, remains of 277 men, women and children had reportedly been retrieved from Libyan shores in 2017 only. Having two sets of rescue operations and reporting operations, one in Italy and now one in Libya, created the possibility of double counting of some of those
statistics.

In response to a question, Mr. Millman explained that the presence of Syrian refugees among those crossing the Mediterranean was not necessarily that recent. In 2014, Syrians had been the number one group traveling from Libya to Europe (40,000 people). The following year, the number had dropped to 17,000 and to practically none in 2016. It was estimated at less than a thousand in 2017. It was possible that those people had been in Libya for a long time, similarly to Bangladeshis and Moroccans.

Iraq

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), mentioned a recent report on Guwer, a suburb in the east of Mosul, where IOM was rebuilding a health center. He also said that both the UN and the Iraqi Government were working on the assumption that between 100,000 and 150,000 individuals remained entrapped in the western sector of the old city of Mosul. The IOM displacement tracking matrix showed a drop in the number of those fleeing western Mosul in the past month with only 15,000 individuals registered between 11 and 18 June. However, in the past few days an increase had been seen in the flow of injured civilians out of Mosul, many of them displaying wounds from gunshots, bombs and shelling. According to the Government of Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displacement, a total of 694,231 had fled west Mosul since the beginning of operations on 19 February. Cumulatively, the total number of displaced since the start of operations in October was 870,381, very close to the million that had been talked about. Some 190,000 people had been able to return. Those cumulated numbers were quite high as predicted, but the good news was that almost a third of those had already returned, and the total number of returnees was approaching 200,000.

Human Rights Council Update

Cédric Sapey, for the Human Rights Council, briefed the press on the Human Rights Council agenda of the day. Right now, the Council was listening to the Independent Expert on Côte d’Ivoire presenting his report. The Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Côte d’Ivoire would then address the Council as a concerned country, followed by interactive discussion. At 12.45 p.m. there would be an oral update from the High Commissioner on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Marie-Ange Mushobekwa, Minister of Human Rights of the DRC, would take the floor thereafter, followed by an interactive discussion.

In the afternoon at 3 p.m., the Council would hold a panel discussion on technical cooperation, looking back at the past ten years.

On 21 June, the Council would hear two updates from the High Commissioner, one on the situation in Ukraine at 9 a.m., and the other on the situation in Georgia, around noon or earlier, before turning to a debate on technical cooperation. On 22 and 23 June the Council would take action on the 38 draft texts submitted for the current session. An updated list would be sent by 21 June at the latest, with a summary of the issues.

Conference on Cyprus

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service at the United Nations Office at Geneva, announced a curtain-raiser press conference ahead of the Conference on Cyprus, on 27 June at 11 a.m. in Room III. Exceptionally that day, the bi-weekly press briefing would start at 9.30 a.m. (time to be confirmed).

The Conference on Cyprus would then open in Crans-Montana, as mentioned in the media advisory issued yesterday, 19 June. Asked about the duration of the Conference, Ms. Vellucci said that, of course, it was difficult to predict it, but that in response to that question, SASG Espen Barth Eide had said to reporters that the Conference may last weeks.

Geneva Events and Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service at the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that today, on the occasion of World Refugee Day, the Secretary-General would give a press conference at 11.40 a.m. New York time, which would be webcast live on webtv.un.org. A video with a message from the Secretary-General on World Refugee Day would be available at 2 a.m. New York time today on webtv as well. Finally, DPI had produced a video featuring the story of Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini, a swimmer who had taken part in the Rio Olympics in 2016 as part of the Refugee Olympic Team, and who had recently been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR.

Ms. Vellucci also said that the 40^th session of the Geneva International Discussions was taking place at the Palais des Nations today and on 21 June. There would be a first day of bilateral meetings and consultations, and on the second day the two working groups would meet as usual. No media activities were anticipated, but all the participants had arrived and were currently attending an information session prepared by the co-chairs prior to the discussions.

Bettina Luescher, for the World Food Programme (WFP), announced a press conference today at 2.30 p.m. in Press Room 1, by Laurent Bukera, WFP Country Director in Somalia, on WFP operations to prevent famine in Somalia.

Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), announced that the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment was taking place in Geneva from 21 to 23 June. This was an annual gathering, and an opportunity for UN member States, humanitarian and development partners from inside and outside the UN, the private sector and affected communities to discuss emerging and pressing humanitarian issues. The theme this year was “Restoring Humanity and Leaving No-One Behind: Working Together to Reduce People’s Humanitarian Needs, Risk and Vulnerability”. It very much followed the conclusions of the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, one of the major shifts of which was that we needed not just to respond to needs but to reduce the needs in the first place. The event would include a general debate and some 20 side-events; the programme was online. The sessions were open to the press. The event would not be webcast, but correspondents were welcome to attend the meeting.

On 22 June at 9.45 a.m., at the stakeout position by Room XX; there would be a press stakeout with Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien and Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary-General Jan Egeland. They would speak about the findings of a new study about aid workers’ capacity to stay and deliver assistance in some of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints. In response to questions, Mr. Laerke acknowledged the point raised by the press regarding their preference for press conferences versus stakeouts. In order to set up interviews with participants, the press was requested to contact those participants’ organizations. For Mr. O’Brien as well as for Assistant Secretary-General Ursula Mueller, Mr. Laerke would be the focal point for setting interviews.

Ms. Vellucci announced a press conference by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), on 21 June at 2 p.m. in Press Room 1, on the release of an Impact Study on Safe and Dignified Burials Programme during the 2013-2016 West Africa Ebola Outbreak. The study would be under embargo until 22 June, 8 p.m. Geneva time.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) would launch its Annual World Drug Report at 11 a.m. on 22 June in Room III. The speakers would be Aldo Lale-Demoz, Deputy Executive Director, (UNDOC), Dr. Luiz Loures, Deputy Executive Director, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Dr. Shekhar Saxena, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, and Chloé Carpentier, Chief of the Drug Research Section, UNODC. The report would be under embargo until 22 June at 1 p.m. CET.

Finally, Ms. Vellucci said that the third meeting of the intergovernmental process for the adoption of a global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration had started in Geneva on 19 June and continued today. The process was ongoing.

Ms. Vellucci also mentioned a free screening by Ciné-ONU in association with the ILO today at 6.30 p.m. at Cinerama Empire, rue de Carouge, of “El Patrón” in the presence of lead actor, Joaquín Furriel.

She concluded by mentioning a screening on 21 June at 5 p.m. in Room XVII of “Un cocon sur un fil”, a film made by 16-17-year-old high school students from Bretagne about the UN as seen by young people.

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog200617