REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
12 June 2018
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons for the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Organization for Migration, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization.
Update on Bangladesh related to the monsoon situation
Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), made the following statement:
“The first heavy rains of the year swept through Rohingya refugee settlements in Cox’s Bazar district this weekend, marking the start of the monsoon season. This is an early test for refugees and humanitarian agencies working to support the Government of Bangladesh on the response efforts.
Torrential rains and winds up to 70 kilometres per hour caused at least 89 reported incidents, including 37 landslide incidents, causing several injuries and one confirmed fatality – a child. Nearly 2,500 refugee families, some 11,000 people in all, are affected.
As of 10 June the rain has become nearly continuous. According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department nearly 400 millimetres of rain have fallen in Cox’s Bazar area since Sunday. This is equivalent to two thirds of the average June rainfall for this part of the country. The area currently shelters some 900,000 refugees, including 720,000 who have arrived in Bangladesh since August 25 last year.
Bangladeshi authorities, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and other humanitarian partners responded immediately to the incidents caused by the monsoon rains. Interventions included search and rescue operations, relocations and distributions of shelter kits and aid.
According to damage assessments, more than 1,000 shelters have been damaged as well as ten water points, 167 latrines, one health facility, and one food distribution site. The rains have also flooded the main road through the Kutupalong settlement, temporarily blocking vehicle access to parts of the site.
UNHCR and partners, working in support of the Bangladeshi authorities, have been working around the clock to try to mitigate risks of landslides and flooding in the highly congested refugee settlements. However, given the scope of the refugee population, the sheer size of the settlements and the challenging terrain, we fear that the extreme weather will cause further damage, destruction and potential loss of life.
Based on aerial mapping of the settlements, we estimate that up to 200,000 refugees could be at risk of landslides and floods and still need to be moved to safer areas. Of this population, more than 41,000 are at high risk of landslides. But, due to the hilliness of the terrain, limited availability of flat land is a major challenge to relocating the most at risk families. So far, more than 14,000 refugees at high risk of landslides across the settlements have been relocated to safer areas. More land is urgently needed.
While relocations and aid distributions continue we are also prepositioning more emergency supplies, including 10,000 tents, 190,000 tarpaulins, as well as two million water purification tablets, ready for use when needed. UNHCR also has five hospital tents and emergency health kits stored in permanent warehouses in Cox’s Bazar.
In March, the UN launched the Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis, seeking US$ 951 million in 2018 to meet the immediate needs of more than 880,000 refugees and over 330,000 Bangladeshis in communities affected by the crisis. To date, the appeal is just over 21 per cent funded. It is critical that humanitarian agencies receive early and flexible funding to save lives and improve the living conditions for refugees during the monsoon season, as well as to continue providing timely assistance and protection.”
Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Mahecic said that most of the monsoon rains were expected to fall in June and July, but the season generally continued into September. The Government of Bangladesh had been very generous in allocating land for refugee camps; however, the hilly terrain meant that it was difficult to find flat ground for the camps and the lack of vegetation on slopes brought the risk of landslides. In the run-up to the monsoon, priority had been placed on mitigating work, with bridges and many kilometres of paths and roads protected; kits to allow shelters to be improved and anchored had been distributed. Efforts were continuing to relocate those most at risk away from areas prone to landslides and flooding. The figures given for the number of people affected were as up-to-date as possible but, given the fluidity of the situation and the difficulty of accessing much of the terrain, they were likely to change very frequently.
Leonard Doyle, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said more than 21,500 people have been affected since 11 May when the monsoon season started. Torrential rains that began in earnest on Saturday (09/06) continue to trigger landslides and flooding. Humanitarian agencies reported some 29 incidents in the camps yesterday (11/06), bringing the total number to 88 in just three days. He added that UNHCR, IOM and the World Food Programme had positioned heavy machinery in camp locations for disaster response operations. On the IOM site, 186 acres of new land had recently been organized for the relocation of at least 7,000 people by the end of June. Since January 2018, 5,000 households – 25,000 persons had been relocated. The figures were being constantly updated and could be consulted on the interagency communal incident overview platform.
Matthew Cochrane, for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said that one of the major concerns, as reported by Sanjeev Kafley, head of Cox’s Bazar IFRC Sub-Office, was that sodden and unstable hills had collapsed over the weekend, destroying latrines. Increases in acute watery diarrhoea were already being seen and the risk of an outbreak of waterborne diseases was now a serious likelihood. IFRC had trained emergency teams and prepositioned supplies ready to be moved out to where they were needed. It had made 100,000 Swiss francs available from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to fund emergency action. Access to some parts of the camps was a problem: assessment teams were going out into the field and were expected to provide more information towards the end of the day.
Update on Guatemala related to volcano eruption
Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), made the following statement:
“Nine days on from the first eruption of Guatemala’s Volcan de Fuego, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is concerned for the more than 1.7 million people now estimated to be affected by this humanitarian tragedy.
According to official data as of yesterday, 12,784 people have been evacuated, 110 people killed, 57 people injured and nearly 200 people are still missing. It’s estimated that 5,074 people are being housed in temporary shelters, including churches, schools, cultural and sports centres and town halls in southern departments of the country (Escuintla, Sacatepéquez, Santa Rosa, Guatemala and Suchitepéquez).
As soon as volcanic activity subsided and access was permitted, UNHCR mobilized teams to help with assessing the situation and determining needs, by visiting the collective shelters and communities accommodating people who have been evacuated.
Assessments are still on-going with a view to getting urgent support to people forced to abandon their homes, property, and whose livelihoods are affected. Some preliminary needs have already been identified. UNHCR is leading the UN’s protection efforts and is coordinating UN agencies and the humanitarian community to improve protection and security in communal areas and sanitation facilities. This includes ensuring access to shelters for people with disabilities, supporting pregnant and lactating women, providing psycho-social support and hygiene kits and creating safe spaces for children and women.
Rescue efforts were still continuing as of yesterday despite ongoing volcanic activity that is bringing continued lava flow, toxic gases, hot ash and rocks. The Volcan de Fuego remains active and UNHCR is concerned that forecast rains could increase the risk of mudslides and landslides.”
Matthew Cochrane, for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said that the President of IFRC, at the end of a visit to Guatemala the previous week with the President of the Guatemalan Red Cross, had emphasized that the scale of the disaster should not be underestimated and had pledged the organization’s long-term support. IFRC would be announcing an emergency appeal for 2 million Swiss francs to support 6,000 of the most vulnerable victims over the next six months. The money would be used by the Guatemalan Red Cross to provide health and psychosocial support, cash-based assistance, disaster risk reduction and shelter. The full scale of the disaster was still not clear, but up to 1.7 million people might be affected by the eruption’s impact on human health, water sources, crops, livestock – everything the communities depended on for their livelihoods. IFRC would be working in the country for at least 12 months and as long as it was needed.
In answer to a question from a journalist, Mr. Mahecic said that there were now 20 official temporary shelters, as well as churches and schools, providing accommodation for those who had been forced to abandon their homes, and unconfirmed numbers had taken shelter elsewhere. It was impossible to say how long the eruption would last or what the effect of the rains would be.
Spain’s offer of safe harbour for Mediterranean migrants
Leonard Doyle, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), made the following statement:
“IOM, the UN Migration Agency has welcomed the decision by Spain to offer a safe harbour to over six hundred migrants – including scores of children and seven pregnant women – who have been waiting aboard a rescue vessel since Sunday (10/06)
“I’m glad Spain has stepped forward to diffuse this crisis, but I fear a major tragedy if states start refusing to accept rescued migrants as was threatened,” said IOM’s Director General William Lacy Swing. “Keeping the rescued people at sea is not, of itself, going to dissuade other migrants from crossing to Europe and they too will need to be rescued sooner or later,” he added.
With the weather worsening and concerns growing for the welfare of the most vulnerable migrants aboard the Aquarius, the Spanish Government has offered to receive the ship, although it will another three to four days sailing to reach port. The Aquarius picked up nearly 630 migrants, including over 120 unaccompanied children and seven pregnant women on Saturday (09/06).
The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the SOS Mediterranee operated-ship rescued migrants from rubber vessels and took some others from "Italian navy ships, Italian coast guard ships and merchant vessels”.
IOM believes that all EU Member States need to do more to support front-line states and welcomed the Spanish initiative to bring the migrants to safety.
“Stopping one boat or more in the Mediterranean Sea is not an answer to Europe’s migration challenges,” Director General Swing said. A comprehensive approach to migration governance is needed, combining opportunities for safe and orderly movement, humane border management and countering migrant smuggling and trafficking."
“Saving lives should always be our top concern. We must urgently find a means to help these rescued migrants and work for a comprehensive method of supporting migrants and States throughout Europe,” he said.
IOM urges the EU to re-consider a revision of the Dublin regulation based on the European Parliament’s proposal, and to reach agreement in Council to ensure solidarity among member states fully respecting the provisions of the Treaties.”
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that on Monday, 11 June, the Secretary-General recognised that countries had the right to manage their borders but had called on them to do so in full respect of international refugee laws.
In response to journalists’ questions, Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that UNHCR had worked with the International Maritime Organization to develop guidelines on dealing with such situations. The imperative need was to get the migrants to shore. However countries chose to manage their borders, the principle of rescue at sea must remain fundamental. Work was needed at European level to encourage solidarity with countries such as Italy, Greece and Spain that bore the brunt of the migrant arrivals in the Mediterranean region. It was noteworthy that, despite the fact that no search and rescue operations had been carried out in the Aegean Sea in late 2014, migrants had continued to arrive in boats, apparently pushed to do so by the crisis situations in their countries of origin. It was for the European Union Member States to discuss any revision of the Dublin Regulation, but it was important that the system be harmonized between the different countries in terms of recognition of refugees.
Mr. Doyle said that the argument equating not rescuing migrants with dissuading future migrants from attempting the crossing was morally hazardous and supposed that the persons concerned had full access to information, whereas it was likely that they had no access to the Internet and were probably unaware of the risks; furthermore, even if they were aware, it was likely that the dire situation in which they were living would still lead them to risk the crossing.
Work of UNHCR in Lebanon
Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), made the following statement:
“UNHCR wishes to underscore the importance of working closely with Lebanon to find safe, dignified and sustainable solutions for Syrian refugees. In all countries we respect the rights of refugees to decide freely and for themselves on returning home. And similarly, we do not discourage returns that are based on individual, free and informed decisions.
UNHCR is very concerned at Friday’s announcement by Foreign Minister Bassil on freezing the issuance of residence permits to international staff of UNHCR in Lebanon. This affects our staff and their families and directly impacts UNHCR’s ability to effectively carry out critical protection and solutions work in Lebanon. Our work is aimed at supporting the Government of Lebanon and local communities in managing the tremendous challenge Lebanon faces in hosting around a million Syrian refugees, and to continue our efforts within the broader United Nations family and international community to finding, for refugees, durable solutions outside Lebanon. We hope the decision of the Foreign Ministry will be reversed without delay.”
Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Mahecic said that there were around 986,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon. UNHCR was not opposed to refugees returning to Syria if it was their own informed choice to do so, and some had done so to different areas from both inside Syria and from other countries. UNHCR had done what it could to increase the assistance it provided inside the country where conditions were conducive to returns, but in general the situation there was neither safe nor sustainable. In Lebanon, UNHCR staff needed to be able to speak with refugees to establish whether returns were based on solid information.
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that, on Friday 8 June 2018, the Secretary-General’s spokesperson had made a similar statement, saying that all such returns must be voluntary.
Syria
Asked for an update on the activities of the Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that Mr. de Mistura had met in Turkey with that country’s national authorities, including Ambassador Sedat Önal, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; while in Istanbul, he had also met with SNC special coordinator Nasr Hariri and Syrian Opposition Coalition president Abdulrahman Mustafa. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, he had met with Mr. Hossein Jaberi Ansari, senior assistant to the Foreign Minister. On Monday 11 June, Mr. de Mistura had visited Cairo for substantive consultations on the Syrian political process with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr. Sameh Shoukry; he would continue to hold regional consultations in the coming days.
UNHCR announcement
Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that there would be a press conference at 11.30 a.m. on Wednesday 13 June 2018 in Room III on the Global Trends Report on Forced Displacement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. Journalists would receive a press package on the report, under embargo, on the afternoon of Tuesday 12 June.
WHO announcements
Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that World Blood Day would be celebrated on Thursday 14 June with a global event held in Athens. Further information and contact details were available on the WHO website.
A briefing was to be held on Thursday, 14 June at 3:00 p.m. in Press Room 1, WHO, on the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Disease (ICD-11), under embargo until its release for implementation on Monday 18 June. The speakers from WHO would be Dr Shekhar Saxena, Director, Department for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and Dr Robert Jakob, Team Lead, Classifications, Terminologies and Standards.
Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Lindmeier said that the eleventh revision was the first update to ICD in 28 years and contained many new entries, including gaming disorder, which affected a very small percentage of persons active in online gaming.
WTO announcement
Fernando Puchol, for the World Trade Organization (WTO), announced that the Global Forum on Inclusive Trade for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) would be hosted by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) on 13 and 14 June at WTO. EIF was a multilateral partnership that assisted LDCs in using trade as an engine for growth, sustainable development and poverty reduction.
Deanna Ramsay, EIF Communications Officer, for the World Trade Organization (WTO), provided further details about the event, which was open to the media and would bring together leaders from governments, donors, international organizations, business and academia. The event would be attended by representatives from more than 40 of the 47 LDCs, who would talk about the importance of trade in their countries, and specifically inclusive trade involving women, small businesses and youth. It was a first-of-its kind event focused on LDCs and inclusive trade. A press conference to be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday 14 June 2018 in Room A at WTO would feature the Vice-President of the Gambia, the Princess of Burkina Faso, the Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Central African Republic and the Minister of State for Trade of Uganda. They would make a call to action in support of trade for sustainable development and a multilateral trading system, and would call for inclusive trade action.
Other Geneva events and announcements
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the “Match for Solidarity” charity football match organized in April 2018 by the United Nations and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in aid of children with disabilities throughout the world had raised a total of €605,000.
Ms. Vellucci announced that the Secretary-General had issued a message to mark Wednesday 13 June as 100 days before the International Day of Peace 2018. The message was available in the room.
Ms. Vellucci also announced that, at 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday 13 June, the President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Vojislav Šuc of Slovenia, would hold a press briefing in Press Room 1 on the Council’s thirty-eighth regular session, to be held from 18 June to 6 July 2018.
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The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog120618