REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons for the Human Rights Council, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization.

Update on the Human Rights Council

Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council, said that 23 draft resolutions had been received, of which 8 pertained to the situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Somalia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen and Myanmar, with a possible ninth resolution on Sudan. The remainder dealt with a range of human rights themes, including the right to education, the use of mercenaries, safe drinking water and sanitation, maternal mortality and the safety of journalists. As usual, the last two days of the session would be devoted to the adoption of resolutions; all the drafts were available on the extranet.

That day, the Council would continue its consideration of reports submitted under the universal periodic review, namely those of Canada, Cuba and the Russian Federation. The Open-ended intergovernmental working group on a United Nations declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas would present its report, followed by a general debate under agenda item 5 (human rights bodies and mechanisms), to continue after the lunch break. A general debate on the Universal Periodic Review would follow. The day would end with a private meeting on a complaint procedure.

On Monday, 24 September, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the 2018 protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory would present an update. Its newly appointed Chair, Santiago Canton, would attend along with the other two members of the Commission, Sara Hossain and Kaari Betty Murungi. Their presentation would be followed by a short discussion and a general debate on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Council would then have a series of general debates, to be followed by the annual discussion on the integration of a gender perspective, the theme that year being the integration of gender in human rights investigations. The Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kate Gilmore, would give the opening statement, and the panelists would include Madeleine Rees, the Secretary General of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and Paulo Pinheiro, of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.

Replying to questions from journalists, Mr. Gomez said that, in the light of the commissioners’ recent appointments, the presentation by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory would be chiefly procedural and would explain the planned methodology and visits. Yemen was the subject of two draft resolutions, one tabled by Belgium, Ireland, Canada, Luxembourg and the Netherlands and the other by Tunisia on behalf of the Group of Arab States. One was concerned with technical assistance while the other was more condemnatory. In situations of competing resolutions, efforts were always made in informal consultations to reach a middle ground.

The situation of refugee and migrant children on the Greek islands

Lucio Melandri, Country Coordinator in Greece for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), gave the following statement:

“So far, this year, more than 7,000 children – on average more than 850 children every month – have arrived on the Greek islands. According to patterns we have observed in previous years, we predict that the number of arrivals will increase in the coming months. This is a 32 percent increase in the number of child arrivals between January and August this year, compared to the same time-period last year. In August alone, more than 1,100 children arrived.

At the same time, the conditions at Reception and Identification Centres, where thousands of vulnerable children are now staying on the islands, are dire and dangerous.

We recognize and welcome the recent increased efforts of the Greek authorities to transfer refugees and migrants from the islands to the mainland.

The Centres were established to conduct arrival procedures for new refugees and migrants. According to Greek Law, nobody should spend more than 25 days at these centres.

Last Wednesday I visited the Vathi Reception and Identification Centre on the island of Samos and the week before that, the centre in Moria on the island of Lesvos. With the capacity to host 3,100 people, the Centre in Moria hosts nearly 9,000 people including more than 1,700 children. The Centre in Samos, built for 650 people, now has 680 children, with a total of more than 4,000 people. More children and families arrive every day. The Directors at both centres in Moria and Vathi repeatedly expressed the concerns they have due to the threats children face on a daily basis. The staff are overwhelmed and the services overstretched.

It is important to underline the generosity, goodwill and commitment the Greek authorities and communities have shown towards refugee and migrant children. For years they have supported families and children arriving in Greece, but the situation is now desperate.

While in Moria and Vathi, I met children from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Democratic Republic of Congo – countries with ongoing violent conflict. Violence, domestic abuse, protests and unrest occur every day. The condition of basic infrastructure is unacceptable. In some instances, 70 people are sharing a single toilet. With the upcoming winter months, we are concerned services could collapse.

The vast majority of the children are deeply traumatized. Many have lived through war and have had to flee their homes. They’ve survived, but now find themselves living in horrible conditions with no end in sight. For many children they simply cannot cope.

UNICEF with the Ministry of Health and in cooperation with other humanitarian organizations have provided immunizations to reach all refugee and migrant children in Greece. We also have a child family support hub in close proximity of the Reception Centre in Moria, where the most vulnerable children and women have daily access to essential services, including psychosocial support. UN Agencies and humanitarian partners are providing other vital services.

But this is not enough.

All vulnerable refugees and migrants living in the Reception and Identification Centers on the islands, especially children, need to be transferred to the mainland immediately to ensure their access to adequate protection, health care, accommodation and education opportunities. UNICEF is working with Government and humanitarian partners to expand the current capacity on the Greek mainland to accommodate additional children, this includes increasing the provision of services such as access to education and health care. More resettlement pledges from other EU Member States, that prioritize children and speed up family reunification procedures, are urgently needed.

While in Lesvos I met children and families who have been staying in the centre in Moria for more than six months. There are other cases of children staying for over a year.

To conclude, again I would like to recognize the effort and the commitment of Greek authorities. But additional resettlement pledges are urgently needed – Greece cannot manage this alone.”

In response to questions from journalists, Mr. Melandri said that children in the camps, who ranged from age 0 to 18 years, faced all sorts of direct threats, including violence, abuse and riots, and indirect threats, namely a lack of access to appropriate nutrition, hygiene and education opportunities. The primary reason why migrants were remaining in the centre long past the statutory 25 days was the mainland’s limited absorption capacity. Regarding alleged suicides among child migrants at the camps, he could not comment on individual cases. UNICEF was aware that many children suffered severe psychological distress and had been exposed to terrible situations in their countries of origin and during migration and was working closely with its partners to better understand and respond to incidents. Child and family support hubs had been set up near the camp in Moria to prevent the deterioration of mental health. However, the only viable solution was transfer to the mainland and away from the dire camp conditions, which could give rise to self-harm. Accordingly, European Union countries needed to reconsider their pledges. The percentage of children arriving overland was higher than through the islands. In that connection, the Fund’s main action was to act in an advisory capacity and support the Ministry of Health and department of disease control in their immunization efforts.

Ms. Vellucci added that the Secretary-General had, the day before, appealed to States to raise their resettlement quotas and approach the migration situation objectively with a view to placing human rights at the heart of their response.

Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), gave the following statement:

“UNICEF and its partners have so far identified 155 children who have been orphaned or left unaccompanied as a result of the latest Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This figure includes children who have lost one or both parents, or primary caregivers to Ebola, as well as those who have been left unaccompanied while their parents are isolated in Ebola treatment centres.

Children who lose a parent due to Ebola are at risk or being stigmatized, isolated or abandoned, in addition to the experience of losing a loved one or primary caregiver. This group of children, in addition to those who have been left on their own while their parents receive in-patient treatment, are particularly vulnerable and UNICEF is concerned for their wellbeing.

UNICEF assistance to orphaned and unaccompanied children is tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual child. A new-born who has lost his mother has different needs than a school-aged child. UNICEF support to an orphaned or unaccompanied child typically includes psycho-social care, food and material assistance, and support to reintegrate into school.

One hundred and twelve of the orphaned and unaccompanied children are school-aged, and UNICEF and its partners have worked to get them back into the classroom.

Since the beginning of the Ebola-epidemic UNICEF and its partners have:
• Trained 219 psycho-social agents to rapidly identify the specific needs of orphaned and unaccompanied children and provide assistance;
• Provided food and psycho-social assistance to the 155 identified Ebola-orphans and unaccompanied children
• Supplied school material and uniforms for the 112 Ebola orphans and unaccompanied children of school age, and paid for their school fees;
• Deployed seven nutritionists to assist orphaned and unaccompanied children in the Ebola treatment centres;
• Sensitized 3,163 school directors and teachers in 326 schools to support the reintegration of children affected by the disease and to avoid stigmatisation.

UNICEF continues to trace children affected by the Ebola virus and expand its psychosocial and material assistance as the epidemic evolves.”

Fadela Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remained active. While substantial progress had been made to limit the spread of the disease to new areas and the situation in Mangina was stabilizing, the cities of Beni and Butembo had become the new hotspots. Significant risks for further spread of the disease remained, and ongoing challenges included contacts lost to follow-up, delayed recognition of EVD and poor infection prevention and control in health centres, and reluctance to be treated in Ebola treatment centres. While the majority of communities had welcomed response measures, in some, risks of transmission and poor disease outcomes had been amplified by unfavourable behaviours, such as reluctance to adopt prevention and risk mitigation strategies. The priority remained strengthening all components of the public health response in all affected areas, as well as continuing to enhance operational readiness and preparedness in the country’s non-affected provinces and neighbouring countries. Other priorities included response coordination, surveillance, contact tracing, laboratory capacity, infection prevention and control measures, clinical management of patients, vaccination, risk communication and community engagement.

As at 18 September, 143 Ebola cases had been reported, of which 112 were confirmed and 31 were probable, including 97 deaths. The Ministry of Health, WHO and partners continued to closely monitor and investigate alerts in affected areas, other provinces and neighbouring countries. Nine suspected cases were awaiting laboratory testing. Since the publication of the last report, alerts had been investigated in several provinces and neighbouring countries; thus far, EVD had been ruled out in all the alerts. WHO had deployed 209 experts to support the response activities, and over 5,000 contacts had been registered, of which 1,983 remained under surveillance.

Replying to questions from journalists, Ms. Chaib said that the pillars of the Ebola response were firmly in place. However, there was some resistance to prevention and treatment measures, notably on the part of people who were mourning the loss of loved ones to the disease. Accordingly, WHO was focusing on social engagement, risk communication and social mobilization, for example by engaging local leaders and health workers in explaining the Organization’s work and the importance of patient care and safe burials. The vaccination of all eligible health-care professionals and frontline workers was nearly completed. In total, over 10,000 people had been vaccinated, including more than 3,700 heath-care and frontline staff and 2,000 children. Mangina, the initial epicentre of the outbreak, did not pose significant security risks; however, some areas immediately to the east were level 4 on the United Nations security scale and therefore inaccessible. WHO was working with United Nations security teams to ensure that safety policies and procedures were complied with, while striving to provide treatment. Data on age and sex was available for 135 cases out of 143. Among these 135 cases, 35- to 45-years-old accounted for 23 per cent and women for 56 per cent.

Also replying to journalists, Mr. Boulierac said that 60 per cent of confirmed and probable cases were women and children. The top priority was identifying orphaned and unaccompanied children; teachers and principals were being trained to help in those efforts. Once identified, children received psychosocial support and, where necessary, were placed in foster care programmes. Getting the children back into school was vital in lessening their vulnerability.

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control 8th Conference of the Parties

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that, following discussions with the organizers of the Conference of Parties (COP8), the badges of accredited journalists would be accepted.

In response to several comments, Fadela Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that she would be working closely with the COP8 organizers to ensure clear and timely dissemination of information to the press.

Announcements

Fadela Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the virtual conference on the release of the 2018 Global Alcohol Status Report would take place that afternoon at 2 p.m. The report had been sent to correspondents under embargo, as well as the dial-in information. Vladimir Poznyak, of the Management of Substance Abuse Unit, would be briefing and taking questions.

Alessandra Vellucci, on behalf of the World Trade Organization (WTO), said that, on Thursday, 27 September, WTO would release its revised trade forecast, updating the earlier forecast issued on 12 April. The revised trade forecast would be available on the WTO website on that date, at 11 a.m. Any questions should be addressed to WTO communications officer Jessica Hermosa.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that, as part of the International Day of Peace (A/RES/36/67) (A/RES/55/282), two events would be held on 21 September. The first was a side event of the Human Rights Council organized by the African Group to celebrate the memory of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. It would be held from 1 to 3 p.m. in Room XVII. The second, a talk entitled Peace Without Borders, would be held from 4 to 6.30 p.m. in Room XVIII. Two of the speakers were of particular interest, namely a 22-year-old woman who had spent most of her life as a refugee before settling in Switzerland and the founder of the world’s only museum on children affected by war. Requests for interviews could be accommodated.

Ms. Vellucci also reminded correspondents that on 24 September in New York, the General Assembly High-Level General Debate would start. The Secretary-General and an impressive number of Heads of States and Governments would participate. On 24 September, the UN Secretary-General would launch his strategy for young people at the high-level event “Youth 2030: Launch of the United Nations Youth Strategy and the Generation Unlimited Partnership”, co-organized by the Office of the Special Envoy on Youth, UNICEF and the Department of Public Information. A list of major events related to the High-Level General Debate, many of which would be visible on webtv.un.org, had been circulated and would be continuously updated.

Back in Geneva, Ms. Vellucci also said, the UN celebration of the life of Kofi Annan would be held in the Assembly Hall on 27 September, at 10 a.m. Seats were being reserved for members of the press, but everyone had to register for the event. A message had been sent the previous day in that regard. Requests for audiovisual coverage should be addressed to Michele Zaccheo of the UN Information Service.

She further stated that the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities would close its twentieth session that afternoon.

She added that Committee on the Rights of the Child would be completing its review of the report of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic that morning. On Monday afternoon, the Committee would begin its review of the report of Niger before moving onto those of Benin and Saudi Arabia.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights would open its sixty-fourth session on Monday, 24 September, at 10 a.m. At the session, to last from 24 September to 12 October, it would review the reports of Germany, Mali, Argentina, Turkmenistan, South Africa and Cabo Verde.

Press Conferences

Thursday, 27 September at 10.30 a.m. in Press Room 1
OHCHR Press Conference
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia will share her latest findings and views about the latest elections and the state of human rights affairs in Cambodia.

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog210918