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 World Food Programme on behalf of the UN Team in Rukban, Syria, and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (both by phone), the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Labour Organization and the Economic Commission for Europe.

Syrian Arab Republic

Corinne Fleischer, Rukban Convoy Team Leader and representative of the World Food Programme (WFP), speaking by phone from Rukban, Syrian Arab Republic, said that the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) were leading a unique convoy to the remote location of Rukban, where a settlement had gradually developed over the past few years, as families, fleeing their villages, towns and cities, had moved to Rukban for safety, only to end up stranded there for years. The United Nations, in partnership with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, were on their seventh day of delivering and distributing essential humanitarian supplies to more than 40,000 displaced people in urgent need of assistance. Vaccines for 10,000 children under 5 years of age and 25 vaccinators were also part of the mission.

The people in the settlement – mostly women and children – had spent up to four years in harsh living conditions, unable to cover their basic needs. The winter in the desert was extremely cold, making matters worse. At least eight children had recently died. Rukban was one of the most challenging areas to reach because of the many parties involved in gaining access. Supply routes were often blocked for security reasons, resulting in goods being smuggled into the area and being sold at hefty prices – prices that those in the settlement could rarely, if ever, afford. Those stranded in Rukban urgently needed a dignified solution that would allow them to return to a normal life in the place of their choosing. Many had expressed their desire to return to their villages of origin. A survey was being conducted in preparation for a discussion of durable solutions.

The United Nations had been strongly advocating for a second inter-agency convoy ever since the delivery of humanitarian supplies with the first convoy, three months previously. The second convoy was the largest and longest convoy in the history of the work of the United Nations in Syria. Some 300 humanitarian workers were on the ground to help with the convoy once it arrived. The convoy contained supplies such as food, hygiene and sanitation supplies, dignity kits, educational supplies and shelter equipment. The supplies would be delivered and distributed in accordance with the humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence. The situation would be monitored very closely during and after distribution to ensure fairness. The United Nations was working with all stakeholders on the logistics and security arrangements. It continued to call on all parties to allow access to Rukban so that the United Nations and its partners could immediately meet the critical needs of the families and could ensure access to deliver life-saving supplies in line with humanitarian law.

The convoy, with its 133 trucks, had arrived on 6 February. The offloading of the convoy was taking place some 10 km from the settlement, while distribution of supplies and vaccinations were taking place inside the settlement. A total of six United Nations agencies were involved, with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs coordinating the convoy. So far supplies had been delivered to nearly 33,000 displaced persons inside the settlement; the remaining 7,000 would receive supplies on 12 February. Each family would receive a package that included food for one month, clothing and blankets for the winter, dignity kits and hygiene and sanitation supplies. Basic medical equipment was being provided to the two medical clinics in the camp. An enhanced monitoring mechanism had been developed to ensure that people’s needs were truly met: the mechanism involved overseeing the family registration process; monitoring the distribution of supplies to those families; and, the day after distribution, visiting families in their homes to check on the assistance they had received. The current period was the longest that United Nations staff and partners had spent inside the settlement in Rukban. Positive feedback had been received from those in need, who said they appreciated the presence of staff and volunteers.

A total of 7,000 children had been vaccinated thus far, including for polio. Overall, health conditions were catastrophic in the settlement: there was no doctor on site and the few nurses there, did not all have formal training. Women and girls were most affected in such situations. People lived in very small mud homes, where it was cold and damp. The shelter support provided by the United Nations and partners was therefore essential and much appreciated. The United Nations recently had to intervene to save the lives of three children; specifically, the Organization had negotiated with the Jordanian authorities to secure surgery for a girl who had been injured in a motorbike accident and had arranged for the vaccination of a boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog close to the border.

Responding to questions from journalists about the health situation in Rukban, Ms. Fleischer said that the United Nations supported the few health clinics in the displacement camp, but access to health care remained a serious challenge for most people there. Sustained access to the area was important so that the United Nations could train health-care workers and set up a referral system. She was not aware of the authorities hindering the arrival of doctors; there were simply no doctors in the camp to begin with.

Responding to further questions, Ms. Fleischer said that originally United Nations staff had been scheduled to leave on 12 February; it had now been decided that they would stay on until all the most essential activities had been accomplished. Generally speaking, the United Nations continued to advocate for the delivery of humanitarian supplies with the many parties involved to ensure that it could continue to provide critical lifesaving aid in Rukban. While sustained access would allow the United Nations to establish basic services, it was not in itself a durable solution. The displaced people in Rukban required a dignified solution, which would allow them to choose when and where to go.

Asked about the position of the Jordanian Government vis-à-vis the displaced persons, Ms. Fleischer said that Rukban was an area that bordered three countries: Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Many had a vested interest in the area and many of the people in the settlement came from formerly ISIS-controlled areas. For now, the Jordanian border was not open to the displaced people of the Rukban settlement, except for medical reasons, on a case-by-case basis.

Responding to a question from the press, Mohammed Hamada, for the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), also speaking by phone from Rukban, Syrian Arab Republic, said that SARC appealed to the international community to provide it and its partners with support so that they could continue to help people in need throughout Syria.

On a separate note, Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said, on behalf of the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria , that the Special Envoy, Geir O. Pedersen, was currently in Berlin for meetings with the Foreign Minister and senior government officials.

Democratic Republic of the Congo - South Sudanese refugees and Ebola

Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), read the following statement:

“UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is seeing a surge in refugee arrivals from South Sudan in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Over the past few days thousands of desperate people have been crossing the border to escape fighting and violence against civilians.

It’s estimated that 5,000 refugees have arrived in several border villages near the town of Ingbokolo, in north-east DRC’s Ituri province, according to local village chiefs. There are reports that an additional 8,000 people are displaced inside South Sudan, on the outskirts of the town of Yei.

People are fleeing clashes that started on 19 January between the South Sudanese army and one of the rebel groups, the National Salvation Front (NAS). This is in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State that borders DRC and Uganda. The clashes are blocking humanitarian access to the affected areas.

In DRC, those fleeing the violence arrived by foot over the weekend. Most are women, children and the elderly. They arrived exhausted, hungry and thirsty. Among them are people suffering from malaria or other illnesses. Many have suffered trauma from having witnessed violent incidents, including armed men reportedly murdering and raping civilians and looting villages.

UNHCR staff say that desperate people are seeking shelter in churches, schools and abandoned houses, or sleeping in the open. This is a remote area and border villages have almost no infrastructure or health centres. New arrivals are surviving thanks to food that is being shared with them by local villagers.

The areas in which refugees have arrived are difficult to reach, with roads and bridges badly damaged and in a state of disrepair. The Congolese authorities are encouraging people to move away from the volatile border area and move further inland, where they can get better assistance.

UNHCR has sent additional staff to Ituri to register refugees and support their possible relocation. However, we need funds to set up shelters and provide assistance including food, water and medical services in the nearest refugee settlement, Biringi. Biringi is located further south and has an existing population of over 6,000 South Sudanese refugees.

The conflict in South Sudan has created over 2.2 million refugees since 2013. UNHCR repeats its call for all parties to the conflict to take all possible action to ensure the safety of civilians and their freedom of movement, and to guarantee safe routes for civilians to leave conflict areas.”

Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Baloch said that there were signs that, overall, violence had diminished following the signing of the peace agreement in September 2018; the two major parties to the agreement appeared to be observing their commitments. Nevertheless, the conflict was ongoing and there had been claims and counter-claims as to which party was still carrying out attacks. He understood that NAS, which was led by Thomas Cirilo, had refused to sign the peace agreement and that joint government forces had recently cracked down on the group. Recalling that there were over 70 factions in South Sudan – the world’s youngest nation – he said UNHCR hoped for and called for a peace that would be as inclusive as possible. Peace was the very thing that millions of South Sudanese, exhausted by some six years of conflict, aspired to. UNHCR called on all parties to the conflict to spare civilians; it also called on the countries in the region to keep their borders open to refugees. There were concerns that, if no solution was found to the conflict, more people would become displaced.

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), added that, since the most recent outbreak of Ebola in DRC, there had been a risk of its spreading to neighbouring countries. However, that had not yet happened, in part thanks to the ramping up of the response to the disease in DRC and in neighbouring countries. On 28 January, South Sudan had begun vaccinations against Ebola. In addition, travellers were routinely screened for symptoms of Ebola. So far, some 32 million travellers had been screened in DRC and at the border. Any suspected cases were referred to a medical facility where they were further screened and tested for the disease. The generally high mobility of the population in the area presented additional challenges. There was an emphasis on increasing the preparedness of neighbouring countries and, in particular, cities in DRC, to quickly detect and respond to any positive cases. Health workers had been trained and provided with the appropriate medical equipment. If refugees went through the points of entry, they too would be screened for Ebola symptoms. In any case, the Ebola “hotspots” in DRC were in North Kivu, not near Ituri province.

New global standard for safe listening devices adopted by the World Health Organization and the International Telecommunication Union

Shelly Chadha, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that, in 2015, WHO had begun work on a global standard for safe listening devices and systems. Some 1.1 billion young people were at risk of hearing loss because of the way they listened to music. The standard put forward recommendations for safe-listening features that should be included in listening devices, such as smartphones and mp3 players, so as to reduce hearing loss among users. The standard had been developed in close cooperation with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), on the basis of input from users, experts, industry and civil society. The three main recommendations were that personal audio devices should include (1) software that measured how long and how loudly a user had been listening; (2) volume limiting options, including automatic volume reduction and parental volume control; and (3) information for users on how and when they listened and guidance on the sound limits reached. The standard would need to be adopted by Governments and/or by manufacturers. The idea was not to impose constraints on users, but rather to empower them to make better listening choices and thus avoid tinnitus and hearing loss.

Responding to questions from journalists, Ms. Chadha said that time had been taken to gather evidence and input for the recommendations. All potential industry partners had been invited to participate in consultations with WHO and ITU; discussions had focused on implementation of the technology, limitations and expectations. Access to smartphones and other listening devices had grown over the past decade and it was now known that people were very likely to experience hearing loss as a result of using such devices. A survey of young users had led to significant discussion with them about their habits. It was important not simply to impose limits, but to provide people with information and options regarding their listening habits.

Responding to further questions, Ms. Chadha said that the figure of 1.1 billion young people was based on a study conducted in 2015 on the listening habits of young people. There were as yet no data on how many of those at risk had or would go on to actually develop hearing loss. It was known, however, that globally the number of people with hearing loss was growing significantly – from 360 million in 2010 to 460 million in 2018. WHO projected that the trend would continue unless preventive action was taken. There was no disaggregated data available to indicate what proportion of the 460 million people had experienced hearing loss as a result of their listening habits.

Responding to questions about the application of the standard, Ms. Chadha said that the standard comprised recommendations, which by definition were non-binding. Therefore, a country could adopt the standard, making it a requirement for all devices sold in that country to comply with the standard. Or a manufacturer could voluntarily adopt some or all the recommendations. About a decade previously, the European Union had begun issuing recommendations about safe-listening features in smartphones. Governments tended to move slowly; however, once the standard was in place, it would change lives.

Asked about potential work on other sources of hearing loss, Ms. Chadha said that although WHO had issued general recommendations on volume limits in commercial venues, such as movie theatres or dance clubs, they were not followed in most of the world. WHO was therefore working on a regulatory framework regarding such venues that would provide additional and more specific recommendations.

Responding to a question from the press, Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that WHO had focused specifically on hearing loss for this particular initiative; however, it pursued research into other related areas. In that connection, it had recently included gaming disorder in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).

High-level pledging event for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen – 26 February

Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that, on Tuesday, 26 February, a one-day UN high-level pledging event for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, with Switzerland and Sweden as co-hosts, would take place at the Palais des Nations, in room XVIII. All Member States were invited, as too were development banks, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, and NGOs. There would be no specific funding target, as fundraising would continue throughout the year. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, would make closing remarks; Mr. Lowcock would be available from 1.30 to 2 p.m. for a background briefing and some comments on the record about the pledging event and the humanitarian situation in Yemen more generally. The entire pledging event would be webcast. A full media advisory would be sent to the press shortly. An invitation to the briefing with Mr. Lowcock would be sent only to those members of the press who contacted Mr. Laerke directly to express their interest in the briefing.

New United Nations regulation on advanced emergency braking systems for cars in order to significantly reduce crashes

Jean Rodriguez for the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), said that some 40 countries had recently agreed on a draft United Nations regulation for advanced emergency braking systems (AEBS) for cars to prevent crashes in urban areas. Such systems employed sensors to monitor the proximity of the vehicle or pedestrian in front and detect situations where the relative speed and distance between the two vehicles or between the vehicle and pedestrian suggested that a collision was imminent. In such a situation, if the driver did not react to the system’s warning alerts, emergency braking would be automatically applied to avoid the collision or at least to mitigate its effects. In such circumstances, AEBS was expected to result in a nearly 40 per cent reduction in crashes. In the European Union alone, over 9,500 fatalities in urban environments had been recorded in 2016. According to estimates by the European Commission, AEBS could save more than 1,000 lives every year within the European Union.

The draft regulation would be submitted for consideration at the upcoming World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations; if adopted, the regulation would come into force in early 2020. All the States that were parties to the 1958 Agreement with ECE could then start implementing it. The European Union and Japan had already announced that they would enforce it directly as soon as its entry into force. AEBS systems would then become mandatory for all new cars and light commercial vehicles in the countries concerned. Thus, over 15 million new cars in the European Union and over 4 million new cars in Japan would be equipped with lifesaving AEBS technology every year. Switzerland and several other European countries usually aligned their practices with the EU; they were expected to do the same for AEBS. Over 300,000 new cars would be affected in Switzerland.

The Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (GRVA), which had approved the draft regulation, also planned to define requirements for detecting and reducing the risk of collision with cyclists, which were more difficult to detect than other vehicles. Such requirements should be finalized at its next meeting in September and then would be submitted in March 2020.

Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Rodriguez said that the regulation built on an existing regulation on AEBS for trucks and buses, which was primarily designed to improve safety in motorway conditions. The purpose of AEBS was to help drivers who did not brake when necessary. Some carmakers were already implementing the technology in some models. The regulation, if adopted, would make such technology compulsory. It would also provide for a uniform system worldwide, which would become industry standard. The technologies could be developed by any supplier in any fashion, but the systems produced would have to perform to the same level on a single set of tests. The regulation would apply only to new car models as from 2020.

Responding to further questions, Mr. Rodriguez said that the contracting parties to the 1958 Agreement included the European Union and Japan, countries that had agreed that ECE regulations were directly applicable at national level. Other countries, such as China, India and the United States of America, were also members of the World Forum, but were parties to the 1998 Agreement, which was based on global technical regulations and required the adoption of national legislation before entry into force. For the time being, China would not adopt the future regulation. As for the United States, the Government would call on the federal authorities for road safety to appeal to carmakers to undertake so-called “self-commitments” on implementing the regulation during the period 2020-2022.

Asked about the potential risks associated with AEBS, Mr. Rodriguez said that the system did not take full control of the car, but only the braking mechanism, and was activated only under very specific circumstances in order to prevent a crash. In automotive jargon, there were five levels of automation in autonomous cars; AEBS qualified as a strong “2”. The system had thus far raised no issues in the trucks on which it was implemented.

Asked about the response of industry, Mr. Rodriguez said that there were always costs associated with new features; however, the benefit for society of safety features that reduced accidents and loss of life outweighed the costs. It was important to remember that it was Member States that developed and adopted the regulations to implement such features. In the World Forum, there were six expert working groups, each of which reviewed existing regulations, the issues of concern and progress in the industry, and then proposed a draft regulation. Draft regulations that had been adopted by an expert group were virtually always approved by the World Forum. There was therefore reason to believe that the current regulation would also be adopted.

Geneva announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that, following on the success of previous briefings, the United Nations Information Service invited all United Nations-accredited journalists to a briefing on 2019 communications priorities and key events by all spokespersons of the United Nations agencies and programmes in Geneva. The briefing would take place on Wednesday, 13 February, at 2 p.m., in Room III.

Press conferences

Rosalind Yarde, for the International Labour Organization, announced a press conference for the launch of the World Employment and Social Outlook – Trends 2019 (WESO), that would take place on Wednesday 13 February at 10.00 a.m. in Press Room 1. Speakers would include Deborah Greenfield, Deputy Director-General for Policy, ILO, and Damian Grimshaw, Director of Research, ILO.