REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
Rhéal LeBlanc, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section, United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
Situation in the Sudan
Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), made the following statement:
“United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Friday reminded the authorities in the Sudan of their overarching duty to ensure the protection of the human rights of all people and to refrain from the use of violence.
‘This is a very critical, volatile moment for the Sudan and there is deep uncertainty and unease about the future,’ Bachelet said. ‘We are closely monitoring developments and call on the authorities to refrain from using force against peaceful protestors, and to ensure that security forces and judicial authorities act in full accordance with the rule of law and Sudan’s international human rights obligations.’
The High Commissioner appealed for calm and called on the authorities to release all those detained for their exercise of the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression.
‘The crisis in the Sudan has its roots in human rights grievances – economic, social, civil and political rights. The solution must also be grounded in human rights,’ she said.
‘I call on the Government to address the people’s demands. There needs to be a concerted effort, with the meaningful participation of civil society, to work to resolve these grievances.’
She also stressed the need for independent, prompt and effective investigations into the excessive use of force against protestors since December last year.
Ms. Bachelet reiterated the readiness of OHCHR to strengthen its engagement with the Sudan to advise and assist the State in discharging fully its human rights obligations.’’
Asked whether OHCHR would call on the military council that had taken power in the Sudan to hand over Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court to face the charges that had been brought against him, Ms. Shamdasani said that OHCHR encouraged the authorities in the Sudan to cooperate fully with the Court, in compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1593.
In response to further questions from journalists, she said that OHCHR was concerned about the announcement that the Constitution, which contained important human rights protections, would be suspended, and that there were plans to have a two-year transitional period before elections were held. OHCHR had communicated extensively with the Sudanese authorities since December 2018 and had been invited by those authorities to deploy a technical mission to the country. While there had been no communication since the previous day, OHCHR would continue to seek to engage with the authorities.
The situation in the Sudan was volatile. It was encouraging, however, that there had been no violence overnight, and that, according to unconfirmed reports, some political prisoners had been released. Although there were conflicting figures, it was estimated that between 40 and 70 people had lost their lives in protests since December and that hundreds of others had been detained. OHCHR had several sources on the ground, who had indicated that protests would continue. She had no information on the situation of members of the former government of Omar al-Bashir. OHCHR called for full accountability, including for the excessive use of force that had been reported since December.
Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the Secretary-General of the United Nations was following the developments in the Sudan very closely and had reiterated his call for calm and utmost restraint by all. He had said that the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people needed to be realized through an appropriate and inclusive transition process, and that the United Nations stood ready to support the Sudanese people as they charted a new way forward.
Julian Assange case
Asked whether OHCHR was concerned about the arrest of Julian Assange and his possible extradition to the United States of America, Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy was expecting to meet with Mr. Assange, and that the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression had posted a series of tweets voicing his concern about the case. It was clear, therefore, that several independent human rights experts within the United Nations system were actively engaged on the case.
Asked why the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had not commented on the case, Ms. Shamdasani said that there had been no deliberate silence in that regard. OHCHR had to measure the effectiveness of its voice and the level of engagement of other parts of the United Nations system. It was following the case closely and expected all relevant authorities to ensure that there was full regard for Mr. Assange’s due process rights and his right to a fair trial, including in any extradition proceedings.
In response to a question from a journalist, Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that Mr. Assange had originally been granted diplomatic asylum by the Government of Ecuador. Since such asylum did not give rise to international refugee status or the associated protection, UNHCR had had no involvement in the case.
Libya evacuations
Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), made the following statement:
“The International Organization for Migration (IOM) continues to provide Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) assistance to migrants stranded in Libya and wishing to return home, despite the backdrop of continuing armed conflict in Tripoli and the challenging conditions on the ground.
Last night (11/04) IOM in Libya organized a charter flight to Mali carrying 160 migrants, with an onward journey to Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. The 160 migrants on board included a mixture of nationalities including 99 Malians, 51 Ivorians and 10 Burkinabe. Among the returnees were 16 children and 20 women.
The flight departed from Mitiga airport in Tripoli, arrived in Bamako at midnight. The migrants from Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso are to continue their journey on 12 April. These 160 migrants are among 188 whom IOM assisted just since 5 April, when the current violence surged, returning those individuals home safely from Tripoli to Sierra Leone, Somalia, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
During most of this past week airport security has been of some concern, with the Mitiga airport operational only between the hours of 19:00 (PM) and 7:00 AM.
Amid the ongoing clashes, IOM staff in Libya coordinated very closely with Libyan authorities to ensure the safe arrival of all migrants coming from different detention centres and different urban areas in Tripoli to Mitiga airport. The airport was briefly affected by the armed conflict this week.
‘We continue to support a safe and dignified return for migrants to their home countries,’ said Othman Belbeisi, IOM Libya Chief of Mission. ‘Our teams are working around the clock to provide much needed humanitarian support in Tripoli and across Libya.’
In Mali arriving migrants were received by IOM staff, Malian government representatives and the European Union Delegation in Bamako. IOM coordinated with the Malian authorities, who supported the transit of the charter through Bamako on its way to Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
So far this year 3,175 migrants from detention centres and urban settings were able to return home via VHR, with Charters leaving from Benghazi, Sabha, Misrata and Tripoli.
Prior to their departure, the migrants were provided with medical check-ups, as well as protection screenings and core relief items. Upon arrival, IOM provided them with immediate assistance and medical screenings. IOM will then provide tailored reintegration support to the returnees to assist them in re-establishing economically within their communities of origin.
This return was made possible thanks to the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration implemented by IOM.”
In response to questions from a journalist, Mr. Millman said that he could not speak to what the future plans of IOM would be with regard to evacuations and returns, nor could he predict how the security situation in Libya would evolve. IOM would continue to do as much as it could for as many people as possible. It was currently working mainly to register people and verify their identities with the cooperation of diplomatic representatives from all relevant countries.
Shabia Mantoo, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that, on 9 April 2019, UNHCR had arranged the transfer of 150 vulnerable refugees from the Ain Zara detention centre to a gathering and departure facility in Tripoli. Security and access considerations were rendering further relocations difficult. UNHCR understood that, after the transfer, the remaining refugees and migrants in the detention centre had been able to leave, but that some 1,500 others remained in the Qaser Ben Gashir and Abu Salim detention centres south of Tripoli, where hostilities were raging.
Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, made the following statement, which had been communicated to him by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:
“Displacement from areas affected by the clashes in and around Tripoli continues to surge with over 8,000 people having fled the fighting, nearly half of whom were displaced within the last 48 hours.
Families who remain stranded inside conflict-affected areas not only fear for their safety, but say they are starting to run out of supplies.
While most of those displaced by the fighting continue to seek shelter with family members and other hosting arrangements, multiple collective shelters have been set up in various areas of Tripoli.
The United Nations continues to call for a humanitarian truce to allow for the provision of emergency services and the voluntary passage of civilians, including those wounded, from areas of conflict.”
Mr. LeBlanc recalled that, on 10 April 2019, the Secretary-General of the United Nations had reiterated his call for a ceasefire to take place and for a complete cessation of hostilities so as to avoid the worst, which would be a dramatic, bloody battle for Tripoli. He had said that there was no military solution to the conflict, and had urged all stakeholders to move ahead with a political process. He had also expressed his admiration for the work that was courageously being done on the ground by his Special Representative Ghassan Salamé.
Migrant situation in Greece
In response to questions from a journalist, Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that he did not immediately have official figures on the total number of migrants in Greece or information on the migrant situation in and around Thessaloniki. IOM had published its most recent statistics on Mediterranean migrant arrivals in Greece three days previously. The spokesperson of the Refugee Agency would also get back to the journalist with some figures.
Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
In response to questions from a journalist, Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that security incidents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo often led to difficulties in accessing certain areas of the country, where the spread of Ebola was likely to intensify as a result of the suspension of health services. Once access was regained, it was thus normal for there to be a rise in the number of reported cases. While building trust in emergency response teams was a challenge in Katwa and Butembo, success had been achieved in the past in the city of Beni, despite similar issues. It was estimated that some 90 per cent of the individuals eligible for the Ebola vaccine had accepted it.
UNCTAD announcement
Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said that the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, Mukhisa Kituyi, would travel to Washington, D.C. that weekend for the Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, before heading to New York for the 2019 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development follow-up. He would discuss, inter alia, the mobilization of domestic resources for development in developing countries.
Geneva events and announcements
Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that a press conference would be held at 7 p.m. that day at the headquarters of WHO to discuss a meeting of the Emergency Committee for Ebola virus disease that had been convened for that afternoon. The Chair of the Committee, Professor Robert Steffen, was expected to be present at the press conference. The meeting had been organized in order for the Committee to discuss whether or not to declare the Ebola situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a public health emergency of international concern, which was defined in the International Health Regulations as “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response”. It should be noted that the holding of a meeting did not necessarily mean that such an emergency would be declared. If it was, WHO would issue temporary recommendations, and it would mean that stronger international coordination and commitment was required to respond to the outbreak.
Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said that two expert meetings would be held in Geneva the following week:
Multi-year Expert Meeting on Commodities and Development (15–16 April 2019)
Room XXVI, Palais des Nations
https://unctad.org/en/Pages/MeetingDetails.aspx?meetingid=1889
Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on Climate Change Adaptation for International Transport: Preparing for the Future (16–17 April 2019)
10 a.m.–6 p.m., Rooms XXIV and XXVII, Palais des Nations
https://unctad.org/en/Pages/MeetingDetails.aspx?meetingid=2092
Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families would close its thirtieth session that afternoon and would issue its concluding observations on the reports submitted by the four States parties reviewed during the session: Albania, Guatemala, Libya and Tajikistan.
On the morning of 15 April 2019, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances would hold a public meeting with States parties, civil society, United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, and intergovernmental organizations. On 18 April 2019, the Committee would close its sixteenth session and issue its concluding observations on the reports submitted by the three States parties reviewed during the session: Chile, Italy and Peru.
The next public plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament would be on 14 May 2019 at 10 a.m., when the Conference would begin the second part of its 2019 session.
The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog120419