UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
War in Gaza
Sam Rose, Deputy Director of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), speaking from Gaza, said that the previous night was the fourth in a row of intense bombardments. The situation was gravely concerning, and hundreds of lives had already been lost. The Ministry of Health reported over 600 fatalities, a third of whom women and children. The bombardment was followed by evacuation orders and forced displacement, with many people now on the move. The Israeli forces had reoccupied the Netzarim Corridor, effectively splitting the Gaza Strip into two. Further occupation of parts of Gaza was expected to happen. For close to 20 days, no supplies whatsoever had entered Gaza, which resulted in massive reductions of distributions of supplies and a cut of essential services. When people were on the move, service provision had to be recalibrated. The progress made by the aid system over the six weeks of ceasefire was being reversed, warned Mr. Rose. Just some days ago, Mr. Rose had hoped that he would be speaking about the reinstatement of services in Gaza, including health and education, but the resumption of bombardment had halted all of that. If the ceasefire was not restored, there would be a continuous loss of life, destruction of property, growth in infectious diseases, and a massive trauma for the two million people, who had already suffered so much.
Mr. Rose spoke about a tragedy on top of tragedy, cruelty on top of cruelty, with people feeling defeated, hopeless, and scared. Seven UNRWA and one UNOPS staff had been killed since the resumption of fighting. He stressed that it was not too late for the ceasefire to be restored. The remaining hostages had to be released immediately, and all humanitarian workers had to be granted an uninterrupted access to the people in need. Member States with influence needed to do everything they could to bring an end to the fighting.
Tommaso Della Longa, for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), provided an update from the Palestine Red Crescent (PRC) teams on the ground. PRC teams had had hundreds of call outs across the Gaza Strip and responded to dozens of fatalities and injuries as bombing continues. PRC was also responding to calls of people missing and trapped under collapsed buildings and rubble. Doctors were exhausted, medical supplies were running low, and the PRC was working to rehabilitate and reopen medical facilities, a challenging task under current circumstances. Until the border crossings reopened, the people of Gaza would continue to fac ethe health crisis. Of the 53 emergency vehicles operating before the border closure, only 23 were now operating due to the lack of gasoline. The impact of chronic water shortages in Gaza was growing in severity, which meant the level of sickness was increasing, especially among children and also having a direct impact on hygiene and sanitation. Mr. Della Longa stressed that the IFRC took the side of humanity and reiterated its appeal that humanitarian workers be protected and all routes for delivery of aid.
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), said that the Secretary-General, speaking at the EU Summit in Brussels on 20 March, had appealed for an immediate ceasefire, an unimpeded humanitarian access to all areas, and an immediate release of all hostages. She also referred to the previous day’s post by UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini, in which he wrote about a deepening humanitarian crisis in the West Bank with homes and other civilian infrastructure systematically destroyed. Ms. Vellucci informed that today, Sigrid Kaag, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process ad interim, would brief the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.
Answering questions from the media, Sam Rose, for UNRWA, said that more supplies had entered Gaza during the six weeks of the ceasefire than during the previous six months. Almost all of those supplies had been distributed, he explained. There was very little left in UNRWA’s warehouses, and with the scale of needs growing, the aid pipeline had to be kept open, stressed Mr. Rose. UNRWA had enough flour to distribute to one million people for a few more days. If the conflict continued, it was likely that Gaza would see more looting, criminality, and fighting for scarce resources. UNRWA had enough fuel for diesel generators for a few more weeks, he said. Children traumatized by the 18 months of conflict were experiencing a trauma again by the bombardments all over. Ceasefire or not, international humanitarian law had to be respected. A total of over 280 UNRWA personnel, out of the workforce of 12,000, had been verified as killed until now. On another question, Mr. Rose explained that currently some 100,000 people were affected by the evacuation orders, but more could be expected. Any forced displacements of the population were deeply worrying, he stressed.
James Elder, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), added that the worst-case scenario for children’s traumatization was to return home only for the ware to start all over again. While literacy rates in Gaza had been among the highest in the world despite everything, a generation was being lost now because of the traumas and breaks of education. UNICEF had 180,000 doses of vaccines stuck at the border, along with ventilators for babies and other supplies; UNICEF-supported desalination plant was not able to function properly, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without water. Children’s rights were being denied not by accident, but by choice. Protecting children was not optional; it was the law.
Elizabeth Throssell, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), replying to a question, stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire, full flow of aid, and an unconditional release of hostages. What was happening on the ground now had to stop.
Global funding crisis and impact on children in Ethiopia and Nigeria
Kitty van der Heijden, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), connecting from Abuja, spoke of the results of the work by UNICEF and partners over the recent decades, which had, among many other achievements, decreased malnutrition and child mortality. UNICEF’s partners across the government, philanthropy and civil sector were playing a critical role, she stressed. Those gains, however, were being rolled back because of the decrease of global aid. The decisions being made were very acute and unexpected, and what made it worse was that multiple donors were cutting aid at the same time. Those cuts did not have abstract consequences, but a real impact on real children here and now. For example, some 1.3 million children were at risk of losing access to life-saving support in the region of Afar in Ethiopia, warned Ms. van der Heijden. Less of half of mobile clinics operated by UNICEF there were now operating. UNICEF knew what was possible and what needed to be done, but it needed resources to be able to do it. Without new funding, UNICEF would run out of the life-saving treatments by May, leaving 70,000 children uncovered.
In Nigeria, on the other hand, 80,000 children needed such support every month, and the supplies could run out any time between now and May. Ms. van der Heijden stressed the importance of early support, not only treating acute consequences of malnutrition. This was happening all over the world, with children bearing the brunt of humanitarian aid cuts. Meanwhile, the needs were rising: UNICEF estimated that as many as 213 million children in the world would need its support. UNICEF ought to be enabled and supported, so that it could, in turn, support all those children in need. The funding crisis was at the risk of turning into a child-survival crisis, which should not be allowed to happen.
Answering questions from the journalists, Ms. van der Heijden explained that governments took decisions about aid cuts and then changed them, so it was difficult to have precise mortality numbers which were likely to be seen if the announced cuts remained. UNICEF was going to stay wherever it was needed and deliver as much as it could. UNICEF was calling on all actors, governments around the world, but also philanthropic organizations, private sector, and individuals, to support the cause. The currently provided life-saving support was nowhere near where it had to be, and this trend had predated the current funding crisis. Critical supplies of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) were a priority, as any interruption in RUTF provision was leading to child deaths. The world should not fail children; it was never about just one donor, but about the global community which had to act. The funding crisis risked becoming a child-survival crisis, which was still totally preventable.
Also answering a question on the support of European countries, Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), referred to the Secretary-General’s statement in Brussels the day before, where he had said that the European Union was a fundamental pillar of the multilateral response to the challenges in peace and security, in climate, in sustainable development, in human rights.
On another question, Ms. van der Heijden, for UNICEF, stressed that the US – both the government and the people – had been a phenomenal partner of UNICEF over the years. UNICEF was monitoring the funding situation by the day, which was very fluid. UNICEF was investing heavily in making the case to the United States Government on how important it was to support children around the world. Every child needed to survive and thrive. UNICEF was making the same case to all its partners, big and small. She emphasized the successes achieved over the decades, but that did not mean it was an easy ride without challenges. 2024 had been the worst year for children since UNICEF’s establishment because of the high number of conflicts around the world. It was not easy to keep children safe and healthy, and the whole global community had to come together to support this cause.
Impact of the armed conflict and occupation on children’s rights in Ukraine
Elizabeth Throssell, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that a new OHCHR report detailed how death, injury and lasting family separation were among the traumatic events that had upended the lives of Ukraine’s children in the three years since the Russian Federation had launched its full-scale invasion. The ongoing hostilities and occupation of parts of Ukraine by Russia had caused large-scale human rights violations and inflicted unimaginable suffering on millions of children. Their rights had been undermined in every aspect of life, leaving deep scars, both physical and psychosocial.
Ms. Throssell specified that between 24 February 2022 and 31 December 2024, 669 children had been killed and 1,833 injured, many as a result of the extensive use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Of these, 521 had been killed and 1,529 injured in territory controlled by Ukraine, and 148 had been killed and 304 injured in currently occupied territory. The actual numbers were likely much higher. As of December 2024, an estimated 737,000 children had been internally displaced by the hostilities. A further 1.7 million were refugees, many of them separated from a parent, usually their father. It was clear that Ukrainian children had endured a wide range of wartime experiences, all with serious impacts: some as refugees, others as direct victims, under continued threat of bombardment, and many subject to the coercive laws and policies of the Russian authorities in occupied areas. The OHCHR report madre it clear that acknowledging and addressing violations are essential to ensure a future where all Ukrainian children could reclaim their rights, identity and security, free from the enduring consequences of war and occupation.
Full press release can be found here.
Answering questions, Ms. Throssell explained that the report referred to children transported within the occupied territories and Russia. As the OHCHR did not have access to those areas, it was difficult to ascertain what exactly had happened. The report made it clear that children had been killed in Russia as well, but the OHCHR could not verify those numbers.
Humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Eujin Byun, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), stated that critical funding gaps were severely hampering humanitarian efforts in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and beyond, leaving thousands without life-saving aid and pushing an already dire humanitarian situation closer to catastrophe. In less than three months, informed Ms. Byun, the number of Congolese fleeing to neighbouring countries had surged to over 100,000. Ongoing hostilities in North Kivu province, particularly in Masisi and Walikale territories, along with an extremely volatile security situation in Bukavu and surrounding areas in South Kivu province, had forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee.
In and around the city of Goma in North Kivu, sites that were previously home to 400,000 internally displaced people had all been destroyed, leaving families stranded without shelter or protection. Due to funding cuts, humanitarian partners were struggling to rebuild shelters, leaving displaced people with few options for survival. In Burundi’s Rugombo commune, which was hosting the majority of the 68,000 refugees who had arrived in the country since February, inadequate sanitation facilities and overcrowding in and around the stadium where people had been sheltering, as well as limited health care, had resulted in at least eight suspected cases of cholera. Without more funding to increase health services, there was a significant risk of further spread of disease.
UNHCR was grateful to those donors who had committed support so that UNHCR and partners could ramp up response efforts in the DRC and neighbouring countries, but the growing needs far exceeded available resources, concluded Ms. Byun.
UNHCR statement is available here.
Replying to questions, Ms. Byun spoke of identified cholera cases in an overcrowded stadium in Burundi’s Rugombo commune, which hosted 68,000 people. Political will of the warring parties was a critical factor to reaching a ceasefire, but in the meantime, UNHCR remained on the ground to support people in need.
Impact of funding cuts on UNHCR
Answering questions on funding cuts, Matthew Saltmarsh, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), referred to the previous day’s statement of the High Commissioner, Filippo Grandi. The biggest concern was for the refugees and other displaced people, who would be feeling the brunt of those cuts. Mr. Saltmarsh said that the UNHCR was undertaking a review of its operations, both at Headquarters and in the field, after which they would be able to share more details on the organization’s downsizing; it seemed inevitable that some staff would lose their jobs. Mr. Saltmarsh provided several examples of underfunded emergencies in recent years, stressing that the crisis in humanitarian funding was not a new phenomenon. Some 99 percent of UNHCR’s funds came through voluntary contributions, explained Mr. Saltmarsh. UNHCR would continue to engage constructively with the US Administration while trying to secure new sources of funding.
The impact of the cuts was already being felt across the world, including in, for example, South Sudan, where 80,000 people were not able to access emergency psychosocial support, or in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, where as many as one million people were in need of support. It was important that individuals, private sector, and governments from around the world step up so that the effects of the US cuts could be minimized. Until 2024, the US had been the major contributor, providing around 40 percent of UNHCR’s budget, followed by European Union and east Asian countries. UNHCR was now looking into both expanding donations by the existing donors and searching for new sources of funding. Some 400 jobs at UNHCR were being currently cut, he specified, and many more jobs were likely to be lost.
Announcements
Tarik Jašarević, for the World Health Organization (WHO), stated that the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation would release two new reports on 25 March: Levels and Trends in Child Mortality, and Counting Every Stillbirth. The reports, which contained important global data sets, outlined how sustained investments fueled worldwide progress in reducing child deaths and stillbirths. Nevertheless, many children were still being lost to preventable causes, and decades of progress were now at risk as major donors cut development assistance budgets. The reports would be under embargo until the morning of 25 March.
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), said that on 24 March at 12 noon, UNAIDS would hold a press conference on the impact of US funding cuts on the HIV response. Speakers would be Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, and Angeli Achrekar, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director.
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was concluding its 32nd session this afternoon, after which it would issue its concluding observations on reports submitted by the European Union and by five State parties: Tuvalu, Dominican Republic, Viet Nam, Canada, and Palau.
At its next public meeting, in the morning on 24 March, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances was scheduled to review a report submitted by Belgium. In the afternoon, CED would start the review of the report of Malta.
Finally, Ms. Vellucci informed that 21 March was the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; the International Nowruz Day; the International Day of Forests; the first-ever World Day for Glaciers; and the World Down Syndrome Day, on which occasion an event was taking place at UN Geneva this afternoon.
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