REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Corinne Momal-Vanian, the Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Fund Population Fund, the World Food Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Organization for Migration and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation.

Global Roll Out of Pneumococcal Vaccines in the Developing World

Dan Thomas, Head of Media and Communications, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), said the roll out of pneumococcal vaccines in the developing world was now underway in three continents. On 14 February the Kenyan Government would hold a high-level event to celebrate the global introduction of pneumococcal vaccines. Kenya and Sierra Leone were the first African countries to introduce the vaccines into their routine programmes and Monday’s event would mark a historic milestone in global health for children.

Orin Levine, the Executive Director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said that pneumonia killed more children than any other disease and led to the death of about 1.5 million children every year. The most important cause in fatal pneumonia in children was a germ called pneumococcus, the germ the vaccine targeted. More than an estimated half a million children died every year from pneumococcal diseases, so the vaccine had the potential to prevent up to half a million children dying every year.

Responding to a question,Mr. Levine said the two vaccines licensed and available now were manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. These vaccines were arguably the most sophisticated ones ever produced and combined between 10 and 13 individual vaccines. Both vaccines met and exceeded the requirements for eligibility for the Pneumococcal Advanced Market Commitment. Each dose was provided at a cost of USD 7 for the first 20 per cent of doses (dropping to USD 3.50 thereafter), of which the Kenyan government only paid around 15-20 cents, the rest being funded by GAVI.

Mr. Levine explained that the vaccine was given in a regimen of three doses, at the same time as other childhood routine immunisations. The protection was very good and the vaccine protected children through the period of highest risk. When using the vaccine in a trial in high-mortality populations in rural Africa, 7 deaths had been prevented for every 1,000 vaccinated children. In addition, vaccinated children did not spread the disease to adults, thus preventing the disease in the total population. In the United States, vaccinating children led to more cases being prevented in adults than in children.

Carsten Mantel, Medical Officer at WHO's Expanded Programme on Immunization, said 58 countries were already using the vaccine, some of which however were only using it in risk groups and not in the full child population. Brazil, Bulgaria, Morocco, Jamaica and Nicaragua had introduced the vaccine in 2010, and altogether 19 GAVI-eligible countries, accounting for more than a quarter of the world’s pneumococcal deaths, would introduce the vaccine in 2011.

Mr. Mantel underscored that the delay between the introduction of the vaccine in Canada and the vaccine’s first introduction in a developing country was less than 1.5 years – a major achievement and much less than for previous pneumonia and meningitis vaccines.

WFP Food Procurement Data 2010

Emilia Casella of World Food Programme said WFP was this morning releasing its report on its purchasing in 2010, giving an overview of how much it had spent and what it had bought last year. WFP had a policy of making local purchases, which allowed it to save money, delivery time and human lives alike, while helping to stimulate agricultural production in many of the economies where WFP bought food.

WFP had purchased a record amount of food totaling 3.2 million metric tons in 2010, up from 2.6 million metric tons in 2009. In the vast majority of cases, more than 80 per cent of that food had been purchased in developing countries, and there had been a significant increase in the amount of fortified food purchased. The WFP had established and would continue to pursue a policy of concentrating on the nutrition of children in their first 1,000 days from conception until the age of 2. During this period, nutrition was highly important for children’s development as a lack of proper nutrition led to lifelong effects in terms of physical and intellectual development, Ms. Casella underscored.

Last year the WFP had focused, therefore, on providing food specifically designed for children in their first 1,000 days, especially in emergencies such as in Haiti, Pakistan and Niger. These foods were ready-to-eat and did not need to be cooked or mixed with water. Focusing on purchasing such food accounted for some of the additional expenditures made in 2010 because it was more expensive. Before the 2010 harvest in Niger WFP carried out blanket supplementary feeding for all children under the age of 2 with these products. The fact that wheat had made up 39 per cent of the food the WFP had purchased in 2010 also had an impact, given the food prices.

The WFP would look very closely at the 2011 harvests around the world and how these would impact the availability and prices of food to be procured. In addition, WFP was working on donor agreements that, as well as allowing more flexibility and purchases in advance, when prices were most advantageous, allowed more central purchases in an attempt to get the most food at the best price. A report and a briefing note were at the back of the room.

Responding to a question, Ms. Casella said purchasing large quantities of food regionally and locally was advantageous because the type and variety of commodities were those already eaten by the communities who would receive the food. Local and regional purchasing was increasingly practiced by WFP, but this was not always possible in emergencies.

Ms. Casella said WFP was concerned at food prices and their impact on people all around the world. Many people bought their food on a daily basis with the money earned that day, frequently spending 80 or more per cent of their income on food. So even a small change in food prices could radically impact people’s lives and prompt them to pull their children from school or make them unable to seek medical attention.

Côte d'Ivoire and Region
Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization for Migration said that nearly 82,000 people had either been displaced within or outside of Côte d'Ivoire since the crisis began, though it was very likely that the true figure was higher. The registration of internally displaced persons by IOM, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNDP, Caritas and the Ivorian Red Cross in the west of the country -- in particular Duékoué, Danané and Man -- indicated so far about 42,000 internally displaced persons there. Another 34,500 Ivorian refugees were currently in camps in Liberia.
The other significant area of movement was Mali, said Mr. Chauzy. Assessments by IOM staff and civil protection authorities in Mali to its border with Côte d'Ivoire had shown that a minimum of 2,585 people had crossed into the country in recent weeks of whom 1,587 were Malian nationals who had largely returned to their home towns and villages. Malians represented the second largest migrant community in Côte d'Ivoire. Nearly 1,800 Guinean migrants had crossed the border from Côte d'Ivoire in recent weeks, putting great stress on host communities in the border areas of Beyla and Sinko.

In response to a question, Ms. Momal-Vanian said that ONUCI-FM, the radio station of the United Nations mission in Côte d’Ivoire, was still on the air as of 10 February. The mission had not been officially notified of any decision to suspend it. This was, however, another unacceptable attempt to disrupt the mandated operation of the mission.

Help needed for Sudan displaced following referendum result

Mr. Edwards said that UNHCR was gearing up activities in Sudan following the referendum results announced this week. On Wednesday UNHCR met with donors in Geneva to request USD 53.4 million to support southerners moving back to the South from Khartoum and other parts of northern Sudan.

Already some 200,000 people had returned from the North over the past three months, said Mr. Edwards. In Khartoum, so far some 75,000 others had registered to go back. Relief agencies anticipated that as many as 800,000 southerners would return from the North this year, which would add pressure on the humanitarian situation.

UNHCR’s role was mainly focused on ensuring monitoring of protection needs along the way, at transit points and in return areas. UNHCR also facilitated reintegration, particularly in urban and semi-urban settings, and was setting up way stations along major return routes where it provided water and sanitation, health services, reception and rest facilities.

Many of those heading back to the South had been away for decades. Others were born and raised in the north and were going to locations that would be entirely new to them. People told UNHCR that their main reason for moving to the South was because they had concerns about their citizenship status if they remained in the north. But many also expressed keenness to be part of South Sudan’s rebuilding, Mr. Edwards underlined.

Among those who had remained in the north till now, people said they were waiting for security conditions to improve. There were concerns about traveling south through areas in which there were tensions in local communities or within the army. Last week in Malakal, one of the major return hubs, a mutiny had left nine civilians dead, including a UNHCR staff, John James Okwath, who had been killed in crossfire. Although calm had returned in Malakal, the situation remained tense.

As well as facing insecurity, some returnees were becoming stranded along the way due to lack of means. There were currently close to 20,000 individuals stuck in the various departure centers around Khartoum, many of which lacked shelter space. People had in some instances been sleeping in the open. UNHCR and other humanitarian actors had been approached last week by the Government of South Sudan to support with transportation from the congested departure centers.

Financial help and medical support programme for refugees in Egypt

Adrian Edwards of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that UNHCR’s partner Caritas had yesterday begun distributing financial help and offering medical support to refugees in Cairo who were particularly vulnerable at this time. Their offices were situated close to Tahrir square so another NGO, Refuge Egypt, had offered their premises in an easier to access area.

During this period, in which all UN offices had closed for security reasons, many UNHCR staff continued to work from home. UNHCR had established a hotline for refugees, which had been in regular use. The numbers had been circulated via social media and through NGO and community networks. UNHCR had met partner NGOs to coordinate the resumption of its protection and assistance programmes as of this week. It was also in regular contact with 16 refugee leaders and their networks to find ways to support refugees who are facing problems.

UNHCR had received a number of calls since it opened the hotline at the end of January. Examples of calls received include a handicapped Somali refugee who had fled to the airport. Working with community leaders, UNHCR had arranged for her to be cared for by a Somali family. UNHCR had heard many accounts from refugees of the kindness of their Egyptian neighbours. Several families were living with their Egyptian neighbours after their homes had been looted.

UNHCR was communicating with refugees via NGO partners, refugee representatives, its hotline, community leaders and psycho-social workers. This communication included information on where they could receive medical support and what to do in an emergency.

Responding to a question, Mr. Edwards said that according to the Egyptian authorities there were about 107,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the country, while UNHCR had registered a total of 39,680 asylum seekers and refugees. The refugees’ main nationalities were Sudanese, Iraqi, Somali and Eritrean and Ethiopian, as well as smaller number of others. For the most part, they were living in urban settings in Egypt.

Southern Africa Floods

Elisabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said recent rainfall amounts had been significantly lower than in previous weeks but localized flooding remained and saturation levels were still very high, including in Madagascar.
The development of cyclones over the Indian Ocean was still a very real possibility, and storms and floods had caused 15 deaths and injured seven in Madagascar. An estimated 1,625 houses had been damaged in the country, with 105 houses completely destroyed and around 2,000 people displaced. The situation in Madagascar was now under control, but an inter-agency rapid assessment team was on stand-by should the situation worsen.
In Mozambique, 100,000 people had been affected by the floods and 15,000 required humanitarian assistance, said Ms. Byrs.
In Zambia, the main concern was the possibility of a cholera outbreak. The Government, together with the humanitarian community, had undertaken a number of cholera preparedness and response activities, such as monitoring trends in the number of new cholera cases, distributing chlorine tablets and testing water collection points.
In Zimbabwe, three of the country’s major dams were close to maximum capacity and could spill at any time, which could lead to a sudden rise in water levels downstream. The authorities had issued warnings to at-risk communities in the areas of the Manyame, Bhiri-Manyame and Osborne dams, Ms. Byrs said.

Not Enough Housing Solutions to End Haiti's Displacement Crisis

Mr. Chauzy said that under current plans there would not be enough housing solutions by the end of the year to resolve Haiti's displacement crisis. Numbers of displaced people living in camps had fallen from an estimated high of 1.5 million in July 2010 to 810,000 in January 2011. However, after a year of storms, cholera and political unrest, those remaining in camps were the most vulnerable of Haiti's earthquake victims, with no alternative but to stay where they were.

Complicating the situation was a rising tide of camp evictions by private landowners. More than half of the displaced were living in camps established on private land with at least 99 of Haiti's 1,152 camps currently under threat of eviction.

Mr. Chauzy said that he could set up interviews with IOM staff in Haiti upon request.

US, UN Fund IOM Sri Lanka Flood Relief

Mr. Chauzy said as Sri Lanka struggled to cope with the effects of its second wave of torrential monsoon rains in two months, the United Nations Central Emergency Fund and the US Agency for International Development had contributed USD 950,000 to IOM's flood relief effort.

IOM today took delivery of a USAID consignment of 600 rolls of plastic sheeting for 6,000 displaced families and 1,000 family mosquito nets flown in from Dubai. More information was available in the note of the back of the room.

Japan Donates USD 37.9 million to IOM Humanitarian Operations for 2011

Mr. Chauzy said that the Japanese government had committed a total of USD 37.9 million in funding for 2011 to support IOM humanitarian services for migrants, migrant producing regions, host communities, returnees and internally displaced persons.

The funded projects -- in Afghanistan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tajikistan and Tanzania -- would also provide technical support to increase government capacity to manage increasingly complex migration flows as well as coping with displacement due to natural disasters. More information was available in the note of the back of the room.

Agenda

Ms. Momal-Vanian said the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would open its 78th session next Monday at the Palais Wilson, meeting until the 11 March. During the session the Committee would examine the 12 reports submitted by Bolivia, Cuba, Uruguay, Norway, Ireland, Spain, Serbia, Yemen, Armenia, Moldova, Lithuania and Rwanda,
submitted under the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination. On Monday 7 March, the Committee would hold a day-long thematic discussion on racial discrimination against people of African descent, as the year 2011 had been designated the International Year for People of African Descent.

Ms. Momal-Vanian said that the Conference on Disarmament had yesterday concluded its cycle of informal discussions on the four essential questions on its agenda, and would hold its next public meeting next Tuesday at 10 a.m. That would be the last week of discussions under the presidency of Canada before Chile took over.

Ms. Momal-Vanian said that at 1 p.m. today in Room I there would be a press briefing to launch the Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2011 and provide the results of the first global WHO counterparts meeting on harmful use of alcohol.

Anne Wittenberg of the United Nations Population Fund said that a press conference with Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA’s new Executive Director who had taken office on 1 January 2011, would be organized during his forthcoming first visit to Geneva.

Ms. Byrs said that the United Nations Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Neil Buhne, would be in Geneva on 18 February and available to meet the press after the briefing in Room I to answer questions on Sri Lanka.

Mr. Edwards said that media representatives were asked to note in their news planning diaries UNHCR's planned launch on 1 March of a worldwide push on statelessness marking this year's 57th and 50th anniversaries respectively of the two major UN statelessness conventions, and the 60th anniversary of UNHCR itself. By some estimates statelessness affected as many as 12 million people worldwide in both rich and poor countries. An embargoed briefing for Palais-based media was being scheduled for 28th February. Further details, including the embargoed press package and advice on interview possibilities, would be circulated to media during the week beginning 21 February.

Catherine Sibut-Pinote of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development announced an expert meeting on maximizing the development impact of remittances, to take place next on Monday and Tuesday. In 2009, remittances to developing and least developed countries reached USD 316 billion, which was less than in 2008 but still significant compared to public development aid (USD 120 million in 2009).

If these remittances were well channelled, and if they went towards the funding of infrastructure and strengthening of production capacities, the receiving countries were more likely to develop their economy and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. How this could be achieved would be discussed by the expert meeting, along with the impact of the economic downturn over the last two years.

Remittances were important, Ms. Sibut-Pinote said, underscoring that there were 215 million migrants in 2010, up from 195 million people in 2005. In 2050 there would even be an estimated 405 million migrants. Asia was the primary destination of remittance flows, followed by Latin America and Africa.

A media alert would be sent out with the programme of the expert meeting, as well as the list of speakers, which notably included UNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi, IOM Director-General William Swing and the Salvadorian Vice-Minister in charge of migration.

The meetings were to take place in Room XXVI from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 February.