REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service, United Nations Office at Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by spokespersons for the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the International Organization for Migration, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the World Trade Organization.

New displacement in DRC

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

“UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is gravely concerned for the safety of tens of thousands of civilians in the north-eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where violence by armed groups has recently claimed more than 20 lives.

The attacks are on the rise in the Beni area of North Kivu Province and further north in Ituri Province, both situated near the border with Uganda.

It is estimated that more than a million people are displaced in North Kivu. An estimated half a million people have been forced from their homes this year alone.

UNHCR is calling on all parties involved in the conflict to protect and respect the lives of civilians displaced in a region that is already having to respond to a deadly outbreak of Ebola.

An attack by the main rebel groups, the Allied Democratic Forces – National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-Nalu) in the city of Beni in North Kivu last weekend killed more than 20 people, most of them civilians. While these groups have previously been active around Beni, it is the first time that fighting has reached the city itself. In another attack on Oicha, a town nearby Beni, an armed group, presumably also from ADF-Nalu, shot dead a 47-year-old man, abducted at least nine children, then looted and burned houses.

The city is reported tense since Sunday with people in shock. A “Ville Morte” (“Dead City”) situation means that all shops are closed, nobody is at work, schools are closed and there has been no traffic inside the city since Monday. Many humanitarian workers have had to put activities on hold this week as a result.

Further north, in Djugu Territory, Ituri province, a series of new attacks are destabilizing the area which was on the way to stabilization after having been shaken by massive violence in the first half of the year, displacing an estimated 350,000 people. This return to peace is now being threatened.

Some of the displaced in Ituri have again joined their former host families but others lack proper shelter and are forced to live in the open. They are in urgent need of shelter materials, food and medicines.

In Uganda, on the other side of the Lake Albert, the number of people fleeing the DRC has remained largely stable so far. The average arrivals rate is 200 people per day, or 6,000 new refugees per month – with a slight increase over the past few days. However, refugee arrivals represent only a tiny fraction of the much larger daily movement of people between DRC and Uganda – including traders, family visits and others.

UNHCR is meanwhile contributing to efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Ugandan government to screen people crossing the border into Uganda, and has established procedures to medically screen refugees. No cases are reported in the refugee population.”

Responding to questions, Mr. Baloch reminded journalists that insecurity had been widespread in the area for some time and Beni had been under siege for several months. However, the attack of the previous weekend had been the first time that fighting had penetrated the town itself. The situation remained tense and many humanitarians had been forced to interrupt their activities. UNHCR staff, who covered the city from the organization’s regional office in nearby Goma, adjusted their movements in the light of the changing security situation. He hoped that they would be able to re-enter Beni again as soon as possible. Most of the persons served by UNHCR in the area were internally displaced persons rather than refugees.

In response to further questions. Mr. Baloch said that UNHCR staff around Beni had reported a sharp rise in displacement, with 13,000 people being moved in August alone. The local people were feeling angry and abandoned. What they wanted and needed above all was security. Most of the attacks reported recently had apparently been perpetrated by armed groups but UNHCR was appealing to all side to respect civilian life and property, and to allow safe and unimpeded access for humanitarians.

Answering questions raised by journalists, Tarik Jašarević, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that, following a meeting with the mayor of Beni and local civil society groups on Tuesday evening, WHO staff in the town – who had been in lockdown on Monday and Tuesday – had gradually begun to resume their activities on Wednesday morning. The security situation remained serious and the risks had to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The WHO response to the Ebola outbreak in other localities – Mangina and Butembo – had not been affected. WHO had around 200 staff on the ground, most of them based in Mangina, which was the epicentre of the outbreak. Currently, of 154 reported cases of Ebola, 123 had been confirmed and 101 persons had died. Around 12,000 vaccinations had been administered.

Responding to journalists’ questions, Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that UNICEF currently had 53 staff in the affected area. They had not had to face any direct threats to their security but, in the light of the situation, they were being increasingly cautious and undertaking careful risk assessments. UNICEF was working with a number of persons who had recovered from Ebola to raise awareness among affected communities that the disease was survivable. The testimony of survivors was particularly convincing and effective in areas such as the Ndindi neighbourhood of Beni where the UNICEF Ebola response had met with strong resistance. Survivors helped to spread the message that immediate treatment was vital and effective, and to combat the stigmatization that Ebola survivors sometimes faced.

Access to detention centres in Libya

Answering a question posed by journalists, Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that security was an issue for UNHCR operations in Libya but he had not heard that agency staff were no longer able to access detention centres.

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that, although the working environment for IOM staff in Libya was chaotic and dangerous, he was not aware of any lack of access to detention centres.

Conflict pushes more South Sudanese into hunger

Hervé Verhoosel, for the World Food Programme (WFP), said that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UNICEF and WFP would that day be releasing their Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Report (IPC), which was widely considered to be the gold standard classification for food security. Conflict had pushed many South Sudanese into hunger, and more than six million people faced desperate food shortages. Relentless conflict and insecurity throughout the lean period had pushed 6.1 million people – nearly 60 percent of the population – into extreme hunger in South Sudan, although the situation could improve if a sustainable peace took hold.

Some 6.1 million people had faced “crisis”, “emergency” or “catastrophe” levels of food insecurity (IPC Phases 3, 4 and 5) at the peak of the lean season between June and August. In response to the report’s findings, FAO, UNICEF and WFP were calling for a sustainable peace across the country and safe access to all areas. Action and political leadership were vital.
Although famine had been averted in June 2017, humanitarian organizations were still unable to access certain areas, either to distribute food or to assess requirements. WFP provided life-saving emergency food supplies, food in return for work to construct and rehabilitate community assets, food for school meals and special products for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition in children, and pregnant and nursing women.

So far in 2018, WFP had reached 3.1 million people with 30,000 tons of food and USD 2.9 million in cash-based transfers. As part of its response to current food and nutrition needs, WFP was preparing to respond to growing needs in 2019, and it planned to procure 310,000 tons of food for the first half of that year. Of this, 175,000 tons would be pre-positioned before the start of the rainy season in June. Pre-positioning food would save WFP up to USD 100 million as airdrops were six times more expensive than delivering by road or river.

In response to journalists’ questions Mr. Verhoosel said that levels of hunger in the current lean season were the highest recorded since IPC reports had begun to be compiled in 2008.

NGO migrant rescue vessel

Replying to a question raised by a journalist, Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that the revocation of the flag from an NGO migrant rescue vessel was a worrying development, which could lead to further loss of life. At the end of September 2017, there had been seven NGO migrant rescue vessels operating in the Central Mediterranean. With the revocation of the flag of M.V. Aquarius, there were currently none. That meant that search and rescue capacities had been significantly weakened and that the lives of persons in peril at sea could be further endangered. UNHCR and IOM had appealed to European governments to review their search and rescue capacities on the Central Mediterranean route, including any inter-country arrangements in that regard, and to make the disembarkation of persons rescued at sea more predictable and manageable. The lack of clear disembarkation protocols might deter ships from intervening, even though they were obliged by maritime law to save lives if they came across a vessel in distress.

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that IOM had consistently stressed that priority had to be given to saving human life. The numbers of migrants crossing the Central Mediterranean had fallen sharply but death rates had not. According to current figures, since the beginning of 2018, 1,260 persons had lost their lives on the Central Mediterranean route, that is almost two thirds of the 1,733 persons who had lost their lives in the Mediterranean as a whole.

In reply to a further question Mr. Millman said that it was unrealistic to imagine that United Nations agencies could operate rescue vessels in the Mediterranean in lieu of States or NGOs. IOM supported the comprehensive management of the migrant emergency but it placed its resources where evidence had shown that they were most effective such as in voluntary return programmes. It was active on all land and sea migrant routes and it reported on rescues effected by national navies and coastguards in their respective areas. However, United Nations agencies had no authority over the registration of vessels or over member States’ port management policies.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, drew journalists’ attention to the remarks made by the Secretary-General at the high-level event on “The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration”, held on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly on 26 September 2018.

Private sector companies at the Palais des Nations

Answering several questions from the journalists, Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that Mr. Michael Møller, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, intended to open the Palais des Nations to a variety of actors including civil society organizations, NGOs and private sector companies. Thus it was that some corporate entities, recently hosted at the Palais des Nations, discovered more about the activities of the United Nations and learned how they could contribute to the implementation of the SDGs.

World Rabies Day and WHO initiatives at the General Assembly

Tarik Jašarević, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that 28 September marked World Rabies Day. At 2 p.m. that day, the WHO rabies coordinator would be holding a web session on the Organization’s Facebook page to provide information on progress made in combatting the disease. Rabies was a vaccine-preventable viral disease occurring in more than 150 countries and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths each year, mostly in Africa and Asia. The most cost-effective preventive measure was the vaccination of dogs, who were responsible for 99 per cent of all rabies transmissions to humans. WHO, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), FAO and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) had established a global “United Against Rabies” collaboration to provide a common strategy to achieve "Zero human rabies deaths by 2030”.

At the United Nations General Assembly, world leaders had recently committed to urgent action to combat tuberculosis as well as to action to beat non-communicable diseases and to promote mental health. Also at the General Assembly, WHO was about to launch two new initiatives: one to control global childhood cancer and another to control alcohol intake and prevent and reduce alcohol-related death and disability worldwide. The latter initiative and action package aimed to support a global target of reducing harmful use of alcohol by 10 per cent by 2025.
Answering questions from journalists, Mr. Jašarević said that around 40 per cent of persons bitten by animals suspected of having rabies were children under 15. Eradication of rabies was feasible through the prevention of dog bites and the vaccination of dogs, which reduced the need for preventive vaccination or post-exposure prophylaxis in humans.

UNECE events on population and urban development

Jean Rodriguez for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), said that on 1-2 October 2018 – ahead of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and its Programme of Action – UNECE and UNFPA would be jointly hosting a conference entitled: “Enabling Choices: Population Dynamics and Sustainable Development”. Participants would review population dynamics in the UNECE region in the light of factors such as families, sexual and reproductive health, inequalities, social inclusion, rights and links to the SDG agenda.
In addition, UNECE was organizing an event to mark Urban Week 2018. The event would have a dual focus; on the one hand, homelessness and, on the other, affordable housing. Several recent studies had shown, in fact, that affordable housing was a serious concern in the region covered by UNECE. The week would be accompanied by an exhibition of photographs taken by homeless and former homeless people from around the world, due to open on Monday, which was also World Habitat Day. Other issues that would emerge during the course of the week were the implementation of SDG 11 in cities in the region and the application of energy efficiency standards to buildings. Guiding principles and recommendations on the energy efficiency of buildings had been prepared. Buildings consumed up to 40 per cent of electrical power in the UNECE region so there was a huge potential for reducing consumption and, as a result, lowering CO2 emissions.
Replying to a question raised by a journalist, Mr. Rodriguez explained that the principles and recommendations on the energy efficiency of buildings envisaged not just efficiency in new buildings but also retrofitting existing structures to make them more energy efficient. The guidelines – which were the first the United Nations had developed – had already been adopted and the forthcoming meeting would serve to discuss how they could be applied.

UNHCR Events

Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that the sixty-ninth annual meeting of the UNHCR Executive Committee was due to begin on Monday 1 October. The event would begin with a keynote address by Kristalina Georgieva, Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank, and opening remarks by UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi. The Nansen Refugee Award ceremony would be held on the Monday evening. The meeting of the Executive Committee was scheduled to conclude on Friday 5 October with a press conference by the High Commissioner.

UNCTAD Events

Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said that the 2018 Review of Maritime Transport was about to be issued. It was already available for consultation by journalists but would remain under embargo until 9 a.m., Geneva time, on Wednesday 3 October. The Review of Maritime Transport was the oldest UNCTAD publication and 2018 would mark its fiftieth year. On a separate front, the sixty-fifth session of the Trade and Development Board would begin on Monday 1 October. As part of Board’s work, on Tuesday 2 October, a report on UNCTAD assistance to the Palestinian people would be presented in the presence of Ms. Abeer Odeh, Minister of National Economy of the State of Palestine. The World Investment Forum, which was due to take place from 22 to 26 October, would be presented at a press briefing on 9 October.

WTO Agenda

Fernando Puchol, for the World Trade Organization (WTO), said that the WTO Public Forum would be held from 2-4 October 2018. The Forum was the Organization’s largest annual outreach event with a total of 112 working sessions over the three days; 2,600 people had so far registered to participate. The theme of the 2018 Forum was: “Trade 2030” and participants would consider what sustainable trade would look like up to and beyond 2030 under three subheadings: sustainable trade, technology-enabled trade and more inclusive trading systems. The WTO 2018 World Trade Report – entitled: “The future of world trade: How digital technologies are transforming global commerce” – would be launched during the course of the Forum.

Other announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, reminded journalists that 28 September marked the International Day for the Universal Access to Information.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service, speaking on behalf of Rolando Gomez of the Human Rights Council, said that the Council was continuing to work on draft resolutions and was scheduled to conclude its thirty-ninth regular session that afternoon.

Ms. Vellucci said that the Committee on the Rights of the Child would hold today a general discussion on "Protecting and Empowering Children as Human Rights Defenders". On Monday 1 October, the Committee would review the reports of Saudi Arabia under the two Protocols to the Convention. That would be the last report submitted to the Committee for its seventy-ninth session.

Ms. Vellucci said that the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights would that morning complete its review of the report of Argentina, which had begun yesterday afternoon. Other reports still to be reviewed for the current session were from Turkmenistan, South Africa and Cabo Verde.

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog280918