POINT DE PRESSE DU SERVICE DE L'INFORMATION (en anglais)
Elena Ponomareva-Piquier, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing which was also attended by Spokespersons for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme, the UN Children’s Fund, the UN Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration, the World Meteorological Organization, the World Health Organization, the Economic Commission for Europe, the World Trade Organization and the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Secretary-General’s Activities
Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was in Atlanta yesterday where he attended a luncheon hosted by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Mr. Ban also toured the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which cooperates with the World Health Organization on a number of important diseases. He met with former United States President Jimmy Carter, in advance of today’s meeting at the Carter Center with the Elders – a small group of world figures ranging from civil society leaders to past heads of State – on critical global health priorities. Participants in the meeting will include top UN officials, philanthropists, and global health leaders from the private sector, non-governmental organizations and academia.
Available in the press room is the transcript of the Secretary-General's press encounter with Governor Sonny Perdue. Also available is the statement the Secretary-General made on the political developments in Bolivia. Secretary-General Ban welcomes the intense diplomatic work carried out by the Organization of American States, as well as by countries of the Group of Friends of Bolivia and other members of the international community. He welcomes the call for dialogue made by the Organization of American States and urges all political and social actors to seek a consensus on the pressing issues affecting the Bolivian people.
Geneva Activities
Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights yesterday afternoon concluded its review of the report of India. Today, the Committee is holding a Day of General Discussion on article 15 (1a) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the right to take part in cultural life. The Committee will issue its concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of France, Benin, Bolivia and India when it concludes its session on 16 May. It will mostly be meeting in private next week.
The Committee against Torture is today concluding its review of the reports of Zambia and Iceland. It will issue its concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Australia, Sweden, Algeria, Costa Rica, Indonesia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Zambia and Iceland when it concludes its session on 16 May. It will mostly be meeting in private next week.
The Conference on Disarmament will start the second part of its 2008 session next week under the presidency of Ambassador Yevhen Bersheda of Ukraine. The first plenary will be held on Thursday, 15 May at 10 a.m.
Myanmar
Ms. Ponomareva-Piquier said available in the press room is the text of a statement by the Secretary-General on the decision of the Government of Myanmar to proceed with the constitutional referendum on 10 May, while postponing it in some of the areas most affected by the cyclone. The Secretary-General said that due to the scope of the disaster facing Myanmar today, he believed that it may be prudent to focus instead on mobilizing all available resources and capacity for the emergency response efforts.
Elizabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the situation on the ground in Myanmar is very serious. Some affected areas have still not been reached, and major damage is reported to housing, transport and communications networks. John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will launch a Flash Appeal for Myanmar today to help 1.5 million people in Myanmar for the next six months. The United Nations is continuing its efforts to dispatch assistance and teams to Myanmar. Two members of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team arrived yesterday and it is hoped that others will be able to join them. UN personnel on the ground in Myanmar are already working, but their capacity vis a vis personnel and assistance is stretched to the limit. There is some progress, and the UN is continuing its efforts to send assistance and personnel. An OCHA chartered plan would fly from Brindisi, Italy to Rangoon, Myanmar tomorrow carrying rolls of plastic sheeting, mosquito nets and multi-purpose tents, among others. OCHA hopes it will be accompanied by a small team of experts. Myanmar’s priority needs are water, food, shelter and medicines. Boats and trucks are already being used to distribute relief supplies. Assessments to learn the extent of damage caused by the cyclone, both human and material, remain unfinished and it is very difficult to try to give preliminary figures.
In response to a question, Ms. Byrs said that the UN has applied for a certain number of visas. Two members of the UNDAC team are now in Yangon but two others have not been allowed in for reasons yet to be established. These reasons might have to do with their UN laissez passez documents. No visas have been refused. But they were still waiting for more visas. Every positive step is welcomed and the United Nations continues to work with the Myanmar authorities in order to have as many experts on the ground as possible.
Answering another question on potable water shortages, Ms. Byrs said there is additional problem as there has been an influx of salty water from the sea in some areas, in which case the water purification tablets cannot help. That is why providing potable water is very important.
Christiane Berthiaume of the World Food Programme said an Ilyushin 76 aircraft left from Dubai and arrived this morning in Rangoon with 20 tonnes of high energy biscuits donated by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Organization, seven temporary warehouses as well as medicines belonging to WHO. A second air craft, an Antonov 12, had to return to Bangkok yesterday because of bad weather in Dhaka. It will fly to Dhaka today to pick up 18 tonnes of high energy biscuits and fly them to Rangoon. WFP had all the necessary authorisations for these planes. WFP is setting up an office in Laputto, deep in the affected delta. Two temporary warehouses have been set up there by the five local employees. Twenty tonnes of rice and four tonnes of high energy biscuits have arrived, and the biscuits are being distributed. MSF Switzerland is today distributing three tonnes of high energy biscuits around and in Rangoon. By tonight, WFP shall have in place 45 tonnes of high energy biscuits ready to distribute and feed 100,000 persons. It also has 156 tonnes of rice in its warehouses in Rangoon, enough to feed 20,000 people for two weeks. WFP has 10 international staffers and 217 local staffers on the ground and has requested 16 visas for more international staffers. To date, only one visa has been received.
In response to a question, Ms. Berthiaume said there was “a little bit” of constraints on the movement of WFP’s international staffers on the ground, but not for the local staff. WFP staffers were distributing the food themselves, along with the aid of a number of non-governmental organizations.
Veronique Taveau of the United Nations Children’s Fund said water, access to potable water and distribution of potable water have become critical elements in Myanmar. Three million water purification tablets will be arriving in Rangoon today and will be able to purify 5 million litres of contaminated water, enough for the needs of 200,000 people for a week. As the roads are still blocked by debris, it is difficult to distribute large quantities of potable water, so the water purification tablets are a practical option for the moment. According to a UNICEF health specialist in Myanmar, 20 per cent of children in the worst affected areas already have diarrhoea, and there are cases of malaria. Children under five years are already the most vulnerable in Myanmar, with a high mortality rate. It was urgent that food assistance reach them as soon as possible. In addition to the water purification tablets, 15,000 hygiene kits have been distributed and 20,000 others will be received. Seventy portable toilets will be constructed in 30 camps. One million persons have lost their homes and most have no form of shelter at all and are in critical need of assistance. It is estimated that 80 to 90 per cent of schools in the worst affected areas have been destroyed. This means that some 3,000 primary schools, including 500,000 children and 13,300 teachers are directly affected. UNICEF has requested $ 2.5 million to allow children to be able to return to normal life when schools resume on 1 June. UNICEF has received contributions, including $ 700,000 from the United States Fund; $ 200,000 from the United Kingdom; $ 778,000 from the Committee in Denmark; 500,000 Euro from the French Committee; and 200,000 Swiss francs from Switzerland. UNICEF hopes that the donations will continue to be received.
In response to a question, Ms. Taveau said water and the quality of water are critical. At the moment, people are using water that is not drinkable, and that is why UNICEF has sent the water purification tablets. More tablets will be needed. There are no figures available yet on deaths from diarrhoea, but that did not mean that that had not already happened. UNICEF is very concerned about the impact that bad water can have on the health of children who are already very vulnerable.
Jennifer Pagonis of the UN Refugee Agency said UNHCR is seeking all possible means to send urgent shelter materials and household supplies to victims of the recent cyclone in Myanmar. It hopes to start airlifting 57 tonnes of emergency shelter for its major stockpile in Dubai. The first load is set to be transported on a World Food Programme aircraft. The rest of the shipment will be airlifted over the weekend on a joint charter flight. The 57 tonnes will provide shelter materials for around 22,000 people. More than a million people are estimated to have been left homeless by the cyclone. On another front, UNHCR is emptying its stockpile in north-western Thailand to deliver some 5,000 plastic sheets and some 200 tents to people in desperate need of shelter across the border. In the UN Flash Appeal which is scheduled to be launched today in New York, UNHCR is asking donors for $6 million to meet the immediate shelter and household needs of 250,000 victims of the disaster.
Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization for Migration said IOM has assembled a team of Asian emergency relief specialists and is appealing to international donors for an initial $ 8 million to fund the movement of relief goods and the provision of emergency shelter and medical aid to cyclone survivors. While accurate data on the impact of the storm remains sketchy, the United Nations estimates that as many as 1.5 million people may have been severely affected across five of Myanmar’s 17 States and Divisions. The IOM team, which includes logistics, shelter and health experts, will strengthen the capacity of 200 IOM staff already in Myanmar and IOM’s regional office in Thailand to respond to the disaster. IOM’s operations in Myanmar are currently concentrated in Mon State.
Fadela Chaib of the World Health Organization, in response to a question, said there was a teleconference at WHO today with its office in New Delhi on the situation in Myanmar. WHO’s main concern is the lack of potable water and sanitation, which can have grave health consequences. Two emergency health kits have been sent to Myanmar on the WHO plane, each sufficient to provide health care for 10,000 persons for three months. Oral rehydration salts have also been sent to Myanmar.
Carine Van-Maele of the World Meteorological Organization said in response to a question that now, there was no alert for a cyclone in the region now. On average, there were about five cyclones annually in that region. Today, the weather in Myanmar was within the normal range, 31 degrees with rain, and no storms were expected in the coming days.
In response to a question, Ms. Van-Maele said that according to a press release issued on 7 May by WMO, the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology of Myanmar started to issue forecasts on cyclone Nargis as of 27 April, several days, ahead of the landfall, on the basis of information provided through the WMO network. She said a press briefing was given to national media on 1 May and newspaper headlines on 2 May, the day of the landfall, focused on the cyclone. Ms. Van Maele said did not know if the Government provided alerts to the people.
Other
Fadela Chaib of the World Health Organization said there will be a press briefing on Wednesday, 14 May at 9:45 a.m. in Room III to brief journalists about the upcoming session of the World Health Assembly which will be held at the Palais des Nations from 19 to 24 May.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark will visit WHO from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on 14 May. Princess Mary is the Patron of the WHO European Office, and she works with WHO mainly on issues of child health. There will be two photo opportunities.
Ms. Chaib said the consultation on revised recommendations on global influenza pandemic preparedness is concluding today at the International Geneva Conference Centre. Since the recommendations were updated in 2005, H5N1 had spread geographically, antiviral stockpiles had been established and H5N1 vaccines had been developed. These and other developments had prompted a review of the existing guidance. The final meeting will start at 2 p.m. and is open to the press. The Working Groups will present their recommendations and then there will be concluding statements.
Charlotte Griffiths of the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) said available is a press release on how spatial planning can help sustainable urban development in countries in transition. The study of the ECE launched today reports that spatial provide an interdisciplinary platform for mapping policies for economic development, the environment and social cohesion.
The fourth meeting of the States parties to the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context will meet in Bucharest from 19 to 21 May. The Convention was signed in 1991 after Government realized that environmental threats did not respect national border and that they must inform and discuss with each other all major projects under consideration that might have an adverse transboundary environmental impact. At this meeting, the States parties will decide whether to endorse findings that Ukraine had been in non-compliance with its obligations under this international environmental agreement. Available is a press release with more details.
Ms. Griffiths said UNECE is holding a conference on how generations and gender shape demographic change-towards policies based on better knowledge from 14 to 16 May in Room XIX. Available was a press release as well as the provisional list of speakers. There will be a press conference on 14 May at 10:45 a.m. on this issue.
Janaina Borges of the World Trade Organization said today, an informal meeting of the agriculture negotiations (committee “special session”) is starting at 4 p.m. There will be a briefing afterwards. On 13 May, there will be an informal meeting of the rules negotiations at 3 p.m. On 16 May, there will be a meeting at 10 a.m. on the Ethiopia membership negotiations (Accession Working Party).
Samar Shamoon of the World Intellectual Property Organization said the WIPO Coordination Committee will be meeting on 13 and 14 May to nominate candidates for appointment to the position of Director-General of WIPO. Journalists are welcome to attend. The meeting could continue until 15 May.
Jennifer Pagonis of the UN Refugee Agency said an evacuation transit centre for people in urgent need of international protection will be established in Romania, according to an agreement signed in Bucharest yesterday by the Romanian Government, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration. In Belarus, UNHCR, Belarus and other organizations have signed an agreement on border monitoring and access to asylum. Under the memorandum of understanding, joint border monitoring missions will be carried out regularly in border areas in order to ensure asylum seekers have access to the country and to asylum procedures.
Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization for Migration said in Angola, IOM programmes to provide non-food and shelter assistance to vulnerable flood-affected households in the south-eastern Kuando Kubango province have received new backing from the UN’s Central Emergency Fund and from the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development. In Ethiopia, in a bid to improve inter-state and intra-regional cooperation on migration management in east Africa, government officials from countries in the region will meet on 12 May for a three-day event in Addis Ababa. In Honduras, officials from the 11 countries that make up the Regional Conference on Migration are meeting this week in the resort town of Tela to discuss migration-related issues of concern to all participants.