POINT DE PRESSE DU SERVICE DE L'INFORMATION (en anglais)

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 Environment Programme, the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration and the World Health Organization.

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

Dr. Elise Johansen from WHO’s Department of Reproductive Health and Research said WHO was marking today the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation -- which was on Sunday 6 February. Other organizations would mark it on Monday with WHO's participation.

WHO was committed to the elimination of female genital mutilation. The organization had worked against this practice for many years, partly because it was a violation of the human rights of girls and women and partly because it had no benefits, but was harmful in many ways. The removal or damage of healthy normal genital tissue interfered with the natural functioning of the body and was associated with serious long-term and short-term risks. These could be of physical, psychological and sexual natures and included birth complications that posed a risk to both the mother and the child.

The prevalence of female genital mutilation was high, Ms. Johansen underscored. An estimated 100 to 140 million girls worldwide had been subjected to this practice, and more than 3 million girls were at risk every year. There were, however, changes in the practice, both in the context surrounding female genital mutilation and in its prevalence. In eight countries the prevalence may have dropped by 50 per cent or more, but this reduction was lower in other countries and even nonexistent in some. While a significant drop had started in the 1970s, the prevalence was still very high. Responding to a question, Ms. Johansen said over 90 per cent of women had undergone female genital mutilation in Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Somalia.

In 2008, the World Health Assembly had agreed on a resolution for the abandonment of female genital mutilation, and all countries had committed themselves to taking measures. Legislation was one thing, but what really showed results was working with communities on a long-term basis and in a broad manner. A recent report on the resolution had shown that 20 African countries now had laws against female genital mutilation and that many countries had national action plans in place or were conducting community-based interventions.

WHO had published a global strategy to stop the “medicalisation” of female genital mutilation. Last year more than 18 per cent of all women and girls subjected to female genital mutilation had had it performed by health-care providers. In six countries, 10 to almost 90 per cent of affected young girls had the procedure performed by health-care providers. These countries were Egypt, Yemen, Sudan, Nigeria, Guinea and Kenya.


UNHCR condemns killings and displacement of civilians in Mogadishu

Adrian Edwards of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that at least 15 people had been killed and some 50 injured on Monday during clashes among Transitional Federal Government forces close to Banadir Hospital in south west Mogadishu. UNHCR was appalled by the loss of civilian lives and the complete disregard shown for their safety.

This has been the worst incident in Mogadishu so far this year, although sadly the Somali capital was no stranger to indiscriminate violence. Last year hundreds of Somalis had been killed. According to available UN figures, at least 7,600 people had reported weapons-related injuries in Mogadishu - an average of more than 20 wounded a day, and making this the worst year in a decade for civilian casualties. One in five of those injured had been a child. The Somali capital was without doubt one of the most deadly cities anywhere, Mr. Edwards underscored.

For the hundreds of thousands of people who made up Mogadishu’s civilian population, the situation was intolerable with violations of basic human rights occurring on a daily basis. UNHCR had long advocated that the various warring parties should do more to protect the civilian population. UNHCR repeated this today. UNHCR, as part of the UN humanitarian community in Somalia, again and in the strongest of terms urged all armed groups and forces in the capital to make the protection of civilians a top priority. UNHCR welcomed the initiative of the Transitional Federal Government’s Ministry of Defence to launch an investigation into this latest incident and look forward to seeing its results. Those responsible should not be allowed to evade justice, said Mr. Edwards.

An estimated 4,200 Somalis had been forced to flee their homes in Mogadishu since the start of January. Of them, some 2,600 had left the city while others had sought refuge in quieter neighbourhoods. UNHCR estimated that 1.5 million Somalis were displaced inside the country - many in areas inaccessible to humanitarian workers. More than 650,000 were living as refugees in neighbouring countries. Somalia remained one of the worst and most alarming humanitarian crises that UNHCR faced, generating the largest number of refugees and displaced in the world after Iraq and Afghanistan.


New displacement in north-west Pakistan

Mr. Edwards said that UNHCR had registered some 25,000 people displaced over the last few days as a result of fresh military operations against insurgents in Mohmand agency of north-west Pakistan’s tribal areas. Should the fighting intensify UNHCR estimated that up to 90,000 people could be displaced by the end of February.

UNHCR had established two new camps. These were mainly accommodating people who had fled the Sagi and Dawezai areas of Mohmand agency since military operations intensified on 27 January. Many of those arriving at the camps had little more than the clothes on their backs, and winter clothes and shelter were urgently required.

The two camps were the first to be established by UNHCR for conflict-displaced Pakistanis within the tribal areas since military operations against insurgents began in 2008. In previous waves of conflict people fled to settled areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, seeking refuge in and around Peshawar.

UNHCR had also deployed engineers, field and protection staff to Ghalanai, the headquarters of Mohmand agency, and helped authorities to set up camps at Nahqi and Danish Kol to the north and north-east of Ghalani. Each registered family received a tent and other relief supplies. People were also receiving hot meals and UNHCR was in discussion with partners regarding the provision of food rations.

While UNHCR had set up these camps within Mohmand agency, it was also advocating that displaced people be allowed to move further afield to stay with relatives and friends in Peshawar or other settled areas. UNHCR was urging authorities to ensure displaced people had freedom of
movement and it had deployed staff to monitor the situation, said Mr. Edwards.

UNHCR was also concerned at reports by people arriving at camps that some young and middle-aged men had had difficulty leaving the conflict zone. UNHCR was urging authorities to ensure that any screening activities to identify militants did not prevent civilians fleeing to safety.

Successive waves of conflict in Pakistan’s tribal areas meant that today there were around a million people displaced, including almost 140,000 people from Mohmand agency. Of these, most lived among host communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Some 147,000 lived in three camps in the province with most (138,000) at the Jalozai camp, Nowshera

Returns had been relatively modest. Since last September around 8,500 people had returned to South Waziristan, while some 162,000 people had returned to Orakzai agency since the start of 2010.


IOM Launches Peace-Building, Reconstruction Projects in South Kyrgyzstan

Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said IOM had received funding from Japan and Norway as well as the Soros Foundation to implement projects for peace-building and reconstruction in Kyrgyzstan following the inter-ethnic tensions there.

The funds would notably be used to rebuild and reopen IOM's Adaptation and Reintegration Centre for Minors in Osh. The centre, which had been destroyed in the fighting in June, provided repatriation, rehabilitation and reintegration services to repatriated actual and potential child victims of human trafficking.

Seven legal counselling and assistance centres would also be established in Osh and Jalalabad cities to help people who had lost their property, ownership and identification documents during the conflict. More information was available from the note.

Agreement to Help Returning Mexican Migrants Reintegrate

Mr. Chauzy said IOM and the municipal government of Ciudad Juarez, on Mexico’s northern border, had signed a cooperation agreement to help strengthen migration-related programmes. The new agreement would widen the reintegration services offered to migrants returning through Ciudad Juarez. In 2010, some 13,000 migrants had been returned to Ciudad Juaraz, located across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. These persons, most of whom had been in the US for a long time, had been stranded at the Mexican border without assistance. More information was available from the note.

UNEP Green Economy Report

Isabella Valentiny of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said UNEP would launch its “Green Economy Report” on 21 February. The authors would present the report on 15 February at 12.30 p.m. in Room I, under embargo until 21 February, when the report would be launched in several countries. Briefers would be the Head of UNEP's Green Economy Initiative, Pavan Sukhdev, and the Director of UNEP’s Regional Office for Europe, Christophe Bouvier.

As a first contribution to the Rio+20 Summit to be held in May 2012, the report modelled the minimum investments to be made in 10 sectors of the economy to transition towards a low-carbon economy. The second part of the report analysed the public policies that efficiently contributed to such a transition, while also analysing the return on investment and comparing the brown economy to the green economy.

Agenda

Corinne Momal-Vanian said that this briefing would be followed by two press conferences. At 11.30 a.m. in Room III there would be a press conference on female genital mutilation, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the International Organization for Migration. The speakers would be State Counselor of Geneva Isabel Rochat, IOM Director General William Lacy Swing, as well as the Director of the Inter-African Committee, Berhane-Ras-Work, and IPU Gender Partnership Programme Manager Kareen Jabre.

Ms. Momal-Vanian said that this would be followed by a press conference on the situation in Tunisia and Egypt. The speakers would be the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, and members of her mission to Tunisia, including Bacre Waly Ndiaye. The press conference would take place at 12.30 p.m. in Room III.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child would this noon conclude its 56th session which had started on 17 January, making public its concluding observations on the 18 reports examined during this session. These were the reports of Afghanistan, New Zealand, Singapore, Denmark, Belarus, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Ukraine and Mexico. As per usual practice, the Information Service would this afternoon publish a roundup release on the work of this session and the adopted concluding observations, said Ms. Momal-Vanian.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, for its part, would close its winter session today at 4 p.m. in Room XVI of the Palais des Nations. The concluding observations on the seven country reports examined -- Israel, Kenya, Liechtenstein, South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Belarus -- may be made public today. The Information Service would issue a roundup release this afternoon, Ms. Momal-Vanian said. She added that the Conference on Disarmament would hold its next plenary meeting on Tuesday 8 February at 10 a.m.

Anoush Der Boghossian of the World Trade Organization (WTO) said that the Dispute Settlement Body would meet on Monday. The negotiation groups working on the Doha cycle would continue to meet next week, with a meeting on agriculture on Monday, meetings on fishery subsidies from Monday to Wednesday, a meeting on intellectual property on Friday and market access negotiations throughout the week. Next Monday, former WTO Director-General Peter Sutherland would present the interim report of the expert group working on the Doha cycle, in which he participates. The presentation, to take place at WTO's premises in Room W at noon, would be followed by a discussion.

Ms. Der Boghossian said that Mr. Lamy would be in Munich this week, where he would speak at the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry. Next week, the Director-General would be in Geneva and meeting with several Ministers and private sector representatives.

Jean Rodriguez of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) said the UNECE Executive Secretary would be in Bratislava (Slovakia) on 10 February to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia. After that, on 10 and 11 February, Mr. Kubis would participate in a Vienna-based retreat of UN-Energy, a group that brings together all UN actors working on energy. Mr. Kubis would then travel to Paris where he would participate, on 11 February, in a meeting of the heads of the task forces working on Afghanistan as mandated by the G8. This invitation followed from the economic forum organized by UNECE last year, where discussions had included how economic development could contribute to the stabilisation of Afghanistan.