REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
Corinne Momal-Vanian, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the Spokespersons for the World Health Organization, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Organization for Migration and the Economic Commission for Europe.
Ebola
Elisabeth Byrs, for the World Food Programme (WFP), speaking about WFP Ebola Response, said that since the start of its operations in April, the WFP had provided food assistance to 1.1 million people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and had delivered more than 15,400 metric tons of food.
In October, the WFP undertook a budget revision and has now a total requirement of USD 203 million to provide food and common humanitarian services. WFP’s Emergency Operation had a total requirement of USD 126 million. So far, USD 59 million had been received.
Ms. Byrs underlined that the WFP still required 74 percent of the USD 87 million for its Special Logistics Operation.
Christophe Boulierac, for United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), addressed the issues of Ebola preparedness in Cote d’Ivoire and Mali. He stressed that prevention was fundamental for the fight against Ebola. UNCIEF and its partners were actively engaged in a wide scope of prevention activities. In Cote d’Ivoire, since March, UNICEF had been working together with the Government to inform and mobilize the community, in schools across the CAR. UNICEF was also supporting the media campaign with the view of mobilizing local communities, with the focus being on the west of the country, which was in the vicinity of the affected countries. Teachers were being trained on how to sensitize students on Ebola-related issues.
In Mali, UNICEF was working on strengthening the existing treatment centres, particularly following the first declared case. Even before the first case. UNICEF had been working with the authorities on tailoring the right messages with the view of sensitizing the population, and in particular community leaders. UNICEF was working closely with the Ministry of Education on sensitization campaign in schools, and was providing practical training to medical personnel based on simulations, particularly in the regions of high risk.
Tarik Jasarevic, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed that a new Ebola treatment unit would bring additional 200 beds, in the Monrovia area, adding to the existing 500 in the Liberian capital. The capacity could be extended by an additional 100 beds if needed; there were six huge tents in place, each with the capacity of 50 tents. The new treatment unit had been made possible through joint efforts of WHO, WFP, UNICEF, UNOPS, USAID, World Bank with local authorities. The centre would be managed on the daily basis by medical personnel from the Ministry of Health, Cuba, and the African Union.
Mr. Jasarevic clarified the error in the figures of casualties published earlier in the week, specifying that there were 4,920 deceased. He noted, however, that the numbers were changing every day.
Asked about the number of doctors needed in the region, Mr. Jasarevic explained that for each 100 beds, between 200 and 250 medical personnel were needed. Some 20 percent of those would ideally be international. All the figures were based on projections which might change.
Central African Republic
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), noted the overall lack of attention and news on the Central African crisis. The displacement of people was still a “massive humanitarian emergency considered an “L3 Emergency in the humanitarian system.” Overall figures showed that 410,000 people in total in the Central African Republic were displaced, with 63,250 people in Bangi alone, which was a less than two-percent decrease of about 1,000 people from the previous month.
Mr. Laerke highlighted the insecurity of the local population and the humanitarian workers that had been assisting them. It was reported that from the beginning of the year up to the past September, 19 security incidents were recorded. That number would include one UN staff member, 14 international NGO staff members and three local NGO staff, of whom eight had been killed. It had just been reported that between 7 and 19 October, there had been an additional seven incidents against humanitarian aid workers.
Statistics on OCHA’s Strategic Response Plan for the Central African Republic showed significant underfunding. The plan had asked for USD 555 million, but only 60.6 percent was funded. The “Early Recovery, Livelihood and Community Resilience” sectors of the “cluster” were the 4th biggest post in the budget, but were only 5.6 percent funded. Only 33 percent of the education sector was funded.
Mr. Laerke specified that the biggest donors to the appeal were the United States, with USD 103.5 million, the European Commission with USD 34 million, the United Kingdom with USD 24.2 million, and the Central Emergency Response Fund with almost USD 20 million.
Mr. Boulierac stated that October was a difficult month for CAR, and particularly for its children. The access to vulnerable population was problematic, and humanitarian workers had faced unprecedented attacks. What was different from the previous round of violence in December was that humanitarians and UN agencies were being targeted, including vehicles carrying aid attacked, bases attacked, and two attacks on UNICEF vehicles.
UNICEF was rushing critical supplies to thousands of children forced to flee their homes in CAR, amid worsening violence and insecurity. Fresh fighting in northern and western regions of the country, as well as an upsurge of violence in the capital Bangui, had worsened insecurity and put humanitarian access in jeopardy.
Mr. Boulierac stressed that UNICEF was doing everything it could to reach children affected by violence. It had secured the water supply of 55,000 people in the north-west of the country, after delivering enough fuel and chlorine to run the water treatment centres in Bossangoa and Bouar for the following two months. Amid fears that the situation could deteriorate, UNICEF had pre-positioned more emergency supplies for children, including tarpaulins, jerry cans, and blankets, in its five field offices.
On 29 October, a special Norwegian Air charter flight had landed in Bangui packed with critical stocks, including drugs for the treatment of HIV, materials to build emergency latrines and nutrition supplies to severely malnourished children. UNICEF was also setting up 78 new temporary learning spaces for approximately 15,6000 children who had been forced to flee their homes, including in the hotspots of Kaga Bandoro, Batangafo and Dekoa.
Across the Central African Republic, more than 2.3 million children had been affected by the crisis since intense fighting had reached Bangui the previous December, forcing nearly one million people to flee their homes. Almost half a million people were still displaced, including an extra 3,000 people who had fled their homes during the recent outbreak of violence in Bangui.
Mr. Boulierac specified that UNICEF had confirmed that six children had died and 22 had been injured in the eight-day intensification of fighting in the city earlier in October, including two children brutally killed after being accused of spying. UNICEF had also received reports that wounded children and pregnant women had not been able to access hospitals because of roadblocks or because they feared being targeted.
Asked about underfunding for education, Mr. Boulierac said that education was not a secondary topic even during emergencies. Due to the violence in Bangui in October, the “back to school” had been delayed to 17 November, but it was not certain that it could be launched even then. Education remained a priority under all circumstances. UNICEF had requested USD 10 million for education in CAR in 2014, while the funding gap was 82 per cent, or USD 8 million.
Regarding the impact of deployment of additional MISCA and French armed forces in CAR, Ms. Momal-Vanian suggested that journalists directly contact Myriam Dessables, who was in charge of public information at the UN peacekeeping force in Bangui.
Ms. Byrs joined UNICEF and OCHA in their appeal to stop the violence in CAR, where the situation was becoming progressively more precarious, since the deterioration of the situation on 7 October. That was creating critical obstacles in the implementation of activities, complicated staff safety and decreased the humanitarian space.
Therefore, WFP distributions in Bangui had been temporarily suspended on 8 September. Distributions had resumed on 27 October for 26,000 IDPs. Ms Byrs said that distributions would be suspended in case the staff security situation was again jeopardized again. Even before the intensification of hostilities in Bangui in October, challenges related to humanitarian access had been noticed, including a 38 percent increase in incidents between May and August.
According to the WFP/FAO Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) report, released on 29 October, the crisis had caused a sharp deterioration of the food security situation. Food reserves in rural areas were estimated at 40-50 percent lower than average following recurring lootings and widespread insecurity. A decrease in the quantity and quality of meals had also been observed.
Livestock numbers were currently estimated to have declined by up to 77 percent compared to pre-crisis levels. Fish supply also declined by about 40 percent from pre-crisis levels. Henceforth, IDPs and the isolated populations were facing an emergency food security situation.
Ms. Byrs said that WFP distributions were hampered, as a result of insecurity in Boda, Batangafo, Bambari and in the PK5 region. The September distributions had reached 256,000 people, out of 480,000 people targeted. By the third week of October, up to 52 percent of the planned distributions for the month had been undertaken in Bambari, Bossangoa, Bouar and Kaga Bandoro.
Asked about the malnutrition situation, Ms. Byrs underlined the release on 29 October of the WFP/FAO Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission, and stressed that the security crisis had caused sharp deterioration of the food security situation. Food reserves in rural areas were estimated at 40-50 percent lower than the average, following recurring lootings and widespread insecurity. A decrease in the quantity and quality of meals had also been observed.
Following the decline in main livelihood opportunities, households shifted to secondary activities such as gathering and selling woods. However, Ms, Byrs said that coping mechanism would not be sufficient to ensure long-term food security.
IDPs and the isolated populations were facing an emergency food security situation due to the loss of their livelihoods and lack of coping mechanism, with about 50 percent of those households having critically low levels of food consumption and high malnutrition risk. Those persons were largely relying on food assistance.
Cameroon
William Spindler, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), stated that the UNHCR was very concerned about the growing insecurity between Cameroon and Nigeria, where thousands of Nigerian refugees had sought refuge in recent weeks after fleeing from insurgent attacks. In recent days, Nigeria insurgents had launched repeated cross-border attacks into Northern Cameroon, which had hindered UNHCR’s efforts to relocate refugees from the border area to Minawao camp located some 120 km from the border.
The previous Friday, clashes between insurgents and the Cameroonian military forces had broken out in the Cameroonian village of Koubougue and resulted in the deaths of five civilians. Koubougue was located 4 km from the border town of Fotokol, where approximately 1,000 refugees were awaiting transfer to Minawao Camp.
Cameroonian civilians had been living in terror due to frequent insurgent attacks. The situation had been further aggravated by the fact that the Nigerian insurgents had reportedly started to target civilians in Cameroon. Nigerian refugees who had fled previous insurgent attacks in North-eastern Nigeria had asked to be moved away from the border as quickly as possible. Recently arrived refugees said that access to Cameroon was becoming extremely difficult and dangerous as insurgents had taken control of several border towns in North-eastern Nigeria.
Mr. Spindler said that, despite growing insecurity in the border area, the UNHCR continued to work with local authorities to expedite the transfer of the refugees. Further transfers would continue this week. Minawao was hosting over 16,000 refugees, and the current population had tripled in the previous three months. The current camp capacity was estimated at 35,000 people and further expansions were being made in order to accommodate the refugees already registered for transfer from the border, and possible new arrivals. UNHCR was urgently stepping up its efforts to improve living conditions in the camps, with support from its partners. Despite urgent efforts to meet basic needs, the camp’s facilities and services were still insufficient.
Responding to a question on how many people the UNHCR had been able to relocate from the border, and what the Government of Cameroon was doing to protect its civilian population, Mr. Spindler stated that people were continuing to arrive in Cameroon and that the UNHCR had begun to transfer migrants to a camp approximately 120 km away from the border. Some refugees had made their way directly to the camp but most had been transferred by the UNHCR. There had been clashes between the Cameroonian Army and Nigerian militant groups which were affecting not only the refugees who had crossed the border but Cameroonian civilians. UNHCR was very concerned about spill-over of this conflict.
The situation in the camps was difficult and the conditions had deteriorated as a result of the large number of arrivals in a short period of time. There were not enough latrines - only one latrine was available on the average for every 99 refugees, and there had been cases of cholera. Hygiene and sanitation were a strong priority for UNHCR. The crossing into Cameroon was done mostly through the jungle and refugees were taking huge risks to cross.
Niger
Mr. Spindler stated that an attack by unidentified armed group had taken place the previous morning in the town of Ouallam, some 100 km north of the capital of Niger, in what appeared to have been an attempt to free prisoners from the town’s jail. In a simultaneous attack, the Nation Guard post responsible for providing security in the Mangaize refugee camp, located about 40 km from the Mali border, had been attacked as well. The security post on the outskirts of the camp had been burned down and four police officers had been killed. The camp hosted some 6,000 Malian refugees.
Details were still sketchy, but the initial information indicated that approximately nine members of the police and the Nation Guard had been killed in the attacks. Two refugees had been wounded by stray bullets and one refugee woman had been medically evacuated to Niamey. Following the attack, almost all the refugees had left the camp and fled to Mangaize for fear of new attacks. As of this morning, the UNHCR team on the ground was reporting that the most of the refugees had returned to the camp.
Mr. Spindler added that reinforcements for the security forces had been deployed to the area, and it was feared that the heavily armed attackers could have laid mines in the surroundings to ensure their escape into Mali. Only essential and life-saving humanitarian activities would continue. Niger was hosting some 50,000 Malian refugees.
Answering a question on who the prisoners were that had been freed in the attacks, Mr. Splinder stated that the information UNHCR had was very sketchy at present. UNHCR did not know the identity of the armed group, only that they had attacked a prison at the border to free some of the people being held there. UNHCR would try to provide additional information as they received it. The camp was not the target of the attack, but refugees were affected and some were wounded by stray bullets. UNHCR could infer, but not confirm, that the armed group had come from Mali.
Operation Triton in the Mediterranean
Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that the IOM had very high regard for the work of the Italian maritime forces and costal governments which had facilitated the safe landing of more than 150,000 so-called irregular migrants in Italy under the Mare Nostrum operation. Despite the rising number of migrants rescued, IOM did not believe that Europe was faced with an invasion along its southern coast, nor that the safety net which was provided by Mare Nostrum represented a pull factor of migration.
Regarding the launch of the Frontex joint operation in the Mediterranean, he read a statement by IOM Director General William Lacy Swing. Mr. Swing said that the emergency was not in the number of people involved, but in the humanitarian and operational consequences. The crisis was not based on a so-called excess of migrants, overburdening the continent, but on an emergency of more people who needed protection, aid and safe migration channels, especially for those who were not covered by existing protection systems. Saving lives, as Mare Nostrum had done, remained the top priority and rescue at sea operations had to be continued and supported through a concerted EU approach.
Furthermore, the IOM Director-General added that the boat arrivals to Europe were a result of the complex humanitarian crisis near Europe’s external borders – not of the humanitarian life-saving policies that tried to assist those in need. It was advised that at a time when countries in North Africa, the Middle East and East Africa were hosting millions of displaced persons, compared to a few hundred thousand in all of Europe, the European reaction had to be balanced and compassionate.
In the future, the IOM would monitor the actions of EU Member States under the new operation Triton, whose impact on life-saving activities would need to be seen. That operation, which would be carried out only within 30 miles off the Italian coast, could not be considered as a replacement for Mare Nostrum since the Mediterranean still needed to be patrolled as it had been done so far in terms of means, scope and geographical extension. However, it was expected that the flows of migrants would probably be the same for some time and therefore the risk of shipwrecks would not decrease.
Simultaneously, it was remarked that rescue at sea could not be the only solution and alternatives had to be offered to those who risked their lives at sea, of which the most important one was to provide legal channels to Europe for migrants who sought international protection.
Asked whether Mare Nostrum embodied a pull factor for migration, Mr. Millman said that the IOM expressed consistently that the operation might have had an impact on the timing and the routes of the migrants, but not on whether migrants flee or not. The figures of the year have demonstrated that conflicts in the sender countries had triggered the rapid rise of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. For instance, the number of Palestinians experienced a rapid growth during the Gaza conflict in June and apart from that, Syria and Eritrea were the top two sender countries. There was no evidence that the Mare Nostrum operation was responsible for those facts and figures.
Besides, the IOM was aware of and concerned about the fact that the weather conditions for sea crossings were becoming more difficult by now which would probably delay some crossings but also render the ongoing ones more dangerous and result in more deaths. 2014 had already become the most lethal year with around 3,200 migrants believed death at sea.
On the responsibility for patrolling the Mediterranean, Mr. Millman said that the IOM expected Europe to come to an agreement which would govern the patrolling of the Mediterranean by professional maritime forces, as it had been done by coastal countries like Italy, Greece, Malta and Spain.
Responding to a question on Operation Triton, Mr. Spindler stated that it was not a satisfactory alternative to Mare Nostrum. Proper search and rescue needed to be maintained, otherwise people would die. The increased number of refugees was related to the conflicts in Syria, parts of Africa and human rights violations in many countries. A large proportion of those people were fleeing conflict, persecution and violence rather than moving for economic reasons.
Responding to a question, Mr. Millman specified that the amount of migrants from Gaza or Palestine had risen to 4,300, which made them the sixth largest group of migrants in the previous two months.
Mr. Millman reminded that Mare Nostrum had been provoked by the large tragedy of Lampedusa, so Mare Nostrum should be seen as a response to difficult conditions in the Mediterranean.
Tunisia
Rupert Colville, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the OHCHR congratulated the people of Tunisia, and the country’s political parties and institutions, and warmly welcomed the peaceful completion on 26 October of the legislative elections in Tunisia.
OHCHR hoped that the new Government, which was currently being formed, would continue to consolidate the significant progress that had been made in the area of human rights and rule of law, including the important transitional justice process. OHCHR hoped that the forthcoming presidential election in November would be conducted in an equally peaceful manner, with full respect of the human rights of all Tunisians. The UN Human Rights Office was looking forward to working with the new Government as well as with the new Assembly of the Representatives of the People.
LGBT Rights in Singapore
Mr. Colville stated that the OHCHR was disappointed by the Singapore Supreme Court ruling on 29 October to uphold section 377A of the Penal Code which criminalized consensual same-sex relations between adult men.
The Supreme Court had been asked to examine the Constitutionality of Section 377A. The Court had decided that that section did not violate articles 9 and 12 of the Singapore Constitution which guaranteed the right to life and liberty, and right to equality before the law and equal protection of law respectively. The Supreme Court had expressed sympathy for the situation of the appellants, but stated that it was up to the Singaporean Parliament to amend the law.
Using criminal law to prosecute individuals for engaging in consensual same sex conduct violated a host of human rights guaranteed by international law, including the right to privacy, the right to freedom from discrimination and the right to freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention including protection for sexual orientation and gender equality.
While that law was rarely invoked in Singapore, it nonetheless codified discrimination and contributed to societal stigma against individuals who were gay. Gay people were as entitled as anyone else to be treated with respect and dignity.
Mr. Colville said that the OHCHR regretted the courts had missed the important opportunity to strike down that law. OHCHR noted that some political leaders in Singapore had publicly advocated for tolerance and inclusion, and OHCHR was thus hopeful that Singapore’s legislature would now respond to the Court’s decision by repealing section 377A of the Penal Code and enacting comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that included discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Fifth International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development
Jean Rodriguez, for the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), informed that on 3 November, the UNECE Executive Secretary would be in Vienna, Austria for the Second U.N. Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, while on 4 and 5 November, he would be in Hammamet, Tunisia for the Fifth International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development.
Mr. Rodriguez specified that the Fifth International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development would be held in Hammamet, on 4-7 November. The Forum was organized by the Government of Tunisia, UNECE, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The Forum would emphasize attaining the three objectives of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Initiative of the UN Secretary-General through a regional agenda: ensuring universal access to modern energy services, doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency and doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030.
One of the key events would be a High-Level Panel “Energy policies and international cooperation to achieve objectives of sustainable energy for all (SE4ALL) initiative” with participation of the Executive Secretaries of UN Regional Commissions (RCs) and high-level government officials responsible for implementing sustainable energy policies. The Executive Secretaries were expected to sign a Joint Statement that would reaffirm the roles of key stakeholders in promoting sustainable energy policies and call for joint efforts to achieve SE4All objectives.
20 years since the Beijing Platform for Action
Mr. Rodriguez stated that, in the lead up to the 20th anniversary commemoration of the landmark Beijing Platform for Action, considered the most comprehensive agenda on women’s rights, UNECE had undertaken a review of the implementation of the Platform by its Member States. The results of that review would be the focus of the Beijing+20 Regional Review Meeting to be co-hosted in Geneva by UNECE and UN Women on 6 and 7 November.
The high-level meeting, entitled “Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls for sustainable development in the UNECE region”, would be opened by UNECE Executive Secretary Christian Friis Bach and UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. High-level participation was expected from the Governments of UNECE Member States, as well as from international organisations, academia, civil society, and the private sector. The Beijing+20 Regional Review meeting would provide an important opportunity for discussion to all stakeholders, including women's groups and other civil society representatives.
Mr. Rodriguez reminded that in 1995, 189 countries had come together in Beijing at the Fourth World Conference on Women and adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a visionary roadmap for women's rights and empowerment. The Platform had imagined a world where women and girls could exercise their freedoms and choices, and realize all their rights, such as to live free from violence, to go to school, to participate in decisions and to earn equal pay for equal work. Governments had committed to action in 12 critical areas of concern to make this vision a reality.
The objectives of the meeting were: to assess progress made towards gender equality in the UNECE region in the previous 20 years; to identify persisting or new obstacles to the achievement of gender equality in the region; to provide Member States and civil society a forum to exchange best practices of policies and actions that paved the way toward gender equality; and to galvanize commitment, reaffirm political will and mobilize the public to support and accelerate efforts in all 12 critical areas of concern of the BPfA.
The conclusions of the meeting would feed into the global review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action at the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York in 2015. The UNECE Regional Review Meeting would provide recommendations from the region to the global process. It would also convey a strong message about the importance of incorporating gender equality in all aspects of the post-2015 development agenda.
Iraq
Mr. Millman pointed out to a report available in the press briefing notes concerning the onset of winter in in Iraq. On 3 November, the IOM expected the release of the updated numbers of displaced people in Iraq. If there were any questions regarding the onset of winter and the situation of the surveyed population, IOM was available.
Geneva activities
Ms. Momal-Vanian informed that the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women was examining the report of the Solomon Islands today.
The Human Rights Committee would conclude its session today, after having published its concluding observations on Sri Lanka, Burundi, Haiti, Malta, Montenegro and Israel at a press conference the previous day.
The Committee against Torture would start its four-week long session on 3 November. During the session, the Committee would consider reports of Australia, Burundi, Croatia, United States, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Ukraine and Venezuela. Background release had been distributed the previous day.
Ms. Momal-Vanian said that a UNHCR press conference on Global Statelessness Campaign would take place in Press Room I on 3 November at 1 p.m. High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, would address the media.
Ms. Momal-Vanian informed that the first International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists would be observed on 2 November and referred to the message of the Secretary-General, which was available in hard copy, in French and English.
On behalf of the Human Rights Council, Ms. Momal-Vanian said that UPR Working Group had reviewed Iran in the morning. In the afternoon, the Working Group was scheduled to adopt the reports for Italy, El Salvador, Gambia, Bolivia, Fiji and San Marino. Copies of those reports would be distributed just beforehand.
On Monday, the WG will review Madagascar in the morning and Iraq in the afternoon
Tarik Jasarevic, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed that on 4 November, Dr Nicholas Clark would brief on the issue of community management on opiate overdoses. Those were drugs prescribed as pain killers which could lead to addiction. On 3 November, recommendations and summary would be shared.
Juliette Touma, new spokeswoman for Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, introduced herself. Her contacts are: Juliette Touma, Spokesperson/Public Information Officer, Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Email: Toumaj@un.org, Mobile: +41 76 691 0296.
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The spokesperson for the International Labour Organization was also present, but did not brief.
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The webcast for this briefing is available here: … http://bit.ly/unis103114