REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Rhéal LeBlanc, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at United Nations Information Service, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the spokespeople for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration, and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

UNICEF’s Appeal to G7 Leaders

Deputy Executive Director Justin Forsyth, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), speaking by phone from Sicily, said that UNICEF would be meeting with G7 representatives in the coming days. The summit was taking place only a stone’s throw from the crisis happening in the Mediterranean. The central Mediterranean route was among the most risky in the world for migrants, including children; UNICEF was thus sending a wakeup call to the G7 leaders. The previous day, Mr. Forsyth had spoken to Dr. Bartolo, a well-known medic in Italy, who had informed that many refugees and migrants were nowadays being offloaded in Lampedusa. The arriving migrants were in a poor shape, after not having eaten or drank for days. One young Eritrean girl had reportedly been raped before embarking the ship in Libya. Many migrant children experienced horrors on their journey and were traumatized; they experienced rape, abuse, torture and even slavery. One Nigerian woman had reported being repeatedly raped by human traffickers. Such stories were heard over and over again. For those reasons, UNICEF urged the G7 leaders to support the six-point plan to protect migrant children, who were most vulnerable in such situations. It was hoped that some progress could be made, but it would only be a stepping stone on a long path.

A question was asked about the details of UNICEF’s six-point plan and whether there were reasons for optimism. Mr. Forsyth said that the plan basically included specific recommendations on detaining children, keeping families together, protecting children on the move, providing education and making sure that steps be taken to avoid xenophobia. There were many unaccompanied children in Europe; there was a lot of support and generosity towards children in Sicily and elsewhere, but across Europe much more ought to be done. Mr. Forsyth hoped that the six-point plan would help direct leaders’ attention to the issue once again.

Responding to a question on the interaction with the United States Government, Mr. Forsyth stated that one issue that was of concern to the US was trafficking of children. Practical measures could be agreed on to address the worst forms of trafficking and smuggling and to protect children. Conversations with the US focused on trafficking; a security response was needed in that regard, and a practical response was also needed on the ground in Libya. It was critical to find a way to get the children out of the detention centres in Libya and to combat the criminal business of human trafficking.

On the EU negotiating pacts with trafficking countries, Mr. Forsyth said that the recent Italian bill could serve as a model, and children should not be sent or forced back to Libya. Libya was one of the worst places in the world to be a child; some children were treated as slaves by militias. The European Union needed to have a comprehensive approach to that issue, addressing also root causes. Italy was taking a disproportionate share of the burden, and Sicily’s centres were overwhelmed, stated Mr. Forsyth.

Mr. LeBlanc informed that UN Secretary-General António Guterres was attending the G7 and participating on Saturday, 27 May in the outreach session of the Summit, focusing on “Innovation and Sustainable Development in Africa”.

Mediterranean Crossings

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), provided updated information on a series of incidents in the Mediterranean over the past 48 hours. An additional 2,000 people had possibly been rescued the previous day; if correct, that would mean that over 6,000 men, women and children had been rescued in the Mediterranean over the last 72 hours. Sub-Saharan Africans were the largest group. The incident on 25 May included a wooden boat which had capsized; it had reportedly carried 500 people. The 2016 numbers of fatalities roughly matched the 2017 figures so far. The deadliest season was starting right now, said Mr. Millman.

It was difficult to say how far the sinkings were from Sicily, said Mr. Millman in response to a question; survivors were mostly taken to mainland Italy, rather than Sicily.

Civilian Casualties in Syria

Rupert Colville, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that the High Commissioner was urging all States’ air forces operating in the country to take much greater care to distinguish between legitimate military targets and civilians. All parties to the conflict had to uphold their obligation to take every feasible measure to spare the civilian population from the effects of the armed conflict.

Unfortunately, scant attention was being paid by the outside world to the appalling predicament of civilians trapped in some areas, said Mr. Colville.

On 14 May, 23 farm workers – 17 of them women – had been reportedly killed when airstrikes hit Al-Akershi village in a rural area of eastern Al-Raqqa Governorate. Airstrikes on two residential areas of the ISIL-controlled city of Albo Kamal in eastern Deir-ez-Zor Governorate the following day (15 May) had reportedly killed at least 59 civilians (including 16 children and 12 women) and had injured another 70. The day after that, ISIL fighters were said to have cut the throats of eight men at the sites of the airstrikes, after accusing them of providing coordinates for the strikes.

Following its defeat in several areas inside Syria and Iraq, ISIL fighters had been carrying out assaults in and around areas still under their control. On 18 May, for example, an ISIL attack on the Government-controlled village of Aqareb in rural eastern Hama Governorate had allegedly resulted in the deaths of 36 civilians, including women and children. Many of them had been killed by crossfire and snipers, but in some cases as a result of having their throats cut. Places such as the border city of Albo Kamal, where retreating ISIL fighters and their families were mixed in with some 100,000 people, including displaced Syrians and Iraqis, were of particular concern.

The High Commissioner said that, because of the ISIL presence, the OHCHR feared that civilians were in an increasingly dangerous situation as the airstrikes and ground conflict intensified, possibly resulting in many more casualties, as well as retaliatory assaults by ISIL against densely-populated civilian areas.

Under international humanitarian law, parties to the conflict had to abide by the principles of distinction, proportionality and ‘precautions in attack’ to minimise civilian casualties, and undertake investigations when civilian casualties occurred. Those found to be responsible for violations of the law needed be held to account.

The rising toll of civilian deaths and injuries already caused by airstrikes in Deir-ez-Zor and Al-Raqqa suggested that insufficient precautions might have been taken in the attacks. Just because ISIL was controlling an area did not mean less care could be taken. Civilians should always be protected, whether they were in areas controlled by ISIL or by any other party.

Finally, the OHCHR was also extremely concerned by reports of ISIL preventing civilians from leaving areas under their control, except to other ISIL-controlled areas, said Mr. Colville.

Asked to elaborate which countries’ air forces were responsible, Mr. Coville said that it was difficult to identify who exactly was responsible because there were several air forces operating in the Syrian air space. Thus, Mr. Coville could not attribute latest bombings to any one side. The human rights team in Syria was collecting information on such incidents.

Mr. LeBlanc reminded of the statement issued by the Secretary-General at the Security Council’s debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict the previous day. He had identified three steps that could be taken in that regard: first, greater respect had to be ensured for international humanitarian and human rights law; second, the protection of humanitarian and medical missions needed to be stepped up, by implementing the previous Secretary-General’s recommendations on resolution 2286; and third, more had to be done to prevent forced displacement and find durable solutions for refugees and internally displaced people.

Asked what was being done when civilians were closely mixed with active fighters, Mr. Colville said that international humanitarian law was based on three key principles: distinction between civilians and military targets, which was not always easy; proportionality; and precaution when conducting attacks. International humanitarian law recognized that there would be civilian casualties, but the onus was on attackers to do what was necessary to minimize them.

On the sources of the information, Mr. Colville replied that the OHCHR took great care to protect its sources, who had proved themselves reliable over time. The Office was extra cautious to verify data from different sources, which was why sometimes it took several days to publish information.

Mr. Colville added that the recent attack on female farm workers was yet another proof that more attention could be paid to distinguishing civilians from combatants.

Gaza

Rupert Colville, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that the OHCHR condemned the execution of three men by the authorities in Gaza the previous day. The men had been convicted by a special so-called “field military court” of involvement in the murder of Hamas leader Mazen Al Faqhaa on 24 March, as well as on charges of “collaboration with an enemy party”. The executions amounted to an arbitrary deprivation of life.

International law set very stringent conditions for the application of the death penalty, including meticulous compliance with fair trial standards. The latest trial did not appear to have met those standards. The “field military court” allowed no possibility of appeal or clemency, in breach of international law. Two of the men had been civilians and should not have been tried by a military court. OHCHR was also appalled by the public and celebratory nature of the executions. Authorities in Gaza had now carried out 28 executions since the Hamas takeover in 2007, nine of them in the last 12 months.

Mr. Colville reiterated the OHCHR’s call to the authorities in Gaza to desist from carrying out further executions; to end the practice of trying civilians before military courts; and to comply with all of its obligations under international law. The UN opposed the use of the death penalty in all circumstances. OHCHR called on the State of Palestine to immediately establish an official moratorium on the use of the death penalty with a view to its abolition.

Indonesia

Rupert Colville, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the OHCHR was concerned by the recent persecution, arbitrary arrest, detention and ill-treatment of men perceived to be gay in Indonesia. In the past two months, more than 150 men had been reportedly arrested in Aceh, Surabaya and Jakarta on the basis of alleged consensual relations between adults of the same sex. While many of them had been reportedly released shortly after, some had been charged under a pornography law.

The arrested men had been subjected to public humiliation and stigmatization. In some cases, their names, photos and videos had been released to the media. The men arrested in Surabaya had also been subjected to forced HIV tests. In the case of Aceh, two men had been publicly caned after being tried by a Sharia court.

While high-level officials had previously spoken out in defence of the rights of LGBT people, there had recently been widespread hate speech in the media and by some religious groups and public officials.

International law was clear: all people, without exception, were entitled to protection of their human rights – and that included LGBT individuals. Consensual relations between adults of the same sex should not be criminalized, and arresting and detaining people on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity was by definition arbitrary. The treatment of those men in Indonesia violated multiple human rights standards including those on liberty, fair trial, integrity, privacy, dignity, equality before the law, non-discrimination and the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. Those human rights standards were enshrined in legally binding treaties ratified by Indonesia, including the Convention against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The Indonesian authorities were called upon to release those still kept in detention, and to respect the country’s international legal obligations. They should also work to combat stigma and negative public attitudes towards LGBT people.

Mr. Colville, responding to a question, confirmed that the legal system in Aceh was different from the rest of the country. Religious intolerance, whichever form it took, was inacceptable everywhere, and freedom of religion was a fundamental human right, stressed Mr. Colville.

World Health Assembly

Fadéla Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed about the activities of the day at the World Health Assembly. Non-communicable diseases, including measures such as tobacco and alcohol taxes, childhood obesity, and cancer prevention, would all be considered in Committee A. At the end of the day, between 7 and 8 p.m, a summary of discussions and resolutions would be sent out to the journalists.

On 29 May at 12:30 in Room XII, there would be a technical briefing on health and the environment – inheriting a sustainable world. Ms. Chaib said that every year, 12.6 million deaths could be prevented by making the environment healthier. The opening remarks would be delivered by Dr. Margaret Chan, which would be followed by several high-level speakers.

Asked when resolutions would be voted on, including the one on cancer, Ms. Chaib stated that the issue of cancer was being discussed in the committee today, after which it could go to the plenary the following day.

Responding to another question, Ms. Chaib said that the outgoing WHO Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan, was not planning to hold a farewell press conference.

Geneva Announcements

Fadéla Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed that on the occasion of the World No Tobacco Day, on 30 May, the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and the United Nations Development Programme would be staging a joint press conference focusing on how tobacco threatened sustainable development in all countries by causing deaths of over seven million people annually, sickening many more, exacerbating poverty, and, based on findings from a first-ever report to be released, inflicting great harm on the environment. Two key documents would be issued: WHO report - tobacco and its environmental impact, and a discussion paper - the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: an accelerator for sustainable development. Speakers at the press conference on 30 May at 9:30 a.m. in Press Room III would be Dr. Douglas Bettcher, Director, WHO’s Department for the Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases; Dr. Vera da Coste e Silva, Head, WHO FCTC Secretariat; and Dudley Tarlton, Programme Specialist, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Ms. Chaib said that, if there was interest, a background press briefing would also be organized on non-communicable diseases on Monday, 29 May at 10:30 a.m. in Press Room I.

Mr. LeBlanc informed that on 30 May at 12:15 p.m. in Press Room I, OCHA would hold a press conference on the humanitarian situation in Nigeria. The speakers would be Edward Kallon, Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, and Peter Lundberg, Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria.

On 1 June at 12:15 p.m. in Press Room I, OCHA would hold a press briefing on the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR). The speaker would be Najat Rochdi, Humanitarian Coordinator in CAR.

On 2 June at 2:30 p.m. in Press Room I, there would be a press conference by UNCTAD on the publication of the World Investment Report 2017: Investment and the Digital Economy (which would be under embargo until 7 June 2017 at 5 p.m). The speakers would be Mukhisa Kituyi, UNCTAD Secretary-General, and James Zhan, UNCTAD, Director, Division on Investment and Enterprise.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was considering this morning the report of Mongolia. On 29 May, the Committee would examine the report of Antigua and Barbuda.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) would open its sixty-first session at the Palais Wilson on 29 May, during which it would consider the reports of Australia, Uruguay, the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The Conference on Disarmament would hold its next public meeting on 30 May at 10 a.m, under the presidency of Slovakia.

Regarding the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, Mr. LeBlanc informed that UN Geneva would mark it on Wednesday, 31 May with a solemn flag-raising ceremony in the Ariana Park, to be followed by a round table in Room XX on investing in peace around the world at 4 p.m, which would, among others, feature United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein and the first-ever female Force Commander, Major-General Kristin Lund of Norway, who had led the peacekeeping force in Cyprus.

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/UNOG26517