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 Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Indonesia
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), made the following statement:

“The Government in Indonesia has confirmed that as of today, 2 October, 1,234 people have died following the earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi on 28 September. Some 800 people have been seriously injured and nearly 100 people are still missing. It is likely that the casualty figures will increase as more areas become accessible and the Government conducts more assessments.

An estimated 66,000 houses have been damaged and there are almost 62,000 people who are displaced and staying in over 100 sites. Thousands of people are unable to return to their damaged or destroyed homes and aftershocks continue. Communication lines with affected areas were largely cut off by the disaster and roads, bridges and airports have been severely damaged. There have been numerous land and mudslides, leaving many affected communities cut off. As a result, there is still limited information about the full extent of the disaster and it is difficult to get aid and people into the affected areas. However, initial assessments indicate that with so many people having lost all their possessions and homes and with many basic services down, there is immediate need for food, clean water, shelter, medical care and psychosocial support.

The Government of Indonesia has significant experience and capacity to manage natural disasters and its agencies are coordinating the response and gathering information on the earthquake’s impact. Since the disaster happened, humanitarian agencies have been in close communication with the Government and stand ready to provide whatever support may be required. Humanitarian actors, including the Red Cross, NGOs and UN agencies, are already on the ground or en route to the affected areas to provide assistance and to conduct assessments to better understand the immediate needs.

Yesterday, 1 October, the Government of Indonesia welcomed specific offers of international assistance that are in line with identified humanitarian needs on the ground.”

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), made the following statement:

“UNICEF is concerned for the safety of thousands of children following Sulawesi tsunami, one month after the disaster in Lombok that killed 550 people and displaced 340 000 people. In central Sulawesi, we have concerns not only for the safety of children in Palu, but also in the city of Donggala and in other communities still cut off from humanitarian aid. We are worried about what we know in terms of impact on children, and also about what we do not know yet, as information about the full extent of the disaster is still emerging. It is important to understand this this emergency is affecting a vulnerable population and particularly vulnerable children.

Central Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tengah) is a youthful province. Its 1 million children represent 35 per cent of the total population. Among these children, there is a high percentage of children suffering from chronic malnutrition or stunting – 41% of children are stunted. Child poverty is at the rate of 43 per cent.

This region is lower than national average on key water and sanitation indicators. The disaster will disrupt the 2018 national measles and rubella campaign in affected areas. This campaign has been ongoing in Central Sulawesi since August. Current coverage in Kota Palu is less than 49 per cent and is at 75 per cent in Donggala.

More than 1,000 schools (from early childhood to secondary schools) are feared to be impacted, having a direct impact on around 19 per cent of the 142,000 students in Central Sulawesi.

We are particularly concerned about the likely high number of separated children, given the number of casualties that has reached 1,234 dead so far. This is also a region with a low birth registration: only 33 per cent of children under the age of 5 years are registered (national social economic survey 2016). Birth registration is of paramount importance in terms of child protection, it is a “passport to protection”. This low birth registration is an issue for the family tracing process due to start today in Palu, in addition to the well-known risks of exploitation and trafficking.

Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs have requested UNICEF support to deploy social workers to the affected area. The role of social workers will be to support services for separated and unaccompanied children, psychosocial services, and family tracing and reunification as needed. Based on initial assessment with partners on the ground, immediate needs include evacuation and management of the injured, medical and health services, including referral services, water and sanitation, food and non-food items and emergency shelter.

UNICEF is appealing for US$ 5 million to cover education, health, nutrition, sanitation and child protection needs for the current emergency as well as the lasting impact of the Lombok earthquake.”

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that provincial and district health officers were conducting rapid health assessments to assess the damage and had so far found that one hospital had been damaged; other health facilities were being assessed. Additional injuries caused by the disaster were expected to be a major health problem. The lack of shelter and broken water and sanitation facilities could lead to outbreaks of diarrhoea and other communicable diseases. Pre-disaster epidemiological surveillance data from Donggala and Palu indicated ongoing activity of acute diarrhoeal diseases and acute respiratory infections. The interruption in general medical services, including child and maternal health and non-communicable disease services, would require support as the situation evolved. The disaster had impacted the mental health of the affected population and led to a huge need for psycho-social support.

The emergency response was being led and managed by the Government of Indonesia, using its disaster management mechanisms and resources across sectors. The Ministry of Health had deployed personnel to the regions affected and the national army had deployed three emergency medical teams, joining medical teams already on the ground. WHO was monitoring the situation closely with the Ministry of Health Crisis Centre and, as part of the Humanitarian Coordination Team, the WHO Indonesia office was meeting to prepare for coordinated international support, especially on situation assessment and response support planning. In coordination with the Ministry of Health Crisis Centre, it was currently exploring the possibility of offering the deployment of international emergency medical teams that were already classified and certified by WHO.

Hervé Verhoosel, for the World Food Programme (WFP), made the following statement:

“WFP is supporting the Indonesian Government’s logistics operation to distribute emergency relief, which is currently hampered by damage to infrastructure and poor telecommunications. WFP is also estimating the disaster’s impact on access to food as part of a joint Humanitarian Country Team assessment. WFP logistics officers have arrived in Sulawesi, embedded with a government convoy. The situation is difficult, with shortages of fuel and damage to roads, sea infrastructure and airports hampering work.

WFP has worked for many years in close partnership with the National Disaster Management Agency and the Ministry of Social Affairs to reach people affected by disasters more quickly and efficiently. This includes advice on contingency planning, storage and transport of emergency relief goods, personnel and equipment. WFP also supports the Indonesian Government in improving its food security early warning and monitoring systems, enabling policy-makers to base their decisions on up-to-date evidence and enhanced analysis.

The benefits of economic growth in Indonesia have not been shared equally by all the country. Access to food is also uneven and is influenced by factors like poverty and lack of infrastructure. High food prices – with rice being 50 to 70 per cent more expensive than in neighbouring countries – compound the situation.”

Mr. Verhoosel added that WFP remained at the disposal of the Government to help meet the needs it identified.

Matthew Cochrane, for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said that reports had been received on 1 October that a team of Indonesian Red Cross volunteers had reached the town of Sigi Biromaru in the hills to the south of Palu City, where they had found the bodies of 34 students in a collapsed church. It was feared that similar cases may have occurred in other villages. The conditions were extremely difficult and it had taken the volunteers one and a half hours to remove each of the bodies to nearby ambulances. Access to the places affected was very problematic and there were large areas that had not yet been reached. However, both the military and the Red Cross were already on the ground and doing everything they could to reach those in need.

A health clinic had been set up in Sigi to provide basic services to help those injured in the earthquake. Issues related to inadequate access to food and clean water were also appearing, with diarrhoea and other stomach problems, which were always problems in the wake of disasters. Most of the patients being seen were mothers and their children, so the provision of baby food was a priority. The Indonesian Red Cross was providing clean water and had ambulances on the ground to help those injured. It had taken the supplies from five warehouses and sent three barges from Jakarta which would arrive in the region on Friday carrying trucks with more water, tents, body bags, field kitchens, hygiene kits, baby kits, mosquito kits and mattresses.

On Monday 1 October, IFRC had issued an appeal for 22 million Swiss francs (CHF) and had released CHF 750,000 from its disaster relief emergency fund; the funds would be included under the appeal launched after the Lombok earthquake the previous month. The Indonesian Red Cross had hundreds of volunteers active on the ground who knew the local language and culture and were familiar with the geography of the area. The IFRC global network was mobilizing resources and teams as quickly as possible; support from partners around the world would be crucial to that work.

Paul Dillon, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), made the following statement:

“IOM has allocated US$ 200,000 from its emergency funds to kickstart an emergency response operation following the powerful earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday.

‘IOM has been meeting with government counterparts, including the Ministry of Social Affairs, and UN partner agencies to discuss the immediate priorities and needs identified by the Government. We want to target areas where our intervention can have the greatest positive impact and offer the most support to the Government’s ongoing efforts. We will be putting forward proposals which may include deployment of our displacement tracking matrix, a tool that maps how many people have been displaced, where they are and their immediate needs, to inform the humanitarian response,’ said IOM Indonesia Chief of Mission Mark Getchell.

Other areas in which IOM may be able to help could include the establishment of a ‘humanitarian bridge’ by which non-food relief items from IOM stockpiles in the region can be delivered to government staging points in the affected areas. Evacuees can then be transported out of the affected areas on the returning empty vehicles/vessels.

IOM Jakarta is today convening a meeting of the IOM-supported Indonesian National Cluster on Protection and Displaced Persons to further discuss the best ways forward in response to the disaster. An IOM disaster response expert will tomorrow join other UN Humanitarian Country Team members on an assessment mission to the affected area, led by the Jakarta-based Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management.”

Mr. Dillon said that IOM had staff in two offices in Sulawesi (Makassar and Manado) who were ready to deploy. However, the roads were perilous and the usual 20-hour drive from Makassar to reach the affected area was likely to take substantially longer. It was reported that, while the port of Palu City had reportedly not been affected, the equipment had been badly damaged and access to the port was very difficult. The priorities currently, in addition to the removal and management of bodies, were the health response and fuel supplies, as anyone who had a vehicle with fuel had left the area.

Denis McClean, for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), said that the earthquake and tsunami were a reminder that the Pacific’s Ring of Fire was the most active seismic zone on the planet and required special attention when it comes to disaster risk management. About 90 per cent of the world’s earthquakes occurred there and the risk of an associated tsunami was extremely high. Indonesia has suffered more deaths from tsunamis than any other country. This was the sixth fatal tsunami to strike the country since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

It was clear from video footage that there had been a great lack of awareness among the population of the risk of tsunamis after an earthquake, so a lot had to be done to raise public awareness of the imperative need to flee to high ground after an earthquake and stay there until the danger had passed. World Tsunami Awareness Day would be marked for the third year on 5 November 2018 and the need for it had been underlined by the latest tragedy.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, concluded by saying that the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, had the previous day expressed his condolences to all who had lost family and friends. “Our hearts go out to all affected by the earthquake and tsunami,” he had said, adding that the UN system was “mobilizing to support government-led rescue and relief efforts as needed.”

Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that, while he had no details on the reason for the extremely low figure for birth registration in the affected area, encouraging registration was already one of the priorities of the UNICEF programme in Indonesia.

In answer to a journalist’s question, Mr. Maclean, for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), said that the tsunami early warning system that had been installed across the Indian Ocean had been very effective and had saved many lives. However it was the case that buoys placed in the sea to transmit advance warnings had been disabled by vandalism. The Indonesian Government was working with partners to develop a prototype that would not be susceptible to such problems. However, public awareness was also a major issue. The tsunami had been very local and had left very little time for warnings, but if people had been alert to the danger after an earthquake they would have known to seek high ground.

Mr. Dillon, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), responding to a question from a journalist, said that there had been reports of looting in Palu City but, while some looting might be perpetrated by individuals taking advantage of the absence of police and civil administration in the wake of the disaster, it could also be that people had simply taken food because they were hungry.

In answer to a question from a journalist, Mr. Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that there had been reports before the disaster of cases of acute watery diarrhoea and respiratory diseases in the area, which meant that the pathogens were already present, but that there was not as yet any outbreak of cholera. The first priority was to help those who had been injured and those who had lost their homes; they might also need supplies of medicines for chronic diseases. Another priority area for WHO was the reconstruction of health facilities that had been damaged or destroyed.

Mr. Dillon added that the authorities in Lombok had only two weeks previously declared a state of emergency because of malaria, which was endemic to many regions of the country. Large bodies of standing water offered a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes. Hence one of the needs identified by the first responders was for fogging equipment as a key issue in dealing with those vectors of disease.

Mr. Laerke said that the Indonesian Government had indicated its willingness to accept specific offers of assistance that corresponded to needs identified. The Government and its specialized agencies had great capacity and experience in dealing with the present type of situation and the ASEAN emergency coordination mechanism would channel offers of assistance. The United Nations and non-governmental agencies represented only one part of the assistance being offered, and some needs identified, such as air support for transportation into the affected areas, or supplies of fuel and generators, might be met from other sources.

Cholera vaccination in Yemen

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), made the following statement:

“As part of efforts to prevent a third major wave of cholera in Yemen, the Ministry of Public Health and Population, in coordination with UNICEF, WHO and other partners are conducting an oral cholera vaccination campaign (OCV) from 30 Sept to 3 Oct in Hudaydah and Ibb. This is the OCV round, after last August’s first round in the same districts of Al-Hali and Al-Marawiah (Hudaydah governorate) and Hazm Al Udayn (Ibb governorate). During the last OCV campaign in these same districts a total of 387,390 people were vaccinated, 72% coverage achieved.

More than 3,000 local health workers are involved, aiming to vaccinate an estimated 540,000 people including children under the age of 1. These districts (Al-Hali, Al-Mawawiah and Hazm AlUdayn) were assessed to be the most vulnerable to an escalation of cholera and as a result, received the first dose in August. Community mobilisers are conducting sessions across the three districts to raise awareness and encourage families to vaccinate, in addition to other risk communication and social mobilization activities.

Yemen is facing one of the worst cholera outbreaks in recent history. Since April 2017, a total of 1,211,657 cases of suspected cholera have been reported, and 2,515 deaths. The response includes establishing rapid response teams to respond to reported cases in new districts, laboratory confirmation and having cholera treatment centres and rehydration points. If untreated, cholera can kill very fast.

We are observing a more important increase in reported number of suspected case since June and particularly in last weeks. There is an increase in the number of suspected cases, cases positive by rapid diagnostic test and culture positive cases. Since the beginning of January 2018 to 26 August, there are 154,527 suspected cholera cases and 197 associated deaths.”

In response to questions from journalists, Mr. Jašareviæ added that the target population of the current vaccination round was the same as that of the first round, but it would attempt to reach those who had not received a first dose at that point. The combination of malnutrition and diarrhoea made for a vicious circle, each exacerbating the other, but cholera itself was caused by a lack of access to clean water. It was therefore being attempted to prevent infections by providing clean water, especially to hospitals; community outreach was being conducted to inform people of how to avoid the disease and of the need to access treatment rapidly in the case of infection.

The vaccination campaign had concentrated on the most vulnerable areas of the country but ideally should be extended to the rest of the country. There had also been high numbers of reported cases of other diseases, such as measles and diphtheria, in Hudaydah, which was an area of particular concern. Access to water, sanitation and clinical services was a particular issue there, with only 50 per cent of health services still operational.

In epidemiological week 35, the last week of August, there had been 9,425 suspected cases and 15 associated deaths in the country, but the figure had risen to 11,478 suspected cases and 16 associated deaths the following week.

Mr. Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), added that there were 1.8 million acutely malnourished children and 400,000 severely malnourished children in Yemen.

New data on migrant arrivals

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that the IOM Chief of Mission in Spain, Maria Jesus Herrera, had noted in respect of the reception and management of migrants arriving in the country that “We are not seeing an emergency unfolding in Spain. The situation – while prone to pressures in instances when arrivals are larger than usual – remains under control.”

The preliminary figure for arrivals to Italy in September was 964 migrants; it was the first month since 2014 when the figure had been less than 1,000. Between June and September 2014, there had been 97,553 migrant arrivals in Italy, with 26,107 of those in September alone, so the current figure was remarkable.

In other parts of the Mediterranean, a group of 34 people had arrived in Cyprus on Sunday by crossing from Turkey to the Turkish part of the island and through the buffer zone. Numbers of such cases had increased in recent weeks.

In the Americas, there had been more than 2,300 deaths since 2014, with 299 on the border between the United States of America and Mexico, and a further death reported there on Tuesday 2 October 2018.

Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Millman said that, while there had been a recent change in government policy on migrants in Italy, the figures for migrant arrivals from Libya had fallen since June 2017. An increasing proportion of those who did arrive in Italy were now coming from Tunisia, Algeria and sometimes Greece or Turkey. One of the main factors in the decline in the numbers coming from Libya was believed to be the repatriation flights being offered by IOM. Nearly 32,000 migrants had been repatriated since January 2017, including 12,000 in 2018. Many of those rescued by the Libyan coastguards had volunteered to be repatriated.

Tree replacement in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), made the following statement:

“In just two weeks over 45,000 trees and around 700,000 grass cuttings have been planted by Rohingya refugees and local villagers in Cox’s Bazar to help reverse environmental damage caused by the arrival of some 730,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in the area over the past year.

The UN Migration Agency (IOM) and UN Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO) project will plant a further 36,500 trees and million grass cuttings over the coming days.

Bangladesh’s Forest Department, in coordination the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC), UN agencies and NGO partners, is leading the way in the effort to stabilize soil and replant in the area, which was previously national forest land.

In total around 200,000 saplings have now been planted by humanitarian agencies over recent weeks, according to the Energy and Environment Technical Working Group (EETWG), the inter-agency group which coordinates energy and environment activities for the humanitarian response in Cox’s Bazar.

The ongoing and planned replanting projects will also provide livelihood opportunities for thousands of refugees and members of the local community as they work together to improve the environment.

International Day of Non-Violence

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that 2 October was celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was attending events in India celebrating the anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. In his message for the international day, noting that Gandhi proved that non-violence could change history, Mr. Guterres had called on the world to be inspired by Gandhi’s “courage and conviction as we continue our work to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights for all of the peoples of the world.”

Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the Committee on the Rights of the Child was meeting in private until the end of its seventy-ninth session, next Friday afternoon, 5 October.

Ms. Vellucci said that the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was ending this morning its review of the report of Turkmenistan, which began yesterday afternoon. This afternoon, it would begin consideration of the report of South Africa. The other report still to be reviewed during its sixty-fourth session was that of Cabo Verde.

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog021018