REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons for the World Food Programme, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Telecommunication Union, the International Organization for Migration, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization and United Nations Water.

Ethiopian Airlines accident

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, recalled that the previous day the Secretary-General had said that the United Nations was united in grief following the Ethiopian Airlines crash, in which 21 of the organization’s personnel had lost their lives. He had extended his deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims, to the Government and people of Ethiopia, and all those affected by the disaster. The staff members who had perished, he had said, had all had one thing in common: a spirit to serve the people of the world and to make it a better place for us all.

Ms. Vellucci added that an interagency commemoration service for the Geneva international community would be held at 10 a.m. on 15 March in the Assembly Hall at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

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

“The World Food Programme is in mourning for seven WFP staff members who lost their lives in the Ethiopian Airlines tragedy on 10 March.

As we confront this terrible loss, we reflect that all these WFP colleagues were willing to travel and work far from their homes and loved ones to help make the world a better place to live in. That was their calling, as it is for the rest of the WFP family.

· Ekta Adhikari (28) from Nepal
· Maria Pilar Buzzetti (30) from Italy
· Virginia Chimenti (26) from Italy
· Harina Hafitz (59) from Indonesia
· Zhen-Zhen Huang (46) from China
· Michael Ryan (39) from Ireland
· Djordje Vdovic (53) from Serbia
We also mourn the loss of our colleagues at other United Nations agencies and all of those who died in the crash.

We ask that everyone keep those who lost loved ones in their thoughts and prayers.

On behalf of the WFP family, I would like to extend a thank you to all who have expressed their condolences or sent us messages of support.”

Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that the global community had experienced three difficult days following the Ethiopian Airlines crash. The humanitarian community had lost many dear colleagues who were dedicated to humanitarian service. UNHCR had lost three of its own staff: Nadia Adam Abaker Ali, a 40 year-old Sudanese national, Jessica Hyba, a 43 year-old Canadian national, and Jackson Musoni, a 31 year-old Rwandan national. The Agency was grateful for the messages of support it had received and wished to extend its deepest sympathies to all the families who had lost loved ones.

Monika Gehner, for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), said that the concept of family was ingrained in the culture of the Union. The plane crash was one of the toughest tragedies the Union had faced in its 153-year history. ITU had lost two staff members who had been travelling to a meeting to improve lives through ICT. The meeting had gone ahead as planned, with the seats of the two lost colleagues remaining empty. ITU extended its appreciation to the Government of Ethiopia, which had been working relentlessly to identify the casualties. The Union extended its condolences to the United Nations family, the families of the two staff members and of the other casualties, and to all those colleagues who were in mourning.

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that IOM had lost one staff member in the crash. Anne-Katrin Feigl, a German national aged 29, had been working for IOM in Sudan since October 2017. She had been described as a ray of sunshine whose dedication to migrant protection was outstanding. IOM sent its heartfelt condolences to all those who had lost loved ones and staff members in the tragedy.

Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council, said that the President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Coly Seck of Senegal, had expressed his sincere condolences for those who perished in the tragic crash. On 11 March, the Council had held a minute of silence in memory of the victims.

Report on violence in Western Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), gave the following statement:

“A special investigative mission to Yumbi territory in Mai-Ndombe province, in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo, found that horrific intercommunal attacks carried out between 16 and 18 December 2018 at four locations were planned and executed with the support of customary chiefs and may amount to crimes against humanity.

The investigation team was able to verify that at least 535 men, women and children were killed and 111 others injured in Yumbi town, Bongende village and Nkolo II village. The number of casualties is likely to be higher, as the bodies of some who died are believed to have been thrown into the Congo River. It was also not possible to confirm the number of persons still missing as an estimated 19,000 people were displaced by the violence, 16,000 of whom crossed the Congo River into the Republic of the Congo.

The investigation found that the attacks, which were triggered by a dispute over the burial of a Banunu customary chief, followed strikingly similar patterns and were characterized by extreme violence and speed, leaving little time for people to escape. They were led by Batende villagers equipped with firearms, including hunting rifles, machetes, bows and arrows, and gasoline, and targeted Banunu villagers. People were attacked in the streets, in their homes and as they tried to flee.

The report details horrors documented such as a two-year-old reportedly thrown into a septic tank, and a woman reportedly brutally raped after her three-year-old child was decapitated and her husband killed. In some cases, witnesses report that victims were asked if they were Banunu, before they were killed. Many were killed as they tried to cross the Congo River. Others were burnt alive in their homes, and some survivors had serious burn injuries. In some cases, the attackers mutilated the bodies of their victims, cutting off heads, limbs and genitals.

“The similarity in the way the attacks were carried out indicated prior consultation and organization,” the report states. “Certain chiefs of Batende-majority villages were cited by many sources as having taken part in the planning of the attacks.”

The investigation concluded that the crimes documented in Yumbi may amount to the crimes against humanity of murder, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, as well as persecution.

The violence was facilitated by the absence of State action to prevent it, noting that “provincial authorities appear to have failed in their responsibility to protect the population.” In spite of clear signs of rising tensions and an increased risk of violence, no steps were taken to reinforce security ahead of the attacks.

The report warns of the risk of renewed violence.

Tensions and resentment between the two communities, combined with rumours of reprisals, could give rise to new waves of violence at any time.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet stressed the importance of justice and accountability to establish the facts and hold those responsible accountable. She offered the support of the Office to ongoing judicial investigations into the violence.

It is crucial to ensure that the perpetrators of these terrible crimes are punished and that the many women, children and men who were victims receive justice and support. We urge the Government to initiate a process of truth and reconciliation between the Banunu and Batende communities, which will be essential in addressing feelings of intercommunal conflict and preventing further violence.”

Asked whether the attacks were linked to the elections that had been due to take place a few days later, Ms. Shamdasani said that the investigation had not established clear connections in that regard. Another vote was due to take place in the area at the end of March, but those who had fled following the attacks would not be able to participate. One of the buildings that had been burnt down had housed the electoral offices.

She added that although there had been indications of rising tensions after the burial of the customary chief, there had been a clear absence of preventive action by the authorities. Police officers who had been in the area had left their posts before the attacks began. The perpetrators had included members of the national police force but they seemed to have acted in their personal capacity. There was no evidence that the authorities had been complicit in the attacks.

In response to further questions from journalists, Ms. Shamdasani said that there were concerns that violence between the two communities could flare up again. It was important to avoid the victimization of whole communities, ensure individual criminal responsibility and initiate a process of truth and reconciliation. MONUSCO and the United Nations human rights office stood ready to support the authorities in carrying out investigations and judicial prosecutions.

Remarks by the Israeli Prime Minister

Asked to comment on recent remarks made by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that such statements flew in the face of the need to ensure the protection of minorities and could further exacerbate existing tensions.

Human Rights Council update

Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council, said that on 12 March, the Council had held an interactive discussion with Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, which had presented the report it had launched two weeks earlier. In her opening remarks, the Chair of the Commission, Yasmin Sooka, had indicated that a long list of brutal crimes had taken place in a climate of impunity, including after the signing of the revitalized peace agreement in September 2018. She had said that the Commission had framed the crimes in multiple ways to allow future prosecutions to take place in jurisdictions inside and outside South Sudan and to enable the prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity in States that were parties to relevant treaties on torture, enforced disappearance and attacks on United Nations personnel.

Also on 12 March, the Council would hear from the Chair of the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, Paulo Pinheiro, followed by a statement by the concerned country and an interactive discussion. The schedule for the rest of that day included an oral briefing by the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi and the presentation of the report of the High Commissioner on the implementation of recommendations made by the group of independent experts on accountability for human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

On 13 March, the general debate on country situations would continue and would be followed by a presentation by the Special Rapporteur on minorities, the presentation of reports on forums on minority issues and on democracy and the rule of law. There would also be a general debate on subsidiary bodies.

On 14 and 15 March, a number of universal periodic review reports would be adopted. The deadline for tabling draft resolutions was 1 p.m. on 14 March. One draft resolution, on Sri Lanka, had already been submitted; more were expected before the deadline.

On 19 March, the Human Rights Council would hold an interactive discussion on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly the Kasai region.

Update on Syria

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

“Nearly nine years of war in Syria have pushed millions of Syrians into hunger and poverty. There are 6.5 million people who are food insecure inside Syria, and despite ongoing challenges, WFP is able to reach over 3 million of them every month.

The conflict has also displaced millions both inside and outside Syria. It is estimated that more than 11 million Syrians have left their homes since the beginning of the conflict. Some of them have fled to Europe but many of them — more than 5.6 million — are registered with the UN in what is called the Syria +5 region, which includes Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt. In the +5 countries, WFP assists 3.3 million Syrian refugees with a combination of food assistance and cash-based transfers every month.

In a region which faces deepening economic, social and development challenges, food assistance and cash-based transfers help local economies, reducing tensions with host communities. Cash-based transfers have injected more than US $2 billion dollars across the local economies of the Syria +5 countries since the start of the conflict.

Despite an improvement in the situation in Syria, continued food assistance is vital for millions of families as well as for security and stability in Syria, where unemployment is running at 50 percent and is as high as 80 among young people.

Syrians returning to their country and communities need support — and they need to work. In areas that are secure and where commerce is functioning, WFP is helping some 250,000 people with livelihoods activities in food production and vocational training. WFP is helping people in rural areas to rehabilitate community assets such as damaged irrigation systems.

WFP is grateful for the last eight years of support from donors but still needs substantial resources to run operations for internally displaced people in Syria and refugees in neighbouring countries. To maintain the lifeline of food assistance on which millions of vulnerable Syrians depend, US$125 million is required until August 2019.”

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

“The Syrian crisis, entering its ninth year this week, has displaced more than 11 million people. Further insecurity and continued displacement, as well as large-scale humanitarian and protection needs, are expected in the year ahead.

Since 2011, IOM has provided life-saving assistance and early-recovery and resilience programmes to many affected by the conflict inside Syria and across the region. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is appealing to the international community for USD 207 million to continue its lifesaving assistance.

“IOM has been steadfast in its commitment to assisting a Syrian civilian population that is still struggling to overcome the impact of the conflict,” said Mohammed Abdiker, IOM’s Director of Operations and Emergencies. “Even as short-term prospects for recovery remain grim, the international community must continue to focus on saving lives and supporting the host countries that have generously offered public services, protection and safety to millions over eight years.”

Today’s request by IOM comes as part of a more comprehensive pair of inter-agency appeals: The Humanitarian Response Plan for Syria and The Syria Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan. These funds are necessary to continue assistance in Syria and neighbouring countries in 2019.

As of February 2019, it is estimated that 5.7 million people remain displaced within Syria. An additional 5.6 million Syrians, nearly half of whom are children, have sought refuge in countries throughout the region.

With limited access to employment opportunities, education or healthcare, many internally displaced persons (IDPs) live in dire conditions either in camps or in informal displacement sites. Many of these sites are overcrowded, some housing four times their intended capacity.

For most IDPs, return is not likely in 2019. Moreover, only 30 per cent of the families recently interviewed by local partners expressed their intention to return.

Through IOM’s Whole-of-Syria approach, in place since 2014, lifesaving, resilience and recovery support have been dispensed to millions across Syria — including in hard-to-reach areas where at least 1.1 million people need assistance. IOM assisted in 2018 a further 700,000 Syrian and host country citizens in Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq.

Funds received from this year’s appeal will allow IOM to offer shelter, site management and water and sanitation, protection and psychosocial support. Core relief items — such as blankets, kitchen sets, solar lamps and other materials — also are to be distributed as part of IOM’s response, as well as resources to implement critical coordination services on behalf of other humanitarian agencies.

In addition, IOM strives to enhance long-term, durable solutions for displaced Syrians. In 2018, IOM supported over 30,000 Syrian refugees with resettlement and family reunification. In 2019, IOM will continue to work closely with UNHCR and partners to ensure any initiative in relation to returns is framed by the key principles of dignity, safety and voluntariness.”

Asked how much WFP aid was being distributed in Government-controlled areas and in Idlib, which was under the control of Al Qaeda-affiliated groups, Mr. Verhoosel said that WFP’s mission was to help people in need. Knowing who was in control of a particular area was not a priority.

Situation in Al Hol Camp, Syria

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

“The World Food Programme is deeply concerned about the welfare of tens of thousands of people recently arriving at the Al Hol camp.

On Sunday night more than 3,000 people, mostly women and children in a poor state, reached the camp, bringing the population there to over 65,000. Due to the huge influx of internally displaced people, even the newest expansions of the camp are fast approaching maximum capacity.

WFP, the United Nations and NGOs are scaling up response in Al Hol camp, including 24/7 emergency health and protection assistance. All new arrivals receive food, water, shelter, warm clothes and blankets.

The World Food Programme is assisting the entire camp with food aid. To maintain and ramp up the response, urgent funding is necessary.”

Asked by journalists to provide further details of the number of people who had died at the camp in Al Hol, Mr. Verhoosel said that while WFP had received reports of deaths in the camp, no confirmed numbers were available.

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that WHO was concerned about the situation in Al Hol camp. Since early December 2018, 106 people, mainly infants, had died either en route to the camp or shortly after arriving there, mainly as a result of hypothermia, pneumonia, dehydration or complications from malnutrition. Hundreds of people, almost all women and children, were continuing to arrive. The camp population now exceeded 65,000, an increase of more than fivefold since late 2018. Many new arrivals were malnourished and exhausted following years of deprivation.

WHO-supported groups were working to screen new arrivals and refer them to hospitals when required. Since 4 December 2018, approximately 500 patients, including severely malnourished children had been referred to a WHO-supported hospital in Al Hasakeh. The referral system faced several challenges due to the lack of hospitals and secondary health-care facilities in surrounding areas. A total of 2,021 children had been hospitalized due to complications from severe acute malnutrition.

Venezuela

Asked about the health situation in Venezuela, Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the WHO office in Venezuela had provided medical supplies and administered vaccinations against measles, diphtheria and other diseases that were seeing a resurgence as a result of the difficult situation in the country.

Continued insecurity affecting refugees and IDPs in Burkina Faso

Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), read the following statement:

“UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is alarmed at the continued insecurity, particularly in northern Burkina Faso, affecting civilians, including internally displaced people and refugees.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has experienced growing insecurity, marked by several high-profile attacks in the capital Ouagadougou and an expanding insurgency in the country’s northern and eastern regions.

Despite security measures and the deployment of military forces, parts of the country have witnessed a sharp increase in violence since 2018. The violence is indiscriminate, affecting civilians, humanitarian workers and security forces, limiting the ability of the humanitarian community to provide life-saving assistance in the affected areas.

Over 115,000 people are now internally displaced in Burkina Faso, with the number expected to increase. More than 11,000 people have been forced to flee Burkina Faso to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.

We fear that more civilians could be affected by further violence. UNHCR is joining other humanitarian partners to advocate for the safety of civilians and for the respect of aid workers’ neutrality, in order to ensure continued assistance to those in need of protection.

More than 90 per cent of those displaced inside Burkina Faso are living in host communities. Some 70 per cent of the displaced are in the Sahel region, with 30 per cent in Djibo alone. UNHCR has two offices in the Sahel region.

Burkina Faso currently hosts some 25,000 refugees from Mali who are also affected by the conflict. Violence has curtailed our access to thousands of refugees settled outside the camps in Soum and Oudalan Provinces in the Sahel Region, close to the Malian border.

Inside Burkina Faso, UNHCR is supporting the government’s call to assist those who have been displaced. We have made shelters and relief items available from our current stocks.

However, we urgently need additional funding. Our financial requirements for Burkina Faso in 2019 of US$27.3 million are only 26 per cent funded.

8,500 of the 10,000 Burkinabe refugees who fled to Mali are now residing in Gossi, Timbuktu, N'Tilit and Gao, which are also directly affected by insecurity. This year alone, some 3,000 refugees are reported to have crossed into Mali. UNHCR is currently in the process of registering and assisting these new arrivals.

Around 300 people also crossed into Ghana, after being forced to flee the northern part of Burkina Faso, following insecurity.”

Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Baloch said that the majority of the 115,000 internally displaced persons had fled their homes since the beginning of 2019. The increase in violence in Burkina Faso since 2015 was likely linked to extremist attacks against military and armed forces. Some displacement had also been caused by communal issues, as in the case of the arrival of 300 refugees in Ghana.

Return of Nigerians refugees from Cameroon

Asked about the situation of refugees who had returned from Cameroon to Nigeria following assurances from the Nigerian Government that order had been restored in the area around Rann, Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that the situation in the area was volatile and access was difficult. UNHCR had asked countries in the region, particularly Cameroon, to provide safety for people who were fleeing insecurity.

World Water Development Report

Daniella Bostrom Couffe, for United Nations Water (UN-Water), said that the World Water Development Report would be released at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 19 March, ahead of World Water Day on 22 March (report under embargo until 19 March at 00h01 CET). The launch event, which had been timed to coincide with the 40th session of the Human Rights Council, would be addressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations and the Deputy Director-General of UNESCO.

The theme of the report was “Leaving no one behind”. The report was aimed at policy makers and looked at how water and sanitation caused billions of people to be left behind, as well as how water and sanitation could become opportunities to address exclusion and inequality. It outlined who was being left behind and the reasons why, including poverty, gender, disability, age and ethnicity. The report also examined how poor people pay more for water, for example in slums where people living without a physical address were regularly excluded from water and sanitation networks and had to rely on water vendors, which was usually costlier. A chapter on refugees described the specific complications facing refugees living in camps and internally displaced persons, while a chapter on solutions discussed how to target areas with the least access using a human rights-based approach.

Press conferences

Tuesday, 12 March at 3:00 p.m. in Press Room 1

OHCHR / Special Procedures mandate holder

Presentation of the principal findings of the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Speaker:
• Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Wednesday, 13 March at 3:00 p.m. in Press Room 1

United States Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations

Press briefing on protecting fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang

Speakers:
• Ambassador Kelley E. Currie
• Adrian Zenz. Independent researcher focusing on China’s ethnic policy, public recruitment and securitization

Monday, 18 March at 11:00 a.m. in Press Room 1

WIPO

International Patent System in 2018. International Trademark & Design Systems in 2018.

Speaker:
• Francis Gurry, WIPO Director General

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog120319