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 Human Rights Council, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Refugee Agency and the World Health Organization.

International Women’s Day

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that, in his message for International Women’s Day, the Secretary-General had stated that gender equality was fundamentally a question of power and that the balance would not begin to shift until women’s rights were seen as a common objective of both men and women. He had also touched on, inter alia, gender equality at the United Nations and the scourge of sexual violence in conflict situations. The Secretary-General had concluded by calling on all of us to ensure that women and girls shaped the policies, services and infrastructure that impacted all our lives and to support women and girls who were breaking down barriers to create a better world for everyone.

Human Rights Council

Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council, said that the Council would hear a number of statements on the occasion of International Women’s Day. That morning, at 10 a.m., the Council had concluded its interactive discussion with the High Commissioner in which over 120 States had taken part. Subsequently, the Council would be presented with a report by the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, a report by the Chair of the intersessional meeting for dialogue and cooperation on human rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and various thematic reports. The Council would then begin a general debate on item 3, namely the promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development. Following a break at 1 p.m., the Council would resume at 3 p.m. for statements by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Marshall Islands, Mr. John M. Silk; and by the Deputy for International Affairs, High Council for Human Rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Seyed Majid Tafreshi.

Mr. Gomez also said that, when the Council met again on Monday, at 9 a.m., it was possible that there would be a spillover of NGO statements from item 3. Thereafter, country-specific reports would be presented by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Tomás Quintana (via video message); and the new Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Javaid Rehman. The Council would conclude on Monday with a discussion of the situation of human rights in Eritrea with the participation of the new Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, Daniela Kravetz. The reports in question were currently all available with the exception of the report by Tomás Quintana, which would be made available that afternoon.

Mr. Gomez added that, in the previous 24 hours, various other reports had been made available, including the High Commissioner’s reports on Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Secretary-General’s report on the Islamic Republic of Iran. On Tuesday, the Council would hear presentations by the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic and the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi.

Responding to a question on the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran who was due to give a statement to the Council that afternoon, Mr. Gomez said that the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva should be contacted for further information.

Opening of a UNHCR reception centre near the Colombian border

Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), read the following statement:

“UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, together with the Colombian authorities, is opening today a reception centre to offer support to vulnerable refugees and migrants from Venezuela in the border city of Maicao, in La Guajira region. The Integrated Assistance Centre, set up at the request of national and local authorities, has an initial capacity of 350, but has the possibility to grow to accommodate more people in the future. Vulnerable persons from Venezuela will have temporary access to shelter, food, water, basic medical care, and other services in the centre.

The reception centre, the first of its kind in Colombia, aims at temporarily addressing the urgent humanitarian and protection needs of the most vulnerable people fleeing from Venezuela, as well as supporting the response of the local authorities.

Maicao is one of the cities in La Guajira with the highest concentration per capita of refugees and migrants from Venezuela. Hundreds of people, including children, the elderly, persons with disabilities and critical medical conditions, are forced to live on the streets, due to a lack of alternative shelter options. According to a recent UNHCR assessment, a significant number of Venezuelans in Maicao are living on the streets or in informal settlements and 81% of those interviewed said that they required shelter.

The planning and building of the reception centre followed extensive consultations at national and local level, including with host communities, in order to ensure that the centre provides the most effective response to their specific needs and concerns.

Over 3.4 million Venezuelans are living abroad of whom 2.7 million have left the country since 2015. Colombia is the country most affected by this outflow, with over 1.1 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants. The government has made commendable efforts to respond to these arrivals, through a generous open border policy, a series of status regularization measures and facilitating access to basic services. However, the humanitarian needs have overwhelmed the country’s reception capacity and many Venezuelans face protection risks due to a lack of documents, access to health care, food, water and education, resulting in many vulnerable individuals being forced to live on the streets and the risk of abuse and exploitation.

In order to complement the government’s efforts to provide international protection and respond to the increasing humanitarian needs of the arrivals from Venezuela, UNHCR is working to strengthen shelter networks, provide legal counselling and facilitate access to food, water, education and health services to people in dire need.

Across the region, UNHCR is working for refugees and migrants from Venezuela, whose legal, protection and humanitarian needs continue to require urgent international support. The Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan for 2019, requires US$ 738 million to provide a response for the needs of 2.2 million Venezuelans and 500,000 people in host communities in 16 countries.”

Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Mahecic said that the reception centre was not a refugee camp and was not intended to provide shelter over the long term. It was a transit facility that served to provide basic support to the most vulnerable categories of people who crossed the border, including unaccompanied children, children separated from their families, vulnerable women and persons with disabilities. On average, around 5,000 people crossed into neighbouring countries every day. The reception centre had 350 places. The length of stay would depend on a person’s individual circumstances and wishes. The reception centre had been established following conversations with both national and local authorities, and the same coordinated approach would be taken prior to the construction of further centres. Across the region, UNHCR had been scaling up its response in coordination with other agencies. That response was based on the appeal launched in December 2018. Not all of those who crossed the border into neighbouring countries stayed in those countries.

Responding to further questions, Mr. Mahecic said that, across the region, there were no refugee camps for people who crossed the border. The latter were provided with shelter by host communities and national authorities. The appeal launched in December 2018 had sought to address their needs with respect to shelter, protection, access to clean and drinkable water, food, basic health care and the specific needs of children and women. The 2019 Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan had nearly 100 partners and a target to raise $738 million to support 2.2 million Venezuelans and a further 500,000 people in host communities in 16 countries. Persons on the move were vulnerable by default. They left for various reasons, including insecurity, violence and persecution, but also for socioeconomic reasons. Across the region, 400,000 people had formally requested protection. However, those who were unable to prove their identity were even more vulnerable as they faced difficulties in accessing support and assistance, which could drive them towards negative coping mechanisms.

United Nations Environment Assembly

Alejandro Laguna, for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said that UNEP had uploaded a video on gender to its website on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) would be held from 11 to 15 March 2019. It was the most important environmental forum in the world, at which all States Members of the United Nations were represented. The attendees would include Heads of State, including President Emmanuel Macron of France, environment ministers, CEOs of multinational companies, NGO representatives and environmental activists. The theme was “Innovative Solutions for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Consumption and Production”. The event was centred around a call to “Think Beyond, Live Within”. The associated hashtag was #SolveDifferent. The purpose of UNEA was not only to hold discussions, but also to adopt decisions. Countries would be called upon to set national targets to be achieved by 2025 and to develop national environmental data strategies. Wednesday, 13 March, would see the launch of the UNEP flagship report, the Global Environmental Outlook. The forthcoming, sixth edition of the report would focus on energy, food and waste systems. That same day, a report entitled “Global Linkages – A graphic look at the changing Arctic” would also be launched. That second report explored what would happen to the arctic in a number of hypothetical scenarios and what impact on the rest of the world would be.

Responding to a question on press events, Mr. Laguna said that the press conferences associated with the report would be held in Nairobi. He would be happy to provide Geneva reporters with the two reports under embargo in a press backgrounder on UNEA. Journalists could also be put in contact with experts and the authors of the reports.

WHO announcement

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the New Global Influenza Strategy 2019-2030 would be launched at a press conference on Monday, 11 March in Press Room 1. The speakers were Dr. Ann Moen, Chief of Influenza Preparedness and Response, and Dr. Martin Friede, Coordinator of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals. It was important that the international community was prepared for an influenza pandemic, which was an inevitable but nevertheless unpredictable event.

Responding to a remark from the press, Mr. Jašareviæ said that questions concerning influenza in specific regions of the world could be directed to the relevant experts or regional offices within WHO.

Ebola virus disease

Responding to questions on the Ebola virus disease, Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that, with regard to combating the Ebola virus disease, WHO and Médecins Sans Frontières shared the same concerns. Some areas, such as Katwa/Butembo, continued to present challenges. The WHO Director-General was currently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to discuss solutions to the outbreak with the Ministry of Health. It was important to note that some progress had been made. For example, around half of the 19 health zones affected had seen no cases for 21 days. Where the community was engaged, it was possible that progress could be made, as had been the case in Beni. Some communities wanted a response that went beyond the Ebola virus disease to encompass problems such as access to health in general. Acceptance of vaccination stood at over 90 per cent and acceptance of safe burial practices at over 80 per cent. Although he agreed that military and police presence at treatment centres and during community visits was not ideal, it was important to ensure the safety of health-care professionals.

Geneva announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that, on Monday, 11 March, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities would open its 21st session, which would run until Friday, 5 April and during which it would review the reports of Cuba, the Niger, Norway, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Spain, Turkey and Vanuatu.

Press conferences

Monday, 11 March at 1.00 p.m. in Press Room 1
OHCHR / Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
Concluding Observations by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Botswana, Colombia, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Serbia, and the United Kingdom.
Speakers:
• Nicole Ameline (Vice-Chair)
• Nahla Haidar

Monday, 18 March at 11.00 a.m., 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/unog080319