REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Rhéal LeBlanc, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section, United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Ebola

Marixie Mercador, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), introduced guest Jerome Pfaffmann, Health Specialist at UNICEF. Mr. Pfaffmann said he had just finished his third deployment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help with the fight against the Ebola outbreak. Several times it was believed the outbreak could be beaten, but the current Ebola response was far more complex than previous ones because it was taking place in an active conflict zone. People in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri were facing humanitarian and public health crises; both provinces were also facing a measles outbreak. In Ituri, half the health facilities had been damaged or destroyed over the last two years. There was also mass displacement, said Mr. Pfaffmann.

A first vaccination campaign in Bunia, the provincial capital, had just finished, where 40,000 children had been vaccinated, but far more needed to be done to protect them from various health risks. Intensifying the public health response and helping communities were both part of the new response plan. UNICEF would need to triple its budget to respond to those complex crises. That included about USD 70 million for epidemic control activities, USD 30 million for building community capacities in at-risk areas, and another USD 17 million to deliver essential services. Mr. Pfaffmann emphasized that colleagues and communities on the ground were fighting the outbreak tirelessly, but support from the international community was desperately needed now more than ever.

There were 2,671 confirmed cases of Ebola as of 28 July, including more than 700 children, more than half of whom (57 percent) were under five years of age. It was unprecedented to have such a proportion of affected children. The outbreak could not be defeated if the communities were not fully mobilized. Having high numbers of community deaths meant they were not ahead of the epidemics. Contact tracing, household decontamination, safe and dignified burial were all necessary.

In two days, on 1 August, it would be the first anniversary since the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This was a wake-up call. A second anniversary must not be allowed, stressed Mr. Pfaffmann.

Asked about the decision of the World Health Organization to elevate the level of the Ebola outbreak to a “global health emergency”, Mr. Pfaffmann responded that the decision to declare an epidemic was welcome. The international community was mobilizing in a significant manner, more actively than in the past, but that was not sufficient and clearly more resources had to be mobilized as soon as possible. The time of reaction of the international community and the speed of reaction needed on the ground were not the same; people on the ground needed the support right now. With every day that passed, the epidemic continued.

On a question about the need to triple UNICEF’s budget, Mr. Pfaffmann explained that UNICEF had not waited for resources to arrive to start the vaccination campaign against measles; however, money was now urgently needed.

Questions were asked on the numbers of the infected and the dead, and why so many children were dying. Mr. Pfaffmann informed that 718 children had been contaminated, and he would revert with the exact number of children who had died. It was unprecedented to have such a high proportion of infected children; between 25 and 30 percent of all Ebola cases in the DRC were children. There had been many nosocomial infections (i.e. infections which happened while receiving care in health care facilities). Much better work needed to be done on preventing infections in health facilities. A massive investment was being made, with active supervision of health facilities and building capacities of the frontline health care workers. The system had been weak in the beginning, and the capacity had been low, so a lot needed to be done in that area. Another reason for so many children infections was that it was very difficult for parents to distinguish between Ebola symptoms and regular childhood illnesses; parents needed to better understand how to limit exposure to risks for their children and how to react properly and quickly. There was improvement, but more needed to be done, not for Ebola only, but also for all other childhood diseases. Parents had to have a possibility to seek care and receive quality and appropriate care for their children.

Responding to another question, Mr. Pfaffmann said the epidemic was at a stage where it could go either way, which was why it was important to act now, invest resources and take control of the epidemic. It was a thin line, and more had to be done. Regarding community mistrust, Mr. Pfaffmann stressed the importance of community dialogue with different groups at the local level to explain the problem and what needed to be done. During the dialogue, various issues were raised by communities, such as water delivery or malfunctioning of the education system. Mr. Pfaffmann stressed that it was a matter of trust, but also of delivering what communities needed.

On a question regarding the budget figures, Mr. Pfaffmann said the exact budget was still being finalized, together with the WHO, the World Bank, the DRC Government and other partners. UNICEF would need an additional USD 70 million for its epidemic control activities, USD 30 million for building community capacities in at-risk areas, and USD 17 million for delivering essential social services. Until now, the appeal had been around USD 50 million, which was why he said the budget would need to triple until the end of 2019.

On whether the deployment of a second vaccine would work, Mr. Pfaffmann emphasized the need for vaccination. That key innovation had helped limit the outbreak. There were extensive discussions on the ground now over the complex issue of adding a second vaccine; the communities should also be able to express their own perspectives on this issue. From the technical perspective, it was difficult to communicate about the need for two vaccines in the same place.

Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that 1 August would be the first anniversary of the Ebola outbreak. Interviews were possible with two colleagues in the field – Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, Assistant Director-General, Emergency Response, and Dr. Michel Yao, the WHO Ebola Incident Manager.

Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, in Geneva was also available for interviews.

Responding to a question, Mr. Lindmeier said that as of the previous day, there had been 2,671 Ebola cases, including 2,577 confirmed cases. There had been 1,790 deaths and 768 survivors. Mr. Lindmeier said Dr. Tedros was not going to attend the meeting in Kigali on 31 July; he could revert with further information regarding the meeting.

On 11 July, a measles vaccination campaign had started in Ituri, targeting 67,000 children. The national immunization day in April had targeted 2.2 million children. Monitoring of malaria was ongoing, especially in the areas with malaria prevalence and areas affected by Ebola.

Violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Rupert Colville, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), read the following statement:

“We are very concerned by the critical condition of a nine-year-old Palestinian child, Abdul Rahman Shteiwi, after he was shot in the head by the Israeli Security Forces (ISF) on 12 July, in what appears to have been an example of excessive use of force. While it has been reported that the Israeli Defense Forces have opened an internal investigation, we call on the Israeli authorities to conduct a thorough, effective, impartial and independent investigation into the incident, and to make sure that those responsible for any wrongdoing are held accountable.

The incident occurred during a weekly protest in the village of Kafr Qaddum, near Nablus. While protesters were burning tires and throwing stones at the ISF, Israeli soldiers -- after initially responding with rubber bullets and stun grenades – reportedly resorted to using live ammunition, without apparent reason to justify the move to use of lethal force.

According to several credible sources, this nine-year-old child, Abdul Rahman, was not taking an active part in the protest. He was reportedly over 100 meters away from the clashes, and manifestly did not present an imminent physical threat to the ISF.

The shot to his forehead resulted in a large hole and multiple skull fractures. Initially taken to a hospital in Nablus, he was later transferred to an Israeli hospital, where he remains alive but in a critical condition. Scans show dozens of fragments in the child’s head resulting in serious brain damage, from which he is unlikely to recover, even if he survives.

The shooting of Abdul Rahman is one of the latest in a long list of incidents in the occupied Palestinian Territory in which children and juveniles have been injured or killed in circumstances that strongly suggest excessive force was used by the ISF.

At the Israel-Gaza fence, after 10 weeks had passed without fatalities at the demonstrations, a 22-year old man was shot and killed by live ammunition on 26 July. However, over the same period, 102 children, mostly teenagers, have been injured by live ammunition fired by the ISF at the fence.

Use of force must be exceptional, and lethal force should only be used in circumstances where there is an imminent threat of death or serious injury to security forces or other individuals, and in strict application of international human rights standards*. Once again, we urge Israel to review the rules of engagement of its security forces, and ensure they are in line with international standards, applicable in all countries.

Children must be afforded special protection. They must not be targeted and must not be put at risk of violence nor encouraged to participate in violence.”

Asked whether Abdul Rahman and other children had been deliberately targeted by the Israeli forces, Mr. Colville said that an independent and impartial investigation was needed to establish the facts in this case. Earlier this year, the Commission of Inquiry into Gaza violence, in its report, had presented some shocking evidence of children being shot. There had been no proof of consistent investigations into each and every one of those incidents. On whether there had been any discussions with the Israeli Government or any response from them, Mr. Colville said there had been discussions over the years, as it was a long-running issue, especially in Gaza. An internal investigation was reportedly underway now by the Israel Security Forces (ISF), but it was never a good idea for an organization to be investigating itself. An independent, impartial investigation was thus needed.

A question was asked about the updated number of people killed by the Gaza fence since the start of the protests and the outcome of the investigations by the Commission of Inquiry. Mr. Colville would need to look into precise current numbers, but added that the number of deaths at the fence had been reduced considerably. Despite this people were still being shot and injured.

Executions in Bahrain

Rupert Colville, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), read the following statement:

“We strongly condemn the execution on 26 July in Manama of two Bahraini citizens, Ali Mohamed Hakeem Al-Arab, 25, and Ahmed Isa Al-Malali, 24. The executions went ahead on Friday night, despite concerns expressed by the High Commissioner, following two earlier public statements by UN human rights experts,* about allegations that the men’s “confessions” were obtained through torture, and about lack of due process and fair trial guarantees. A third man, a migrant worker, was also executed after being convicted of murder.

Al-Arab and Al-Malali were arrested separately in February 2017. They were both tried in a mass hearing with 58 other defendants and convicted in January 2018 on charges of terrorism. They were sentenced to death. In May 2019, the Court of Cassation upheld the death sentence, despite the fact that both clearly indicated that they were tortured to confess to crimes they had not committed.

We are also very concerned about the future of other detainees who remain on death row in Bahrain and are at risk of imminent execution. We call on the Bahraini Government to halt all pending executions and ensure a re-trial of these and other defendants whose rights may have been violated.

We fully support the call by the UN experts for the Bahraini authorities to establish an official moratorium on all executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.”

Asked about the numbers of people in detention and on death row in Bahrain, Mr. Colville said he did not have definite figures, but there were various cases of people on death row. OHCHR believed there were at least eight people on death row, mainly Shia, whose death sentences were connected to the political situation. Two recent executions had been conducted on the basis of confessions allegedly received under torture. Those particular cases had been taken up initially by five Special Procedures mandate holders, and then followed up by the High Commissioner herself once the executions had become imminent on 26 July.

Report on children and armed conflict

Responding to a question on why some serious violators of children’s rights were excluded from the report on children and armed conflict, which was being published today, Marixie Mercado, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), explained that UNICEF was not deciding on who was included in the list. UNICEF produced and verified data and provided it to the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Group; the decision to include or not to include any countries was the purview of the Secretary-General. Ms. Mercado would look at the report and revert with more details. On the same question, Rupert Colville, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that it was the UN Secretary-General’s report. Mr. Colville could not provide further details as he had not read the report yet.

Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), added that today at 10 am New York time (4 p.m. Geneva time), the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, would be briefing on the annual report.

Death penalty in the US

Asked about the decision in the US to reinstate the death penalty at the federal level, Mr. Colville reiterated the OHCHR’s position that the death penalty should be abolished around the world, or there should at least be a moratorium. That was connected to the universal and fundamental right to life and also carried the risk of executing innocent people. There was also no proof that the death penalty served as a deterrent, said Mr. Colville. People from poor backgrounds seemed to be disproportionately affected.

The decision by the US Attorney-General went against the overall trend in the US, where 21 States had already abolished the death penalty, and four others had introduced moratoriums. Globally, the trend had been against the death penalty, with 170 UN Member States having either abolished or placed moratoriums on it. In 2018, the number of people sentenced to death was much lower than in previous decades.

Mr. LeBlanc added that the Secretary-General had been very consistent in expressing his opposition to the death penalty anywhere in the world.

Death of Emrya Wajãpi in Brazil

Asked to comment on the Brazilian President’s statement that there was no evidence that the indigenous leader Emrya Wajãpi had been murdered, Rupert Colville, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said there was a need for an independent, impartial investigation. Reports from the Wajãpi group themselves said their leader had been murdered.

Arrests in Russia

Responding to a question on the recent arrests and the condition of Alexei Navalny in Russia, Rupert Colville for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said he was not able to comment on the case. He said the Russian police had used excessive force, which had allegedly resulted in over 70 injured demonstrators. Russian citizens should be allowed to participate in peaceful assembly under the international human rights law. The use of force should be proportionate, and force should be a measure of last resort: those were the basic principles of policing.

OHCHR had concerns about the rights of those detained. Those arrested should have a right to a lawyer and a fair trial; they also had the right not to confess and incriminate themselves, and the right to access to health care, food and water. Mr. Colville, in another response, said it was a very fluid situation and there was no information at the moment on how many people were in detention. Some had been apparently rearrested after they continued to protest.

Mr. Colville added that many opposition and independent candidates who wanted to run in the local elections in Moscow had been disqualified because of alleged fraudulent signatures. Candidates had the basic right to participate in public affairs, in line with article 25 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Russia was a signatory of the Covenant. People had the right to peaceful assembly and expression of opinion, as well as the right to participate in public life. Countries had the right to set the threshold for participation in elections, explained Mr. Colville, but it was unusual that only opposition or independent candidates had been banned from competing in the upcoming elections.

Programme of UNCTAD in September

Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), presented the organization’s programme for September.

On 4 September, the Digital Economy Report would be launched. The report would focus on the value created in the digital economy, primarily by the largest actors such as the United States and China, and how developing countries could benefit from it. There were still more questions than answers, and the report looked at various aspects, including infrastructure, competencies, protection of data, etc. A press conference would be held several days in advance, and a press kit would be distributed some 10 days in advance, under embargo.

From 9 to 13 September, there would be the first UN Trade Forum addressing trade and climate changes, an issue for which there was no real forum globally. Three heads of government, including the Prime Minister of Barbados, would take part. On 10 September, the Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, would deliver the prestigious Raúl Prebisch Lecture. A more detailed programme would be distributed in advance.

On 10 September, the Report on UNCTAD Assistance to the Palestinian People would also be published. It will provide and update on developments in the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and its long-term prospects. This year’s edition will have a special focus on the energy crisis. A press conference would take place on 9 September.

On 16 September, the Commodities and Development Report with a focus on climate change would be presented. A briefing would be held the same day, without embargo.

On 25 September, UNCTAD would publish its annual Trade and Development Report, which showed that the private sector alone could not resolve the climate change challenges. Joint action, including by governments, was needed at both the national and international levels. The report would be presented under embargo on 19 September.

Ms. Huissoud invited the media to register at UNCTAD’s online press room, where they could access those and other reports under embargo. Press kits were no longer printed in hard copies.

World Breastfeeding Week

Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed that the World Breastfeeding Week would take place from 1 to 6 August. The week aimed to encourage breast feeding around the world and to improve health of both mothers and babies. The focus this year was on promoting family-friendly policies, including paid maternity leave of a minimum 18 weeks, paid paternity leave, plus access to parent-friendly workplaces. A joint WHO-UNICEF statement was coming shortly. WHO specialists were available for interviews throughout this week.

Geneva announcements

Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, informed that today was the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. The Secretary-General’s message on this occasion was available. “More needs to be done to bring transnational trafficking networks to justice, and most of all, to ensure that victims are identified and can access the protection and services they need,” said the Secretary-General’s message.

Mr. LeBlanc said that this morning the Committee against Torture began the examination of the report of Bangladesh, to be conducted tomorrow morning.

Mr. LeBlanc also said the Conference on Disarmament was holding a plenary meeting this morning with a substantive focus on agenda item 1 – “Cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament”.

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog300719