REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Corinne Momal-Vanian, the Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by spokespersons of the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Meteorological Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration.

Haiti

Elisabeth Byrs of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said a meeting for Member States on the cholera epidemic in Haiti would take place this afternoon at 3 p.m. The meeting would notably serve to underscore the importance of the USD 163.8 million appeal, which had been launched last week and which was essential to continuing the stepping up of efforts.

Ms. Byrs said although the case numbers continued to rise, the number of deaths was not rising at the same rate. This demonstrated that, although this was a very virulent and highly contagious strain of cholera, the medical interventions were working, and the majority of people who presented themselves at clinics were now surviving. The work of the national authorities, with the support of the humanitarian community, was now to boost prevention and the in-country treatment capacity. About 1,200 bags were very notably needed to bury the bodies without exacerbating the cholera epidemic.

Asked what the requested USD 163.8 million would be needed for, Ms. Byrs said the overall appeal for Haiti was insufficiently funded. Some sectors, especially the health sector, were not very well financed. More money was notably needed to purchase water purification tablets and rehydration salts, to increase the number of medical staff and to train medical personnel. This appeal would be included in the 2011 CAP for Haiti, Ms. Byrs underscored. Ms. Marixie Mercado of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) added that a cholera-response was always a very heavily supply-oriented response. In fact, 4.4 million aquatabs and 2.3 million tons of chlorine had been provided to the Haitian authorities in the past few weeks. In terms of social mobilization efforts, the aim was to reach all the 22,000 schools in Haiti, notably through training of teachers.

Ms. Fadéla Chaib of the World Health Organization (WHO) said there was a scientific consensus that cholera would remain an issue in Haiti for several years to come. WHO continued to prepare for more cases, mostly in remote areas, and to open new treatment centers. Several levels of assistance were offered to cholera-affected people, Ms. Chaib said, underscoring that mild cases were treated at a community level and serious ones referred to cholera treatment centers. Social mobilization and education efforts were now very important, given that many Haitians were very scared and knew little about cholera.

Asked to comment on reports that the Port-au-Prince hospitals were packed, Ms. Chaib said there were seven cholera treatment centers in Port-au-Prince with a capacity of 1,000 beds. In addition, 14 public and private hospitals had each a capacity of 10 to 50 cholera beds. Nonetheless, WHO was trying to enhance the capacity of both hospitals and cholera treatment centers by setting up 10 new cholera treatment centers for severe cases, with a capacity of 100 to 400 beds each.

Responding to a question on the importance of providing information on the source of the epidemic at a time when violent incidents had occurred around this issue, Ms. Momal-Vanian said that some of the incidents may have been politically motivated. She quoted Mr. Nigel Fisher, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, who had noted in a press conference the day before: “With elections coming up, we are concerned that these issues around cholera not be manipulated for political ends”. She also recalled Mr. Fisher’s statement that emphasis today was on trying to contain the number of deaths”.


Benin

Ms. Byrs said the USD 46,847,399 million appeal launched following the floods in Benin, which had affected 680,000 people, was currently funded to 10 per cent, with USD 4.5 million received. Water distribution activities were taking place and a campaign to disinfect wells would continue in Cotonou. Monitoring of the cholera outbreak was also continuing in Cotonou, the area with the highest number of cases. 24 new cases had been reported last week, bringing the total number of cholera cases to 911. Malaria is also of high concern in flood-affected areas. Ms. Byrs said over 500 tons of food had been distributed by the World Food Programme to almost 42,000 people in the region. However, the appeal must be heard in order to continue the monitoring and containment efforts regarding cholera and to avoid the plight of flood-affected people worsening.

UNICEF report on Female Genital Mutilation

Marixie Mercado of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said a study of how communities in Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, Senegal and Sudan were ending the practice of female genital mutilation in the face of strong countervailing social pressures would be released on Thursday by UNICEF's independent research centre.

Global estimates ranged from 70 to 140 million girls and women who had undergone some form of female genital mutilation or cutting. It was practiced in many countries in Africa, some countries in Asia and the Middle East, and to a lesser extent within immigrant communities in Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. In Africa, an estimated three million girls were at risk of mutilation/cutting each year, Ms. Mercado said.

The study looked at what was called the abandonment process – the situation whereby communities reached a collective, coordinated decision to stop practicing female genital mutilation or cutting. The study showed that in communities where it was practiced, the principal motivating force was often the desire to protect girls and, in many cases, to make them eligible for marriage. Interestingly, this motivating factor of mothers doing what is best for their daughters, may also spur a decision to stop the practice, once social norms have evolved and social expectations have changed.

While the prevalence remained high, there had been significant changes in attitudes among girls and women aged 15-49 years old. In Ethiopia, for example, reported support for mutilation or cutting had been halved from 60 percent in 2000 to 31 percent in 2005. The findings also had implications in terms of addressing other harmful practices and forms of violence against girls and women, such as forced and child marriage, which were influenced by similar social dynamics, Ms. Mercado said.

Launch of the WMO annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin

Clare Nullis of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said WMO would next week issue its Annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which provided WMO-compiled data from 2009. A press conference with WMO's research department Co-director Len Barrie, and possibly WMO Deputy Secretary-General Jerry Lengoasa, would take place at 11 a.m. or 12 a.m. on 24 November.

UNHCR relocates Sudanese refugees from Central African Republic’s volatile border region

Andrej Mahecic of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that last week UNHCR and the Government had begun the relocation by air of some 3,500 Sudanese refugees in the Central African Republic from the camp at Sam Ouandja in the country’s far northeast to the Bambari region in the safer south-central part of the country. This refugee air-lift was taking place over approximately one month, with four daily rotations using 35-seater Dash-8 planes - larger planes simply could not land on the short Sam Ouandja airstrip. So far some 500 people had been moved.

Most of the refugees at Sam Ouandja originated from Dafak, a town some 200 kilometers away in Sudan’s southern Darfur. They had fled on foot in June 2007 to escape fighting and had been at Sam Ouandja ever since, but in conditions that over the past two years had become increasingly
difficult.

Two main and related factors had made the move necessary. The first was insecurity. Sam Ouandja lies just 80 kilometers from the border with Darfur in an area with almost no government presence - the camp had found itself being frequently visited by fighters. The presence of armed bandits and rebels, and the withdrawal of MINURCAT, the UN peace-keeping
mission securing the camp, had been further reasons for the move.

Secondly, UNHCR faced extreme logistical difficulties in monitoring and assisting refugees in this remote part of the Central African Republic. Poor road conditions had limited the ability of UNHCR to transport aid to the camp. Instead of monthly distributions, the food and aid had been delivered every two or three months. During the rainy season it took, on average, some ten days for the trucks loaded with aid to cover the 950 kilometers between Bangui and Sam Ouandja, Mr. Mahecic said.

The new camp lies just outside Bambari, where UNHCR had recently opened an office. Bambari was itself some 380 kilometers north east from the capital Bangui and was significantly more accessible. The camp had ample capacity for the people being moved there. On arrival
refugees stayed at the transit centre for five days while constructing new family shelters with the kits UNHCR provided.

IOM appeals for Urgent Funds to Help Stranded Ethiopian Migrants

Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said several hundred migrants were stuck at the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border in a desperate plight. This weekend, IOM had helped 610 people, mostly Ethiopians, to travel to Addis Ababa. But several hundred migrants, including women and children, remained in a dire situation in the city of Haradh upon their illegal arrival in Yemen, trying to travel to Saudi Arabia. The zone was now much more monitored due to previous concerns about insecurity and the migrants could thus no longer illegally cross the border and were stuck in Haradh. Their living conditions were extremely dire and they often lived without a roof over their head and without medical assistance.

IOM had identified some 1,000 people in need of urgent repatriation. The funding received to date had been used to help the above-mentioned 610 people. But this funding has come to an end and more was needed to assist the people stranded in Haradh. IOM was appealing for about USD 1 million to continue the urgent evacuation and repatriation of these people.

Geneva Activities

Corinne Momal-Vanian said the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had yesterday held a day of general discussion on sexual and reproductive health. The Committee would conclude its session on Friday and would be convening in closed meetings for the rest of the week to adopt its concluding observations on the reports examined during this session. (Information was later received that the Committee may in fact issue its concluding observations on Monday 22 November.) The Committee against Torture would also conclude its session this Friday and would meet in private this week.

Ms. Momal-Vanian reminded journalists that the International Labour Organization would launch the “World Social Security report 2010-2011: providing coverage in times of crisis and beyond” at a press conference taking place today at 1.30 p.m. in Press Room I. The speakers would be Assane Diop, ILO Executive Director, Social Protection Sector, and Michael Cichon, Director of the ILO Social Security Department.

Summaries of the press conferences of Nigel Fisher, Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations Mission for the Stabilization of Haiti, and that of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, on her first visit to Sudan, both of which had taken place yesterday in New York, were available on the United Nations website.

Ms. Momal-Vanian noted that tomorrow was an official holiday for the United Nations and that offices would be closed at the Palais des Nations.

WHO Agenda

Fadela Chaib of the World Health Organization (WHO) drew attention to the launch of the “Global report on antimalarial drug efficacy and drug resistance: 2000–2010”, to take place on Thursday 18 November at 11 a.m. in Press Room I. The speakers would be Dr. Robert Newman, Director of WHO's Global Malaria Department, and Dr. Pascal Ringwald, Coordinator a.i. of the Drug Resistance and Containment Unit, Global Malaria Programme. The English version of the report would be available tomorrow and could be sent out by email.

Also this week, on 19 November 2010 at 2 p.m. in Press Room I, WHO would launch the World Health Report 2010, entitled "Health Systems Financing: The Path to Universal Coverage." The primary launch would take place on 22 November in Germany. But this Friday journalists were given the opportunity of being briefed on the report by Dr. David Evans, Director of Health Systems Financing at the WHO. The World Health Report 2010 was available in English, French and Spanish, and summaries were offered in the three other official United Nations languages. These documents would perhaps be made available to journalists as early as this afternoon.