REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Corinne Momal-Vanian, Director of the UN Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the Spokespersons for the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme, the World Meteorological Organization, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the Human Rights Council, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Vanuatu

Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), informed that the humanitarian response had begun in Vanuatu in spite of logistical challenges because of the country’s layout composed by more than eighty islands. The communication infrastructure was in poor condition, causing difficulties in the humanitarian coordination. However, the Government was clearly in charge of the response and President Baldwin Lonsdale had asked for international assistance.

The international community had begun the mobilisation through NGOs and the UN. The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team had arrived there on 16 March and begun its work in supporting the Government in coordinating the humanitarian response and assessing the situation.

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), informed that nearly 3,300 people had been forced to find shelter in evacuation centres in Vanuatu, with around 60,000 children in urgent need of assistance.

UNICEF was delivering life-saving aid to children: providing clean water, sanitation and health supplies, as well as keeping children safe from harm. Volunteers had worked through the night at UNICEF’s warehouse in Fiji, to help prepare additional supplies for children in Vanuatu, amid fears of outbreaks of waterborne disease.

Many communities still did not have access to safe drinking water. With the little information available, especially from Tafea Province, it was clear that substantial support for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) would be required. Water supply in the capital Port Vila was back in perhaps 80 per cent of areas. However, concerns continued to be raised regarding water safety, and provision of clean water to unserved areas and general WASH services in crowded places such as evacuation centres, was urgent. It was also urgent to assess needs outside of Port Vila.

Mr. Boulierac stated that malnutrition was also a concern as there were food shortages and damage to root crops. With a measles outbreak just a few months earlier, it was crucial that the just started measles campaign was successful and rolled out to the whole country. A cold chain and supply assessment was a priority for the rest of Efate and other provinces.

Health facilities had been severely damaged, including the National Hospital in Port Vila.

UNICEF had dispatched health emergency kits from prepositioned stocks in Fiji, to complement the supplies maintained in Port Vila, and other partners had also flown in supplies, but more were needed. Disease outbreaks were a concern, particularly for diarrhea.

Regarding education, Mr. Boulierac said that early childhood centres, as well as primary and secondary schools, had been damaged by the cyclone or were being used as evacuation centres. At least 70,000 school-aged children were missing out on education as a result. To date, over 28 schools were being used as evacuation centres in Efate and six in Torba and Penama. There was structural damage to a majority of schools in those provinces and therefore a need to set up temporary schools and WASH facilities. Tents, school-in-a-box kits and early childhood kits were being supplied by UNICEF to set up safe temporary learning and recreation spaces for children. A temporary school lunch programme was also being considered.

Mr. Boulierac concluded by saying that most children would be needing psychosocial support to deal with the trauma. There was also a need to establish procedures for identification and care for separated and orphaned children.

UNICEF needed USD 3 million, which was subject to revisions after assessments completed.

Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), stated that Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam had been one of the most powerful cyclones to make landfall. It had been the equivalent of a Category 5 and was comparable in intensity to Haiyan (900 hPa compared to 890hPa for Haiyan).

Winds had been estimated to have reached 250 km/hr with gusts of 320 km/hr. Its maximum speed had been more than enough to lift an airplane when it had made a direct hit on the capital Port Vila.

The Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Tivalu had been also impacted.

At the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, WMO’s central messages had been that there was a need for a coordinated multi-hazard early warning systems and that investment in meteorological services saved lives.

In the case of Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam, the early warnings issued by WMO’s Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in Fiji and by local meteorological services had indeed been accurate. Without those warnings, the loss of life would have been much greater. Nonetheless, the intensity of the storm had been such that it had caused a lot of material damage.

Ms. Nullis explained that Vanuatu was a small island developing State extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, extreme weather events and sea level rise. In 2014, WMO had launched a major initiative to improve weather and climate services for such States.

While each individual cyclone or extreme event could not be contributed to climate change, in general terms it was true to say that a warmer ocean and atmosphere added more energy to storms.

Benoit Carpentier and Simon Eccleshall, for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), informed that the IFRC had launched an emergency appeal for Vanuatu, asking for CHF 3.9 million for food, water, shelter, health and urgently needed non-food items to support 60,000 people affected by Tropical Cyclone Pam. That appeal could be revised over the coming days on the basis of further assessments that were being undertaken.

The Vanuatu Red Cross Society had mobilized over 100 staff and volunteers for the response and for the preparedness in the days leading up to the impact of the storm, providing important services to displaced people, including food, water and immediate medical care.

The International Federation had mobilized its international disaster response mechanisms to provide search capacity to Vanuatu, with the arrival of a five-person field assessment and coordination team on the ground, which was undertaking a more detailed assessment and would trigger the deployment of emergency response units. Given the challenges around the logistics, the IFRC was being careful to select the right assets to send with a particular effort to be complementary to the efforts of other organizations.

In addition to Vanuatu, the impact of Tropical Cyclone Pam and other storms in the region had meant they also needed to respond in the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tuvalu and Kiribati. The national societies in those countries were also being mobilized and supported through the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund.

The IFRC was also supporting the international coordination efforts through the provision of shelter cluster coordination and would be appealing for that through their emergency appeal and mobilizing teams that would work with the shelter cluster coordination system.

The IFRC representatives concluded by saying that the scale of the disaster was very large in proportion to the population of Vanuatu, and the access issues meant that it would be some time before they had a clear picture of the level of destruction and the scale of the humanitarian need in the dispersed communities in Vanuatu and in some of the other countries in the region.

Elisabeth Byrs, for the World Food Programme (WFP), informed that the WFP was working to support the humanitarian response to Cyclone Pam in all areas of its mandate, including emergency food assistance, logistics and telecommunications interventions.

While there did not appear to be a need for the WFP to bring in large quantities of food assistance at present, WFP had been asked to provide logistics support for management of relief items, technical assistance in organising food distributions, and IT support. WFP had contingency stocks of High-Energy Biscuits on standby and ready to be airlifted into the country if necessary.

A preliminary, remote assessment by the WFP indicated that some 171,000 people (or two thirds of the population) had been affected by the cyclone. That included 38,000 people living directly on the path of the cyclone who were believed to have been severely affected. The assessment was based on the known living conditions of people on or near the path of the cyclone and would need to be verified by on-the-ground follow-up.

A WFP logistics officer had arrived in Port Vila on 16 March. Two WFP Emergency Telecommunications officers would arrive in Port Vila today. The Government had requested satellite equipment to facilitate communication between the islands, as well as support to set up communications systems to coordinate the humanitarian response.

Ms. Byrs said that different assistance would be needed to support those who had suffered losses in the agricultural sector, which had been severely affected by the storm. That included destruction of the banana crop and most coconut trees, loss of vegetable and fruit crops, destruction of small livestock and fishing infrastructure, as well as loss of food and seed stocks.

The major livelihood activities in the affected areas were related to agriculture, predominantly coconut, roots and tubers, cocoa, and fruits and vegetables. Copra, the dry meat of coconut, was by far the most significant agricultural export.

Ms. Byrs specified that over 80 per cent of the population in Vanuatu was engaged in agriculture, both for subsistence and cash crops, such as coconuts and kava. Coconut plantations, which were the key agricultural commodity in the country, were likely to have been severely damaged. Given the heavy reliance of communities on coconuts and coconut products, impact on livelihoods was likely to be long-lasting. Fishing was a key livelihood in coastal areas, and it might now have been disrupted due to severe winds resulting in loss of fishing boats and other assets.

Fadéla Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed that the WHO was working with the Ministry of Health of Vanuatu to assess the damage and coordinate response efforts. The full health impact of Cyclone Pam was not yet clear as communication systems on the island had been damaged. The Villa Central Hospital, the main hospital, had been damaged and partly flooded. There would be problems with receiving the injured as there was limited space capacity. Health care centres and dispensaries were frequently not accessible and damaged. Sanitary risks included diarrheic diseases, dengue fever, influenza and measles. Campaign of vaccination against measles, which had been present also before the cyclone, would resume now to reduce its spread. Needs of the persons suffering from chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, were also paid attention to.

Ms. Chaib added that the National Emergency Operating Centre of Vanuatu, in coordination with the WHO and the Ministry of Health, was managing the information gathering, initial response and planning for assessments. They were also coordinating assistance to people living in evacuation centres. WHO had an office in Vanuatu, Ms. Chaib specified.

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Cecile Pouilly, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the OHCHR was deeply concerned about the prolonged political impasse in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and its human rights implications.

OHCHR was particularly disturbed by the contents of recently published taped conversations that would seem to incriminate senior officials in a number of apparent human rights violations, including election fraud, harassment of civil society and opposition members, interference with the judiciary and the mass media, as well as mass surveillance. OHCHR was also concerned about espionage accusations directed against the head of the largest opposition party.

OHCHR called upon the authorities to launch a prompt, independent, thorough and impartial investigation into all allegations of wrongdoing, regardless of their source, and to ensure that the results are made public. The authorities were also urged to ensure accountability for any breach of the rule of law or human rights violation revealed by such an investigation, which would help reinforce public confidence in State institutions.

In the current uncertain political environment, it was especially important to guarantee the independence of the judiciary, respect for the rule of law and freedom of the press. International standards of fair trial and due process should also be fully respected.

All parties were called on to exercise restraint and to engage in a meaningful dialogue aimed at resolving the political crisis in a way that would ensure full respect for human rights.

Ms. Pouilly said that the OHCHR would continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to assist.

Myanmar

Asked for a comment on the arrest of citizens in Myanmar who were drawing images of Buddha, Ms. Pouilly said that the OHCHR believed that criminal law should not be used to penalize those expressing their religious feelings. The previous month, the High Commissioner had issued a press statements expressing his concern on the curtailing of freedoms in Myanmar. A press conference by the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar would take place in Geneva the following day.

South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia

Karin de Gruijl, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), informed that the UNHCR had started the relocation this week of more than 50,000 South Sudanese refugees from flood-prone areas ahead of the rainy season, which was expected to start in late April. The refugees were being moved from the Leitchuor and Nip Nip refugee camps in the Gambella region, western Ethiopia. In August 2014, both camps had been severely hit by flood waters during unusually heavy seasonal rains, causing the Baro river to burst its banks.

The first group of 377 refugees had left in a convoy of 11 vehicles, including buses, ambulance, a luggage truck and security escort. The refugees had received high energy biscuits and water as they had boarded the buses for the 300 km long journey, which took about eight hours.

A total of 51,316 refugees from flood-prone areas in the two camps would be relocated (2,888 refugees from Nip Nip and 48,428 from Leitchuor). The group from Nip Nip would be moved to the existing Pugnido camp, which currently hosted nearly 56,000 South Sudanese refugees. An additional camp, Jewi, located some 18 km from the regional capital Gambella, had been opened over the weekend. The new camp was now being developed to accommodate the larger group of refugees from Leitchuor and their transfer would start in early April this year.

UNHCR was undertaking the relocation exercise in collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia represented by the Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs and other organizations, including the International Organization for Migration, which was transporting the refugees.

Some two million people had been uprooted by the violence in South Sudan since December 2013. Nearly 1.5 million people were internally displaced inside the country and more than half a million across the border into neighbouring countries, many of whom to Ethiopia.

Ethiopia was Africa’s largest refugee-hosting country with more than 670,000 refugees, mainly from Somalia, followed by South Sudan, Sudan and Eritrea. That included more than 250,000 South Sudanese refugees in the Gambella region, of whom more than 194,000 had arrived since mid–December 2013.

Asked when the first convoy had left, Ms. de Gruijl said that it had happened on 15 March. The new camps would be full-fledged camps with services, schools, health distribution points, and refugees would be expected to stay there. They could be closed only when everyone had left.

World Water Day

Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that, on the occasion of World Water Day on 22 March, there was an ongoing conference on water, sanitation, hygiene and health care facilities, which was a very timely topic.

Dr. Bruce Gordon, also for the WHO, said that, for the first time ever, a look had been taken at all the available data on water, sanitation, hygiene and health care facilities in 6,000 health facilities in 94 countries. It was found that 40 per cent of checked facilities lacked any source of water at all, which was an important finding in the process of preparation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr. Gordon said that larger hospitals had better services than primary care posts, but overall some 15 per cent of patients around the world would acquire an infection in health facilities. Digging further into the data, there was reason for more concern. In Haiti, for example, 13 per cent of health facilities were receiving pipe water, which particularly affected some essential facilities, such as birth wards.

Only one quarter of the 94 countries had actually developed and implemented policies or plans to tackle that issue. It had not been part of any systematic monitoring framework, and had been largely ignored. The objective of the meeting “Water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities- urgent needs and action” was to come up with a global action plan. Various Ministers of Health, water experts and civil sector representatives were involved in addressing that issue properly.

Asked about the countries surveyed, Dr. Gordon said that the data came mostly from surveys in developing countries, covering Africa more than other regions. The report was available at the back of the room.

Human Rights Council

Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council (HRC), stated that the Syrian Commission of Inquiry had delivered its 9^th report to the Human Rights Council at 9 a.m. and was currently engaged in an interactive discussion that had included approximately 55 States and NGOs. The discussion would end at noon. The Commission’s statements as well as the statement by the concerned country had been shared the previous day and were available on the HRC extranet. HRC had confirmed that the speaker from Syria had been Ambassador Hussam Edin Aala.

Around noon, the Council would start a general debate on the country situations that would last throughout the day and the press conference from the Commission would still be held in Press Room III at 2 p.m. All four commissioners would attend.

The following day there would be a presentation from the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák, who would discuss the issue of hate speech and incitement to hatred against minorities in the media, as well as her visits to Nigeria and Ukraine. The report would be available online.

The head of the Gaza Commission of Inquiry would present only an oral procedural update on 23 March. The final written report would be shared at the June session of the Council.

Ms. Momal-Vanian informed that the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Yanghee, Lee, will hold a press conference in Press Room 1 at 10.30 a.m. on 18 March.

Today, at 2 p.m. in Press Room III, the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, after presenting its latest report to the Human Rights Council, would hold a press conference. The report charted the major trends and patterns of human rights and humanitarian law violations perpetrated from March 2011 to January 2015 and draws from more than 3,556 interviews with victims and eyewitnesses in and outside of the country collected since September 2011.

Geneva activities

Ms. Momal-Vanian said that the Conference on Disarmament was holding a public meeting today under the presidency of Morocco.

The Human Rights Committee had started a session on 16 March, and was considering the report of Russia this morning.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) would hold a press conference in Press Room I on 19 March at 11 a.m. Director General Francis Gurry would present data on the International Patent System, International Trademark and Design Systems, and Doman Names Trends in 2014.

Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), announced the launch of their first report of 2015, the Information Economy Report, which would be published on 24 March 2015 at 5:00 p.m. The Geneva press conference, given by the UNCTAD Secretary-General and the Report Officer, was scheduled for 23 March at 2:30 p.m. in Press Room I. In the report, experts had defined a new index that measures the disposition of 130 countries to develop their electronic business market. There was an important field to develop in developing countries relating to that domain. The report contained cartography of cyber legislation and shed light on the huge gaps amongst different developing countries.

Documents were available in the virtual press room and Press Room I in English, French, Russian, Chinese and Arabic.

Ms. Chaib reminded that the Ministerial Conference on Global Action Against Dementia was taking place in Geneva on 16-17 March. A press conference would take place in the Library Room of the WHO at 3:30 p.m. Speakers would be WHO Director Dr. Margaret Chan, UK Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt and Stefan Kapferer, Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Ms. Momal-Vanian said that the First Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia, David Dondua, would hold a press conference in Room III on 18 March at 5 p.m, following the 31^st round of the Geneva International Discussions which were held at the CICG.

Mr. Carpentier reminded that on Friday 20 March at 9.00 a.m., the Secretary-General of the IFRC would give a press conference to launch a campaign “Words against ebola”.

Spokespersons for the International Labour Organization, the International Telecommunications Union and the International Organization for Migration were also present, but did not brief.
The webcast for this briefing is available here: … http://bit.ly/unog170315