REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Corinne Momal-Vanian, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by Spokespersons for the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Organization for Migration, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the United Nations Human Rights Office, the United Nations Refugee Agency and the World Health Organization.

Interim Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva

Corinne Momal-Vanian, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said today was her last press briefing before taking up a new appointment within the United Nations Office at Geneva from Wednesday, 15 April. Ms Momal-Vanian introduced Ahmad Fawzi as the Interim Director of the Information Service. A professional biography of Mr. Fawzi has been issued in English and French.

Syria talks

Ahmad Fawzi, Interim Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, in response to media reports confirmed that the United Nations Special Envoy on Syria, Staffan de Mistura, planned to hold a new round of political consultations in Geneva. Upon instructions by the Secretary-General to enhance efforts towards operationalizing the Geneva Communiqué, the Special Envoy would proceed, starting in May with a series of in-depth, separate consultations with the Syrian stakeholders as well as regional and international actors in order to take stock of their views on the current situation as it was unfolding in Syria and the region, and on the Geneva Communiqué. No invitations had been sent out yet, emphasized Mr. Fawzi. Both the Special Envoy and his Deputy, Izzeddin Ramsay Ramsay, were heavily engaged in pre-consultations with stakeholders and discussions on the nature of the process, which would start next month in Geneva. Mr. Fawzi noted that the Special Envoy would brief the United Nations Security Council on Friday, 24 April, and said he would share that briefing with the media in Geneva as soon as possible after delivery.

Syria

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said despite huge challenges in getting access UNICEF had managed to deliver 43 trucks carrying much-needed humanitarian applies to Qamishli in north-east Syria. The trucks passed through the Nusyabin crossing point in Turkey over the past few days and the supplies on board would assist 2.3 million people in need, he said. The shipments included water treatment products, hygiene and baby kits, water purification tablets, washing powder and soap, diarrhoea disease sets, and midwifery kits.

The delivery of the much-needed humanitarian assistance came at a critical time when access all over Syria was a challenge for UNICEF and other humanitarian actors, said Mr. Boulierac. UNICEF estimated that there were around one million children in need of humanitarian assistance in north-east Syria. Across the country there were more than 5.6 million Syrian children in urgent need, including more than two million children living in hard-to-reach areas with limited or no access to humanitarian assistance. Mr. Boulierac quoted the words of Hanaa Singer, UNICEF Representative in Syria, who said “the delivery is a significant break-through but it is certainly not enough and we would need more to reach children impacted by the conflict across the country especially those living in hard-to-reach areas”.

Ukraine

Anastasia Isyuk, for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said the International Committee of the Red Cross was appealing for extra funds to tackle the severe humanitarian situation following a year of intense conflict in eastern Ukraine. The ICRC was requesting donors to provide an extra 32 million Swiss francs (US$34 million) to finance its operations in response to the crisis in Ukraine, helping both people in Ukraine and the refugees and displaced people in neighbouring countries.

Ms. Isyuk said there were concerns that the humanitarian situation in Ukraine could disappear from the international spotlight due to other crises, but it was important to observe the needs in the country. ICRC had recently been able to move more around Ukraine and witness the needs of people, including near the frontline. The situation was dramatic. The hospitals, schools and key infrastructure had been damaged and infrastructure not fully functioning. There was an economic crisis across the region as a whole. The ICRC’s message to the international community at large was not to forget Ukraine and to help it ensure people had their needs met, in particular the nearly two million displaced people in need of urgent humanitarian aid.

Tasha Rumley, for the International Committee of the Red Cross Office in Mariupol, Ukraine, speaking via telephone, said since the second ceasefire started in February ICRC had finally been able to access frontline locations, including towns close to Donetsk which had experienced fighting for many months, since last July. In addition to the usual aid items ICRC had distributed construction materials, heaters and generators to help the many people who had been sheltering from the shelling and the winter in basements.

Some improvements had been seen since the ceasefire in February, but certain places remained hard to access, such as Shyrokyne, where the fighting had not stopped. An ICRC team had managed to visit Shyrokyne one week ago, during a one-day ceasefire, where it delivered assistance to the residents and brought back a dead body which had been left in a house for two weeks. Ms. Rumley described the situation in many ‘hotspots’ as desperate, and said the people felt dismayed and outraged. They felt that the conflict was unacceptable and did not understand why it continued.

Responding to questions from journalists, Ms. Rumley said intense fighting had continued over the last few days in Shyrokyne, and for the first time in weeks windows in Mariupol city had been shaking as a result. The fighting remained very local to the Shyrokyne area. The rest of the area covered by the ICRC office was largely stable, she said, but nobody knew what would happen and ICRC staff were ready in case of any resumption of hostilities.

Freedom of movement was an issue, said Ms. Rumley in response to another question. The ICRC was asking the authorities to improve the situation. People living in opposition-controlled territory had relative freedom of movement because they could use official crossing points and apply for a permit to pass through, but ICRC was concerned about the fate of people living in the buffer zone, the villages between the last Ukrainian checkpoint and the first opposition checkpoint. The people living in those villages had difficulties in reaching an official crossing point because the frontline cut across the land and roads. Most people living in the buffer zone had jobs in Mariupol but had difficulties in going to work, to the shops, to access their money and pensions and so on, said Ms. Rumley.

Yemen

Jens Laerke, for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said since the air campaign began 26 March in Yemen, humanitarian partners on the ground had estimated that more than 121,000 people had been displaced from their homes. The new displacement was concentrated in the north-western corner of the country with nearly 60,000 displaced in Hajjah governorate, nearly 30,000 displaced in Amran governorate and more than 18,600 displaced in Sa’ada governorate. The numbers were however difficult to verify as people continued to be on the move, noted Mr. Laerke.

Humanitarian partners were providing assistance including water, sanitation and health services but the response was constrained by continued high insecurity due to airstrikes and fighting on the ground. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen had called for pauses in the hostilities to allow aid to enter Yemen and be further distributed, he added. Mr. Laerke also said that humanitarian partners in Yemen expected to launch an urgent ‘flash’ humanitarian appeal this week to raise funds for the response, which would include more assessments from the ground.

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said UNICEF’s second airlift into Yemen had left Copenhagen this morning and landed in Sana’a this afternoon. The 76 metric tonnes of aid on board were being unloaded now, he said. The aid mostly consisted of safe drinking water and medical equipment.

Ravina Shamsadani for the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said the High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein today issued a call to all sides to the conflict in Yemen to ensure that attacks resulting in civilian casualties were promptly investigated and that international human rights and international humanitarian law were scrupulously respected during the conduct of hostilities in the country. In addition to hundreds of fighters, at least 364 civilians were reported to have lost their lives since March 26, including at least 84 children and 25 women. Another 681 civilians – possibly more – had been injured. Dozens of public buildings, including hospitals, schools, airports and mosques had been destroyed in airstrikes, through shelling and other attacks.

Over the past week, street fighting also intensified in densely populated areas, particularly in Aden between armed groups affiliated with President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi on one side, and those affiliated with the Houthis and the former President Ali Abdullah Saleh on the other. There had also been accounts of recruitment of children as fighters in Aden, Dhale and Mareb, said Ms. Shamdasani.

“Every hour we are receiving and documenting deeply disturbing and distressing reports of the toll that this conflict is taking on civilian lives and infrastructure,” Ms. Shamdasani quoted High Commissioner Zeid as saying. “Such a heavy civilian death toll ought to be a clear indication to all parties to this conflict that there may be serious problems in the conduct of hostilities. The parties to the conflict are obliged to ensure that international humanitarian law and international human rights law are scrupulously respected and that the civilian population is protected. Any suspected breach of international law must be urgently investigated with a view to ensuring victims’ right to justice and redress and to ensure that such incidents do not recur.”

High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein had stressed that parties to the conflict must take all feasible measures to avoid locating military objectives in populated residential areas and must exercise maximum care to ensure that civilians and civilian objects are protected against dangers arising from military operations, said Ms. Shamdasani.

Over the last few days, several airstrikes by coalition forces had hit residential areas and civilian homes in Amran, Taiz, Ibb, Aljawf and Sa’da. On Saturday, an airstrike, reportedly targeting a nearby military base in Taiz, hit a residential area about 500 metres away, killing ten civilians and injuring seven. All such attacks needed to be thoroughly and transparently investigated by the coalition forces. Over the past three weeks, at least 52 public buildings had been either partially or completely destroyed, by airstrikes as well as by shelling and other forms of ground-fire.

Eight hospitals were hit in Sana’a, Sa’da, Dhale and Aden; 17 schools and educational institutions in Aden, Dhale, Hajjah, Ibb and Sana’a; the three main national airports in Sana’a, Aden and Hudaydah, the main power station in Sa’da; and bridges, factories, farmlands and five mosques in Dhale and Sa’da, said Ms. Shamdasani. She quoted High Commissioner Zeid as saying: “Hospitals and ambulances must be safe from attacks and allowed to function at all times. Intentional attacks on hospitals or ambulances being exclusively used for medical purposes would amount to war crimes”.

The High Commissioner had also warned that the intentional targeting of civilians not taking direct part in hostilities would amount to a war crime, said Ms. Shamdasani. He cited in particular reports of the killing of civilians by snipers located on rooftops in Dhale.
Ms. Shamsasani said there had also been worrying reports of arbitrary arrests, indiscriminate firing at protesters and attacks against media premises by Houthi-affiliated forces. He stressed the important role of civil society, particularly in the midst of an armed conflict and urged all sides to negotiate a swift end to the bloodshed and devastation in Yemen.

“The people of Yemen have already suffered for too long and the calamitous effects of the conflict are already going to take years, if not decades, to reverse”, the High Commissioner was quoted as saying.

Joel Millman, for the International Organization of Migration (IOM), said IOM resumed its evacuation flights today. The first one took place on Sunday, 12 April, taking 141 evacuees from 17 nations from Sana’a through Khartoum. This morning a plane left Khartoum bound for Sana’a. It was due to land this afternoon and then later depart from Yemen carrying 165 passengers. Mr. Millman said he would be able to share details with journalists of the nationalities and number of evacuees later this afternoon.

In the ensuing questions a journalist asked whether the High Commissioner had sent copies of his statement to all of the warring sides in Yemen. Ms. Shamsadani confirmed that OHCHR had been in touch with all sides and sent them the statement.

Asked the total casualty figures, including the number of combatants killed and injured, Ms. Shamsadani said OHCHR monitors on the ground had documented that up to Sunday 12, April at least 364 of the people killed so far were civilians.

Tarik Jašareviæ, for the World Health Organization (WHO), in response to the question on casualty figures, said as of Sunday, 12 April health facility reports received by WHO had recorded 736 deaths and 2,719 injuries. He stressed that the numbers did not represent the total number of deaths and injuries because not every body was brought to a health facility to be counted.

A journalist asked what actions the humanitarian agencies were taking to speak with the Saudis and their allies to minimize the casualties, as it appeared that the air strikes were the cause of the vast majority of the devastation, asked a journalist. Ms. Shamdasani said OHCHR had a presence on the ground in Yemen and it had engaged with the Saudi authorities. Mr. Laerke said OCHA had sent two staff to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to liaise with the Saudis and the wider coalition with the ultimate aim of protecting civilians.

Corinne Momal-Vanian recalled that the Secretary-General was in the region a couple of days ago, in Doha, where he spoke about the conflict and expressed concern about the mounting civilian casualties and the destruction of vital civilian infrastructure. He said de-escalation was urgently needed and a return to negotiations, saying that United Nations brokered negotiations represented the best chance to prevent a long, drawn-out conflict, and expressed support for his Special Envoy Jamal Benomar.

Dadaab Refugee Camp

Karin de Gruijl, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said the Government of Kenya had announced that the Dadaab refugee camps should be closed within three months and the 350,000 Somali refugees living there returned to Somalia. The Government’s decision was announced this weekend following the horrific attack at Garissa University earlier this month.

UNHCR was also shocked and appalled by the Garissa attack, and High Commissioner Guterres and his staff stood in solidarity with the people of Kenya, and reiterated its condolences to the families of all the victims.

Kenya had been generously hosting and protecting refugees from violence and persecution in neighbouring Somalia for more than two decades, said Ms. de Gruijl. UNHCR worked closely with the Government of Kenya and well understood the current regional security situation and the seriousness of the threats Kenya faced It also recognized the obligation of the Government to ensure the security of its citizens and other people living in Kenya, including refugees.

UNHCR was nevertheless concerned that abruptly closing the Dadaab camps and forcing refugees back to Somalia would have extreme humanitarian and practical consequences, and would be a breach of Kenya’s international obligations. UNHCR was thus urging the Kenyan authorities to give the matter further consideration, said Ms. de Gruijl. It stood ready to work even more closely with the Government of Kenya to strengthen law enforcement at Dadaab and support other measures to protect refugees and Kenyans alike against possible intrusion by armed actors from across the border.

In December 2014, a pilot scheme was launched to support people who sought to voluntarily repatriate to one of three relatively safe areas of Somalia, namely Luuq, Baidoa and Kismayo. UNHCR was ready to work with the Governments of Kenya and Somalia to step up that program where there were opportunities for voluntary repatriation. Nonetheless, for now UNHCR considered that large-scale returns were still not possible in many parts of the country, in particular to South Central Somalia, said Ms. de Gruijl. UNHCR reiterated its continued commitment to supporting the Government of Kenya in its protection of Somali refugees going forward, she concluded.

Responding to questions about the refugee camp, Ms. De Gruijl said Dadaab was a sprawling complex with 350,000 refugees, mostly women and children. Some inhabitants had been born there, others had been there for many years. It was very difficult to force those people to go ‘back’ as were the practicalities of such action. The main issue was the voluntary nature of return. If those people were forced to return, it could be a breach of international law and the United Nations Refugee Agency would not facilitate some a move, said Ms. de Gruijl.

A journalist asked Ms. de Gruijl about accusations that Al Shabaab was in the Dadaab refugee camp and was actively recruiting Somalis into its terrorist activities. In response Ms. de Gruijl said the security situation had been difficult – there had been many attacks in recent years – and UNHCR was working with the Kenyan Government to step up law enforcement in the camp and surrounding areas. The objective was to ensure refugees and local communities were protected and to deter any terrorist incursions from across the border. Those actions had wielded some positive results and the number of incidents had reduced over the last couple of months, she said, noting that the situation remained difficult.

Was Dadaab still the biggest refugee camp in the world today, asked a journalist. Ms. De Gruijl said it was the biggest refugee complex, as it consisted of five refugee camps and altogether it was the largest in the world. The Kenyans had announced the closure of all five camps but UNHCR was in contact with them and urging them to reconsider the matter, both from an international law and a humanitarian perspective.

On the potential breach of international obligations, Ms. De Gruijl said forcibly returning refugees meant refoulement which was prohibited under international humanitarian law and the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Asked to clarify the number of people living in the camps quoted by the Kenyan authorities as half a million, Ms. De Gruijl, said that was likely to be an old figure from the number of Somali refugees at the height of the famine. Since that time some people had returned to Somalia and the majority of those living in the camp had been there for a long time, many for generations.

Migrants crossing the Mediterranean

Joel Millman, for the International Organization of Migration (IOM), said that the Italian authorities had rescued 1,500 migrants who had crossed the Mediterranean over the Easter weekend, and 5,600 in the last three days, bringing the total of migrants rescued so far in April to 8,000 people.

The number of migrant arrivals from Africa to Italy would be far higher in 2015 than 2014, and that the fatality rate was five times higher than that of the first four months of 2014. The figures showed how alarming the migration situation from Libya to Italy was becoming and how much more deadly it appeared to be, said Mr. Millman.

Responding to a question about the possible launch of a new maritime rescue operation by Médecins Sans Frontières, Mr. Millman said that IOM was monitoring rescue operations along with the Italian navy and coast guards and the European Union Frontex operation which was doing most of the rescues.

Asked why more people were fleeing, and whether the Mare Nostrum operation was a pull factor, Mr. Millman responded that IOM had said before it did not think Mare Nostrum was a pull factor. Instead, migrants said they had left Libya because of violent conditions and crime. A larger factor was that international maritime law insisted on any vessel aware of a distress signal had to go to the rescue, and so the traffickers were issuing satellite phones and other communication devices that helped migrants in the boat make those distress calls. Another reason was that the weather was better at this time so more people were making the journey, he noted.

Responding to a question on the reconfiguration of the distress codes for the commercial shipping companies by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Millman said he did not have any information on this matter.

Sierra Leone

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said around 1.8 million children in Sierra Leone were preparing to return to school this week, after an eight month absence due to the Ebola outbreak. Around 8,000 schools would be reopened. UNICEF and partners were working with the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure the safety of children.

To support the return to school, the UNICEF office in Sierra Leone had facilitated the training of 9,000 teachers in the prevention of Ebola infection, safety guidelines and the provision of psycho-social support. UNICEF was supplying more than 24,000 hand-washing stations, enough for three in every school, as well as cleaning equipment for school buildings. It was also providing psycho-social assistance for children and their families.

Furthermore, 1.8 million school kits would be distributed to all students, and 17,000 solar radios were being given to less-privileged children in rural communities. Since October 2014, UNICEF had supported the Government in broadcasting education programmes on the radio to allow children to continue learning at home during the Ebola crisis.

The back-to-school efforts marked a major step in the normalisation of life in Sierra Leone, said Mr. Boulierac, quoting Roeland Monasch, UNICEF Representative in Sierra Leone who said “it is important all children go back to school, including those who were not attending school before the Ebola outbreak. Education for all is a key part of the recovery process for the country.”

Mali

Ravina Shamsadani for the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said OHCHR was deeply disturbed at the series of violent attacks that have occurred in the Gao and Kidal regions of northern Mali, making an already precarious security situation more volatile. It also deplored the continued targeting of United Nations personnel and humanitarian workers in Mali.

The increasing use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and mines was very worrying, said Ms. Shamsadani. Most recently, on April 6, two peacekeepers were injured when a vehicle of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) escorting a supply convoy hit an IED in Kidal. Last Friday, April 10, a civilian vehicle hit a mine or IED near Almoustarat in the Gao Region, seriously injuring two people. Also, on April 5, four rockets struck the town of Gao, causing the death of one woman and wounding three others, including a four-year-old boy.

Last Saturday, April 11, two MINUSMA national staff members were assaulted in Kidal town by three unidentified armed men. On 30 March, a group of armed men conducted a targeted attack against an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) vehicle in Gao, resulting in the death of one staff. Since its establishment in 2013, MINUSMA had been attacked more than 60 times, causing more than 35 peacekeepers to be killed and a total of more than 200 casualties.

OHCHR urged all parties to the conflict in Mali to ensure the protection of civilians, including UN personnel and humanitarian workers and called on Government security forces to ensure that counter-terrorism operations were conducted in line with international human rights standards, and to avoid the excessive use of force, so as not to stoke further tensions and resentment among local inhabitants.

Ms. Shamsadani said OHCHR was following up closely with the Malian authorities on allegations of human rights violations and abuses which may have been committed during such operations and said it was particularly important during the ongoing peace process for action to be taken to ensure that any human rights violations or abuses were promptly investigated and perpetrators brought to justice. For peace to be secured and sustainable, there could be no impunity for any acts of violence, regardless of the perpetrators, she stressed.

Geneva United Nations Charter on Sustainable Housing

Paula Deda, for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), announced the launch of an important document – the Geneva United Nations Charter on Sustainable Housing. It was important not only because it had taken six years to negotiate but also because it included details of many very good actions taken by Member States to improve the housing situation in regions of the Economic Commission for Europe.

The housing situation in North America, Russia, Europe and Central Asia was largely good, but key issues existed linked to deteriorating housing stock, affordability and climate change. An example was that on average 40 per cent of the income of most people in UNECE regions was spent on housing, which was really expensive and definitely unsustainable for a family.

Paula Deda emphasized that the Charter was a unique document and would be sent to UN Habitat III, which was a global conference taking place in 2016 to set the new urban agenda for the future. The UN Charter on Sustainable Housing was developed after the 2008 economic crisis and the related housing bubble. Ms. Deda added that she was happy to meet individually with any journalist seeking more information.

Geneva activities

Ms. Momal-Vanian said on Monday, 13 April the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families started a new two-week session in Room XI of the Palais des Nations in which it will review the reports of Kirghizstan, Peru and Uganda. Background press releases in English and French had been issued.

On Friday the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will on Wednesday, 15 April, hold a public all-day meeting on inclusive education for children in Room XVII of the Palais des Nations. On Friday, 17 April the Committee will conclude its session after which it will issue recommendations and observations on the seven country reports reviewed during the session: Germany, Croatia, Czech Republic, Turkmenistan, Dominican Republic, Mongolia and Cook Islands.

The Committee against Torture will start a new four-week session at 10 a.m. on Monday, 20 April at Palais Wilson in Geneva, in which it will consider the measures taken by eight States to eradicate the use of torture: Cyprus, Guinea, Holy See, Lithuania, Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Thailand and Uruguay. Background press releases in English and French will be issued on Thursday, 16 April.

Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), spoke about the Global Commodities Forum which would conclude this afternoon at the Palais des Nations. The subject of the Forum had been whether there would be an end to the ‘super-cycle’ of global commodities. Usually global commodities saw high increases in price followed by long periods of decrease, and since January 2015 the average prices of Global Commodities had dropped by 10 to 50 per cent. Therefore the session would consider the question ‘is this the end of a cycle’, Ms. Huissoud noted.

The spokespersons for the United Nations Human Rights Council and the International Labour Organization were present but did not brief.
The (partial) webcast for this briefing is available here: http://webtv.un.org/media/watch/geneva-press-briefing-icrc-ohchr-ocha-iom-unhcr-unicef/4172201055001