REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
Ahmad Fawzi, Director a.i. of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing attended by spokespersons of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the International Organization for Migration.
UN Secretary-General and Director-General
Mr. Fawzi announced that the Secretary-General had arrived in Bujumbura and was meeting with key groups in Burundi, including representatives of the civil society and political parties. He was to meet President Nkurunziza on 24 February. That same day he would travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo, first to Goma, then Kinshasa, where he would meet with the President. Thereafter, the Secretary-General would travel to South Sudan, to Juba, where he was expected to meet President Salva Kiir and visit a protection of civilians site run by the UN Mission in Sudan.
Mr. Fawzi also said that the Secretary-General would be in Geneva on 29 February to address the Human Rights Council. In response to a question, he said the press would receive a speakers’ list with times for the start of the Council’s 31st regular session, and perhaps a copy of the Secretary-General’s speech in advance if possible. That day, the Secretary-General would also hold a joint press conference with Daniel Barenboim, conductor of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, at the Palais des Nations at 12:30 p.m., to make an announcement about the Orchestra and its role on the global stage.
The Director-General of UNOG, Michael Møller, was in Brussels, where he would be meeting with EU officials, including the chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Elmar Brok, the Director of Human Rights of the European External Action Service, Lotte Knudsen, European Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva, and Frans Timmermans, the European Commission’s First Vice-President, as well as heads of agencies. He would be discussing EU-UN relations, the SDGs and partnerships with different actors as well as the rising importance of multilateral diplomacy, the role of Geneva and the refugees and migration crisis.
Geneva activities
Mr. Fawzi said that the Conference on Disarmament (CD) was holding a public meeting today at 10 a.m. This would be the first week under the Presidency of Norway (until 20 March); the CD would also be successively chaired by Pakistan, Peru, Poland and the Republic of Korea.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women was reviewing today the report of the Czech Republic (as usual for the State Parties reports, this review was public). During the current three-week session (ending on 4 March), it had yet to review reports from Vanuatu, Haiti and Tanzania.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights – which opened the previous day (in Room XI at the Palais des Nations) its 57th session – was reviewing today (morning and afternoon), as well as on 24 February (morning) the initial report of Namibia. In the same week, the Committee would also review reports planned for the second and last week of the session, as all of the following week would be devoted to private meetings.
Mr. Fawzi announced a breakfast meeting of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on 24 February at 9 a.m. in Press Room 1, related to the start of the Human Rights Council 31st regular session with the new Council President, Ambassador Choi Kyong-lim (Republic of Korea). There would also be a press conference of the OHCHR dedicated to the launch of OHCHR’s report on Libya, on 24 February at 11 a.m., in Press Room 1. The speaker would be Gurdip Sangha, OHCHR Desk Officer for Libya. The report would be shared under strict embargo at 9 a.m. on 24 February, by email. The embargo would be lifted on 25 February, precise time to be confirmed at the beginning of the press conference.
A press conference with Yann Arthus-Bertrand, photographer and director of the film "Human", would take place on 26 February at 9:15 a.m. in Press Room 1, following the screening of his film “Human” as part of the Ciné-ONU series the previous evening at the Maison de la Paix, organized by the United Nations Information Service.
Also on 26 February, at 11:30 a.m. in Room III, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) would hold a joint press conference on inter-agency family and child support centres on European migration routes. The speakers would be Volker Türk, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, UNHCR, and Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Special Coordinator, Refugee and Migrant crisis in Europe.
Finally, the United Nations Information Service was organizing a panel discussion on the use of Facebook by UN organizations today in Room XIV, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Syria
Mr. Fawzi said that the Secretary-General welcomed the agreement announced by
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) Ceasefire Taskforce formed in Munich, on the terms of a nationwide cessation of hostilities in Syria scheduled to come into effect on 27 February 2016.
Aware of the lengthy and detailed discussions that preceded this announcement, the Secretary-General believed the agreement, if respected, would constitute a significant step forward in the implementation of Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). It demonstrated the commitment of the ISSG to exert influence on the warring parties to bring about an immediate reduction in violence as a first step towards a more durable ceasefire. It further contributed to creating an environment conducive for the resumption of political negotiations. Above all, it was a long-awaited signal of hope to the Syrian people that after five years of conflict there might be an end to their suffering in sight.
The Secretary-General strongly urged the parties to abide by the terms of the agreement. Much work now lay ahead to ensure its implementation, and the international community, the ISSG and the Syrian parties must remain steadfast in their resolve.
The Office of the Special Envoy for Syria stood ready to support implementation of the agreement, both on the ground in Damascus and in Geneva. The United Nations further counted on the cooperation of ISSG members as all stakeholders jointly set the implementation mechanism in motion.
In response to questions, Mr. Fawzi said that the agreement on the cessation of hostilities reached by the U.S. and Russia was encouraging. He also reminded the press of the differences between a cessation of hostilities, which didn’t include a monitoring mechanism, and a ceasefire. The countries with influence over the parties had agreed to a cessation of hostilities. He said that things were moving very fast and we would hear more in the days to come, before the end of the week. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura would be briefing the Security Council very soon, and would afterwards be happy to brief the press. Mr. Fawzi confirmed that Mr. de Mistura was currently in Geneva and that if he were to brief the Security Council via video from here, he would brief the press in Geneva thereafter. The press would be informed as soon as the decision would be made. Mr. Fawzi also said that the Task Forces would be meeting within the course of the week.
Mr. Fawzi said on behalf of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that additional convoys to Kafr Batna and Moadamiyeh were planned to take place in the coming days. While the entry of humanitarian aid to some besieged towns in the previous week was welcome, it was only a first step. The humanitarian community was continuing to call for unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access for the 4.6 million people in hard-to-reach and besieged towns across Syria. Mr. Fawzi would pass on the message regarding requests from journalists to be briefed by spokespersons from the World Food Programme and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
In response to a journalist’s question, Ms. Cécile Pouilly, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that she would try to find out more information about the execution of seven homosexuals in Rastan, Syria in September 2015 by the Al-Nusra Front. She said that OHCHR had raised concerns in the past about the treatment of LGBT people in Syria, with several documented cases of homosexuals having been thrown from buildings and serious allegations of people having been targeted for their sexual orientation.
Biofuels (Publication announcement)
Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), announced the electronic publication of a study about second-generation biofuels on 23 February, “Second-Generation Biofuel Markets: State of Play, Trade and Developing Country Perspectives”. Ms. Huissoud said that this study was an update of an initial study published in 2014. It focused on one of the most promising biofuels, cellulosic ethanol, which was mainly produced by the United States, Europe, China and Brazil. Ms. Huissoud said that the study revealed significant production opportunities for that biofuel in developing countries, and presented options for the realization of technology transfers to allow developing countries to produce those new biofuels made from wood, grass, and non-edible parts of vegetables. Ms. Huissoud added there would be no press conference but experts could be reached by phone for any questions.
Uganda
Ms. Cécile Pouilly, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that OHCHR was concerned by the tense post-electoral situation in Uganda, with reports of at least two people killed and an unknown number of people injured, heavy military and police forces deployed in the streets of Kampala, and the arrests of four opposition leaders since the elections on 18 February.
Mr. Kizza Besigye, leader of the FDC (Forum for Democratic Change), who had been arrested and released on three different occasions in the previous week, had been placed under house arrest on 20 February without charge or judicial order. On 22 February in the morning, he had been taken to a police station in Nagalaama, a town located some 30 kilometres from the capital Kampala, after he had tried to leave his home.
Two other presidential candidates had also been reportedly arrested over the past few days. Amama Mbabazi, from the Go Forward party, had been under house arrest since 20 February, while Abed Bwanika, President of the PDP (People's Development Party), had been reportedly intercepted by police on 19 February at Mutukula, close to the border with Tanzania, as he had been attempting to leave the country with his family. Kampala’s Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, had also been arrested on 20 February, as he had been talking to the press about Mr. Besigye’s arrest.
OHCHR was also concerned about the intimidating display of force used on 19 February by Ugandan police and military forces to evacuate the FDC headquarters in Kampala, with tear gas and life ammunition reportedly used, and by worrying information of journalists having been harassed and intimidated by security forces. OHCHR was reminding the Government of Uganda of its obligations under international human rights law not to unduly restrict freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
In response to a question, Ms. Pouilly said that OHCHR had an office in Uganda and that its mandate was monitoring human rights violations during the electoral process rather than monitoring the elections themselves. The Ugandan Human Rights Commission had just issued its preliminary report on the election and OHCHR was going to perform an analysis of that document.
In Uganda, OHCHR was also concerned about the internet shutdown just before the election (What’s App and Facebook had been made unavailable), seriously hampering the right to information.
Burundi
Ms. Pouilly also said that in Burundi, OHCHR was not interfering in questions related to the presidential terms, but was examining the way in which the elections were conducted and whether people were able to vote freely. OHCHR was continuing to work with the Burundian authorities and insisting that the expert team be deployed as soon as possible in Burundi, as the Human Rights Council was starting the following week, and the experts were supposed to do a verbal update to the Council.
Zika
Ms. Fadela Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan was in Brazil together with the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Carissa Etienne, where they would be meeting with top Brazilian officials, including Minister of Health Marcelo Castro, to assess the Zika virus situation and response. In their visit to Brazil, Drs. Chan and Etienne would meet with President Dilma Rousseff on 23 February. They were scheduled to visit the National Centre for Risk and Disaster Management (Cenad) for discussions with top cabinet members, including the ministers of health, national integration, defence, foreign affairs, social development and fight against hunger alleviation, as well as the secretary of government and the executive secretary of the Ministry of Education.
As part of their assessment of actions taken by Brazil in response to Zika virus infection and its possible consequences, Drs. Chan and Etienne would be in Recife, Pernambuco, on 24 February to visit the Institute of Integrative Medicine Professor Fernando Figueira (IMIP), a clinical research centre that is the National Referral Centre for Mother and Child Care Programmes. WHO Executive Director for Outbreaks and Health Emergencies Bruce Aylward would accompany them. There would be a press conference on 24 February at the headquarters of the WHO in Brasilia at 5 p.m. (9 p.m. Geneva time), with Dr. Chan, Dr. Etienne, and the Brazilian Health Minister. The conference would be broadcast via Twitter and web radio. More details were available in the media advisory sent on 23 February.
Ms. Chaib also said that four notes of particular interest would be released by WHO shortly:
- Pregnancy management in the context of the Zika virus disease.
- Psychosocial support for pregnant women and their families with microcephaly and other neurological complications in the context of Zika virus infection.
- Interim consensus statement on assessment of microcephaly in the context of Zika virus infection. Ms. Chaib stressed that it was important for medical professionals to have detailed guidelines on how to measure a baby’s head and diagnose microcephaly due to Zika versus simply a premature baby with a smaller head, or microcephaly due to causes other than Zika.
- Interim consensus statement on assessment of Guillain-Barré syndrome in the context of Zika virus infection.
As soon as each of these would be released, there would be a press conference with the expert in charge of the topic organized in Press Room 1.
In response to a question about the guidelines for assessing microcephaly, Ms. Chaib said that there was strong demand for those guidelines from health professionals to WHO, and a need for greater standardization while taking into account regional differences. She stressed that Zika was largely unknown, and that the WHO was focusing on finding out the causes of the surge in microcephaly cases in Brazil in particular, as well as on investigating the link between Zika and other neurological disorders such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, found in at least six countries, including Brazil and French Polynesia. Microcephaly could be caused by a range of factors other than Zika, such as alcohol consumption during pregnancy, chemical exposure, or malnutrition. She also said that Zika was currently present in 48 countries and territories and that there had been cases in two countries in Africa: Cape Verde and Gabon (details available in the situation report on p.4). However, the impact was stronger in the Americas as the Zika virus was well-known in Africa and there was a natural immunity to the Zika virus among the populations there, while the virus was new in South America. Still, it was necessary for all countries to be prepared and focus on prevention, by acting to reduce the aedes aegypti mosquito populations to limit infections.
Ebola
In response to a question on Ebola, Ms. Chaib said that she would check with the team working on Ebola in regards to the case of the infected British nurse who had returned to the hospital for the third time. She also said that there would be more news on Ebola within the coming week. Finally, Ms. Chaib said that the Minister of Health of Russia had been in Geneva and had met with Dr. Chan and Dr. Kieny. WHO was really keen to receive data about the two new Ebola vaccines being developed by Russia and to examine this information.
Migrants – Mediterranean
Karin de Gruijl, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), briefed the press on the second in a series of surveys conducted by UNHCR on arrivals in Greece, as part of an ongoing study to learn more about who these refugees were, where they were coming from, why they were fleeing and what their particular protection needs were, so that Greek authorities, UNHCR and other partners could best support them. The survey had found that some 94% of Syrians arriving in Greece in January had made the perilous journey by sea to escape conflict and violence in Syria. Similarly, 71% of the Afghans surveyed had cited conflict and violence as the main reason they had left their country.
UNHCR had conducted this survey from 15-31 January, interviewing a random sampling of over 400 Syrian and Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers who had arrived on the Greek islands of Chios, Leros, Lesvos and Samos that month. This exercise would be repeated over the following six months, thus providing the largest and most comprehensive data sets available on the refugee emergency in Europe, and the following survey would also include a sampling of Iraqi arrivals. Key findings of the current survey were available in the briefing note.
In response to a question, Ms. De Gruijl expressed UNHCR’s concern regarding recent restrictive practices adopted in a number of European countries that were placing additional undue hardships on refugees and asylum-seekers across Europe. The profiling of refugees at the borders was also of concern, and each case should be looked at individually through asylum systems, instead of a selection process by nationality at the border. All these measures were aimed at keeping refugees out and were causing many hardships for the people arriving. UNHCR was calling on Europe to follow a unified approach based on solidarity and on international principles. More information was available in a new press release. In response to another question, Ms. De Gruijl said that she would confirm regarding the refugees’ places of origin in Syria.
Itayi Viriri, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), announced that migrant and refugee arrivals in Greece and Italy in 2016 had exceeded 100,000 as of the week of 22 February. Greece alone had received some 97,325 arrivals since the beginning of the year. In 2015, migrants’ arrivals had topped 100,000 before the month of July. Over 410 migrants and refugees had also lost their lives during the same period, with the eastern Mediterranean route between Turkey and Greece continuing to be the deadliest, accounting for 321 migrant deaths.
In response to a question, Mr. Viriri said that he was hoping to have more information by 26 February regarding migrant arrivals in Italy from Libya who were coming from port cities under ISIS control. Those arriving in Italy were mostly coming from Libya and were sub-Saharan Africans. In response to another question, Mr. Viriri said that shipwreck survivors had confirmed that those from the Middle East, especially Syrians, had been paying more to be smuggled (around USD 1,500) than sub-Saharan Africans (around USD 600).
Migrants – Bay of Bengal
Andreas Needham, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that UNHCR was calling for safer alternatives to deadly Bay of Bengal voyages. A new UNHCR report, “Mixed Maritime Movements in South-East Asia, ” had found that those movements had been three times more deadly than in the Mediterranean last year – highlighting the urgency of greater life-saving cooperation among the affected States. Across the region an estimated 33,600 refugees and migrants of various nationalities had taken to smugglers’ boats, including 32,600 in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, where the bulk of the passengers had been Rohingya and Bangladesh. More details were available in the briefing note.
The numbers told a tale of two seasons - the first half of 2015 had seen the highest-ever estimates of departures (31,000), while the second half of the year (with some 1,600 departures) had been much quieter than in previous years. Despite the lower numbers, the 2015 fatality rate had still been three times higher in those waters than in the Mediterranean Sea. Some of the tales recorded in the report told of harrowing experiences: death by starvation, people thrown overboard alive, suffering from various debilitating diseases.
UNHCR believed that unless the root causes of displacement were addressed, people would continue risking their lives on smugglers’ boats to seek safety and stability elsewhere. Mr. Needham said that there were a number of processes in motion to address this issue, and that UNHCR hoped that the Bali Process Ministerial Meeting in March would be a timely opportunity to make progress on those issues. In response to a question, Mr. Needham said that he would provide the detailed breakdown of the different causes of death recorded.