REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service, chaired the briefing attended by spokespersons for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the International Organization for Migration, the Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization.

Intra-Syrian Negotiations

Ms. Vellucci informed that the invitees to the Intra-Syrian negotiations would be arriving at 11:30 and 12:00, and possibly at 2 p.m. today. At the moment, there was no certainty on whether the talks would continue tomorrow. The Office of the Special Envoy was expected to provide that information shortly. At the moment, there was also no information on whether the Special Envoy would hold a final press briefing.

Ms. Vellucci informed that the Cairo Platform would hold a stakeout in Hall XIV at 12 noon.

Mosul

Bastien Vigneau, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), speaking by phone from Iraq, said that there were over 100,000 children displaced from Mosul since the beginning of the operations to take the city. Some 15,000 children had left west Mosul over the previous week. Military fighting was intensifying by the day. UNICEF was responding to the immediate needs at the Hamam Al Alil camp, 20 km from Mosul, where aid was provided to children upon their arrival. Children and their families mostly arrived by buses organized by the military. They were quite exhausted and extremely frightened by the operations underway. Round the clock, UNICEF and partners right away provided life-saving packages, including food and hygienic supplies. UNICEF was also increasing water and sanitation capacities, in cooperation with partners. The main priorities, other than the first emergency response, included health, to ensure that children were immunized, primarily against measles and polio, said Mr. Vigneau. UNICEF was working with partners on monitoring nutritional status of the children and addressing malnutrition case when detected among the arrived children. UNICEF has prepositioned supplies for 60,000 people in its logistical hub south of Mosul city.

Right now, UNICEF would be able to go into main neighbourhoods of the city and deliver aid there. This first emergency rapid response kit included a one-month supply of canned food, High Energy food for children, sanitation and dignity supplies, in cooperation with the World Food Programme and the United Nations Population Fund.

Matthew Sarmash, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that a significant increase in displacement had been noticed in recent days, leading to the total of displaced people to over 191,000. The Hamam Al Alil camp number was close to its maximum capacity. UNHCR was constructing a transit centre in the camp. The overall camp situation at the moment was that 150,000 places were occupied, with constructions underway so that up to 250,000 people could be hosted.

On whether ISIL was holding any inhabitants as human shields, Mr. Vigneau did not have such information and had not heard so from the people he encountered.

He specified that 874 unaccompanied or separated children had been identified since mid-October; half had been reunified with their families or taken care of by extended families while the others are provided dedicated assistance until reunification with families.
Asked about the condition of children, Mr. Vigneau explained that they were very scared of the sound of the bombs, which was one of the main reasons their parents had decided to flee. They fled with very little luggage and in most case bear a minimum of clothes. Children that Mr Vigneau had met the day before seemed in general relatively in good conditions, but UNICEF would carefully monitor their nutritional status and through its partners treat any severe case detected. According to ongoing assessments, certain neighbourhoods were still populated, while others were more deserted.

Mr. Saltmarsh, in a response to a question, said that the UNHCR was operating with the figure of up to 250,000 people who could be displaced, despite the fact that the population in west Mosul was much higher. The current planning was for about the quarter of a million mark.

Mali Displacement

Olivia Headon, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that internal displacement in Mali could be resolved by the end of 2017, but only if there was no resurgence of communal violence of armed conflict.

Over 500,000 people had been displaced by the armed rebellion in northern Mali and the ensuing military coup in January 2012. A further 31,000 people had been displaced in 2016 due to communal violence, which had now abated. The total number of internally displaced persons across the country was now 44,762 individuals.

Ms. Headon stressed that the situation remained fragile and unpredictable from a security point of view. The IOM would redouble its efforts to provide support to displaced people spontaneously returning home to safe areas through the provision of return assistance.

The main cause of displacement in Mali was the rebellion in the north, explained Ms. Headon in a reply to a question. The IOM was hoping that communal violence would not happen again and that all internally displaced people would be able to return to their homes by the end of the year.

On the question on the condition of the returnees’ homes, Ms. Headon said that the IOM was only helping people return home if it was safe and they could have basic livelihoods there. Psychosocial assistance and youth training were among services provided.

Ms. Vellucci added that the previous day, the UN Secretary-General had announced the appointment of Major General Jean-Paul Deconinck of Belgium as the Force Commander of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali.

Somalia Appeal

Olivia Headon, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), stated that, in order to meet the emergency needs of over a million Somalis affected by drought, the IOM in Somalia was scaling up lifesaving interventions throughout the country and appealing to international donors for funding. Humanitarian agencies reported worrying similarities to the 2011 famine in Somalia, in which over a quarter of a million people had lost their lives.

A massive increase in humanitarian assistance was urgently needed to avert a famine in some of the worst drought-affected areas of the country. Without assistance, many people faced malnutrition, significantly increased risk of disease, loss of livelihoods and even death.

The IOM’s 2017 Somali Drought Appeal had been developed to enhance current response and expand the Agency’s geographic footprint within the country. IOM teams on the ground were rapidly scaling up ongoing interventions in the fields of health, shelter, water and sanitation, protection and food security.

One million people were being targeted by the IOM operation, specified Ms. Headon in a response to a question. Full capacity could be deployed only if appropriate resources were provided. Without the resources, it was almost impossible to do the necessary.

Report on Sri Lanka

Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that the slow pace of transitional justice in Sri Lanka and the lack of a comprehensive strategy to address accountability for past crimes risk derailing the momentum towards lasting peace, reconciliation and stability, according to a report issued by the OHCHR today.

The report acknowledged that there had been positive advances on human rights and constitutional reform. The Government had advanced on constitutional reforms and showcased some positive developments on the broader human rights agenda. The fulfilment of transitional justice commitments had, however, been worryingly slow, and the structures set up and measures taken during the period under review had been inadequate to ensure real progress.

The report, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to assess progress made in tackling the legacy of grave violations in Sri Lanka between 2002 and 2011, commended the constructive engagement of the Government of Sri Lanka with the UN’s human rights bodies, marking a discernible change in policy. It also recognized some advances on constitutional reforms, on crucial issues like land restitution and symbolic gestures towards reconciliation, as well as legal reforms and the design of an Office of Missing Persons. The laudable, inclusive work of the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanism, appointed by the Government, had also resulted in an incisive report, issued in January this year.

However, the report by the UN Human Rights Office noted that the structures set up and measures taken until now had been inadequate, lacked coordination and a sense of urgency, said Ms. Shamdasani.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein had noted that in many ways, Sri Lanka appeared to be turning a corner on the promotion and protection of human rights, but he had stressed that hard-won gains could prove illusory if they are not tethered to a comprehensive, robust strategy. “This critical opportunity in Sri Lankan history cannot be missed. I urge the Government and people of Sri Lanka to prioritize justice alongside reconciliation to ensure that the horrors of the past are firmly dealt with, never to recur.”

The report made a number of concrete recommendations, including calling on the Government to embrace the report of the Consultation Task Force, to formulate a communications campaign to inform the public about details of the reconciliation agenda, to invite the UN Human Rights Office to establish a presence in Sri Lanka, to give the highest priority to the restitution of all private land that had been occupied by the military, and to adopt legislation establishing a hybrid court. The report also highlighted a number of serious human rights violations that were reportedly continuing to occur in Sri Lanka, including the harassment or surveillance of human rights defenders and victims of violations, police abuse and excessive use of force, and the use of torture.

The High Commissioner would present the report to the Human Rights Council on 22 March. The report is available here.

World Hearing Day

On World Hearing Day (3 March), Dr. Shelly Chadha for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the WHO had continuously drawn attention to hearing loss, with five percent of the world population living with hearing loss or a risk of it, not least because of listening to loud music via headphones. If it was not addressed, hearing loss would pose a significant risk to those with the loss and their families. This year, the WHO tried to put itself in the shoes of the policy makers and asked what the cost of non-addressing hearing loss would be. An economic analysis had been undertaken to look into the costs of lost productivity, but also the costs of lost communication, feeling of isolation and frustration, and losses in health and education sectors. Unaddressed hearing loss led to an annual global cost of USD 750 billion.

All interventions to solve the hearing problems carried a cost, which was often not a small cost, said Dr. Chadha, and question was asked whether it was beneficial to invest in them. Many studies had shown that early interventions were cost-effective, as was the provision of hearing devices. There was a high unaddressed impact of hearing loss, and policy makers had to pay attention to it as a public health issue, stressed Dr. Chadha.

Asked about the cost of interventions and rehabilitation, Dr. Chadha said that there was no standard dollar cost of rehab services as they varied considerably. Figures from certain countries showed that in the United Kingdom and France, for example, studies showed a ten-fold return on investment in hearing care. She added that there was a lot of anecdotal evidence showing that people living in noisy environments developed hearing loss earlier than those living in less noisy settings.

Human Rights Council

Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council (HRC), said that at 9 today the Council had started its annual debate on the rights of persons with disabilities. At 12 noon, an interactive discussion would continue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, and the Special Rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer.

At 1 p.m., the Council will hear a presentation of reports by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Ben Emmerson. This would be Mr. Emmerson’s last presentation to the Council, as his mandate would end in June.

Mr. Gomez further announced presentation of the reports by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of the enjoyment of the cultural rights of everyone and respect for cultural diversity, Karima Bennoune, addressing the phenomenon of fundamentalism and extremism on the enjoyment of human rights, and the outcome of her mission to Cyprus.

At 3 p.m., the Council would hear from the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Catalina Devandas Aguilar, on support to persons with disabilities and on her missions to Paraguay and Zambia; and from the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism, Ikponwosa Ero, addressing the impact of witchcraft on persons with albinism, and the outcome of her missions to Malawi and Mozambique.

On Monday, 6 March, the Council would hold its annual meeting on the rights of the child, which would address the theme of the protection of the rights of the child in the context of the Agenda for Sustainable Development. The same day, two Rapporteurs would be presenting their reports on promotion of truth, justice and reparation, and on freedom of religion or belief.

Geneva Activities and Announcements

Ms. Vellucci informed that the Conference on Disarmament would next meet in public on Tuesday, 7 March.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) will be closing its sixty-sixth session this afternoon, after which it would publish concluding observations on the reports of Ukraine, Ireland, Jordan, El Salvador, Germany, Sri Lanka, Rwanda and Micronesia, which had been considered during the session.

The Committee on Enforced Disappearances will open its twelfth session on 6 March, during which it would consider the reports of Cuba, Senegal and Ecuador.

Also on 6 March, the Human Rights Committee will open its one-hundred and nineteenth session, which would last until 29 March. During the session, the Committee would look into the reports of Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Serbia, Thailand and Turkmenistan. At the opening of the session, the Committee will pay respect to its recently deceased long-standing member Nigel Rodley.

On 7 March at 10:00 a.m. in Room III, the Inter-parliamentary Union will hold a press conference to launch "Women in parliament in 2016: The year in review", ahead of International Women´s Day on 8 March. The speaker would be Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary-General.

On 8 March, in Press Room 1, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and the Special Rapporteur on Hazardous Substances would hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m.

Jessica Hermosa, for the World Trade Organization (WTO), highlighted three items from the WTO agenda for the following week. On 8 and 10 March, WTO members would be meeting for the transparency exercise on Japan trade and investment policies and practices. They would maybe set a press briefing on that topic on 10 March.

Secondly, a dispute settlement meeting on 6 March was expected at 3 p.m.; it would deal with the ongoing dispute between Panama and Colombia over textiles and footwear. They expected WTO members to establish a panel to investigate Colombia’s compliance to the WTO ruling.

Regarding Director-General Roberto Azevêdo’s agenda, Ms. Hermosa informed that on 6 March, he would have a meeting with the first cohort of the new WTO Young Professionals Program. On 7 March, he would meet Mr Davor Ivo Stier, Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs. Finally, on 8 March, he would meet Valter Sanches, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union. The Director-General would also make a speech to mark International Women’s Day.

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog030317