REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Director, United Nations Information Service, chaired the briefing attended by the spokespersons for the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the World Trade Organization.

Liberia

Tarik Jasarevic, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said, regarding health issues in Liberia, that WHO was still waiting for the results of tests being conducted on various samples. Chemistry, toxicology, cytopathology and microbiological and serology tests were being performed on specimens from the unexplained event in Liberia. As of 3 May, there had been in total 28 cases including 12 deaths. All samples which had been tested for Ebola and Lassa fever had come back negative. That was why more tests were required. Samples had been sent outside the country. The Government of Liberia had requested WHO, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and MSF to support the process of toxicological testing outside the country. Samples were being shipped to the CDC in Atlanta, to the Institut Pasteur in Lyon (with the support of MSF); and to the National Institute for Occupational Health of the National Health Laboratory Services in South Africa (with the support of WHO).

The assessment at this stage was that the overall risk of spread of the event was considered as being low. The event was clustered among the participants of a religious funeral. There was a sharp decrease in the number of cases and deaths reported since 25 April. Those findings were indicative of a point source of infection. The hypothesis of food, drink or water poisoning was also investigated. Efficient and timely implementation of the response to this event was a result of the expertise developed in Liberia following the large outbreak of Ebola in 2015. This had led to a quick identification of the event, testing, and ruling out Ebola as a causative agent.

In response to questions, Mr. Jasarevic said that the assessment of the risk of spread was low because all the tests for Ebola and Lassa fever had been negative. The majority of cases did not present fever as one of the symptoms, and fever was usually a symptom of infection. Also, there had been a sharp decrease in the number of cases. All but one case had been part of the event, and one case was being investigated because that person had not been physically at the event. That was why the working hypothesis was ingestion, either one-time or repeated ingestion of contaminated food, water of drink, but results of the testing were yet to confirm that.

Somalia

Mr. Jasarevic said that the general health indicators for Somalia were of serious concern. For example, the maternal mortality rate was one of the highest in the world: 723 deaths per 100,000 live births. With less than 45 per cent of pregnant women having access to assisted deliveries, one in 18 women died in childbirth.

In this worrying context, there was a major cholera outbreak spreading rapidly, with significant increase in cases reported compared to the same time in 2016. The drought had led to a lack of clean water and the largest cholera outbreak in Somalia in the past five years. There had been close to 32,000 cases of cholera, and over 618 deaths reported since the beginning of 2017. The case fatality was 1.9 per cent, well over the emergency threshold of 1 per cent. Those numbers were expected to double by the end of June, due to an increase in the number of cases during the rainy season starting at the end of April.

Cholera treatment centres were operational in 40 districts to manage severe acute watery diarrhoea and cholera cases. To keep those facilities functioning, WHO and partners were providing medicines and medical supplies, and training health staff. The first round of vaccination had taken place in March 2017 in Banaadir, Hiran and Lower Juba, reaching over 450,000 people. The second oral cholera vaccination campaign had been launched on 4 May in South West and Middle Shabelle, targeting equally around 450,000 vulnerable people. The campaign would conclude before the start of Ramadan. A press release had been sent by WHO on 4 May about the start of the second cholera vaccination campaign in Somalia.

In response to a question, Mr. Jasarevic said there may be even more than 50,000 cases of cholera in 2017 in Somalia.

Also, mass displacement as a result of the drought had created overcrowded living conditions for more than one million people. Measles cases were also on the rise, due to the low vaccination rate and compounded by drought-related mass displacement and overcrowding. A total of 6,346 fever and rash cases had been reported in the first 16 weeks of 2017 across Somalia, which was several times higher than the number of fever and rash cases reported during the same period in 2016.

In April 2017, over 200,000 children in 12 districts in Somaliland and nearly 30,000 children in Baidoa, between six months and five years old had received the measles vaccine and vitamin A. A campaign was being planned in hotspot areas in South Central targeting 500,000 children between six months and five years old, to be vaccinated against measles. The vaccine was available; however, the campaign budget for a total of USD 2.7 million, had not yet been met.

In general, in Somalia, WHO was also delivering medical supplies. In March and April 2017 alone, WHO had delivered nearly 50 tons of medicines and medical supplies for around 4.3 million persons, in cooperation with health authorities. Those supplies would be used in health centres in the areas most hard-hit by cholera.

WHO and health partners needed USD 85 million to reach 4.3 million vulnerable people in Somalia with life-saving health services in the first six months of 2017.

Ethiopia

In response to a question, Mr. Jasarevic said that there was an outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea in Ethiopia. WHO was supporting the health authorities and partners to provide assistance. Acute watery diarrhoea was treated in the same way as cholera. He would try to obtain figures on Ethiopia and would get back to the press. Cholera had not been confirmed so far, and it was up to the national health authorities to declare a cholera outbreak.

Central African Republic

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that in the Central African Republic (CAR), the situation of children remained dire. The complex humanitarian and protection crisis affecting the country since 2012 was now in its fifth year. Today, entire regions remained beyond the effective control or authority of the Government, as armed groups and criminal activities prevented the return of rule of law.

CAR was one of the most difficult and dangerous countries in the world for children. It was also considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for humanitarian workers, with14 incidents involving NGOs in March 2017 only.

We should not let CAR become a forgotten and underfunded crisis. In 2017, close to half of the population (an estimated 2.2 million people) was in need of humanitarian assistance, including 1.1 million children. More than 40 per cent of the children of CAR were suffering from chronic malnutrition or stunting. Stunting meant that not only weight but height was affected. Because it negatively and often irreversibly affected organ growth, stunting was strongly linked to cognitive impairment. It jeopardized the physical and intellectual development of children.

One in seven children died before their fifth birthday. In 2016, CAR had the fourth highest child mortality rate in the world, after Somalia and before Sierra Leone. The maternal mortality rate was also one of the worst in the world (890/100,000).

By the end of 2016, an estimated one in five Central African children were still either internally displaced or refugees in neighbouring countries. Due to insecurity, children were only slowly returning to classrooms, with approximately one in three children out of school.

An estimated 6,000 to 10,000 children had been recruited by armed groups since the beginning of the crisis in 2012. Today, a ceremony was scheduled to take place in the Lobaye region, southwest of Bangui, to start the release of 800 children from armed groups. A few dozen children should be released today. In May 2015, at the Bangui Peace and Reconciliation Forum, the leaders of the ten armed groups had committed to release all children in their ranks, refrain from further recruitments of minors, and give free access to UNICEF teams and other child protection teams and partners in the areas they control. Two years later, over 7,000 children have been released, with UNICEF support. However, hundreds more are still enrolled. The process of release and reintegration continued but required more funding.

Without increased support, the lives and futures of more than 1 million children in the Central African Republic were under threat. As far as UNICEF only was concerned, the Humanitarian Action for Children appeal for 2017 was only 29.5 per cent funded, and the funding gap amounted to USD 32.6 million. UNICEF’s 2016 appeal had been 56 per cent funded.

Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that CAR was indeed one of the most dangerous and difficult countries for humanitarian work. Particularly in the northern prefecture of Ouham, there had been a concentration of attacks against aid workers. Faced with this targeted violence, four international NGOs had decided to temporarily suspend their activities in the areas where those threats had reached a climax. Their staff would be redeployed to Bangui until their safety and security in the area of operation could be ensured. The NGOs were expected to announce themselves this temporary withdrawal today.

Half of the country’s population was dependent on humanitarian aid, given the continued hostilities and the extreme difficulty in restoring basic, vital services. That temporary withdrawal of some of the organizations in the Ouham prefecture would certainly have a negative impact on the condition of the many people who depended on aid.

Underfunding of the crisis was almost catastrophic. There was a USD 400 million humanitarian response plan which today remained 11 per cent funded only.

In response to questions, Mr. Laerke said that the UN Department of Safety and Security constantly assessed every place where the UN and its partners were active. Those assessments were then implemented by the UN agencies on the ground. OCHA, like others in the humanitarian community, worked very firmly on the basis a stay and deliver principle, always doing its utmost to stay and deliver its programmes. Only in extreme cases would the UN withdraw. Mr. Laerke also stressed that the NGOS’ withdrawal was mean to be temporary.

Bettina Luescher, for the World Food Programme (WFP), said that because the funding was so meagre, WFP had been forced to halve the food rations distributed to the most vulnerable families. WFP was providing emergency food and nutritional support, but also in some areas giving cash vouchers so that people could buy local food for school meals for thousands of children. It was a very difficult and volatile security situation, and the road networks were very poor. The WFP-managed UN humanitarian air service was often the only safe way to reach people in remote and isolated areas.

Some 150 organizations relied on those planes and helicopters to get where they needed to go. Every month, WFP was providing transport for some 1,700 aid workers and 33 metric tons for cargo on average to remote locations all over the area.

Mediterranean update/ Libya

Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), mentioned a report with the latest figures on migration across the Mediterranean. He also told reporters of a statement available to the press, by IOM’s Director-General and an IOM representative in Rome, regarding an act of vandalism involving an anti-migration group which had taken place in Rome on 4 May.

Leonard Doyle, for IOM, said the organization in Libya was working under a grant from the UK Government to improve the human rights of migrants in detention and to manage the migration flows to Europe through Libya in particular. He introduced a video shot in one of the main detention centres in Libya, with some very troubling testimonies from migrants, highlighting the abysmal conditions in which they were being held, and showing some of the improvements made by IOM. He said the improvements had been marginal. IOM had installed sanitary facilities to try and improve the conditions of detention of those migrants. IOM believed migrants should be immediately freed from detention immediately but insofar as they were being held in detention, IOM sought to improve their conditions. IOM had access to two Government-run detention centres.

China

Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said OHCHR was deeply troubled that on 3 May, defence lawyer Chen Jiangang and his family had been reportedly taken by police while travelling in Yunnan province in the southwest of China. This latest event took place in the context of an ongoing crackdown against Chinese lawyers and other human rights defenders. There had reportedly been no official communication of the reasons Chen had been taken away. His wife and two children had been subsequently released but Chen’s whereabouts remained unclear.

Chen had been the defence lawyer chosen by Xie Yang, another lawyer who had been in detention since July 2015. Xie had only been officially charged in January 2016 for inciting subversion of state power and disrupting court order. The trial had been due to begin in the past week, but did not. In March 2017, Chen had reported that his client and other detained lawyers, including Wang Quanzhang, Jiang Tianyong and Li Heping, had been subjected to ill-treatment and torture in custody. Li Heping, who had spent 21 months in incommunicado detention, had been secretly sentenced on 25 April to three years in prison, with the possibility of a four-year suspension should he choose not to appeal. He remained in custody and pressure continued to be exerted on his family. Prior to being reportedly taken by police on 3 May, Chen had, in a video message, expressed concerns that he too may "lose his freedom" and that he may be coerced into self-incrimination.

Despite numerous calls by a number of UN human rights bodies, including Special Rapporteurs, the UN Committee against Torture and by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR was dismayed by this continuing pattern of harassment of lawyers, through continued detention, without full due process guarantees and with alleged exposure to ill-treatment and coercion into self-incrimination. OHCHR also asked the Chinese authorities to halt the harassment against their relatives. The vast majority of detained lawyers had been defending the basic rights of Chinese citizens, mostly economic, social and cultural rights. OHCHR urged the Chinese government to abide by its international human rights obligations, to ensure due process and fair trials, and to release without delay those being held for exercising their fundamental human rights or for defending the exercise of such rights by others.

Asked about how many people in total were being held for exercising their fundamental rights, Ms. Shamdasani said that it was very difficult for OHCHR to have a comprehensive figure of how many people were being held, as people were being detained and released repeatedly.

United States

Asked about recent comments by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson regarding conflicts between human rights and national interest, Ms. Shamdasani said that she did not have a comment but would ask the High Commissioner about it. Asked about the principle of universality, she said that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had been adopted almost 70 years ago, and one of the key drafters of the Declaration had been Eleanor Roosevelt of the US. The Declaration had been adopted unanimously by all Member States. Subsequently there had been the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and many human rights treaties, which most States had adopted voluntarily. Those were universal values including: the right to food, water, freedom of expression, the right not to be tortured. Many of those were non-derogable rights and were not a question of national interest or of any particular political party in power.

Venezuela

Asked about the situation in Venezuela and the increasing death toll there, Ms. Shamdasani said that OHCHR had been following the situation in Venezuela very closely and had addressed it several times, expressing deep concerns about the ongoing violence. OHCHR continued to regret the loss of life. As he had said on 1 May, the High Commissioner was stressing to the Government of Venezuela that heavy-handed measures and the suppression of dissenting voices had so far fuelled the unrest, and there seemed to be an escalation of violence. OHCHR was calling once again for a dialogue. Any constitutional processes and reforms proposed by the President or by others could only be successful and produce lasting results if they were transparent and inclusive of all social and political views, and if they embraced the essential elements of democracy and sought to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. OHCHR was keeping its channels open and was continuing to seek access to the country.

Geneva Events and Announcements

On behalf of Rolando Gomez for the Human Rights Council, Ms. Vellucci said the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review Working Group was reviewing the human rights record of Brazil today. This afternoon, starting at 3 p.m., the Working Group was scheduled to adopt its reports for reviews taking place earlier this week for the following countries: Bahrain, Ecuador, Tunisia, Morocco, Indonesia and Finland. The reports for these reviews would be sent to the press later this morning. On 8 May, the UPR Working Group will review the human rights of the Philippines, starting at 9 a.m., and then Algeria at 2.30 p.m.

Ms. Vellucci said the Committee against Torture (CAT), would hold this afternoon at 3 p.m. a public meeting with the President of the Sub-Committee for the prevention of torture. After that, the Committee would meet in private until the end of its 60^th session planned for 12 May at 10 a.m.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) would complete this morning its review of the report of Bulgaria, started on 4 May in the afternoon. The Committee would then meet in private until the end of its 92^nd session, on 12 May at 3 p.m., following which it would publish its concluding observations on the reports of the six countries reviewed during the session.

Tarik Jasarevic, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said a virtual press briefing launching the fourth UN Global Road Safety Week and new guidance for safe roads, that would deal with the issue of 1.2 million people who died on the roads every year globally, with 40 to 50 per cent of those deaths being due to drivers who sped, had been postponed and would take place today, 5 May at 2 p.m. The speakers would include Dr Etienne Krug, Director of WHO’s Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, as well as Zoleka Mandela, Ambassador for the Global Initiative for Child Health and Mobility, and Saul Billingsley, Executive Director of the FIA Foundation speaking from London. Dial-in information had been provided in the media advisory on 1 May.

Asked about the election of the new Director-General of WHO and whether the Organization was doing any election monitoring, Mr. Jasarevic said that on 23 May Member States would vote for the next Director-General of the WHO and the Organization was only helping with the logistics of the vote.

Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), announced a press conference on the Democratic Republic of Congo on 8 May at 12.45 p.m. in Press Room 1, with the Head of OCHA’s Kinshasa office, Rein Paulsen, who would speak about the deteriorating situation in the DRC. In response to a request, Mr. Laerke said that he would try to move the press conference because of other conflicting events.

Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), announced that the Commission on Science and Technology for Development would start on 8 May. There would be a press release at the end of the opening session on the morning of 8 May. On 10 May in the morning, studies highlighting policies that supported science, technology and innovation in Iran and in Rwanda would be presented. Those studies were realized at the request of Governments, and the recommendations made by experts would then be discussed with the Government authorities and put in place.

Ms. Huissoud also announced a briefing on 10 May at 10.30 a.m. on the Ocean Conference, which would take place on 5-9 June, in New York. UNCTAD was very much involved in the preparation work for the conference, on fishing subsidies, access to markets for Small Island Developing States and the Least Developed Countries, and ways of stopping illegal fishing, which distorted markets. Food security was also a key dimension. The speakers at the briefing would be the two economists in charge of the preparatory work for the conference. An invitation to the press would be sent shortly. Ms. Huissoud reminded the press that at UNCTAD14, 90 Member States had supported a proposal made by UNCTAD, UN-Environment and the FAO to put in place a roadmap to eradicate fishing subsidies.

Fernando Puchol, for the World Trade Organization (WTO), shared the Director-General Roberto Azevêdo’s agenda for the following week. On 8 May, Mr. Azevêdo would chair the informal meeting of Heads of Delegations. A press briefing on the meeting would take place at WTO at 5 p.m. in Room C. On 9 May, Mr Azevêdo would meet at WTO with the high-level board of experts on the future of global trade governance of the Bertelsmann Foundation. Following the meeting of the Heads of Delegations, the Director General would chair the General Council meeting on 10 May which could continue on 11 May, depending on how the agenda of the General Council unfolded. A briefing for journalists would be organized, either on 10 or 11 May depending on when the General Council meeting would end.

The General Council meeting would mainly focus on the preparations of the 11th Ministerial Conference that would take place in Buenos Aires in mid-December 2017. The Council would elect the officers for the Conference, decide on the attendance of observers from Governments, as well as NGOs and IGOs, and would launch the official logo of the conference. Mr. Puchol said that members would also decide of the establishment of a trust fund in support of the participation of Least Developed Countries in the Ministerial Conference.

Mr. Puchol also announced that on 10 May, upon request of the participants in the dispute on measures affecting trade in large civil aircraft presented by the European Communities and certain Member States, the appellate body division had authorized observation of the oral hearing by WTO members and the general public. Participants had requested in this regard to protect certain sensitive business information, so public observation would be limited to the opening statements and would take place via delayed broadcast, at WTO at 10 a.m.

Ms. Vellucci said that on 8 and 9 May, the UN in Geneva would host the first of six informal thematic sessions of the General Assembly supporting the inter-governmental process designed to lead to the adoption in 2018 of a global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration.

Member States had committed to developing this compact when they had adopted the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants last year.

This first thematic session, entitled "Human rights of all migrants, social inclusion, cohesion and all forms of discrimination, including racism, xenophobia and intolerance", would take place at the Palais des Nations, under the co-facilitation of Switzerland and Mexico. The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on International Migration, Louise Arbour, would act as the Secretary-General of the International Conference on Migration. UN-accredited journalists could attend the event using their regular badge. The conference would be carried live on webtv.un.org.

Five additional thematic sessions would take place in 2017, with two more in Geneva on 19-20 June and 2-3 October. New York would host two sessions on 22-23 June and on 24-25 July, while Vienna would host one on 4-5 September. Another global compact was also being negotiated for refugees.

On 8 May, a reception would follow the first day of discussions, from 6.15 p.m. to 7.45 p.m. at the Delegates' Restaurant in the Palais des Nations. Journalists were welcome to attend this side event centering around a conversation on "The role of local authorities in promoting inclusion of refugees and migrants". The event would be held under the auspices of the UN-led campaign to counter xenophobia: Together: respect, safety and dignity for all, in the presence of the Conference co-facilitators, the Secretary-General of the Conference, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, and the Deputy Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, among other guests.

Ms. Vellucci announced a press conference by UN Environment on 5 May at 3 p.m. in Room III, on the outcomes of the triple Conferences of the Parties of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions on Chemicals and Waste, namely:
- Chemicals Listed to the Annexes of the Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions and other decisions
- Outcomes of the Ministerial Segment – 90 Environment Ministers gathered to discuss future for chemicals & waste in context of SDGs.
The speakers would be Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, Bill Murray, Executive Secretary, FAO/Rotterdam Convention, Ambassador Franz Perrez, President of the Rotterdam Convention (tbc), and Stine Hattestad Brattsberg, Olympic gold ski champion and Safe Planet co-chair on toxics/body burden.

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog050517