REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE
Rhéal LeBlanc, Chief, Press and External Relations Section, United Nations Information Service, United Nations Office at Geneva, chaired the briefing attended by the spokespersons for the International Organization for Migration, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Yemen
Olivia Headon, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that over the past three days, IOM had been reporting on a tragic situation off the coast of Yemen. A total number of 280 people had been forced from two boats in two separate incidents, with up to 70 people presumed dead. That number included the bodies IOM staff had witnessed on the beach and the people that were still missing. Two press releases had been sent out with the information that IOM had received from their staff on the ground.
Ms. Headon said that as of today the migrants IOM had assisted were no longer with IOM staff. They had continued on their journeys, most likely to the Gulf countries. They had been advised of the risks of the various routes through Yemen and had been offered assistance to get home. IOM no longer had contact with them. It took five to seven days to reach the border of Yemen, depending on which route was taken, so it was likely that those migrants were still inside Yemen. The routes through the country were changing all the time. The migrants preferred not to stay in one place, as they were often quite afraid of being held in detention, especially after the journey they had faced, getting to Yemen by boat. IOM’s press release from 10 August contained a detailed account from the survivors of the situation on the boat. They had talked about not being allowed to move, not being allowed to fulfill their most basic needs, having to urinate on themselves, being beaten if they moved, being held at gunpoint, and being forced into the water violently. IOM was monitoring the situation and was considering deploying a small team to patrol those beaches over the weekend. In any case, the IOM teams would be back in full force on 13 August.
Asked what would happen to those migrants once they reached the border of Yemen and potentially got caught while trying to get across to Saudi Arabia, Ms. Headon said IOM didn’t have details about the number of migrants who actually made it across the border. Many of those who were making it were people that the IOM didn’t necessarily know about, because they hadn’t needed assistance from IOM. People who were making the journey through Yemen were often held for ransom. Typically, there were two smuggler networks - one that brought people to the country and another one inside the country. What typically happened was that the second smuggler group would be on the beach, or closer to the beach, and that was not what had happened over the past few days. People had thus been left to fend for themselves and either had to find their own way through the country or find another smuggling group further inland. That meant they were subject to the same things that they had been subject to on their way to Yemen: abuse, rape, being held for ransom so that their families at home had to spend money they didn’t have. This route was different to the West Africa – Libya - Europe route: it was more affordable, around USD 100 to 500, but it ended up costing more, due to the ransom claims of the smugglers, on the route and within Yemen.
Asked whether all 27 people that IOM had been taking care of had disappeared at this point and whether some people were still being taken care of by IOM, Ms. Headon reiterated that none of the survivors of the incidents remained with IOM staff as they had preferred to continue on their journeys and none of them had wanted to stay in Yemen. A lot of them had been aware of the situation and of the risks, although maybe not to their full extent, of transiting through a country in crisis like Yemen. However, many of them had judged that the dreams the smugglers were selling to them about the benefits of working in Gulf countries outweighed the risks.
In response to further questions, Ms. Headon said she was not aware of the presence of foreign NGOs patrolling the waters off the coast of Yemen and had to check with the IOM team on the ground. However, IOM had received a call from a German shipping company on 9 August who had offered to send their boats, which had been close to Yemen, back to the country to help look for the remains of the missing migrants from the first tragedy.
Fadela Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said Yemen was facing the world’s largest cholera outbreak. From 27 April to 10 August 2017, the number of cases was 484,733 and the number of deaths was at 1,961. Every day, 5,000 more Yemenis fell ill with symptoms of acute watery diarrhoea or cholera. WHO and health partners were focusing on interventions that could most effectively treat those affected by the outbreak and reduce further spread. That included ensuring access to clean water and sanitation, setting up treatment centres, training health workers, reinforcing surveillance and working with communities on prevention.
The response was working in some places. Surveillance confirmed a decline in suspected cases over the past four weeks in some of the most affected governorates. Overall cases and deaths had declined nationwide, and the situation in the most heavily affected governorates at the outset, most notably Sana’a city, Hajjah and Amran, was consistent with that decline, but in many other districts cases and deaths persisted and were on the rise.
WHO continued to monitor the situation to establish whether the downward trend continued over the coming weeks. In many areas, WHO lacked laboratory testing to really know the state of the epidemic. Even if the outbreak was beginning to slow in some parts of Yemen, thousands were still falling sick every day and the situation remained very alarming. Efforts needed to continue to slow down the spread of cholera in Yemen.
Libya
Asked about the intention of the Libyan authorities to prohibit foreign NGOs from helping migrants and refugees at the coast, Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said IOM did not have any statement on this issue. IOM did know that the activity of the Libyan coastguard had been very robust in 2017, with over 12,000 rescues, including over 1,000 in the past week. However, there had been press reports throughout the past week arguing that the cresting of the migrant surge from Libya that had been seen for the last three years was reaching its peak. Numbers had been coming down, especially in July, and there had been some interesting stories in the press, especially one in the Wall Street Journal on 10 August, explaining why that would be happening. IOM believes that the coastguard activity, the rescues, the ability of IOM to get into detention centres and evacuate over 6,000 people so far in 2017 (with up to another 9,000 expected to be evacuated by the end of 2017), as well as the diversion of a few thousand migrants to Spain, were all changing the profile of Libya. Some were also accrediting this situation to the activities of the EU countries, including Italy, to help manage the border crossings.
Syria
Olivia Headon, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said 602,759 displaced Syrians had returned home from January to July 2017. IOM findings indicated that the vast majority of people returning (84 per cent) had been displaced within Syria. The next highest number of people (16 per cent) had returned from neighbouring countries: Turkey, followed by Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Refugees returning from Turkey and Jordan had reportedly returned mainly to Aleppo and Al Hasakeh Governorates.
An estimated 27 per cent of the returnees had stated that they had done so to protect their assets or properties and 25 per cent had referred to the improved economic situation in their area of origin. Other factors people had given IOM and partners as their reasons for returning included the worsening economic situation in the place where they were seeking refuge (14 per cent), social or cultural issues such as tribal links, political affiliations or any obstacle preventing integration in their area of displacement (11 per cent), and the improvement of the security situation in their area of return (11 per cent).
Half of all returns in 2016 had been to Aleppo Governorate. The report showed that similar trends had been observed in 2017. Consequently, an estimated 67 per cent of the returnees had returned to Aleppo Governorate (405,420 individuals), 27,620 to Idleb Governorate, and 75,209 to Hama Governorate, 45,300 to Ar-Raqqa Governorate, 21,346 to Rural Damascus and 27,861 to other governorates.
Within the governorates mentioned, Aleppo city, had received the most returnees. According to reports, almost all (97 per cent) had returned to their own house, 1.8 per cent were living with hosts, 1.4 per cent in abandoned houses, 0.14 per cent in informal settlements and 0.03 per cent in rented accommodation.
Access of returnees to food and household items was 83 per cent and 80 per cent respectively. Access to water (41 per cent) and health services (39 per cent) was dangerously low as the country’s infrastructure had been extremely damaged by the conflict.
The report indicated that an increasing number of Syrians displaced within the country appeared to be returning home. The total figure by end of July 2017 had been already close to the 685,662 returns identified in the whole of 2016.
While trends of returns increased, Syria continued to witness high rates of displacement. From January to July 2017, an estimated 808,661 people had been displaced, many for the second or third time, and over 6 million people in total currently remained displaced within the country.
Returns of internally displaced persons (IDPs) had mainly been spontaneous but not necessarily voluntary, safe or sustainable. As such, they could not, at present, be considered within the context of a durable solutions framework. Syria was not safe, and the places people returned to were not equipped to deal with them, so humanitarian organizations could not consider returns as an option at this time.
These data had been collected by IOM’s implementing partners, who used a set of tools and methods to identify, assess and monitor different population categories throughout Syria, in relation to needs and mobility dynamics at a community level.
Asked about the methods of collection of the information, Ms. Headon said it was usually through face-to-face interviews at the community level. Asked about whether this was the highest level of returns IOM had seen so far, she said it was only possible to compare to 2016, and the number seen in the first seven months of 2017 was very close to the total number in 2016. The returns were not sustainable, and as the security situation changed in different parts of the country and displacement could occur again. Some 20,752 people had returned or attempted to return and had been displaced again in 2016; in 2017, that number stood at 21,045 so far. People were going back with the hope of being able to protect their property or engage in a better economic situation, or were searching protection as they were coming from an area that was less safe.
In response to further questions, Ms. Headon said there was definitely more displacement than returns in 2017. She also said the 808,661 people who had been displaced from January to July 2017 were all IDPs. The increase in returns in 2017, seen through the prism of the reasons people gave for returning, meant more people were worried about their property, and were seeing themselves taking refuge in places where they could not provide for their families, were unable to integrate, or which were unsafe.
Iraq
Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNCHR), said UNHCR had been stepping up its aid effort for Iraqi families in Mosul, including for thousands who had recently returned to the city after fleeing the fighting.
UNHCR’s field assessments showed that the returning population of Mosul needed assistance of every kind, but the shelter needs were the most pressing, particularly in the western part of the city. Many neighbourhoods in the west had been extensively damaged or totally destroyed during months of fighting.
UNHCR’s UN partners said that of the 54 residential districts in West Mosul, 15 had suffered destruction or heavy damage, another 23 areas were moderately damaged, while further 16 neighbourhoods had sustained light damage.
Mines, unexploded ordnance and related devices posed massive risks for the city’s residents, especially children. UNHCR welcomed the ongoing mine clearing efforts by the authorities and the UN Mine Action Service to ensure safe return of the city’s displaced population. But given the magnitude of the problem, clearance work to remove all explosive hazards could take a very long time.
Returning families also faced challenges in accessing basic services and utilities – accessing water, electricity or fuel in parts of Mosul could be difficult and very expensive.
So far, according to Government figures, some 79,000 people had returned to battered
West Mosul – one out of every ten people who had been forced to flee from this part of the city. Also, the Government said, more than 90 per cent of families (more than 165,000 people) who had fled East Mosul during the conflict had now returned. There had been considerably less destruction in East Mosul and UNHCR witnessed progress in gradual resumption of day-to-day life there.
However, there were also families who had returned to camps. Managers in the IDP camps east of Mosul estimated that at least 200 families had moved back to the camps after finding living conditions difficult in Mosul. Reasons cited for their return included lack of shelter; high rental prices; a lack of livelihood opportunities and limited basic services such as electricity and water.
For returns to the city to be safe and sustainable, there must be conducive conditions on the ground. UNHCR stressed that the return of any displaced population needed to be voluntary, it had to be carefully planned and carried out on the basis of the international humanitarian principles.
Since the end of military operations in west Mosul in July, together with its partner Human Appeal, UNHCR had already distributed shelter kits to more than 3,200 families in east and west Mosul, both to returnees and to families who had been unable to move. The aid package included emergency shelter kits and sealing-off kits which allowed families to carry out basic repairs so they were able to live in partially damaged or unfinished buildings. The plan was to distribute kits to up to 36,000 families by the end of 2017.
UNHCR had also been providing cash assistance to some of the most vulnerable displaced Iraqi families. So far UNHCR had been able to reach a quarter of some 3,000 vulnerable families initially assessed to be in need of cash assistance. Families received one-off cash assistance of USD 400 (486,000 IQD), using a system of mobile money transfers. Some of the most vulnerable families would receive the same amount for up to three months, helping them to pay rent and manage basic necessities such as food and utilities.
Large numbers of IDPs and returnees were also missing key civil documents – some 28 per cent of displaced families in camps had reported missing, damaged, invalid or expired paperwork hindering their movements and access to services. UNHCR and partners were providing legal assistance and supporting local authorities as they struggled with capacity and lack of resources, to reissue civil and identity documents to displaced families in the camps, including birth and marriage certificates. UNHCR also supported the work of mobile courts, residency directorates and notaries to issue civil documents through outreach protection teams in displacement camps.
Given the scale of the destruction in Mosul, particularly in the western sector, humanitarian needs would remain high. UNHCR would continue to support vulnerable families returning to Mosul, while at the same time also needed to maintain shelter and assistance for thousands of families in camps for many months to come.
In response to a question about revenge attacks on families of ISIS members and discussions underway to help protect them, as described earlier this week during a press conference by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, Mr. Mahecic said the general security and safety situation throughout Mosul was an issue, and UNHCR encouraged the Iraqi authorities to do more to improve that situation. The discussions underway with the Iraqi authorities regarding camps where those families could stay and be protected were part of overall UN efforts. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator was in lead of those talks. Already in July, UNHCR had flagged the issues of retributions and revenge attacks as concerns for the entire UN body operating in Iraq.
Joel Millman, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), added that IOM was publishing today a comprehensive report called “Mosul Crisis Population Movement and Analysis”. A press release with a link to the report was available on the IOM website. According to IOM, a cumulated 1,084,134 individuals had been displaced in east and west Mosul as of 10 August, including almost 840,000 individuals (140,000 families) who were still displaced. The remaining 244,000 people were believed to have returned to their place of origin.
Migration routes into Europe
In response to a question, Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNCHR), said the main route into Europe for refugees and migrants remained the Central Mediterranean route. The numbers to Spain could have increased compared to the same period in 2016, but those numbers remained small compared to the Central Mediterranean.
Ukraine
Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNCHR), said as the conflict entered its fourth year, nearly 1.6 million internally displaced Ukrainians struggled to find safety, adequate housing and access to employment.
Sporadic exchanges of fire in areas near the line of contact continued to damage civilian infrastructure, leading to new humanitarian needs and creating risks of displacement. Safety and security remained major concerns for nearly 800,000 people living near the Line of Contact in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the country’s East.
In June 2017, the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) of Ukraine had recorded more than 1.1 million crossings of the dividing line in eastern Ukraine. UNHCR was concerned about difficulties regarding freedom of movement of civilians, particularly while crossing the conflict line. There were frequently long queues and subsequent delays at checkpoints. Those waiting to cross had limited access to basic services, such as drinking water, latrines, weather shelters and medical care.
That created additional hardships for those with limited mobility and specific needs, especially older people and mothers with children making the journey. Earlier in 2017, UNHCR had provided technical assistance to improve conditions at all crossing points to help reduce delays.
Since the beginning of 2016, nearly 586,000 retired and elderly people residing in the conflict zone had lost access to their pensions as a result of verification procedures introduced by the Government of Ukraine. That had affected the most vulnerable groups, as many of them depended on pensions and social payments as their sole source of income.
Those living in non-Government controlled areas were required to register as internally displaced persons with the Ukrainian authorities in order to have access to their rightful pensions and social payments.
UNHCR and its partners advocated for ensuring that displaced people had full access to Government services and payments, including de-linking pensions and social benefits from the place of residence.
Displacement had affected vulnerable groups particularly harshly, including more than 50,000 people with disabilities who had been forced to flee their homes. Besides access to services, they often faced additional difficulties and discrimination based on their disability, ethnic or religious background.
At least 40 communities residing near the dividing line had limited access to medical services. Some 150 healthcare facilities had been damaged since the start of the conflict, and medical personnel had also left the area.
Children in affected zones had limited access to education due to the security situation and damaged school buildings. At least 700 schools had been damaged since the start of the conflict, including 55 schools directly impacted since the beginning of 2017. In 2017, 89 schools had been repaired with UNHCR’s assistance.
The level of destruction of civilian houses was significantly higher than expected, with approximately 40 to 60 houses in certain communities close to the front line being damaged every week. More than 10,000 damaged houses needed to be rehabilitated. In 2017, UNHCR and shelter partners had helped to repair more than 1,000 civilian shelters, however it was only a fraction of needs as continued shelling and hazardous security conditions hampered access to many newly damaged areas.
Earlier this year, UNHCR had conducted 123 focus group discussions with the conflict-affected population, including women, orphaned children, persons with disabilities and serious medical conditions, and LGBTI persons in 10 regions of Ukraine. The report summarizing this participatory assessment provided first-hand accounts and testimonies of displaced families.
Among problems with security, access to basic services, housing, employment and livelihoods, residents of frontline communities spoke of civilian houses being used for military purposes. The stationing of combatants and weapons in residential areas placed civilian populations at risk during fighting.
UNHCR continued to call on all parties involved in the conflict to ensure protection of civilians and civilian settlements from the consequences of fighting, shelling and to restrict the use of civilian homes for military purposes.
Asked about how the retirees unable to get their pensions were surviving, Mr. Mahecic said there they faced a risk of homelessness and falling into deprivation. There were efforts to support them but it was very important they had full access to their acquired rights and services.
Gaza
Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said OHCHR was deeply concerned about the steady deterioration in the humanitarian conditions and the protection of human rights in Gaza.
At the height of summer, with soaring temperatures, electricity provision had not risen above six hours per day since the beginning of the current crisis in April, and had often been under four hours. This had a grave impact on the provision of essential health, water and sanitation services. Power outages threatened the life and well-being of vulnerable groups, particularly those needing urgent medical care. OHCHR had observed an increasingly dire situation for the men, women and children of Gaza amid a deepening economic crisis, coupled with continuing restrictions on movement and freedom of expression. The desperate situation had also contributed to violent crime, domestic violence, including femicides, and attempted suicides, although exact data was hard to obtain.
Israel, the State of Palestine and the authorities in Gaza were not meeting their obligations to promote and protect the rights of the residents of Gaza. Israel, as the occupying power, had responsibility under international humanitarian law to ensure the well-being of the population. Israel, the State of Palestine and the authorities in Gaza also had clear concurrent human rights obligations towards the Palestinians in Gaza. The Israeli blockade and closure continued to disproportionately affect the civilian population and should be lifted. The recent measures to decrease the provision of electricity, and to cut the salaries and order early retirement of civil servants in Gaza, were having a direct, negative impact on the social and economic rights of Gazans. The lack of transparency in the use of resources, and the continuing suppression of freedom of speech and assembly by the authorities raised further concerns for the protection of fundamental rights of the population in the Gaza Strip.
OHCHR urged Israel, the State of Palestine and the authorities in Gaza to uphold the human rights of the population in Gaza. OHCHR also called on the international community to respond to the UN’s urgent appeal for humanitarian aid, to honour pledges made to support reconstruction and development of Gaza, and to work with the parties to bring a resolution to the current crisis.
Geneva Events and Announcements
Rhéal LeBlanc, Chief, Press and External Relations Section, United Nations Information Service, United Nations Office at Geneva, said the Committee against Torture would close this morning at 10 a.m. at the Palais Wilson its 61st session, following which it would present its concluding observations regarding the reports of the four countries reviewed during the session: Antigua and Barbuda, Paraguay, Ireland and Panama.
Mr. LeBlanc also announced a press conference on 11 August at 12.30 p.m. in Press Room 1 by members of the Committee against Torture, on the Committee’s concluding observations on Antigua and Barbuda, Ireland, Panama and Paraguay. The speakers would be Jens Modvig (Chair), Felice Gaer, Claude Heller Rouassant and Sébastien Touzé.
The Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, whose 93rd session was underway at the Palais Wilson, would complete this morning its review of the report of Tajikistan, started on 10 August in the afternoon. During its session, which would close on 25 August, the Committee had yet to review the reports of Canada and New Zealand.
Prior to its review of those two reports, on 14 August at 10 a.m., the Committee would audition civil society organizations, as part of a public session.
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities would start on 14 August its 18th session, which would run until 31 August in Room XVII of the Palais des Nations, and during which it would review the reports of Panama, Morocco, Montenegro, Latvia, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom on the measures taken by those countries to implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Besides the review of those six reports, the Committee would also review the progress made by the working group established to draft a General Comment on article 19 of the Convention concerning the right to live independently and be included in the community. The Committee would also hold, on 25 August, a day of general discussion on the right of persons with disabilities to equality and non-discrimination (article 5 of the Convention), as part of the process leading to the preparation of a draft general comment on that matter.
The Conference on Disarmament - the third and final part of the 2017 session of which had started on 31 July and would close on 15 September – was scheduled to hold its next public plenary in the week of 21 August. This would mark the start of the Spanish Presidency of the Conference, taking over from South Africa. Before then, the Conference would hold several informal private sessions dedicated to the work of the Working Group on the “Way Ahead”.
The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog110817