REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING BY THE INFORMATION SERVICE

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons for the World Meteorological Organization, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the Human Rights Council, the Economic Commission for Europe and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Cyclone Idai

Lola Castro, Southern Africa and India Ocean States Regional Director for the World Food Programme (WFP), speaking by telephone from Johannesburg, South Africa, said that the cyclone, together with the rains over the previous week, had wreaked devastation in the Beira corridor. WFP had had staff on the ground from the beginning and had deployed additional staff at the onset of the emergency. The number of affected people in Mozambique had been announced as 600,000; however, according to geodata, some 1.7 million people had been on the path of Cyclone Idai. Rescuing people and saving lives required immediate action. WFP had deployed some helicopters already; it was also providing basic read-to-eat foods in the city of Beira, which had 500,000 inhabitants, and the surrounding area. Shelter, medicine and clean water were some of the basic needs. The port of Beira was in very poor condition. Communications had been restored at the airport, thanks to the UN Emergency Cluster. The Buzi River had burst its banks and it was expected that other rivers might soon do the same. Huge swathes of land, covered by water, were accessible only via air and water. The situation was desperate. WFP and its partners were scaling up the response to the disaster with staff, containers of supplies, amphibian boats, planes and community support.

Hervé Verhoosel, for the World Food Programme (WFP), also added that Cyclone Idai had affected 5 provinces in Mozambique; 16 districts in Malawi; and 4 districts in Zimbabwe. WFP was targeting 500,000 to 600,000 people for immediate food assistance in Mozambique. Heavy rains were forecast to continue through Thursday, 21 March, in some regions of the country. On 18 March, 1.2 tonnes of biscuits had been dropped in Mozambique; 4 tonnes more would be dispatched on 18 March. The biscuits were part of a 20-tonne consignment flown into Beira over the weekend from a WFP-run United Nations emergency response depot in Dubai. One WFP helicopter was already in Mozambique; two more were on their way. A total of 30 pilots had been secured for boats from WFP, which would make it possible to reach people in difficult situations. The entire United Nations family, including WFP, would need additional funding to deal with the crisis. WFP had made some preparations ahead of the cyclone, including deploying specialized staff on the ground. The biggest challenge at the moment was securing access to all areas of Mozambique.

Christophe Boulierac, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that some 260,000 children were believed to be among those affected by the cyclone in Mozambique. That figure was based on initial assessment, and might change over the coming days. UNICEF currently had a few staff in Beira, where it was working under the supervision of the Mozambican government in coordination with other disaster agencies. UNICEF colleagues on the ground described the situation as a severe flooding disaster in Beira and the surrounding area. People were in a desperate situation, with several thousands currently fighting for their lives from rooftops, trees and other elevated areas. A total of 267 classrooms and 24 health centres had been destroyed. Again, such numbers were constantly changing and were likely to rise in the coming days. The emergency room of the hospital in Beira had been destroyed, which meant that no major surgeries were possible. Fortunately, the paediatric ward was still functional, and newborns were supposed to be safe. Most urgent was the search and rescue of the thousands of people still unaccounted for, including many children. Accommodation was also a major concern. One of the top priorities of UNICEF was to ensure the provision of safe drinking water to prevent waterborne diseases. UNICEF had begun helping the Government with the distribution of water purification tablets and basic medication. Some purification tablets had ben prepositioned in Beira, but the UNICEF warehouse there had been heavily damaged, leading to the unavailability of some goods.

Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said that, from a meteorological perspective, Cyclone Idai had been forecast as a worst-case scenario for Beira. The city was extremely vulnerable to tropical cyclones because much of it was at or below sea level and the formation of the ocean floor made it particularly susceptible to storm surge. Idai had caused storm surge of around 4 metres above normal in Beira and up to 5 metres in the Pungwe river mouth. Rainfall had been heavy ahead of the cyclone impact in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi, and had not yet tapered off. WMO did not compile disaster statistics on a regular basis; however, if reports were confirmed, with the President of Mozambique quoted as saying that more than 1,000 deaths were feared, then Idai would be among the worst tropical-cyclone related disasters ever to have hit the southern hemisphere.

Matthew Cochrane, for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said that, according to the Government of Mozambique, there had been some 400,000 internally displaced persons in the country even before the passing of Cyclone Idai. Since the cyclone, initial assessments in the city of Beira indicated that 90 per cent of buildings had been severely damaged or destroyed. There was extensive flooding to the south and south-west of Beira, partly owing to the Cyclone Idai and partly to the rains that preceded it. The water was as deep as 6 metres in some areas and people were huddled in trees and on rooftops, awaiting rescue. Currently, the main priority was search and rescue operations. Shelter was also a major concern, as was clean water and sanitation, especially crucial after such a natural disaster. Colleagues on the ground were worried about a tertiary disaster, consisting of flood waters draining back into Mozambique, where people were already severely affected.

Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. Boulierac, for UNICEF, said that the figure of 260,000 children was based on the estimate of 600,000 people affected in Mozambique. Over 400,000 children in Malawi and 1,600 households in Zimbabwe were estimated to have been affected by the cyclone. UNICEF had thus far issued an appeal for USD 20.3 million to support the response in the three affected countries: Mozambique (to which half the funds would be allocated), Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Responding to further questions, Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that he was not aware of any requests for military assets from other countries; priority was being placed on air transport, especially helicopters. WFP was leading the logistics aspects of the operation. Beira was currently inaccessible by road. A proper assessment of the damage was needed first and foremost.

Ms. Castro, for WFP, agreed that air support was most crucial at the moment to save lives. WFP had been advising the Government of Mozambique to call on its neighbours, especially South Africa, to provide support. South Africa had deployed helicopters in other flood situations in the past. An air bridge would soon be established to allow for the delivery of food and non-food items to Beira. Currently there was no electricity or communication possible in the city. The first airlift had been carried out on 16 March; the pilots had had to land the plane without lights or assistance from the flight tower.

Asked for more details on the situation of the port of Beira, Ms. Castro, for WFP, said that the situation was extremely difficult, as all antennae, cranes and other infrastructure in the sea had been destroyed during the cyclone. There was no electricity or communication possible. The Logistics Cluster was working to have generators brought in so that the airport and the port could become operational again. The 500,000 inhabitants of Beira would soon run out of food and drinking water. As for the road links to Zimbabwe, there was just one road from Beira to Mutare, Zimbabwe; that road had been cut off. Nor was it possible to access the city from the south or the west. WFP was deploying 4x4 vehicles that had been used previously during flooding in Malawi to gain access to some roads.

Asked a question about the risk of waterborne diseases, Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that after the passing of a cyclone, together with the risk of drowning, there was a risk of crush and trauma injuries. That was typically followed by a rise in waterborne diseases, such as typhoid and cholera; malaria was also a risk. Mid- to long-term care, such as that provided to pregnant women and diabetes patients, was likely to be hampered. WHO was positioning emergency health kits to assist people on the ground. As for mid- to long-term needs, there should first be an assessment of the damage to infrastructure and the cost to rebuild.

Mr. Cochrane, for IFRC, added that the humanitarian country team had made a request for chlorine to be airdropped. The Red Cross truck that had made it into Mozambique ahead of the cyclone carried a small supply of chlorine, which would be distributed in Beira on 19 March. Without access to clean water, the situation could deteriorate further very quickly.

Responding to further questions from the press, Ms. Nullis, for WMO, said that while there were no current forecasts of another tropical cyclone following Idai, ongoing heavy rainfall continued to make the situation worse. The city of Beira was extremely vulnerable to tropical cyclones because it was low-lying and did not have good enough natural drainage mechanisms. Also, like many coastal cities, Beira was feeling the impact of sea level rise as a result of climate change.

Responding to a question about appeals for funding, Mr. Laerke, for OCHA, said that it was still early days. Needs assessments would first have to be conducted. Mr. Laerke later updated that the UN and humanitarian partners had on 16 March requested an initial US$40.8 million to target 400,000 people based on preliminary estimates. This figure was likely to go up in the days ahead.

Asked about follow-up to requests for assistance by the Government of Mozambique, Mr. Laerke, for OCHA, said that, in such situations, it was ultimately up to the Government to appeal to other countries for help. WFP and partners had and would continue to advise the Government of Mozambique to request and provide specific support.

Mr. Verhoosel, for WFP, added that there were already several South African helicopters on the ground in Mozambique. The Government of South Africa had responded very quickly, and not the first time in the region. In addition to the helicopters deployed by WFP and by South Africa, it was expected that a number of cargo planes would be chartered by WFP from Dubai. Helicopters could not be sent in advance, as air traffic had been closed during and immediately after the cyclone. Although communications had been down in most areas, WFP had secured an Internet connection for its staff and partners as of 19 March, thereby facilitating assessments and coordination on the ground.

Syria

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, speaking on behalf of the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria, made the following statement:

“Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen has been in Damascus for the past two days where he had good in-depth discussions with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2254. Special Envoy Pedersen stressed that progress was made and that he looks forward to returning to continue the good cooperation that has been established. Today, Special Envoy Pedersen is on a field visit to Homs, where he is scheduled to see internally displaced persons, returnees, host communities and the physical destruction of parts of the city, and observe UN humanitarian work.”

Update on the Human Rights Council

Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council, said that he wished to convey the sincere appreciation of the President of the Human Rights Council to the press corps for its solid reporting on issues relating to the Council. Turning to the Council’s programme of work, a general debate was currently being held on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. In the afternoon, there would be an interactive dialogue on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which would feature statements by Andrew Gilmour, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights; Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for DRC and head of MONUSCO; and Marie-Ange Mushobekwa, Minister of Human Rights of DRC. The Council would then consider the report of the new Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali, Mr. Alioune Tine. An interactive dialogue would be held on the situation of human rights in Ukraine, during which a statement would be made by the Deputy High Commissioner, Kate Gilmore.

On Wednesday, 20 March, the Council would hear the presentation of a report on Sri Lanka by the High Commissioner, followed by an interactive discussion on the Central African Republic, with the participation of the Independent Expert, Therese Keita-Bocoum; ASG Andrew Gilmour; a government representative; and a civil society representative. Two back-to-back statements would then be delivered by the High Commissioner, relating to written reports on Colombia, Cyprus, Guatemala, Honduras and Iran, as well as on the human rights situation of Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar; and oral updates on human rights situations in Venezuela and Yemen. A general debate would then follow.

On Thursday, 21 March, the Council would consider the High Commissioner’s reports on Afghanistan and Libya. A general debate on technical assistance would then follow. On Thursday and Friday, the Council would consider a total of 29 draft resolutions; the deadline for amendments was 19 March.

Announcements

Jean Rodriguez, for the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), recalled that, on 21 and 22 March, the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development would be held at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG) in Geneva. Participants would include the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed; the Executive Secretary of ECE, Olga Algayerova; the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Liu Zhenmin; and the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Michael Møller. The Forum would explore progress and provide regional input on the five Sustainable Development Goals under review at the 2019 High Level Political Forum.

Mr. Rodriguez, drawing attention to the ECE Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety to be held in room IX during the week of 25 March, announced that, on Monday 25 March, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, and the Formula 1 driver, Felipe Massa, would speak at the Forum. The fiftieth anniversary of the Vienna Conventions on Road Traffic and on Road Signs and Signals would also be celebrated.

Mr. Rodriguez further announced that the 2019 International Day of Forests was being celebrated under the theme “Learn to Love Forests” and would feature, on Thursday, 21 March, a breakfast and opening ceremony in the Salle des Pas Perdus, in the Palais des Nations, followed by a number of events at CICG.

Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), recalled that the first meeting of WHO expert advisory committee on developing global standards for governance and oversight of human genome editing was being held in Geneva on 18 and 19 March. On 19 March, at 6.15 p.m., following the meeting, the Co-Chair of the Committee would hold a virtual press conference. Speakers would include Dr. Margaret A. (Peggy) Hamburg, Co-Chair of the committee, and Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist. There would be no camera presence, but arrangements had been made to provide video footage to interested journalists. In addition, sound files and a transcript would be available.

Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), announced that the WMO Hurricane Committee was currently meeting in Curaçao, where it would review the previous hurricane season and make recommendations on how to improve safety during the 2019 season. The decision to retire certain hurricane names would be made on the evening of 21 March; details would be made public via a tweet and a press release.

Ms. Nullis for WMO also announced that World Meteorological Day was Saturday, 23 March, and that the 2019 theme was “The Sun, the Earth and the Weather”. WMO would celebrate it on Friday, 22 March. A media advisory with information about the events to be held that day would be sent shortly. The press was invited to attend the ceremony, which would begin at 2.30 p.m., and which would feature a number of high-level speakers. There would also be a presentation on space weather. Recalling that WMO usually released an annual statement on the state of the climate ahead of World Meteorological Day, she said that, in 2019, the statement would be released later than usual, in New York, at a press conference with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the General Assembly, on 28 March.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that a number of international days were being celebrated during the week of 18 March, namely: on 20 March, the International Day of Happiness and French Language Day; and on 21 March, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, World Poetry Day, the International Day of Nowruz, World Down Syndrome Day and the International Day of Forests.

Ms. Vellucci also announced that the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, Mr. Horst Köhler, would convene delegations for talks on Western Sahara in Switzerland on 21 and 22 March 2019. Information on media opportunities would be made available shortly.

Answering questions, Ms. Vellucci confirmed that the Deputy Secretary-General would be visiting Geneva on 21 and 22 March, during which time she would attend the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development being organized by the ECE, as well as meetings at WHO and UNAIDS.

Ms. Vellucci announced that the Conference on Disarmament was holding a public plenary meeting on the morning of 19 March, the first such meeting to be chaired by the United States of America.

Press conferences

Tuesday, 19 March at 3:45 p.m. in Press Room 1
U.S. Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations
Press briefing on the human rights situation in Venezuela
Speakers:
• Carrie Filipetti, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
• Delsa Solorzano, Elected Member of the National Assembly of Venezuela
• Edison Lanza, Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Organization of American States

Wednesday, 20 March at 11.00 a.m. in Press Room 1
WHO / OMS
World TB Day Press Conference
World TB Day is observed on March 24 each year to raise public awareness and understanding about the world’s deadliest infectious killer -tuberculosis (TB) and it’s devastating health, social and economic impact on people around the world. World TB Day 2019 follows a year which generated concerted high-level commitment for the fight against TB. Heads of State came together at the first-ever UN high-level meeting on TB in New York last September, and agreed to bold targets and urgent actions to end TB.

TB remains the top infectious killer in the world claiming nearly 4500 people lives each day. The emergence of drug-resistant TB poses a major health threat that could put at risk the gains made to end the global TB epidemic.
At the press briefing WHO will present a special End TB Accelerator package.
More information and communications material can be found at this link:
https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2019/03/24/default-calendar/world-tb-day-2019

Speakers:
• Tereza Kasaeva, Director, Global TB Programme, WHO
• Steve Otieno, TB advocate and musician, Kenya
• Madhusudan Kaphle, Youth Advocate, Nepal

Thursday, 21 March at 10.00 a.m. in Press Room 1
The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva and the United Nations Office in Uzbekistan
To present the UN Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea region as well as to address the Aral Sea crisis and its multi-dimensional human consequences, consequences for the nature, environment and population in the Aral Sea region (territories of the Central Asian region)
Speakers:
• H.E. Badriddin Abidov, Deputy Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan
• H.E. Helena Fraser, UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan
• H.E. Jusipbek Kazbekov, First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan

Monday, 25 March at 2:00 p.m. in Press Room 1
High Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
High Representative for UNAOC to present his renewed vision for UNAOC and how to make it more operational & result-oriented in addressing xenophobia, intolerance and hate speech.
Speaker:
• Miguel Moratinos, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations

The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog190319