PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
16 August 2022
Repatriation of Syrian refugees from Lebanon
Responding to a question from a journalist, Shabia Mantoo, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), reiterated the UNHCR principle that every refugee return had to be voluntary. Syrian refugees across the region were telling UNHCR that they remained concerned about a variety of factors related to repatriation, including instability in Syria and ability to provide for their livelihoods.
Monkeypox
Fadéla Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), replying to questions, confirmed that the WHO was working on renaming the monkeypox disease. Everyone was welcome to propose a new name through an open consultation via an online platform. The goal was to find a name which would not be stigmatizing, cause offense, or expose any human or animal group to danger. For the time being, the focus was on monkeypox, not other diseases.
Announcements
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service, informed that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was concluding this morning the review of the report of Azerbaijan. This afternoon, it would begin consideration of the report of Slovakia.
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities had opened its 27th session on 15 August and would begin the review of the report of China on 17 August.
The Conference on Disarmament, still under the presidency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was having this morning a public plenary meeting.
Regarding the World Humanitarian Day on 19 August, Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that there could be interview opportunities. Ms. Vellucci added that the event at the Palais des Nations would be held in Room XX and would be webcast at UNTV.
Fadéla Chaib, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed about a webinar with Dr. Janet Diaz, WHO's Lead for COVID-19 Clinical Management Response, and other experts. The webinar, which would look into the post-COVID-19 conditions in children, would be held on 17 August from 1:30 to 3:30 pm.
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Press Conferences | HRC , ILO , UNCTAD , WHO , FAO , ICRC
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Labour Organization, Human Rights Council, United Nations Trade and Development and International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
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Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA
More than 280,000 people have been uprooted in northwest Syria in a matter of days following the sudden and massive offensive into Government-controlled areas led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is sanctioned by the Security Council as a terrorist group.
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Press Conferences , Edited News | OCHA
Multiple unending conflicts, climate change and a glaring disregard for long-established international humanitarian law are set to leave a staggering 305 million people in need of lifesaving assistance next year, the UN’s top aid official warned on Wednesday.
Embargo Wednesday, 4 December 2024 at 0600 CET / 0000 ET
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Press Conferences | UNRISD , UNHCR , IFRC , OHCHR , WHO , OCHA
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva (UNIS), chaired a hybrid briefing, which was attended by representatives and spokespersons for the World Health Organization (WHO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC).
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Press Conferences | FAO , ITU , OHCHR , WHO , UNHCR
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva (UNIS), chaired a hybrid briefing, which was attended by the Deputy Secretary-General for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), representatives and spokespersons for the World Health Organization (WHO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
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Press Conferences , Edited News | ITU
An estimated 5.5 billion people have access to the internet in 2024, an increase of 227 million people based on revised estimates for 2023, the UN specialized agency for telecommunications, ITU, said on Wednesday.
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Press Conferences | FAO
Media launch of the FAO State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO) 2024 "Trade and Nutrition: Policy Coherence for Healthy Diets"
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Press Conferences , Edited News | UNAIDS
Launch of World AIDS Day Report 2024—Take The Rights Path
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Press Conferences | UNECE , ITU , OHCHR , WHO , IFRC , WFP
Michele Zaccheo, Chief, UNTV, Radio and Webcast Section, United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, International Telecommunication Union, World Health Organization, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the World Food Programme.
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Press Conferences | OCHA , WHO , UNHCR , IFRC , ILO , UNCTAD
Alessandra Vellucci of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Health Organization, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Federation of the Red Cross, the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Trade and Development.
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Press Conferences | ITU , OSE , UNIFIL , UNICEF , OHCHR , WHO , FAO
Rolando Gómez of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organization, the Food and Agricultural Organization, and the International Telecommunication Union.
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Press Conferences , Edited News | UNRWA
The head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, confirmed on Monday that a large convoy of humanitarian aid was looted inside Gaza at the weekend, amid a near-total a breakdown in law and order and harassment of the agency’s staff by Israeli soldiers.