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Bi-Weekly Press Briefing 30 September 2022
PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
30 September 2022
Increasing number of cholera outbreaks
Dr. Philippe Barboza, Team Lead for Cholera and Epidemic Diarrheal Diseases, at the World Health Organization (WHO), said that after years of declining numbers, there was a worrying increase in the number of cholera outbreaks, with 26 countries reporting outbreaks in 2022 so far. Not only were we seeing more outbreaks, but they were larger and more deadly. In Africa, the fatality rate was as high as three per cent. The treatment was simple, but many people unfortunately did not have resources for that. Extreme climate events reduced access to clean water and sanitation; with further climate change, we could expect more such outbreaks, warned Dr. Barboza. WHO was working with partners on all multisectoral aspects to support countries to both respond to and to prevent outbreaks. The situation was dire, but not hopeless, as cholera was a preventable and treatable diseases, stressed Dr. Barboza.
Responding to questions, Dr. Barboza said that this year marked three years without reported cholera cases in Haiti, but the country remained at the risk of reintroduction. In Syria, the situation was evolving and there were laboratory-confirmed cases. The Indian subcontinent, the Horn of Africa, Western Africa, and the Middle East were some of the areas of gravest concern. The availability of vaccines continued to be extremely limited, with demand exceeding supply. There was only one manufacturer currently, informed Dr. Barboza, but the WHO continued to work with partners, including GAVI, to address the issue. He confirmed that there were currently no cholera cases in Lebanon or Turkey, but they were also at risk, having large refugee populations and being next to Syria. The risk to wealthy countries was very low, said Dr. Barboza. He said that the WHO was working with countries to develop flexible, adaptable surveillance to better identify cholera outbreaks, record cases and deaths, prevent and respond to outbreaks.
Systemic racism report
Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that a new OHCHR report recorded piecemeal progress in combating systemic racism against people of African descent, and insisted on urgent need for transformative change.
Activism led by people of African descent, joined by many others, had resulted in increased recognition of the systemic nature of racism, yielding concrete initiatives in some countries, but there remained an urgent need for comprehensive approaches to dismantling deep-rooted systems perpetuating racial discrimination across all areas of life. The acting High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, who would present the report to the Human Rights Council on 3 October, called on States to “redouble efforts to ensure accountability and redress wherever deaths of Africans and people of African descent have occurred in the context of law enforcement, and take measures to confront legacies that perpetuate and sustain systemic racism.”
Ms. Shamdasani said that where available, recent data continued to point to disproportionately high rates of deaths of people of African descent by law enforcement in different countries. Families of African descent continued to report the immense challenges, barriers and protracted processes they faced in their pursuit of truth and justice for the deaths of their relatives at the hands of law enforcement.
The report is available here.
Answering questions, Ms. Shamdasani said there had been some progress in certain cases, such as in the murder of George Floyd, but it was shocking that none of the cases listed in the report had come to a conclusion years after the crimes had been committed. She recalled examples of people of African descent fleeing Ukraine and being treated differently from Ukrainian refugees. It was a systemic issue, not only within countries, but at the global level. She stressed that the issue of racism was deeply entrenched, systemic, and it went back centuries. Following several recent high-profile killings, the Human Rights Council had taken up the issue, even if belatedly. The OHCHR now had an indefinite mandate to report on this issue every year.
Responding to a question, Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service, explained that within UN Geneva, there was a working group looking into the problem of racism. Recent activities included recording staff videos on this topic, which can be viewed here. Mr. LeBlanc also reminded of a recent Ciné-ONU event in Geneva which had shown the documentary « Je suis Noires » covering the topic of systemic racism. He also recalled that the Secretary-General’s message on the International Day of Peace on 21 September emphasized the importance of eradicating racism to build a more just and peaceful world.
Human Rights Council
Rolando Gomez, for the Human Rights Council (HRC), informed that today the general debate on subsidiary bodies was continuing, to be followed by the general debate on Universal Periodic Reviews. In the afternoon, the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories would be on the agenda, and the day would end with the general debate on the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.
On 3 October, the Working Group on the People of African Descent would present several reports, including one on Switzerland, to be followed by an OHCHR report on the rights of people of African descent in the context of law enforcement.
The International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement would also present its first report on 3 October, and on 4 October at 2 p.m., the experts would hold a press conference on the report.
Mr. Gomez said that on 5 October at 2 p.m., the Team of International Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo would present its report at a press conference.
Russian decision on annexation of Ukrainian territory
Asked whether the United Nations denounced Russia’s decision to annex several Ukrainian regions, Mr. LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service, answered that the Secretary-General, in his remarks to the press issued yesterday, was quite clear. Mr. Guterres felt that it was his duty to uphold the Charter of the United Nations, and that any annexation of a State’s territory by another State resulting from the threat or use of force was a violation of the Principles of the UN Charter and international law. Mr. Guterres had also recalled the landmark Friendly Relations Declaration of 24 October 1970, where the General Assembly had declared that “the territory of a State shall not be the object of acquisition by another State resulting from the threat or use of force” and that “no territorial acquisition resulting from the threat or use of force shall be recognized as legal”. His strongly worded remarks had been shared with the media.
Asked whether the General Assembly could oust Russia as a permanent member of the Security Council, Mr. LeBlanc answered that this was a question for discussion among Member States in the context of the UN Charter. He said he would see whether a legal opinion was available on the matter. He added that the Secretary-General had often indicated that he felt it was more effective diplomatically to keep countries part of global forums.
Announcements
Speaking on behalf of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Rhéal LeBlanc, for the UN Information Service, recalled yesterday’s press release announcing that Member States had elected Doreen Bogdan-Martin of the United States of America as the next Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union. Ms. Bogdan-Martin would be the first woman to lead ITU in the organization’s 157-year history. She had pledged “to lead ITU into a new era of global and regional partnerships… to accelerate digital inclusion and connectivity.” Ms. Bogdan-Martin would begin her four-year term as ITU Secretary-General on 1 January 2023. The same day, Tomas Lamanauskas of Lithuania had been elected as the next ITU Deputy Secretary-General.
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), informed that the UN Secretary-General had appointed eight new advisers to the UN Emergency Fund CERF Advisory Group, which now had 20 members. The Group provided the Secretary-General with periodic policy guidance and expert advice on the use and impact of CERF. Since its inception, CERF had distributed USD 7.5 billion, collected from over 130 countries and organizations, said Mr. Laerke.
This year, CERF had given USD 559 million, and was left with USD 98 million, which meant that the Fund needed to be topped up as humanitarian needs were going up.
Mr. Laerke also informed that Julien Harneis, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan, would hold a hybrid press briefing on the developing emergency in the country, on 3 October at 11 a.m. He would speak of a revised flash appeal; the original appeal at the end of August had asked for USD 160 billion.
Sophie Fisher, for the International Labour Organization (ILO), said that today was the last day in office for the ILO’s current Director-General, Guy Ryder, who had been in office for two five-year terms. The new Director-General, Gilbert Houngbo, would take over from 1 October. At 2 p.m. today, there would be a handover ceremony at the ILO, which would include the symbolic transfer of the three ILO keys, representing the tripartite structure of the Organization that brought together governments, employers and workers. Both the outgoing Director-General and the Director-General Elect would make short statements. The ceremony would be broadcast live on the ILO website.
Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), informed about the new Trade and Development Report 2022, in which UNCTAD called on advanced economies for course correction of their monetary and fiscal policies to avert a global recession and stagnation. Economists outlined what policy actions could avert an economic crisis and strengthen support to developing countries. The report also covered the economic and development outlook in each developing region, and it was under embargo until 3 October at 5 p.m. The press conference would be held at 2 p.m. with UNCTAD Secretary General Rebecca Grynspan and Richard Kozul-Wright, Director of the Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, the report’s main author.
Mr. LeBlanc stated that the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families would close this afternoon its 35th session and issue its concluding observations on the three countries reviewed during this session - Venezuela, Bolivia, and Syria.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights would continue this morning the review of the report of Italy.
Today was the International Translation Day, said Mr. LeBlanc, while 1 October would be the International Day of Older Persons, and 2 October would be the International Day of Non-violence. The Secretary-General’s messages on these occasions had been shared with the media.
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As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
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