The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
The President of the UN Human Rights Council, Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, today (2 Mar) announced that the Council will follow measures recommended by the Secretary-General concerning the Covid-19 outbreak and its implications for the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council.
Tichy-Fisslberger said, “I received an urgent letter from UNOG Director-General Tatiana Valovaya concerning the Coronavirus situation and implication for the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council. In her letter, the Director-General made reference to the measures recommended by the Secretary-General in New York with regard to the Commission on the Status of Women and suggested that the Bureau and the Human Rights Council adopt a similar approach. The Director-General specified that that would entail cancelling all side events and encouraging representatives to refrain from travelling to Geneva for the rest of the session. She also suggested that those Special Procedure mandate holders who are not already in Geneva could be encouraged to participate in the session via video conferencing. Due to this current situation, I called the Bureau for an urgent meeting which has just ended a few minutes ago. The Bureau discussed the letter by the Director- General and in the light of the urgency of the current situation, decided to follow her recommendations.”
The Swiss government on Saturday had announced the ban of all public events of more than 1,000 people.
Tichy-Fisslberger said, “these are circumstances that are beyond our control but they force us to react and take measures of precaution and you may recall that the Swiss Government, the Swiss authorities, have encouraged all organisers of events which go beyond 1,000 people to cancel them and the calculation was that quite a high number of side events would attract quite a high number of people to this part of the Palais and this is how the Bureau thought and argued when recommending that we would follow the recommendations as expressed by the Director-General.”
The Human Rights Council session is due to last until 20 March.
1. Wide short, exterior Palais des Nations
2 MARCH 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Wide shot, Human Rights Council chambers
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, President of the UN Human Rights Council:
“I received an urgent letter from UNOG Director-General Tatiana Valovaya concerning the Coronavirus situation and implication for the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council. In her letter, the Director-General made reference to the measures recommended by the Secretary-General in New York with regard to the Commission on the Status of Women and suggested that the Bureau and the Human Rights Council adopt a similar approach. The Director-General specified that that would entail cancelling all side events and encouraging representatives to refrain from travelling to Geneva for the rest of the session. She also suggested that those Special Procedure mandate holders who are not already in Geneva could be encouraged to participate in the session via video conferencing. Due to this current situation, I called the Bureau for an urgent meeting which has just ended a few minutes ago. The Bureau discussed the letter by the Director- General and in the light of the urgency of the current situation, decided to follow her recommendations.”
4. Wide shot, podium
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, President of the UN Human Rights Council:
“I would like to thank everybody for their understanding and their flexibility. These are circumstances that are beyond our control but they force us to react and take measures of precaution and you may recall that the Swiss Government, the Swiss authorities, have encouraged all organisers of events which go beyond 1000 people to cancel them and the calculation was that quite a high number of side events would attract quite a high number of people to this part of the Palais and this is how the Bureau thought and argued when recommending that we would follow the recommendations as expressed by the Director-General.”
6. Wide shot, podium
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, President of the UN Human Rights Council:
“The Human Rights Council as such, I think it was very briefly discussed, will be maintained with informals as well as regional meetings, as necessary.”
8. Med shot, delegations
9. Wide shot, Human Rights Council chambers
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC
Ukraine: Families in ‘survival mode’ amid Russian strikes and -18°C cold
Families across Ukraine are in “constant survival mode” amid ongoing waves of Russian missile and drone strikes that have left blocks without power for days at a time, while temperatures plunge to a deadly -18°C (-0.4°F), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence urges Iranian authorities to end violent repression and calls for accountability.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza: A ceasefire that ‘still buries children’ is not enough, says UNICEF
Airstrikes, drone strikes and hypothermia are among the lethal conditions prevailing in Gaza despite the ceasefire, with more than 100 children killed since early October, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
At the UN bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Marta Hurtado commented on the widespread repression and intimidation against political opposition ahead of the general elections in Uganda.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Aid agencies marked 1,000 days of war in Sudan on Friday with a grim reminder that the conflict has created the world’s biggest hunger crisis and largest displacement emergency. Every day, civilians have been “paying the price for a war they did not choose”, said the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Ravina Shamdasani, UN Human Rights spokesperson, made the following comments at the bi-weekly press briefing of the United Nations on the United States’ intervention in Venezuela.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR
Venezuela: US military intervention ‘far from victory for human rights’, makes world less safe – UN rights office
The UN rights office (OHCHR) on Tuesday expressed concern over the situation in Venezuela following the United States military operation and seizure of President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend, insisting that the move runs counter to international law and damages global security.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
As fighting spreads across Sudan in a dangerous new escalation, "people are scared, people are fleeing their homes," the UN migration agency, IOM, said on Friday, noting that more than 50,000 people have fled attacks and violence since late October in Kordofan region alone.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Volker Türk the UN Human Rights High Commissioner made the following remarks during and Oral update tothe Human Rights Council intersessional meeting on Venezuela.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
New flu variant is surging, but vaccination still our best bet - WHO
Amid an early start to the Northern Hemisphere influenza season a new variant of the virus is rapidly gaining ground - but vaccination remains the “most effective defence”, the UN health agency said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
In Sudan, deep concerns persist for the many tens of thousands of people believed to still be trapped in the city of El Fasher in the Darfur region, but UN aid agencies believe they may soon get access to the embattled city.