The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
COVID-19
Alessandra Vellucci, for the UN Information Service (UNIS), stated that, as the UN Secretary-General had said, the United Nations remained opened for business under these special circumstances. The UN would continue to implement its mandates and serve the people around the world. The double objective of the UN, including UN Geneva, was to protect its staff while delivering on its mandates, which was why most staff based at the Palais des Nations were telecommuting. It was hard to specify how many people were at the Palais on a regular day given that there were usually conferences and meetings taking place with external participants. First figures on how many people were in the Palais today should be available this evening. Ms. Vellucci emphasized that the Palais was not closed; the critical staff were on site and UN’s functions were being carried out by both those in the building and those telecommuting.
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that the coronavirus pandemics now had a foothold in more than 140 countries, some of which had already been in a difficult situation before the pandemics. OCHA remained determined that life-saving aid to the most vulnerable communities had to be continued, as more than 100 million people in the world relied on the aid from the United Nations. OCHA was working closely with its UN and local partners to coordinate the response to the COVID-19 pandemics. Efforts were underway to increase preparedness in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Jordan. Mr. Laerke stressed that it was important not to forget the existing crises and needs. UN agencies were identifying if and how the operations on the ground were disrupted. OCHA was also working on informing vulnerable communities on the ground on how to protect themselves from COVID-19.
Responding to questions, Mr. Laerke said that, while the economic repercussions of the pandemics seemed to be dire, OCHA hoped that the donors would continue to support its operations as they had always done. Mr. Laerke further stressed that the COVID-19 pandemics was now overlapping with the pre-existing crises, and the humanitarian community was trying to respond to both with everything it had at its disposal.
Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that two WHO staff had been confirmed as being infected with COVID-19. They were now self-isolating at home and doing fine. Except for the essential staff, all WHO staff were working from home.
Syria had no confirmed cases of COVID-19, informed Mr. Lindmeier responding to a question. WHO was extremely concerned about the possible effects COVID-19 might have on internally displaced persons in northwest Syria, who already lived in dire conditions. A COVID-19 triage system was to be established in all health facilities in Syria’s northwest, to prevent or limit transmission. Due to the overcrowded living conditions and inefficient space for self-isolation in camps and host communities, community- and camp-based isolation would restrict movement of suspected cases.
Across Syria, only 64 percent of hospitals and 52 percent of primary health centers had been fully functional at the end of 2019, as many as 70 percent of medical professionals had left the country. The capacity of preparedness of the country for the pandemics was rated at two on a scale 1-5.
On another question, Mr. Lindmeier stressed that, unlike Ebola, COVID-19 was spread through droplets, and bodies of deceased persons were thus not contagious. WHO experts were looking into possible detrimental effects of ibuprofen for those infected with COVID-19; for the time being, the WHO recommended using paracetamol instead.
Mr. Lindmeier confirmed that all WHO press briefings would now be virtual, and no journalists would have access to the WHO building.
Mr. Lindmeier, answering other questions, said that there were close to 15,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Iran, with 853 deaths. There were 99 confirmed cases and three confirmed deaths in Lebanon. The health authorities there, as elsewhere, should focus on testing, tracking and treating.
Andrej Mahecic, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), added that there were no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among refugees in Lebanon. The situation was very fluid and was changing fast. Meanwhile, there were ten confirmed cases among refugees and asylum seekers in Germany - Munich, Berlin and Heidelberg.
Responding to a question on Europe receiving migrants from Turkey now that the Schengen area’s borders were closed, Mr. Mahecic said that the new EU rules would clearly have an effect; the exact repercussions remained to be seen. UNHCR was working with the Greek national authorities on increasing preparedness and boasting local capacities; everyone should be included in the response. UNHCR believed that there was little reason for suspension of asylum. At the moment, there was no blanket testing of refugee populations, said Mr. Mahecic; the key priority was infection prevention and control.
East Africa locust infestation
Elisabeth Byrs, for the World Food Programme (WFP), said that a wave of desert locusts in East Africa was now forming more swarms in parts of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, putting at risk the main crop harvest in May and June, and threatening the food security of smallholder farmers. The desert locust was considered the most dangerous migratory pest in the world. The current upsurge, which had started in 2019, was the worst in 25 years in Ethiopia and Somalia, and the worst in 70 years in Kenya. Assessments were ongoing to determine how the locust upsurge was exacerbating food insecurity in affected areas.
The cost of responding to the impact of locusts on food security could be at least 15 times higher than the cost of preventing the spread now, stressed Ms. Byrs. In South Sudan, desert locusts had affected four counties in the Eastern Equatorial region since arriving in mid-February. Although the swarms were small compared to those in Ethiopia and Kenya, they could continue to spread unless controlled. WFP had provided vehicles to the government of South Sudan and FAO for surveillance and control activities. Severe hunger continued to stalk communities across South Sudan, particularly among displaced people and in areas affected by floods in 2019. Ms. Byrs emphasized that without immediate food assistance, the capacity of millions of South Sudanese people to feed their families would be compromised.
Geneva announcements
Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed that ahead of the World Tuberculosis Day, 24 March, a press conference would be organized on 20 March. More details would be shared shortly.
* * *
The webcast for this briefing is available here: http://bit.ly/unog130320
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Press conference on the latest report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UN Human Rights Council
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR
Victims Still Waiting: A Global Briefing on Transitional Justice Around the World
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
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”.
ends
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WMO , OCHA , WHO , UNICEF , UN WOMEN , OHCHR , IOM , UNHCR
Update on Ebola from WHO and OCHA, update on the situation of children with the beginning of school in Ukraine from UNICEF, UN Women on the impact of the settlers and restrictions on women and girls in West Bank, OHCHR on the recovery of extensive human remains in Gaza, IOM and UNHCR on the new wave of displacement in Yemen
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WFP
‘Super El Niño’ and converging crises worsen hunger in South Sudan and across the region - WFP
South Sudan’s hunger crisis is becoming increasingly catastrophic as violence, extreme weather and dwindling aid leave millions without enough food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Update on the human rights situation in Belarus by the UN Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC , OHCHR
Update on the human rights situation in Syria by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNOG , IOM , UN WOMEN , UNCTAD , WHO , UNECE
IOM Yemen's Western Coast displacement; UN WOMEN on Gaza; UNCTAD Strait of Hormuz disruptions impacts; WHO Ebola logistics in DRC; WHO smoking and infertility; UNECE Data centres and energy.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNITAR , WMO
UNITAR: GA resolution on the merger of the United Nations System Staff College into the United Nations Institute for Training and Research; WMO: Air Quality and Climate Bulletin released; WHO: Ukraine update
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , UN WOMEN , WFP , WHO , WMO , OCHA
UN WOMEN/IFRC: Update on the impact of the floods in Nepal, WFP: Food assistance in the West Bank, WHO: Gaza’s rehabilitation needs and continued spread of diseases
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , ITU , OCHA , OHCHR , UNCTAD , UNDRR , UNHCR , UNICEF , WHO , WMO
UNDRR/OCHA/IFRC/UNICEF/WHO: Nepal updates; IFRC/WMO: El Niño Update; WHO: Health situation in Ukraine; UNHCR: 65 years after landmark Convention; OHCHR: Human Rights situation in Haiti;
ITU: Upcoming Greening Digital Companies 2026 report; UNCTAD: World Investment Forum 2026 in Doha 25-27 October