The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Press Conferences | BRS , COPS , UNDP , UNHCR , WMO
UN Geneva Press Briefing - 08 April 2025
UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING
8 April 2025
Myanmar recovery
Titon Mitra, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Representative in Myanmar, speaking from Mandalay, said that the death count in the country had exceeded 3,000 people, with thousands of people injured. The search-and-rescue operations had now turned into recovery efforts. With short medical supplies and urban waterpipe systems broken, water-borne diseases were a growing threat. Numerous people were defecating in the open, and many people were still sleeping on the streets, afraid to go back home. Eighty percent of buildings in Sagaing were reduced to rubble, and critical infrastructure, including sections of the railway bridge over the Irrawaddy River, was severely damaged. People were living on the streets in extreme temperatures, with scarce clean water and outdoor defecation leading to outbreaks of cholera, hepatitis, and typhoid. Hospitals, already strained by civil war, were overwhelmed, understaffed and operating in car parks, explained Mr. Titon. Local markets were mostly closed, inflation was rapidly growing, and transport links were severely affected, making food both scarce and expensive.
UNDP, in collaboration with UN partners, was working to address both immediate and early recovery needs. Cash-for-work programs were supporting the poor, and efforts were underway to safely remove debris and clear access for response. In addition to immediate shelter material support, UNDP teams were assessing the damaged homes and preparing to initiate their repair in collaboration with local tradespeople. The focus was also on laying the groundwork for recovery. Mr. Mitra stressed that this crisis had a major impact on urban areas, and the relief phase had to turn into a sustainable recovery phase as soon as possible. Aid had to be provided impartially, he emphasized. The declared ceasefire should provide conditions to reach everyone in need. It had to be recognized that Myanmar was a compounded crisis, with many people having already been food insecure because of the conflict, civil disobedience and hyperinflation. The earthquake had simply compounded the already existing crisis. He hoped that Myanmar would not turn into a neglected crisis once cameras turned off.
Answering questions from the journalists, Mr. Mitra said that in many crises first responders came from community groups, which was unfortunately often done in an uncoordinated way. In Myanmar, road traffic was hard to manage, and coordinating both official assistance and local charitable organizations remained a challenge. Military authorities were in control of many affected areas, and the UN was very dependent on those authorities for aid coordination. Efforts had to be made to ensure that aid was not politicized. On another question, Mr. Mitra said that the day after the earthquake and the unilateral ceasefire announcement, some air strikes had still continued, but there had been a significant slowdown, nonetheless. Bias in aid distribution was not obvious, he said. UN was doing its best to make sure that aid would be delivered to those who needed it the most.
Rolando Gómez, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), sad that United Nations Special Envoy for Myanmar, Julie Bishop, was in Myanmar, and more information would be available soon.
Influx of Congolese refugees in Uganda
Matthew Crentsil, United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Representative in Uganda, speaking from Kampala, said that the situation in Uganda was becoming increasingly dire with refugee reception centres overcrowded and funding cuts. Some 41,000 refugees had arrived from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Uganda this year. UNHCR was speeding up transportation of refugees from the reception centres, which hosted six times the number of people over their capacity. Critical shortages of water, latrines and bathing facilities, particularly at the Matanda and Nyakabande transit centres, were putting people at dire risk of deadly diseases, warned Mr. Crentsil.
More details can be found in UNHCR’s press release.
Answering questions from the media, Mr. Crentsil explained that 41,000 refugees had arrived from DRC to Uganda in 2025, 80 percent of whom were women and children. The total number of Congolese refugees in Uganda now stood at over 580,000. Some nine children had died since the beginning of the year because of the malnutrition they had suffered from in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many refugees were reporting extreme violence, including sexual violence and killings. On some days, there could be as many 1,000 new arrivals, a significant increase compared to 2024, and fully attributable to the conflict in Goma.
On another question, Olga Sarrado, also for UNHCR, explained that the numbers of arrivals from DRC to Burundi had decreased in recent weeks, and the stadium in Rugombo was now serving primarily as a registration centre. Between Burundi and Uganda, there were currently 113,000 registered refugee arrivals from the DRC, of which over 70,000 in Burundi and some 41,000 in Uganda. Mr. Crentsil explained that, because of the funding cuts, UNHCR had had to give up on some services it used to provide, such as decreasing numbers of childcare givers and teachers. Refugee reception centres, water, sanitation and health were now being prioritized at the expense of some other activities. The funding was going down at a time when they needs were increasing. The budget planned for the entire year was being already used because of the high influx of refugees. Uganda hosted a total of 1.8 million refugees and was Africa’s largest refugee hosting country, reminded Ms. Sarrado.
Conferences of Parties of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
María Cristina Cárdenas-Fischer, Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor at the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions Secretariat, informed that the BRS Conference of Parties (COP) 2025 would be held in Geneva from 28 April to 9 May, under the theme “Make visible the invisible”. She reminded that the three Conventions addressed some of the most serious pollutants and provided a framework for a lifecycle management of waste. BRS Secretariat wanted to increase the awareness of the Conventions and their ever-important role. The 2025 meetings would, inter alia, focus on the illegal traffic of waste; waste containing nanomaterials; listing of hazardous characteristics; listing of certain chemicals as hazardous; technical assistance; and listing three additional chemicals as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This year, the BRS COP would have a high-level segment from 30 April to 1 May, with over 30 ministers registered and probably more coming. The high-level segment would focus on circularity, means of implementation, and interlinkages with climate change and biodiversity. Finally, the speaker informed about the exhibition by the lake in Geneva which showed the impact of the three Conventions on daily life.
More information about the BRS COP 2025 is available here.
Replying to questions, Ms. Cárdenas-Fischer explained that the United States was not a party to either of the three BRS Conventions. Many of the chemicals under the Stockholm Convention were used in cell phones or furniture’s upholstery, for example. She emphasized that the chemicals under consideration had undergone a thorough technical review, after which they had been nominated for consideration by the COP. Countries were allowed to opt in or opt out, she explained; some countries needed to go through a ratification process. Parties had two years after the amendments entered into force to come up with practical implementation strategies. Under the Stockholm Convention, there was a deadline to eliminate polychlorinated phenols (PCPs) by 2028, reminded Ms. Cárdenas-Fischer, which were used in electrical transformers, which could cause harm to human health and nature over time. On another question, she explained that the Basel Convention covered electrical vehicle (EV) batteries and provided guidance on how to handle transboundary movement on any kind of waste. Consumer organizations would be represented as observers in the upcoming events, said Ms. Cárdenas-Fischer. BRS Secretariat did not keep the list of pollutant countries as such.
Announcements
Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), informed that the report European State of the Climate 2024, compiled by the European Union Copernicus Climate Change Service and the WMO, would be launched on 15 April at 1 pm. An embargoed press conference would be held online on 10 April at 1 pm; WMO Secretary-General would be among the speakers. Journalists could register by 9 April by sending a message to copernicus-press@ecmwf.int. Ms. Nullis said that 2025 was unfortunately continuing where 2024 had left off. Figures for March, just released by Copernicus, showed that March 2025 had been the warmest ever March in Europe, and the second warmest March globally. The Arctic Sea ice maximum was the lowest on record, she said.
Rolando Gómez, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), informed that the UN Secretary-General was expected to speak on Gaza at a stakeout following a Security Council meeting this afternoon.
Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrants Workers and Members of Their Families would end this morning its review of the report submitted by Mexico, while the review of the report of Niger would begin at 3 pm.
This week, the Committee Against Torture was reviewing the reports of Monaco and Mauritius.
Finally, the Conference on Disarmament would resume its 2025 session on 12 May.
Responding to a question, Mr. Gómez confirmed that the Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva Director-General, Tatiana Valovaya, had briefed Member States on the impact of the budget and liquidity crisis on UNOG. The list of cost-saving measures was available here. While there were no current plans to abolish any posts, the liquidity crisis did indisputably affect UNOG’s operations. Various factors, including the COVID19 pandemic and the liquidity crisis, had all affected the ongoing Strategic Heritage Plan, explained Mr. Gómez.
***
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- BRS/COPS - María Cristina Cárdenas-Fischer, Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor: “Make visible the invisible BRS COPS” - theme of the upcoming conference
- WMO - Clare Nullis: State of the European Climate 2024
TOPICS
- UNDP - Sarah Bel with Titon Mitra, UNDP Regional Representative in Myanmar (from Mandalay): Moving fast from relief to recovery, a priority
- UNHCR - Matthew Crentsil, UNHCR Representative in Uganda: Rapid influx of Congolese refugees strains threadbare response capacity in Uganda
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Press conference on the situation of human rights in Nicaragua by the UN Group of Human Rights Experts
1
1
1
Press Conferences | ITU , UNHCR , WHO , WMO
YEMEN - UNHCR: Escalating conflict in Yemen could fuel more displacement, refugee movement
CLIMATE - WHO / WMO: Health and Climate impact of El Niño
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC , OHCHR
Mariana Katzarova discusses human rights in Russia as a UN Special Rapporteur.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IOM , OHCHR , UN WOMEN , UNFPA , UNHCR , UNOPS , WHO
UN Geneva briefing: Yemen crisis worsens, urgent aid needed across multiple sectors.
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.