The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Press Conferences | OHCHR , UNHCR , OCHA , WHO , UNOG , UNCTAD
UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing 28 July 2020
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service, chaired the virtual briefing, attended by the spokespersons of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the World Health Organization.
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - Women in detention report
Elizabeth Throssell, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), informed that women detained in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) were subjected to multiple and serious human rights violations by State security and police officials, according to a UN human rights report published today.
The report was based on one hundred first-hand accounts by North Korean women who had been detained in the DPRK from 2009 to 2019 after being forcibly returned. Those women, who had eventually managed to escape the DPRK, had given detailed interviews to UN Human Rights staff. Although traveling abroad was effectively prohibited in the DPRK, women embarked on dangerous journeys looking for life-saving sources of income or a new life abroad. They had often fallen into the hands of human traffickers, ending up as cheap bonded labour or exploited sexually, and, at times, forced into marriage. Upon their return to the DPRK, those women were detained by the Ministry of State Security or the Ministry of People’s Security. The report continued a set of recommendations for the DPRK authorities, including those related to the Mandela Rules and the Bangkok Rules, said Ms. Throssell.
Full press release is available here.
Death of a Kyrgyz human rights defender in prison
Elizabeth Throssell, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that it was with great sadness that they had learned about human rights defender and journalist Azimjan Askarov, who had died in prison in Kyrgyzstan over the weekend. In May, the OHCHR had urged the Kyrgyz authorities to allow Askarov, 68, to leave prison as his frail health meant that he had been among the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Convicted on various charges, including accessory to murder, incitement of inter-ethnic hatred and hostage-taking in the context of ethnically motivated violence in southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010, Askarov had been serving a life sentence and had spent some 10 years behind bars. In 2016, the UN Human Rights Committee had found that Askarov had been arbitrarily detained, held in inhumane conditions, tortured and mistreated, and prevented from adequately preparing his defence.
OHCHR called once again on the Kyrgyz Government to consider an early humanitarian release of the most vulnerable prisoners. With regard to Azimjan Askerov, there should be a prompt, impartial and effective investigation into his death. Under international human rights law, his family had the right to redress.
Full briefing note is available here.
Turkey’s new social media law
Elizabeth Throssell, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the OHCHR wasconcerned by the authorities plans in Turkey to introduce a new social media bill that would give the State powerful tools for asserting even more control over the media landscape. The law, if adopted, would further undermine the right of people in Turkey to freedom of expression, to obtain information and to participate in public and political life. It would also further weaken platforms essential for independent journalism.
OHCHR believed that the independent media was already under serious threat in Turkey. Those concerns had been exacerbated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to figures provided by the Ministry of the Interior, as of May 2020, at least 510 people had been detained for allegedly “baseless” and “provocative” social media posts about the pandemic and the State’s response to it. Ms. Throssell stressed that legal and regulatory frameworks for such essential fora of expression as social media platforms should only be adopted based on thorough deliberations and broad public debate.
Full briefing note is available here.
Risks of landmines and explosive devices for displaced in the Sahel and Lake Chad
Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), stated that the UNHCR was calling for stronger efforts to mitigate the risks for refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) posed by landmines and improvised explosive devices in Africa’s conflict-ridden Sahel and Lake Chad basin regions. Since the beginning of 2020, there had been a growing number of fatal incidents involving forcibly displaced populations. Mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and more frequent use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were resulting in a growing threat to host populations, refugees and IDPs.
In the most recent incident in a refugee camp in eastern Chad on June 24, four refugee children had been killed and three others had been seriously injured when they had picked up an unexploded device and tried to open it. Meanwhile, in northeastern Nigeria, some 230 people had been killed by IEDs and more than 300 injured in 2019. More than 15 incidents had been reported so far in 2020. UNHCR teams on the ground also witnessed a rising trend in the Sahel.
Mr. Baloch stressed that urgent efforts were needed to address the dangers and legacy of landmines and to heighten awareness of the horrifying threat from mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices. There was a vital need for governments, humanitarian organizations and parties to conflict to expand mine action work as civilians pay a heavy price.
Full press release is available here.
New allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund
Jens Laerke, for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), informed that UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock had released USD 100 million from the life-saving Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to urgently boost humanitarian response in ten under-funded emergencies in Africa, the Middle East, southeast Asia and the Americas.
Together with USD 125 million released earlier, the Underfunded Emergencies Window of the CERF had now allocated USD 225 million to support crisis response in 20 countries this year – the highest annual amount in the fund’s history, up from USD 200 million in 2019 which had itself been a record. The largest single allocation announced was USD 35 million for Yemen, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The fund had also been distributed among relief organizations in Afghanistan (USD 13 million); Nigeria (USD 13 million); Mozambique (USD 7 million); Burkina Faso (USD 6 million); Pakistan (USD 6 million); Burundi (USD 5 million); Colombia (USD 5 million); Haiti (USD 5 million) and Uganda (USD 5 million).
Full press release is available here.
COVID-19: questions and answers
Responding to questions, Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the season and the weather did not seem to be affecting the spread of the COVID-19. Rather, it was people gathering and not observing distance that had an effect on the virus spread. Ms. Harris said that a later flu season was expected in the southern hemisphere; everyone was encouraged to get vaccinated against flu. On another question, Ms. Harris stressed that while testing policies were the responsibility of States, testing was absolutely critical. Regarding a question on the connection between obesity and COVID-19, Ms. Harris said she would follow up with medical experts and revert. Ms. Harris further stated that COVID-19 was a new respiratory virus, which was behaving differently and not necessarily changing with the seasons. She said that the WHO was not defining the pandemic in waves; it was all one wave, with its ups and downs, and the common task was to flatten it.
Geneva announcements
Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), informed about the e-symposium on the role of climatological, meteorological and environmental factors in the COVID-19 pandemic from 4 to 6 August. The coronavirus pandemic continued to spread globally, within a wide range of climates and seasonal and environmental settings. Ms. Nullis said that while environmental conditions were not the principle drivers of the first wave of the pandemic, questions remained as to whether factors such as temperature, humidity, air quality and ultra violet light influenced the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease (COVID-19) that it caused. It was critical to understand whether meteorological, climatological and environmental factors promoted the spread of the disease either outdoors or indoors. This was a pertinent scientific question that was the subject of numerous studies.
There would be a concluding statement on the outcomes of the symposium, and the future of research on this aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further information could be found here, and the contact person would be JShumake-Guillemot@wmo.int.
Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), informed that the ceremony of Barbados signing the agreement to host UNCTAD15 and a related press conference would be postponed due to the death of a former Prime Minister. A new date would be announced and circulated shortly.
Alessandra Vellucci, for the UN Information Service (UNIS), informed that on 29 July at 1:45 p.m., UNHCR and the Mixed Migration Centre at the Danish Refugee Council would hold a hybrid press conference to launch the report “’On this journey, no one cares if you live or die’: Abuse, protection, and justice along routes between East and West Africa and Africa’s Mediterranean coast”. The speakers would be Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean; Ayala Erin Bonfiglio, Regional Coordinator for Mixed Migration Centre North Africa (online); Maya Sahli-Fadel, African Union Commissioner and Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum-Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants in Africa (online); and Othman Belbeis, IOM Senior Regional Advisor to the Director General on Middle East and North Africa.
Ms. Vellucci also informed about the launch of the Secretary-General’s brief on the impact of COVID-19 on South-East Asia; ahead of the launch, the document would be presented in a briefing on 29 July, at 3 p.m. Geneva time by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Those interested in the briefing should RSVP to kaneko@un.org.
Similar Stories
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.
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