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Bi-Weekly Press Briefing 22 October 2021
Meeting of the COVID-19 IHR Emergency Committee
Tarik Jašarević, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed that the ninth meeting of the Emergency Committee for COVID-19, convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (IHR), would be held today. A statement by the Committee was expected on 25 October and would be promptly shared with the media. Mr. Jašarević reminded that the IHR Emergency Committee for COVID-19 had held its first meeting on 22-23 January 2020, and on 30 January 2020, following its second meeting, the Director-General had accepted the Committee’s advice and declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The Committee was continuing to meet every three months.
Responding to questions, Mr. Jašarević confirmed that the Committee would be looking into a number of issues on which it could pronounce itself. The Committee had thus far recommended not to have a proof of vaccination as a prerequisite for travel, primarily because of the unequal accessibility of the vaccines. He further explained that the WHO was in the process of establishing a Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a new permanent scientific body that would prepare a framework on how to look both into the origins of SARS-COV2 and other future outbreaks. Two weeks of public consultations on the proposed names were currently underway.
Regarding the Management Response Plan to address the findings of the Independent Commission on allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation during the response to the tenth Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mr. Jašarević stressed that the plan (announced in the press release the previous night) outlined short-term actions focusing on the most urgent recommendations of the report: supporting the survivors and their families; completing investigations; taking urgent managerial action and launching a series of internal reviews and audits; and reforming WHO structures and culture. WHO had terminated contracts of four people who had been identified as perpetrators and had been still employed. Mr. Jašarević also informed that the WHO had allocated an initial USD 7.6 million to strengthen its capacity to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse allegations in ten countries with the highest risk profile: Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, DRC, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela, and Yemen.
On another question, Mr. Jašarević said that at the moment, there were five confirmed cases of Ebola in the Kivu Province, DRC; three of them had died and two were being treated. Hundreds of contacts had been identified, most of whom were being currently monitored. Measures were being introduced into the WHO response to prevent future cases of sexual abuse. A dedicated focal point for preventing sexual abuse and exploitation had been deployed to Beni.
Answering a question, Alessandra Vellucci, for the UN Information Service, reminded that the Secretary-General had appointed the first UN System-wide Victims’ Rights Advocate, and significant steps had been taken to tackle the issue of sexual harassment and abuse throughout the UN system. There was a strict zero-tolerance policy across the Organization. Also answering a question, Ms. Vellucci confirmed that UN staff under investigation could be put on an administrative leave while the enquiry was ongoing.
COP 26
Sarah Bel, for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), informed that UNCTAD was organizing a pre-COP media briefer with Achim Steiner at 2:30 pm today to provide an overview of the reports and campaign UNDP would launch the following week and what are our expectations from COP 26.
The global campaign “Don’t choose extinction” to be launched on 27 October would focus on the hugely negative effects fossil fuel financing had on people and planet. There were two major elements of the campaign: one was a short, animated film in which a dinosaur went to the UN General Assembly and called on the world leaders to shift away from fossil fuel subsidies. UNDP would also release a study to put spotlight on the sheer amounts spent to support oil, electricity, gas, and coal and how that money disproportionately benefited the rich and entrenched inequality. The study brought policy recommendations for how this money could be better spent to support the most vulnerable whilst helping to limit global temperature rise. All interested could register for today’s briefing here.
Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), informed that UNCTAD would release on 28 October the second part of its annual Trade and Development Report 2021. Ahead of the COP 26 climate summit, UNCTAD was calling in this report for a transformative approach to climate adaptation. Scaling up adaptation finance had to be on the table in Glasgow.
UNCTAD warned that current funding was less than a quarter of what is needed to reach the 2030 target and relying on private finance would not be sufficient for countries most in need.
UNCTAD saw green industrial policies as key if developing countries are to adapt to the stresses of a changing climate. UNCTAD proposed a 5-point plan to articulate a development led approach to climate adaptation and sees green industrial policies as key from a developing countries point of view. On 25 October at 2:30 pm, in a virtual press conference, the report would be presented by UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan and Richard Kozul-Wright, Director of the division on Globalization and development strategies and main author of the report.
Other announcements
Alessandra Vellucci, for the UN Information Service (UNIS), informed that on 24 October, the UN would mark its seventy-sixth anniversary - 76 years since the UN Charter entered into force. In his message on this occasion, the Secretary-General stressed that the values that had powered the UN Charter for the last 76 years — peace, development, human rights, and opportunity for all — had no expiry date, and he called on everyone to unite behind those ideals, and live up to the full promise, potential and hope of the United Nations. On the occasion of the UN Day, today at 3:30 pm Geneva time, UN Geneva would launch a 45-minute long programme “The Choice Before Us: From Global Challenges to Stronger Multilateralism", which would be shown live at webtv.un.org.
She said that today at approximately 4:45 pm (exact time to be confirmed), there would be a hybrid press conference by the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, following the conclusion of the sixth session of the Small Body of the Syrian Constitutional Committee. Speaker would be Geir O. Pedersen, the Special Envoy.
Ms. Vellucci also informed that from the following week press briefings would be held in Room B-128 in the Library Building.
Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), informed that on 25 October at 11 am, the WMO would present the new Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, the annual report by the WMO on atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other major greenhouse gases. Speakers at the virtual press conference would be Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General, and Oksana Tarasova, WMO Chief of Atmospheric and Environment Research Division.
Ms. Nullis also informed that the State of the Climate in Asia report would be released on 26 October, copies of which would be shared with the media the day before.
Rosalind Yarde, for the International Labour Organization (ILO), informed that at a virtual press conference on 27 October at 10 am the ILO would launch the eighth edition of the ILO Monitor on the impact of COVID-19 on labour markets. The report looked into how countries were grappling with the recovery, and also analyzed the impact of vaccination rates on labour markets around the world. The embargoed report and press release would be shared on 25 October. The speakers would be Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General, and Sangheon Lee, Director, ILO Employment Policy Department.
The Human Rights Committee would begin on 25 October at 3 pm its review of the report of Ukraine and would conclude it on 26 October morning.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women was reviewing today the report of Sweden.
Finally, on 24 October, at 11 am, at the Cinerama Empire, there would be a Ciné ONU event – screening of the documentary film “Les médias, le monde et moi”, followed by a discussion. The event, organized in the framework of the Global Media and Information Literacy Week, would be free of charge, on a first-come first-served basis.
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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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