Welcome to the press briefing of the Information Service here in Geneva.
Today is Tuesday, 23rd of April.
We have a few speaker lined up.
But before you said we can announce an announce, OK, Katherine Voudoni?
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It's not on unted, it's on the report on Anwar which was released yesterday.
OK, give us Ian, sorry for future.
Yeah, just for future reference, I would like to say that you know, we, we got this report very, very late.
We had only 2 1/2 hours to digest.
OK, 40 page report and I would like to ask you to send it out to us in much earlier in advance because otherwise we can't adjust it.
I, I think it just as a courtesy to our briefers, could you Please wait?
We are going to tackle Israel and and the situation in Gaza just afterwards with Ravina.
This was on yesterday's Amber briefing.
But we are having here some people on the podium and I'd like to give them a chance to answer questions if there is any.
And I'll give you the floor just afterwards.
Any other question for rank, Ted, please, online or in the room.
So before I let Katherine go, I think you want to introduce you as your new colleague who is not that new, because some of you.
Yeah, I have the pleasure to introduce a new colleague, Marcelo Rizzi, who will head the editorial and I will let you explain what you're going to do.
But you know, most of the journalists here are at least the the media that you've been working with in in Spain.
You're the best to present yourself.
Now briefly with some of your fed already some contact, I joined on that a few weeks ago to lead on editorial policy and strategic media relations.
I come from another UN agency, the World Tourism Organisation.
I was on this side, on that side of the microphone as well for several for several years.
I have a major in economics and I was a journalist for many years, as I said, and I'm here with on that.
And he speaks Italian so and German and German so and, and just more yes.
And just to add that his contacts are in the list of of the spokesperson and or representative of the the agencies in that you have because it's already been updated.
But OK, so I don't have them with me now, but you, you have them already.
And if needed, you can always ask either Katrine or Solange.
So thank you very much, Angkor for this announcement.
And now, yeah, let's go to the situation in Gaza and in the occupied Palestinian territory with Ravina, and I'll give the floor to Ian to tell us better what he was saying before.
Many thanks for giving me the floor.
It's on the Anwar report yesterday issued by the UN and written by Madam Colonnar.
Just for future reference, we got the report at about 3:30 or later.
Some of us got got it later.
The report, the embargo was lifted at 6:30.
So we had extremely short time to digest to ride it.
And just for future reference, wouldn't it be better to file this report about 24 hours, at least 12 hours in advance so you get much better and more balanced coverage?
It was it was completely chaotic.
It was squeezed and the the press conference was delayed and many of us had to write against deadline.
This is really a very uncomfortable situation which can be easily facilitated if you file reports like this.
Just 24 hours in advanced on embargo.
And your comment is, is noted.
You were not the only journalist to express or, or or feel this frustration.
Unfortunately, we gave you the report when we got it.
And I imagine I was not in New York yesterday, but I imagine that if the report came out so late, it was because there were adjustment made that they, the Mrs Colonna said it at the, at the press conference that she had presented the report to the Secretary General on Saturday, got his comments.
And of course then the report was adjusted, I understand, until the last minute.
So it's not that we didn't want to send it to you, but we send it to you as soon as it was completely finalised but not taken of of your comments.
And indeed, that gives me the opportunity to remind you that we have distributed not only the report which is online now, but also the comments of the Secretary Jenner, which who has expressed his gratitude and opposition to Mrs Colonna and also and also to the institutes that have contributed to the research for this report.
And he has also expressed his acceptance of the recommendations contained in Mrs Colonna report.
For your information, as yesterday, I'm sure you followed the press remarks, the press conference of Mrs Colonna just after the noon briefing.
For your information today, the spokesperson of the Secretary General, Mrs Stefan You Jarik will host at the noon briefing Philippe Ladzarini, Commissioner General of UNRWA, who is going to brief the reporter in New York on the follow up of this report.
Therefore, if you want to follow it, he will be available live on UN Web TV.
And, and, and just a last point.
And Kristen Mildren, of whom you have the contacts, can also be contacted if you want to have other more information or requests for other yeah, contacts.
So on this note, I would like to give the floor to Ravina.
Ravina, you have an update exactly on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Rafa.
You should shortly receive a press release by the UN **** Commissioner for Human Rights, Walker Turk on the situation is in the occupied Palestinian Territories.
The UN **** Commissioner for Human Rights today decried a series of Israeli strikes on Gaza in the past few days that have killed mostly children and women.
He repeats his warning against a full scale incursion on an area where 1.2 million civilians have already been forcibly cornered.
Such an operation would lead to further breaches of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and risks even more deaths, injuries and displacement on a large scale, even further atrocity crimes for which those responsible must be held accountable.
Already in March, the Security Council demanded an immediate ceasefire.
The world's leaders stand united on the imperative of protecting the civilian population trapped in Rafa.
But the latest images of a premature child who was taken from the womb of her dying mother, of the adjacent 2 houses where 15 children and five women were killed.
On the 19th of April, an apartment building was hit in Tal Al Sultan area in Rafa, killing nine Palestinians, including six children and two women.
Another strike on 2 adjacent houses in Attanoor area in eastern Rafa on the 20th of April reportedly killed another 20 Palestinians, including fifteen children and five women.
A strike on a Shibora camp in Rafa on the 20th of April reportedly left 4 dead, including a girl and a pregnant woman.
As of 22nd of April, according to the authorities in Gaza, after 34,151 Palestinians killed in Gaza, one 14,685 have been children and 9670 women, another 77,000 have been injured and over 7000 others are assumed to be under the rubble.
Every 10 minutes a child is killed or wounded.
I'll let you calculate how many children must have been killed or wounded since this briefing began today.
They are protected under the laws of war, and yet they are the ones who are disproportionately paying the ultimate price in the war.
We are horrified also by the destruction of a Nasser medical complex and Al Shifa medical complex and the reports of the discovery of mass graves in and around facilities.
And we call for independent, effective, transparent investigations into the deaths.
Given the prevailing climate of impunity, this should include international investigators.
Hospitals are entitled to very special protection under international humanitarian law.
And let's be clear, the intentional killing of civilians, detainees and others who are all the combat is a war crime.
The **** Commissioner has said that the unspeakable suffering brought by the fighting, alongside the resulting misery and destruction, starvation and disease, and the risk of wider conflict, must end once and for all.
We reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and those held in arbitrary detention, and the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid.
Moving on to the West Bank, grave human rights violations are continuing unabated in the occupied West Bank.
Despite international condemnation of massive settler attacks from the 12th to the 14th of April, facilitated by Israeli security forces, settler violence has continued with the support, protection and participation of Israeli security forces.
During a 50 hour long operation into Nourisham Refugee camp and Tulkaram City, starting on the 18th of April, the ISF deployed ground troops, bulldozers and drones and sealed the camp.
14 Palestinians were killed, three of them children.
Ten members of the ISF were also moderately hurt.
We have received reports that several Palestinians were unlawfully killed and that ISF used unarmed Palestinians to shield their forces from attack and killed others in apparent extrajudicial executions.
Dozens were reportedly detained and I'll treated and ISF inflicted unprecedented and apparently wanton destruction on the camp and its infrastructure.
On the 20th of April, ISF or settlers shot and killed a 50 year old Palestinian ambulance driver.
The ambulance was evacuating 2 Palestinians injured by live ammunition during an attack by settlers accompanied by ISF in Asawiya, Nablus.
Thank you, Ravina, for this polling updates.
So let me give the floor to the journalist.
I'll start with Benjamin.
Can you can you just ask what's the difference between ISF and IDF?
It's it's important that we make this distinction, particularly in the case of the West Bank.
Now the West Bank is where Israeli security forces carry out operations in the West Bank.
These are law enforcement operations.
It's not considered a zone of active conflict.
So the framework that applies there is international human rights law.
So these are Israeli security forces rather than the IDF, that is the IDF, the Navy and the the Air Force in Gaza.
You mentioned 1.2 million forcibly cornered in Rafa.
I believe that's down quite considerably from where it was a few weeks ago.
Could you confirm how many people have have left that area?
And is that because they're fearing an incursion?
And also secondly, any sign of these threatened humanitarian islands being created?
Israel has spoken about them as being created as a sort of initial step in the Rafa invasion.
I, I don't know if OCHA colleagues might have more information.
Our information is that yes, people did try to go back up north.
I think you, you're aware we, we reported on this last week.
I think people did try to go back to their homes in northern Gaza.
Many of them were attacked on route and there were reports of killings as well.
Nowhere is safe, clearly, and there were but, but we don't have exact figures.
Actually, I don't know if if humanitarian colleagues would have more information or if it's very difficult to determine exact numbers at this point.
I'm looking at the latest I received from OCHA and I can't see those numbers but Jens should be with us in 8 minutes so we can ask him.
He might be better positioned on that one and on the creation of these so-called humanitarian islands.
No, let me let's be clear, it's, it's not possible.
There is no safe place in in Gaza and any pretence at creating safe zones is actually dangerous.
What we need is an immediate ceasefire.
We do not need to facilitate a further devastating attack on Gaza on on Rafa in particular.
Yeah, I hope that Yens will have a little bit more because as you know, as you may have seen, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhammad Hadi, visited Gaza yesterday for the first time since his appointment and he saw the situation on the ground, met with humanitarian team, visited Communis Tera al Bala and spoke with members of the community.
He saw first hand the catastrophic situation in Gaza and how the ongoing hostilities are affecting people.
So we'll probably be able to have more from Yens.
As soon as he comes, we'll put him on the grill.
So far OHCHR have been spoken about possible crimes, war crimes in Gaza.
How close are we of talking about crimes against humanity if we mentioned what you just said at the beginning of the press briefing?
Unfortunately, we have been warning about war crimes since October.
Now the, the collective punishment of the people of Gaza, the, the indiscriminate attacks, inherently indiscriminate attacks by Palestinian armed groups, firing rockets into Israel, the, the targeting of civilians, the targeting of hospitals.
So we've been warning against war crimes for, for unfortunately a very long time now.
And the **** Commissioner has also warned of further atrocity crimes.
Now the, the atrocity crimes include war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
And the **** Commissioner has warned of the risk of of these atrocity crimes occurring on crimes against humanity, given the disproportionate attacks, given the very heavy bombings, combined with the lack of effective humanitarian assistance, These are serious concerns that do need to be examined further whether crimes against humanity are occurring.
If there are no other question in the room, I'll go to the platform.
I was wondering if you have any information from your field team on the ground in the OPT on the if they're collecting data on the explosive weapons in populated areas.
If you're collecting the evidence of the ordinances, yesterday there was a report by UNICEF, but it stopped at 2022.
The information collected by the arms experts of the UN.
Have you been collecting this evidence from all the warring sides on the ordinances used and for potential future use in a tribunal or a war crimes court?
What we have seen is evidence of the use of weapons with wide area effects, explosive weapons with wide area effects, which have had a devastating impact on on civilians and can be indiscriminate as well.
They they make it much more difficult to carry out proportionate targeted attacks on whether we are on the ground collecting this evidence.
You know that the International Criminal Court is engaged in investigations and so is the Commission of inquiry on Gaza.
And it's, it's really more for the ICC to do this, more collection of evidence.
What we do is we collect reports of potential human rights violations.
Now these can eventually feed into the processes that take place in a court of law like the ICC and we would share information with them.
But we don't per SE collect evidence.
We don't have that, that expertise and that mandate.
John, as a follow up, yes, it's perhaps for Alessandra.
If I'm not mistaken, there is a unit of the Office of Disarmament Affairs that collects the data on use of heavy weapons.
It's been done in the past, if I recall rightly in Syria and you've been collecting it.
So is it possible to reach out to this agency and see what they're doing not only in the conflict in Gaza, but also in Ukraine, Sudan and other areas?
What are they collecting in the use of these weapon systems in heavily populated areas?
We can put you in contact with the colleagues.
Maybe they will have an update on that.
I was wondering if you had any more details about what specifically has happened at Nasser Hospital about the the bodies found there And also there were bench there was mentioned earlier this month about Shiva hospital bodies found there as well.
If you could provide any details you might have.
And I had a related, I guess a somewhat related question.
It was about the protests that we're seeing in the United States at the universities there in the crackdown on the protests.
I don't know if you have a a comment on on that.
Yes, I can give you the floor on that too.
On listen, it is it is very difficult to corroborate information and to verify it.
But what we the reports that we do have are that in relation to a Nasser, the Gaza government media office announced that 283 bodies were recovered, of which 42 have been identified.
Victims had reportedly been buried deep in the ground and covered with waste.
Among the deceased were allegedly older people, women and wounded, while others were found tied with their hands.
They were found with their hands tied and stripped off their clothes.
In relation to Al Shifa, report suggests that there were 30 Palestinian bodies buried in 2 graves in the courtyard of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, one in front of the emergency building and the others in front of the dialysis building.
The bodies of 12 Palestinians were identified in this case and the others have still not been identified.
And there are reports that the hands of some of these bodies were also tied.
And in total, the Israeli Defence Forces themselves claim to have killed 200 Palestinians during the AL Shifa medical complex operation.
And there are reports that this may be an underestimate, that there may be many more that were killed.
Apologies on the, on your question on, on protests in the US Alessandra will address it as well.
But essentially, as you know, the, the freedom of expression and the freedom of peaceful assembly is guaranteed.
This is a, it's a, it's the obligation of a state to ensure that the freedom of peaceful assembly and the freedom of expression can be exercised.
Having said that, of course there can be legitimate restrictions to the freedom of peaceful assembly and the the right to freedom of expression.
These must be strictly guided by the principles of legality, necessity and proportionality.
And you have heard the **** Commissioner time and again raise concerns about anti-Semitic speech as well as hate speech against Palestinians and Islamophobic speech.
Now such speech needs to be addressed.
It needs to be roundly condemned.
It's it's a difficult balancing act.
It is crucial that that such speech is stemmed.
I think you said it all that basically whenever we see demonstrations, we believe the people has an inherent right to demonstrate peacefully.
But thank you for the additional details about the parameters.
It was very important to underline them.
Lisa, sorry, I saw your comments in the chat.
I have just checked you were on the list of people who received the report of our accredited journalist.
So I don't know what happened.
I'll have to check a little bit in in depth to understand why it didn't go through.
And maybe you have a question now for Ravina.
I do on another topic, if I, if I may, It's for both Ravina and Matt Saltmarsh, who I believe is on Zoom.
Yeah, just just one second, Lisa, sorry.
Just I think I know what you're going to ask, but let me see if there is any other question on on Gaza.
And so we can then go to the other subject because Ravina has been asked about the UK wand asylum laws, who she will talk about this if this was your question.
But let me just see if there's any other hand up.
You want to add something on.
If I may on, on Gaza, this is something that struck me as a woman, as a mother, the, the woman, the child, the premature child who was delivered from the dying mother's womb.
It really struck me, really affected me.
And then I, I, I looked at what UNFPA had said.
An estimated 180 women are giving birth every day in Gaza in inhumane, unimaginable conditions.
Now this woman was dying when the premature baby was taken out.
There are women who are 180 women giving birth every day, many probably through Caesarean sections, without anaesthesia, in inhumane, deplorable conditions, not knowing whether their child will survive, not knowing whether they will survive.
I just had to share this thought with you.
And if I recall well, in in many other briefings, we heard UNICEF speaking about this situation, the catastrophic situation of pregnant women and of caesarean.
Yeah, as you said, it's, it's really a terrible, terrible information.
I see Nick has raised his.
And if this is on Gaza, I'd like to give him the floor.
And yes, just let's finish with Gaza.
I'd like to ask in relation to the figures that you have just given us about the bodies that Shifa and NASA, I mean how much credence do you attach to those numbers?
Have you been able to do any evaluation of the sources?
How much confidence do you have in these numbers?
You know that previously the way that we worked in Gaza was much more hands on and we had much more of an ability to to really be able to verify information.
Now what we try to do is we try to corroborate it with multiple sources.
In this case we have official sources that that I indicated to you and we are reaching out to others.
So we can't corroborate the exact figures, unfortunately.
And This is why we are stressing the need for international investigations.
There's a history here of impunity for gross violations and so many of them have gone undetected and unreported on.
So we feel the need to raise the alarm, to raise the alarm because clearly there have been multiple bodies discovered, we don't know how many.
There are reports that some of them had their hands tied, which of course, indicates serious violations of international human human rights law and international humanitarian law.
And these need to be subjected to further investigations.
They can't just be, you know, more reports in this horrific war that just passed under the radar.
Yes, it was a question on on what you were telling, sorry telling us about the the premature child who was taken from from the her mother who was dying.
If you could be more specific on where this has happened, when it happened, where did you see the images?
If there were humanitarian with them UN people, any information on the context would be good.
So this was a woman who was killed in an attack on.
It was a strike on a Shibura camp in Rafa on the 20th of April.
And this was an Israeli strike where four people were killed, including one girl.
Yeah, four people were killed, including a girl.
And this pregnant woman, she was, you know, the first responders tried to resuscitate her.
They realised she was pregnant.
They tried to deliver the baby, hoping that the baby would still be alive.
The baby was indeed delivered.
I think I had information about maybe she was at 30 weeks, but I can check for you.
And she is now fighting for her survival.
OK, so let's go to the other question that Lisa and other people have asked Ravina.
Lisa, you want to say to ask you a question and then I'll give the floor to Ravina.
Before I do that, let me slip one question in about Gaza.
Whether has Israel seen the **** commissioner's statement?
I don't know what the, to use a bureaucratic word the protocol is whether the whether statements such as this are sent out to the, you know, to the government involved, for instance, or or not.
Anyway, if you've had a response in some way or another to what you've said.
And then I do have some questions on Rwanda that I want to ask you and also ask Matt.
OK, Yeah, let's let's Lavina answer this.
Then maybe you can say what you had to say about Rwanda so that then you can ask questions after that.
Lavina has briefed us on this.
Yes, We always share our press statements with the authorities, with the relevant authorities, in this case, the authorities and the permanent mission in Israel to be specific, always receives our press releases before they are issued.
The authorities also receive all reports that we put out.
Every human rights report that we put out is shared with the authorities for their comment and any factual feedback that they'd like to give us on UK, Rwanda.
In fact, you may have seen that the UN **** Commissioner for Refugees and the UN **** Commissioner for Human Rights issued a joint press release this morning.
You should have received it at around 9:00.
What I'll do is I'll read out a couple of excerpts of the press release and then pass the floor to Matthew Saltmarsh of UNHCR so he can do the same and then we can take questions.
Following the passage of the Safety of Rwanda Bill by the UK Parliament, 2 UN leaders have again sounded the alarm on the harmful impact it will have on global responsibility, sharing, human rights and refugee protection.
Filippo Grandi and Volcker Turk are calling on the UK government to reconsider its plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda and instead to take practical measures to address irregular flows of refugees and migrants based on international cooperation and respect for international human rights law.
By shifting the responsibility for refugees, reducing the UK courts ability to scrutinise removal decisions, restricting access to legal remedies in the UK and limiting the scope of domestic and international human rights protections for a specific group of people, this new legislation seriously hinders the rule of law in the UK and it sets a perilous precedent globally.
It is critical to the protection of the human rights and dignity of refugees and migrants seeking protection that all removals from the UK are carried out after assessing their specific individual circumstances in strict compliance with international human rights and refugee law.
So Lisa ask you a question and Matt is connected to SO oh, he wants.
OK, Matthew, you, you want to just read first your briefing, your comment on this situation and then we go to Lisa's question.
So sorry, I was struggling to unmute.
OK, Thanks for the question, Lisa.
I mean, I think I would probably just add that from our perspective, it's a sombre day for refugee rights, but you and HCR will not deviate from standing up for those rights under the Refugee Convention.
We have over the last months repeatedly shared our concerns in relation to the legislation and in particular to the responsibility shifting that it entails.
Under the UK Rwanda Asylum Partnership, asylum seekers in the UK will be transferred to Rwanda before their claims for asylum can be heard in the UK, and we think that that is inconsistent with global solidarity and responsibility sharing and is also in breach of the 1951 Refugee Convention, to which the UK is, of course a signatory.
The Refugee Convention, to remind everyone, is the cornerstone of the international refugee protection regime.
It's a life saving instrument that has saved millions of lives of people fleeing conflict and persecution each year.
International protection of refugees, of course, rests with the state in which an asylum seeker arrives, whether that's at land borders or at sea.
And this obligation, we believe, remains unaltered by the transfer arrangements that have been confirmed in this legislation.
Another important aspect is that avenues of appeal are now very much narrowed.
And it's also worth noting that in the UK, the Supreme Court's judgement in November found that there were substantial grounds for believing that asylum seekers could be at risk of rifle more to their countries of origin if they are removed to Rwanda.
I think it's also important to note that the UK continues to receive relatively modest numbers of asylum seekers.
We know that those go up and down and we know that the increases, particularly in the arrivals of small boats, do create important challenges for the country.
But it's also important to remember that those numbers are relatively modest when compared to their European peers, but also, of course, when compared to major refugee hosts in regions like Africa.
I think just the final thing from our side to note is that it has been said by some voices in the UK that UNHCR itself transfers refugees or asylum seekers at any rate to Rwanda.
But there is a very important difference in what we're doing and what is being proposed by the UK.
UNHCR does have an emergency transit mechanism, but this programme is, as the name suggests, an emergency mechanism.
It's temporary and it's voluntary and it serves a very specific, limited purpose.
It's a facility for receiving refugees whose human rights and in some cases lives are at immediate risk.
In Libya, it involves a limited number of asylum seekers and refugees who transit via the so-called emergency transit mechanism.
While a long term solution is identified for them in a third country of asylum, their refugee status is determined in the context of case processing for solutions under the UNHCR mandate and solutions are then secured outside of Rwanda.
I'll hand it back to you.
Lisa, in the context of what you've just heard from both our colleagues, do you still have a question?
I do first thank you both for reading those those responses and also Matt, if you would be so kind as to send your notes.
I do have the the joint press release that was issued previously and as far as my questions go.
Could perhaps talk both of you talk a bit about the possible harmful consequences of this decision on the part of the UK and I'd like to get your take.
On whether airlines transporting these these asylum seekers would be in violation of humanitarian law, if there would be any blowback to them on this in terms of transporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.
And then, Matt, you and your presentation were talking about your concerns of refoulement.
Rwanda has has said that it guarantees that none of the asylum seekers would be deported back to their homes of origin.
Is this a a viable claim or are you?
Do you still have this concern that that asylum seekers in Rwanda might might meet a bad end and finally does this?
Decision on the part of the UK.
Are you concerned that other countries might possibly create similar similar laws?
Try to do a similar sort of thing and and one.
Well, there's so many things that bother me.
About this but the Supreme Court.
In in the UK has actually said this was a violation and and the UK government has gone against that.
Isn't that also I don't know whether that's a violation of some kind or how, how would you describe that?
Thank you, Ravina, You start.
I can start, but in fact, Lisa, you started you, you've covered really many of the key concerns that we have.
And let me start with your last one about the independent effective judicial oversight.
Now, this is the bedrock of the rule of law.
What we are concerned about is that this move runs counter to basic principles of the rule of law and it risks delivering a serious blow to human rights protections.
It is, as Matt said earlier, one of the key areas of concern.
And as you said, there are many areas of concern here.
But one of the key areas is that avenues of appeal are very much narrowed as well.
And it's, it's particularly alarming, as I said, from a from a rule of law perspective that this law requires all decision makers to treat Rwanda as a safe third country and it would prohibit general legal challenges on this point.
Matt, thanks Lisa for the question.
I mean, in terms of the, the reform on question, I think it was answered by the, the Supreme Court.
We wouldn't have any specific comment on, on airlines and, and you know, the actual mode of, of transporting people under this scheme.
That's very much for for the UK authorities.
I think in general in terms of of Rwanda and you know, we have always noted that the country has been a generous host to refugees.
Currently they have around 100 and 3000 and 40,000 refugees.
Our point really is that we feel that the country needs to build the capacity of its asylum system and we're very much here and available to help them with that if and when that might be requested.
In terms of your question about precedent, precedent and whether it sets precedent, I think we are concerned that it might do.
We have seen some other, let's say, statements or noises coming out of other countries suggesting this may be a path that they follow.
And, and we think it's very important that the spirit that was shown in the Global Refugee Forum at the end of last year continues.
In other words, responsibility sharing, particularly by the wealthier countries that can help relieve the burden of those countries that are particularly those next door to the countries from which people are fleeing and to help, to support, to support them.
The the, the statement calls on Britain to take practical measures to address irregular flows of refugees and migrants.
What, what might those measures be?
What are what are the options that will be open there?
And Matt, maybe you have more on that.
Well, we've always said that the international cooperation is very important.
People who who arrive in countries of asylum and who do not have grounds to claim asylum for refugee status, we think should be returned home in dignity if that is possible.
And that's something that we acknowledge is extremely difficult to do, but it does require dedication and international cooperation.
So that's of course very important in terms of asylum capacity and asylum processing.
We feel that it's important that the UK continues to reform its procedures and and actually implements more efficient fast track procedures so that those with genuine asylum claims can be accelerated into the process, while solutions can be found for those who are not in need of international protection.
And of course, as is the case with Rwanda, we're very much here to support the UK government with that.
Any other question on this issue?
And on the platform right there.
I don't need to add to send your notes to the journalist.
Well, Christian, yes, please.
OK, So I'll let Ravina go and let's go to our next speaker.
I think you all know Doctor Philip Barboza, who is The Who cholera lead.
Doctor Barbosa is here to update us on the global cholera situation and I'll give him the floor.
So I would like to brief you on the looming situation, public health crisis that demand our immediate attention and the escalating global cholera outbreaks.
So the situation is significantly worsened by two factors anticipating effect of climate change that have droughts and floods and it's critical lack of funding to effectively response to cholera outbreaks.
In January 23, WHO has classified the resurgent of cholera as a breakthrough emergency which is the highest level WHO and since then the situation has only worsened.
So the cholera is thriving in environment with inadequate sanitation and safe water and unfortunately the current climate crisis we freaking drought and flood in country currently in East Africa and and Central Africa is creating the perfect storm for cold outbreak to thrive.
So in this region, Ethiopia is recording the highest number of cases with over 4000 cases and Zimbabwe almost 4000 cases just in March 24 alone.
And the impact of climate change intensify.
We can expect the situation to worsen unless we act now to boost the cholera prevention.
Since the beginning of 23 / 825,000 cholera cases and almost 6000 deaths were reported from 31 country of course across the five WHO region and that is as well as as of 31st of March 24.
So just in March 24 alone almost 25 / 25,000 new cholera cases were reported from 16 country across 2 regions.
So these number are particularly alarming in the African and disturbing Mediterranean regions.
Our ability to combat this crisis is severely impered by the lack of funding.
Since 2022, The Who has released a 16,000,000 U.S.
dollar from its Emergency Contingency Fund to respond to emergency cholera outbreaks.
So, however, due to the multiple crises that the world is facing, WHO can no longer continue supporting this cholera response with the same level of support and funding.
So without urgent increase of funding, critical WHO support will will cease and putting more life at risk in the 23 countries that are currently reporting outbreak.
So there are some positive news.
As 15th of February, the stock of vaccine was at 2.3 million doses.
However, this is still below the global stockpile target of 5,000,000 and we are still under the the window strategy.
In addition, earlier this this week there was a new streamline oral cholera vaccine called Ubiqual S that was pre qualified by WHO and this vaccine will be able to be produced more efficiently and potentially easing the severe OCV shortage.
However, vaccine alone won't solve the problem.
Safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are the only long term and sustainable solution to ending this cholera **** emergency and preventing the future ones.
The global cholera situation demand immediate and continued coordinated action.
We need increased funding to support the response effort, improved access to water and sanitation, and increased production of cholera vaccine, so together we can prevent further suffering and contain this outbreak.
And thank you very much for your attention.
Thank you very much, Doctor Babusa.
And we also have Margaret and online in case of questions.
So I'll start with Anya's Pedrero AFP, the French news agency.
Can we ask the question in French or not?
Global more it's can hold to reinhold commodation do do do do the vaccine it on visa jablar.
The dose, it's like million dose.
You stop George's, stop George's in the cuvo porlia **** epidemic would let Cypher work with the vaccine.
We see the vaccine, the company vaccine preventive.
The seasonality maximum factor or the transmission?
A contest for Vaibhava with the same case in contest for the doors windows.
Declare merci other questions to The Who in the room or online?
So thank you very much, Doctor Babosa for being with us for this update.
I pardon me, Yes, the notes here, I'm constantly minded, but Margaret is online and she gives you a thumb up, so that probably means you're going to get them very soon.
Emma and Yens didn't come to the room but came to the virtual room.
So Emma, please go ahead if you have a question for him.
Hi Yens, I wanted to ask about the 1.2 million people sheltering in Rafa.
That seems lower than before.
Does that mean a lot of people have actually moved out of the area fearing an incursion?
And secondly, there are reports of bakeries opening in northern Gaza for the first time.
To what extent does that show that deliveries of fuel and fuel, fuel and flour to the north have improved and to what extent is this alleviating hunger on the ground there or are there still a lot of challenges?
Yeah, that's that was an announcement thought of the World Food Programme that reported that fall bakeries in northern NASA have resumed their operation and continue they continue to provide fuel with flour and other necessary resources to about 16 bakeries Yens Yeah, thank you very much.
And I think Alessandra you replied on the second part of of the question Emma, I I don't have much Additionally, these estimates of the size of the internally displaced population and those were in Rafa before there are estimates it's still a very chaotic extremely overcrowded place in in Gaza.
As you know, we saw a some movements out of Rafa, particularly after the Israeli army announced that they had ceased operations in Congunis.
It now appears that those operations have restarted.
That is that some reports that that I'm seeing and those who moved back and there were also UN teams that moved into Congunis.
They reported as as you will recall, almost a moonscape of disruption there.
So not much to move back to and we do hear still a lot of reports, anecdotal evidence what our staff are hearing from people in rapper that they are still extremely anxious and afraid that this ground operation may may happen soon.
So that is what what I can say.
I will ask the team if there's any updates on any analysis that can be drawn from from those numbers that that do go up and down and and we'll report back to you on that.
If I could just add on the on, on the bakeries, of course, we have seen the World Food Programme having some success in supplying fuel and wheat and restart some bakeries which have been closed for some 170 days already.
It we can report nothing more, nothing less than that.
It is a a resumption of some of the bakeries.
Whether they that will have any significant impact on a situation where hundreds of thousands of people are already in ITC 5 is hard to draw that that that conclusion.
So it is of course good news that WFE has been able to do this and that's welcome and much more needed to be be done.
If I can just recall the statement from the now former humanitarian coordinator, Jamie McGoldrick from the 6th of April where he spoke about assurances that he had been given by the Israeli authorities to reactivate at least 2020 bakeries in the north of Gaza.
And that that was that was a statement that he made on the 6th of April.
We're now the 23rd of April and we're we're far from that.
So of course, that's those assurances.
We don't forget those and we will continue to to push for this to happen.
And I see Emma nodding, so thanks.
OK, so that concludes the list of our speakers.
I have quite a few important announcements for you.
So Please note I'll start with the possibly the most relevant because we need your cooperation.
You have if you were yesterday evening in the palace, heard a noise, an alarm ringing a certain points informing that people had to leave the palace.
And we heard the second one afterwards about the closing of the gates yesterday, because of the press conference of Mrs Colonna, which came pretty late, and the announcement of the report.
We knew many reporters were following it from here, from the Parliament.
So we asked for the security not to apply the new measure of the new operational hours measure to apply to journalists so that as to and billable cash where the journalists are located could continue to work after 7.
But this cost saving measures are now being implemented in the Paladin.
As soon you've heard about this from our Director of Administration one month ago, we have also had lots of discussions.
We've discussed this with Akano.
We will continue doing that.
But we also have had questions and I mean discussion with our colleagues of administration and security, these measures unfortunately will apply.
I mean there is no way for us.
We, we need to, as that's been extensively explained to you, we need to implement cost saving measures.
However, everybody's very, very conscious about the particular situation of the journalist.
And yes, that's raised this question with our Director of Administration when she was briefing you.
So while in the meantime, unless there is something important like yesterday, we will have to apply the measures to everyone, including now the journalist.
We would like to know a little bit more about your needs, about how many people stay longer, when, what is the frequency, etcetera.
So yesterday with the announcement, with the reminder of the implementation of these hours, I have also sent you the link to a survey that we have put together with the support of our administration colleagues to try and understand a little bit better what are the needs, the specific needs of the journalist to try and adapt the measures as much as possible.
So I would really like to ask all the journalists who have either an office or a booth here at the Pallet to fill in that survey quickly so that we can quickly reassess these measures for what concerns the journalist.
We are also intending to discuss this further with the new executive committee of a candidate.
By the way, I congratulate for their election and come to a conclusion which is as much satisfactory as it is possible.
And I'm sure we will continue this discussion later on.
In terms of the committee, I just wanted to remind you that the Committee Against Torture is meeting and today is starting the review of the report of Azerbaijan.
Next country to come up, Liechtenstein or North Macedonia and Finland.
The I think not the the rest is something we've already told you.
I have one press conference to announce.
This is organised by the Global Network Against Food Crisis.
This network is a multi stakeholder initiative working to address the root causes of food crisis and promote sustainable solution.
The network will release the new edition of the Global Report on Food Crisis, what they call the GRFC 2024, which is produced by the Food Security Information Network.
The report provides A comprehensive analysis of key factors driving food crisis globally, including conflict, weather extremes and economic shocks.
So the launch of the report will be made through a press conference here in this very room on Wednesday, 24th of April at 9:30 Geneva time.
Breakfast will be provided for your convenience at 9:00 outside the room.
And of course, this will be a hybrid press conference.
The speakers will be Dominique Bourgeon, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva, Stefano Fidel, Global Nutrition Cluster Coordination at UNICEF Geneva and Courtney Blake, the Senior Humanitarian Advisor for the US mission in Geneva.
Other Geneva based partners of the network, the EUUNHCR, World Food Programme and World Bank will also be available in the press room to answer your questions.
And Please note that the report and the press conference will be under embargo until 12:00 Geneva time, midday Geneva time on the same day, 24th April 2024.
And this is what I had for you, Ben.
Yes, just a small question about the opening hours.
So for instance, if tomorrow I'm live from 6:00 to 6:30 which is what I usually do, and then I end up my work around 7/7.
30 Can I still get out of the Palais via the turnstile?
Or will it be just completely closed and I'm trapped and I will die of hunger here?
There are lots of machines providing food after hours, no joke.
I mean, you're not prisoner in the palace.
The problem is I I think you have seen it because they have really put notice everywhere.
And it's also in the notes that we sent you, there are numbers for security.
If you are here and you have to leave, of course, they you can call security and get the the gate open for you.
The problem is that because of the reduction in personnel or security personnel, they are not necessarily in the moment you call or the moment you get to the gate, they're not necessarily there.
So you have to call them, they have to come.
So you will probably have to wait and it's obviously a burden.
What that is exactly the, the, the scope of this survey.
If we realise that there is a certain number of people that are constantly leaving, let's say at 7:30 or 8:00, for example, that obviously we will make sure that at 8:00 there is somebody at the door to open to this larger number of people.
If there's only one person, then it will be difficult.
At 8:00, of course, they will open for you, but they will have to be called and they will come, but it will take time.
So in order for you to avoid this, this, this inconvenience, the idea is to collect as much data as possible on the habits of the journalists in terms of access and exit.
This also is true for the morning.
I know that many of the journalists who are, you know, reporting for Asian media, they might need to come to the palate earlier than the opening hour.
So we need to know a little bit what are the, you know, the numbers.
And if, for example, it comes out, as you just said, that most of the days there are about 15-10 people who actually exit at 8:00, then we will open the, the, the, the gate at 8:00 without you needing to, to call.
No, Prenegate the, the, the, the, the gates that we're open is springing.
And, and again, this is really, I mean, we have spoken at length about the needs of the journalist, but we just need a little bit more substance.
So if everybody who has an office here can fill that survey, we will really help us help you.
I see John has a hand up.
At first it's a logistical question on this press conference tomorrow on the food crisis.
I noticed in the flyer that there is also a press conference on the same issue in New York by the Chief economist of the FAO and the World Food Programme.
Are they going to also be available by teleconference for the briefing in Geneva or are they in New York and it's out of our reach because?
And thirdly, is there a press conference plan in any other city around the world so we can coordinate with newsrooms not to have duplication insights on editorial desks?
And secondly, did I hear correctly it's only the Prenegate that we ring after hours and not the plus Tenacion turnstiles after hours, correct.
I understand that's the case.
Yeah, I can check, but that is the case.
On the first question, John, I was looking because there was key connected until a few minutes ago, but I don't see her on the unless she's here somewhere in which if this is the case, please raise your hand.
No, I can't see her on the platform.
But yes, I understand there are presentation of this report, not, I don't know if they are press conferences per SE, but I understand there will also be one in Rome.
But for the details you will have to ask.
I'll let her know that you have asked this question and maybe she can send you any information, you all any information on this because I think that it's really important for you to, as you said, coordinate with your, with your editors.
Is there any other question for me or or I what, what maybe we will do because I'm seeing here comments.
I will after the the briefing, we will resend the link to the survey.
So that's more people will see it now that we've spoken about it.
And please fill it this in as soon as possible.
If there are no other questions and I don't see any hand up, I thank you very much and I'll see you on no Rwanda will see you on Friday.
