OK, so let's start this press briefing of the UN Geneva Information Service.
Today is is Tuesday, 20th of May.
And as you know, at the Palace, we have the great pleasure to host the World Health Assembly, which is going to continue the whole week.
Just an announcement, housekeeping announcement.
So that you are all aware, the press conference of the French authorities, instead of starting at 12, it will commence at 11:45, so long as you're sending out a revised advisory now, and you should also receive immediately after, or maybe it's already in your mailbox.
The media advisory for a press conference is short press conference by Doctor Tedros on the adoption of the pandemic agreement, and that will be just after the French press conference.
Please be reminded that when we do, as usual press conferences for member states, it's only in person.
So please be in the room for the French authorities press conference.
And then we will resume hybrid for Doctor Tedros press conference.
Without further ado, I like to give the floor now to Baba who has brought us Arafat Jamal, who is the UNHCR representative in Afghanistan.
And then we will go to our segment on Gaza.
And we have the pleasure, I'll introduce you afterwards to have a few colleagues here in person.
Happy Tuesday, if we can say that.
I'm joined here by my colleague, UNICI representative in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal, who is leading our humanitarian response there.
He's here with an update on massive returns back to Afghanistan of Afghans from the region.
We have been alerting you about the situation over there.
This is not Arafat's first time in Afghanistan.
He has been extensively engaged with the situation there, if I'm not wrong, nearly or more than three decades.
Arfajan, the floor is yours.
Thank you so much, Babar, and good to see you again.
Alessandra and all the colleagues in in the room.
I'll give you a little snapshot on what's happening in Afghanistan at the moment.
3,000,000 Afghans have returned from neighbouring countries since September 2023.
This year alone, 380,000 have returned.
They repatriate to a nation and a people that is welcoming them home, yet they return to a homeland that is dramatically unprepared to receive them.
These past few months I have travelled to all the main frontier crossings between Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.
I have witnessed a host nation that is embracing it's long exiled brethren, taking care of them, feeding them and sheltering them.
Yet I have also seen and spoken with returnees who arrive fatigued, bereft of their belongings, bewildered and disoriented.
Some with backgrounds in previous government, musicians, athletes, couples in mixed marriages, journalists, activists or ethnic minorities are also deeply afraid.
What will they do and how will they cope in a nation that is struggling to recover from decades of instability and that is weighed down by complex, overlapping crises?
How will they navigate a deeply unpredictable environment where despite 4 years of North Huntland, it's experiences frequent human rights violations, rampant poverty, a fragile economy, devastating climate shocks and natural disasters?
And what of the girls and women who are returning to a situation of extreme restrictions on their rights and freedoms?
To date, UNHCR and the rest of the UN and international community has been able to play a role as a shock absorber and as an engine for regeneration.
Providing returning refugees with the cash grant, which previously had been at around $2000 per family, has enabled people to invest in their new lives through constructing houses or incubating small businesses.
And once back in their home district, we have been able to anchor all communities through programming and clinics, schools, houses and job creation.
By nurturing such an ecosystem of hope, we have fueled economic success, protected the most vulnerable, and helped communities to help returnees.
UNHCR has been with the Afghan people for 40 years.
We have received them in foreign lands.
We have supported governments that have supported them.
And we are with them now as they make their journey back home.
We are perhaps at a historic juncture, on the cusp of a resolution to one of the world's most protracted and destabilising displacement situations.
We believe that the return of Afghans can be a source of stability, economic growth and regional harmony if we focus and we cooperate.
But if we do not come together, the demographic shock of disorganised return may instead flip us towards chaos.
In a flat economy, there is little room for new arrivals, restrain traditional hospitality and drain natural resources.
Our delicate ecosystem is at risk in light of the deeply troubling financial situation in which we find ourselves.
Cash at the border has been cut by a factor of 7, from $2000 per family to around 150.
Whereas once we provided restorative assistance, we now hand out pure survival money.
Every dollar counts, but every dollar subtracted reduces a person's ability to rebound with the funding reductions.
Our current assistance package can be considered to be purely humanitarian, absolutely vital, but short term and non transformational.
It can help someone to survive, but not to thrive.
Even more starkly, perhaps, the budget cuts inhibit our ability to help those who take great personal risks to help the women of Afghanistan.
Because against the odds, there are many, many people in this beautiful country who believe in their community and who strive to create conditions for women to get education, to work, or even simply to relax in a park with their companions.
Thanks to our assistance, these courageous actors have been able to protect and safeguard deeply valuable female oriented projects.
And I have personally met with governors who have confronted the morality police, with village elders who have formed a cordon to protect their people and their women.
And the hundreds of women and men were bravely maintaining midwifery courses, soap production, carpet weaving, education and much more.
Dropping our assistance means dropping these people, removing the leverage that helps them to confront and counteract draconian conditions.
For many, the choice in Afghanistan is flight or fight.
In other words, with no prospects insight, with aid diminishing, do they take the choice to take an onward route of migration or do they make themselves susceptible to the unscrupulous people who are hiring young men to engage in nefarious activities?
This is a choice facing many, many people here and this is something that I have witnessed personally.
The international community has invested heavily in Afghanistan over many years.
It has invested, and again, you can see the investment through the infrastructure and through the cadre of professionals who have been formed through these international investments.
the United Nations today scrupulously avoids any intervention that might support a regime.
Rather, we focus on nurturing people and productivity.
With every dollar that we lose, however, we erode these investments and we lose any slim chance of peaceful transformation from within.
At this this difficult juncture, we still have the opportunity to support stability and economic growth.
For this to happen, we should not squander the goodwill and investment of the past.
We call upon neighbouring countries, so generous, so patient, for so long to embrace the solutions mindset, treating Afghans with dignity and honour and working regionally to foster safe, voluntary and organised returns.
And we appeal to the international community to salvage its investment, to stay the course and to provide political and financial support that will allow a dispersed people to come home and to build their futures at home.
UNHCR and other partners are responding to the crisis upon us in neighbouring countries, at the frontiers and inside Afghanistan.
In war and peace, we stay and deliver.
With less funding, we can but save lives.
Yet if we have greater support, we can do much more.
We can help to repair and to rebuild the fabric of the torn community.
Thank you very much for this briefing.
Let me open the floor to question.
Let me see if there's any in the room.
So yeah, I don't see any, any hand up for you.
Thank you very much for this extensive briefing.
I'm looking at the bar to make sure that your notes will be sent out to the journalist.
So thanks, Babar, for this and thank you.
But I think good luck with your important work.
Can I ask our colleagues to reach me on the podium, Doctor Sita and Dr Peppercorn, for our briefing on Gaza and the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
For once, we have the great pleasure to have everyone here in person, which is great, but unfortunately, Louise, who is in Amman, but we're very happy to have her here.
Yes, I can hear you loud and clear.
OK, so first of all, let me thank all our guests to come and brief us on the situation in Gaza.
So just just in order to to mention that yesterday you should have received from OSHA the statement on Gaza by Tom Fletcher, the Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Ian CC here, in case you have a question on that.
But I think we have fresh news from our colleagues.
So I'll start with you, Louise, and thank you for being with us.
Thanks for having me today.
As you can see, I am joining you from an UNRWA warehouse in Amman, Jordan, which really speaks for itself.
Everything around me is aid that is supposed to be in the Gaza Strip right now.
It is really a stark reality from the warehouses that we have in Gaza.
Even just this morning I was looking at footage from colleague colleagues.
The warehouses, the distribution centres, they've been empty for weeks.
So around and behind me it's just full of surprise supplies.
There's more food here for, you know, 200,000 people for an entire month.
There's medicines to keep all of Unrwa's nine health centres functioning and 38 medical points functioning.
That's enough medical care for 1.6 million people.
There's hygiene kits enough here for 200,000 families, blankets for 200,000 families and learning supplies for 375,000 children.
This is just the supplies that around me here.
We have supplies in other areas as well, like Egypt.
The situation is absurd, it's appalling, and to be quite frank, it's unforgivable.
All of these supplies that are around me are literally 3 hours away from the Gaza Strip.
They could be there this afternoon.
Meanwhile, we continue to see these horrific images of malnourished children.
We continue to hear the absolute worst living conditions our colleagues could even imagine facing.
Everything, every single basic supply that the basic necessity that a human should have, they are deprived of right now as we speak.
The international community and the United Nations have been very clear.
These supplies need to be in Gaza now.
There is absolutely no time to waste.
It has been 11 weeks of siege on the Gaza Strip.
Anything we provide now is trying to undo damage that's already done.
For many, it is too late.
But let's have this right, the supplies that I'm talking about and the ongoing starvation.
This is only one part of the horror that we're seeing every day.
There are indiscriminate strikes.
Yesterday we had two UNRWA teachers who were killed and UNRWA school turned shelter in the UC RA.
Initial reports say 7 people were killed, including children.
This is one of many attacks on UNRWA facilities that we've had in recent days and weeks.
My colleague, my friend, to say he's been telling me the last day how he's just buried the remainder of his family.
This is aunt's uncle's children's in a strike in Jabalia and he has spent the last few days trying to dig these child relatives out of the rubble to, he tells me, a 10 year old and a 7 year old they still cannot reach.
My friend and colleague Raja, she witnessed a very young boy killed in a strike before her eyes and when I spoke to her, she just said I, I cannot take this anymore.
She had nothing else to say.
She cannot take this anymore.
I don't think anybody in the Gaza Strip can take this anymore.
Yesterday in Khan Unis, another large scale displacement order was issued.
This area now covering 23% of the entire Gaza Strip.
Where are people going to go?
We have been saying this for 19 months.
These people are trapped.
There is no way out of the Gaza Strip.
There are no supplies for them.
They're being starved, they're being bombed on a daily basis.
How much more does the world need to see before there's action?
What else can we possibly say at this point?
I really have nothing more, You know, 19 months of talking about these horrors day in and day out.
The situation is appalling, it's horrendous.
Thank you very much, Louise, which we would like really to send our condolences to the families of your staff, of your colleagues who have been killed.
And unfortunately, as we know, this has brought, you know, this very green milestone of 300 staff members killed in Gaza, which is, of course, atrocious.
And the Secretary General said it's at this last press conference in Iraq.
Nothing justifies the atrocious October 7 terror attacks by a mass, but nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people which has to cease.
We need a permanent ceasefire, then condition of release of all such as the free flow of man, Italian aid and irreversible action towards a 2 state solution.
And I now give the floor.
Please stay with us Reese, because there will be surely questions.
I'll give the floor now to Doctor Akihiro Seta.
Dr Seta, thank you very much this year to to be with us as as our colleagues, journalists know, every year you give us an update related to the annual report on the department focusing on the main indicators regarding Alta Palestinian refugees.
And of course, what we have heard is very speak speaks about by itself.
But you have more please.
It's always good to come back every year to explain.
And then just it's, it's in the media now in the website.
This is the annual report we published and then that this will be available and half of this report has a data set of the what we are doing and half of them the narrative to explain how we are doing and a very difficult situation.
And it's a this is a sign of our pride.
I'm very over every, I'm very proud to come back to tell to the world that we are, this is what we are doing.
And it's amazing because that say for example, we talk, I go to Gaza later, but since start of the war we take care of the 8.5 million consultations since the start of war and it never stopped.
And we have health centres functioning, medical points functioning and the West Bank because of the also the atrocity in the northern part of West Bank, our health centre still managed to cope with the needs of the patients and we have a two health centres in East Jerusalem, it's still functioning.
So under states deliver and as a largest primary care provider in Gaza and the second largest Primary Health care provider in West Bank, we still continue to deliver the care, taking care of the pregnant mothers, babies, immunizations and diabetes, hypertension, anything that they need to seek to our health centres as much as we can respond to them.
So I'm very proud of this.
And then I really appreciate that almost 3000 health staff, but also 28,000 stuff.
They continue to work on the extraordinary difficult condition.
Those who came last year may remember I say that when I went to Gaza, today is worse than yesterday and tomorrow is worse than today.
And unfortunately this never changed.
Rick went to just left the girls so he can tell more.
But my last visit in Gaza is the mid of January before the anti Unruhe Knesset bill took place.
And it's almost, it's still the 3-4 months ago.
I know Gaza, it's totally different from the people.
When we speak to the staff who are working, coming to work everyday, they say that after when I asked them how are you, the answer is I'm not good, even the greeting level, I'm not good and what are you thinking?
I still remember one of the staff said I'm thinking only two things, how to survive, how to die.
This truly unfortunate and the shortage of everything and the famous IPC report came out and the malnutrition is on the rise.
I have a data from the until the end of April because made data we don't have yet.
It shows the malnutrition is on the rise.
It it went down when the ceasefire happens, it went down, but now it's on the rise.
And then that the worry is that if the current food shortage continues, it's exponentially increase and they're beyond our control.
I recommend myself visit the Gaza many times before the war.
We always enjoy the nice people, nice food, nice environment in Gaza.
It's unthinkable that, you know, 10% of kids are malnourished.
It's unthinkable that we have a severe malnourished children in Gaza where they used to enjoy their life.
And there's no life in Gaza.
That's what our staff says.
So, and this will affect the operations.
And then that's today Louise mentioned the nine health centres.
Louise, sorry to say that I just heard that we have only 7 now to close man and then that the other has Hamad Health Centre in Hyundai is closed because they fall into the vacation zone.
And so that every day is different, every day is getting worse.
But even at this time that we continue to provide the services.
The one is security which is introduced, but second is that the restriction of our movement and the transportation of the medicines.
We use around 100 medicines in your primary scale and the one third of them already stock out simply because nothing came in from the 2nd of March.
If this continues in Gaza that we face the almost 50% half of the medicine will be stock out by the end of this month and further on and that we have the largest primary scale providers provider in Gaza without medicine.
What we can do and then we have that, we have a common medicine called medicine, but we have a life saving medicine like insulin.
For the type 1 diabetes patient, insulin is life, life lines.
Same for the hypertension and others.
If we run out of medicine, whatever we do, people suffer more and it's totally unnecessary.
If you go out of Gaza in one kilometre, 2 kilometres, you can buy everything without any problem.
And as you can see in the backside of Louis photo, we have plenty of medicine in Jordan that could solve and plenty of food in Gaza or in Jordan that could instantly solve all the suffering or the Gaza people to a large extent.
And then we can bring them in and we are ready to bring everything in the pallet, everything in the truck.
Once it's open, we can send all the medicines.
It's totally, totally frustrating.
We see the shot out stock out the medicine, but we couldn't bring in and we are not allowed to bring the anything with the name of ours.
So we because of Israel restriction.
So that we are going to do and that's the biggest problem.
And I tell the world that the please let the let us bring all the medicine, the food to solve the suffering of the Gaza people.
Thank you very much to say that.
And as you said, I mean, the, the annual report is online so journalists can access it.
If there's a press release related to that, they would be good to to send it out.
I'm looking at the colleagues and colleagues on that.
And now let me turn to my right.
Rick, it's so nice to have you here.
First of all, because you're safe, you're well, and you're with us for the, I guess for WHO press assembly and also because we can hear from you in person about this health situation in Gaza, in addition to what Doctor Sita just said, please.
Thank you very much, Alexandra, and also thank you very much, Sita.
And it's really indeed, it's good to be here in, in person and I especially tied up for you.
So I was on an, on another mission in Gaza last week and I difficult getting out, but it's and, and, and a little bit I say referring to the former speakers.
So every time you get into Gaza, you actually always think it cannot get worse, but it gets worse.
So I want to focus a little bit on the general issues.
And then I want to focus specifically on the health systems and I want to close with something all mental, mental health.
So first of all, we, if you look at the figures since since 15th of May, the intense hostilities killed many but displaced close to 40,000 people once again.
And overall I think we've seen a displacement of more than a half million people across the Gaza Strip since mid mid March.
So this bloodshed, I mean like must of course stop.
Then if you look at the health system and then, and specifically I want to focus a bit on the, on the, on the, on the health system is being pushed to its limits and, and facing attacks and acute shortage of supplies.
And when, when I went to the hospitals in the north last week and in, in the thousand, we brought in the dwindling WHO supplies.
So everywhere we got the same messages.
There's a lack of everything related to trauma and, and trauma care, IV fluids, antibiotics, but also what cetaminesis, for example, insulin, the more complex oncology treatments, but also simple things like disinfectants and cleaning material.
So since October 2023, WHO documented 697 health attacks in the Gaza Strip And and again, WHO urges for the active protection of healthcare.
Hospitals must never be militarised nor targeted.
And that is all because it's changing actually as we speak.
When you go to the to the north of Gaza, so you see intense hostilities and military presence in the vicinity of Indonesian hospital.
Since 18 of May hospitals barely functioning, hardly any access in or out roads have reported and be build those most patients self evacuate thoughts.
Hostilities intensified on 50 May killing of a staff member, injuring one patient, et cetera.
Only 15 people including patients staff remain in the hospital.
They urgently need food and water.
The hospital's generators was reportedly hit yesterday, causing a blackout.
Who is now planning a mission to transfer the patients to other facilities for country of care.
This hospital is supposed to be protected.
Al Ada is the only hospital currently partially functioning in the north of Gaza.
It's acting as a trauma stabilisation point.
Again overwhelmed with injuries, running low on supplies, ongoing hostility since the 50 may cause panic and deterring patients also for for seeking care and come out at one.
I was there as well slowly rehabilitated after the attacks because after the attacks is left of non operational only focus on paediatric Care now also taking a general and, and even trauma patients etcetera.
We also providing a nutrition and nutrition stabilisation ward.
If you go to the to the South and, and, and then in in in the South, when you go to Nasser yesterday there was an attack and damage to The Who build warehouse and according to the hospital director, 30% of the warehouse and the critical WHO supplies were reportedly destroyed.
Assessment of the management is ongoing to determine the full scale and, and you we reported this attack on the Burton unit last week.
It destroyed its 18 vests.
European Gaza remains out of service following an attack on 30 of May WHO team was just in to do this massive medevac of 300 patients and and companions etcetera.
That hospital closure in in, in, in in European Gaza.
What's the only place we had neurosurgery, cardiac care and cancer treatment to a certain level.
The only positive point I want to erase actually when it comes to hospitals is Shiva where also was which resumes a little bit more amidst the destruction of referral function.
They have 50 bed emergency ward.
They see over 500 patients per per day, but they start functioning again as a referral actually which was non functional as you know starts to become partly or minimal functional as as well.
So that is on the hospital.
The last two points I want to raise is the mental health toll of the conflict in Gaza.
I think it's incomprehensible and I think it will last a lifetime for for many and and Gaza's, they have suffered unspeakable conditions over 19 months, displayed over and over lost loved ones over and over.
Human beings, you know, we we're not built for for endless fear and even the strongest break under the weight of this culture, trauma and uncertainty and and the body stuck in the fight or flight, forget what safety flees and and the mind's always on the edge slowly wears down.
We always talk about Gaza's how resilience they are health workers, how resilience they are and but you know, waking up every day without adequate food, healthcare, shelter, etcetera.
So again, yeah, people can be resilience and they are resilient, but no one should have to do and and to be this resilience, this brave just to stay alive.
So WHO we reiterate alcohol first and foremost for a ceasefire and unconditional release of hostages and, and let the UN and partners do their work.
There was a plan and it delivered.
There is a plan and it will deliver.
Thank you very much, Rick.
Thanks a lot for this update and and this call.
Sorry, before I give the floor to the journalist for questions, just let me remind you that yesterday you and women published new estimates that more than 28,000 women and girls have been killed in Gaza since the onset of hostilities in October 2023.
The estimates mean that one woman and one girl, on average, are killed every hour in attacks by Israeli forces.
Among those killed, thousands were mothers, leaving behind devastated children, families and communities.
These figures underscored the shattering human toll of the conflict and of lives and futures lost too soon.
We UN Women continues to work with women LED civil society organisation in Gaza and joins the Secretary General in reiterating the call for an immediate ceasefire.
The estimates with much more granularity are available on the website.
If you have not received the press release, we can send it to you.
So I'll now open the floor to question.
I've seen quite a few hands in the room, so I'll start with Anne Espadero.
That's a question for Doctor Peppercorn, Mr Seita, but also for for Yens, I think for maybe a more global view.
So Israel has announced that five trucks have entered Gaza and I think 9 have been cleared.
So the question now is who will be distributing this, this aid and and how it will be distributed?
And more generally, how do you feel?
Do you feel that your calls of last weeks have been heard and understood by the Israeli authorities or On the contrary, do you feel that you are in a more complicated situation now with trucks?
Do you feel that you, you are like trapped?
OK, so I don't know yes is in the room indeed he will be coming to the podium.
But maybe I can already give the floor to whoever wants to answer or Louise, Rico, Louise.
I'm sure Jens will come in as well.
Good morning, Jens, good to see you.
So, so first of all, I mean, and I think it's the the the win in the one UN and I think I'm sure yes, will be a bit more specific.
I think Tom Fletcher have been very clear on this as well.
So I think of course the UN welcomes that some aid comes in, but we all have raised constantly.
So drop in, in drop in the ocean and drop in the ocean and absolutely insufficient.
So the that plan and to deliver food and and other items across Gaza is closely inadequate to meet the immediate needs for over 2 million people.
And I think for WHO, like all the UN agencies, we, we echo this call for, you know, stick to the global humanitarian principles of humanity and partially independence, neutrality to be upheld and respected for an unimpeded humanitarian access and to be granted to revised aid based on people's needs wherever they may be.
And I want to reiterate again and again, there is a well established and proven humanitarian coordination system led by the UN and its partners.
So don't Thatcher have been very clear on that?
That was working very well when there was a ceasefire and produced and delivered.
It must be allowed to function and fully ensure that the aid is delivered in a principal timely and equitable manner.
And just for health, for example, most of The Who goods 95% they're in Ella Riche like there is, there is 31 trucks waiting there.
I mean to the splice, we also have trucks in the West Bank and they're currently not allowed.
So it's completely inadequate drop in the ocean, leave it there.
I see Louise's raise their hand, but I don't know if you want to add something.
Just very quick to compliment what what has been said.
It's very simple, not enough, 5 trucks nowhere near not enough.
And the follow up would be the evidence of the ceasefire.
Look what the UN could do.
The ceasefire, the bombs stopped, the supplies went in.
We reached every area of the Gaza Strip.
We reached people who needed it most.
We've reached children, we reached the elderly.
The supplies went everywhere.
Has to be more, has to be sustained, has to be now.
And we've done it before.
We're more than capable of this over.
Just to add to Louise that any functioning logistic system we welcome, but we had, as Rick mentioned, we have very good functioning system.
Why we simply don't revive it?
And then that we also have a lot of medicines and and trucks in Alicia and Amman and unfortunately some of them are expiring.
That's becoming main problem for us and it's really sad to see that inside Gaza there's a shortage medicine.
Outside Gaza we have a medicine and it's expiring.
That's really not acceptable.
So we simply use the existing system, which used to function very well.
So yesterday there were nine trucks that were cleared for entry.
Out of those 9, five of them actually crossed into Gaza, if you like.
For logistical reasons, four of them were not able to enter.
As you know, the the crossing has different stages and there is a repacking, if you like, from one set of trucks to another set of trucks before it can move in.
So it moved from different levels, if you like, of Israeli control.
The last level where the five trucks entered are still under Israeli control and we need permission to pick it up.
That did not happen yesterday.
However, this morning we do have the permission to collect those five trucks.
That is as much as I know right now.
We do have the permission to collect those trucks and we do have permission to collect more trucks that may enter today and for as long as this, as we understand, temporary opening continues.
And I think part of your question was also if we're still in contact with the Israeli authorities.
The answer is yes, of course, continuously you've got a lot of questions and yes, yes, so no, the, the question was also who will distribute, I understand.
So you have the authorisation now to pick the, the trucks, I mean and what is inside.
So will it be UN and, and if yes, which agencies will distribute then the food?
And do you have already a plan of how you you will do that?
And yes, it did the Israeli ask you for more security?
The five trucks that entered yesterday were four trucks administered by World Food Programme and one by UNICEF.
They were allowed to carry nutrition products for children, supplements and baby complementary food.
This is what was allowed on the trucks when they were cleared as part of the nine.
OK, so five of those entered.
Now the next step is to collect them and then they will be distributed through the existing system, the one that has proven itself, as we have mentioned all of us many times.
And the way it's distributed is the humanitarian way based on need.
Riz, when when you want to add something, just raise your hand up.
Sorry, just to clarify, SO5 got in four stuck at the border, but you have permission to collect them, but the five that did get in haven't been distributed yet.
The five were not picked up from the Gaza side last night.
We do have now and that is if you like the new development, we do have the clearance today to pick them up and pick up other trucks that may enter that process whereby they kind of flow through the Kerum Shalom crossing.
And you said you had permission to collect more trucks today.
So are you envisaging like a major scale up in in the coming days?
That's my question to you.
And one for Rick, please.
I'm just wondering the discussions of the WHA on the emergency budget.
We're looking at a reduced budget for The Who for some of the emergency operations like the important work you do in Gaza.
Will your work going forward be be ring fenced or will it also be scaled back and and can you react to a reduced emergency budget, how it will impact your work on the ground in places like Gaza?
We have requested and received approval of more trucks to enter today, many more than were approved yesterday.
And we expect of course, without approval, many of them, hopefully all of them to cross today to a point where they can be picked up and get further into the Gaza Strip for distribution.
I think 1 is actually what's the answer is referring to.
So the the few trucks that come in now, they will be distributed internally using the existing system which has proven to rest.
So whether it is food, WFP, WASH, UNICEF, health, WHO etcetera.
The issue is hardly anything comes in.
I mean like and that has been raised by all on your question on the reduced budget asset on WHCI mean, I think you should ask the DG or, or Mike Ryan.
I think it's but I think it's but I, I, I, I I can reflects a little bit of of that.
And of course, we we know that within WA show the the the crisis countries will be prioritised and they have to be prioritised whatever.
So that is already will happen and should happen also we and WHOPTI think we did relatively well in resort mobilisation in the 1st 18 months etcetera from a variety of parties.
We've had discussions I'll say already with Alexandra etcetera, the impact on the US curves even which of course is also affecting us directly in in OPT very seriously.
Fortunately, we have a group of partners, some parties are and members and owners they're reaching out and and I want to stress, we have delivered as WHO over the last eighteen parties recognised as a member states as well.
So wherever we go and we all hope of course we will go to a ceasefire and then let's a peace process and early recovery and rehabilitation etcetera.
And then definitely health should be prioritised as well.
Just want to join your question that yes, Hyundai is also extraordinary financial crisis and then that we run the public like services like in say like 140 clinics, 700 student schools in all the five years of operations.
And then we do not have sufficient fund to maintain this public like services fully in the second-half of the year because of the political situation of financial situation, global situation.
So that that is very extraordinary difficult for us say we can't think of Gaza without UNDRA which is a largest public primary scale operations.
We can't think say West Bank without UNDRA, but OK in the northern part of the West Bank that UNDRA is the DEA largest, the primary scale provide us together with the Minister of Health.
And so really would like to highlight that the the difficulties we are facing this in all the directions and our Commissioner general is doing his best to the fundraising.
But I I can say that we are in extraordinary difficult situation.
And we've discussed this already.
Jamie Keaton, Associated Press Thank you.
Just to follow quickly on Jens's latest comment, if you could specify, you said that you've gotten approvals for for many more trucks to enter today.
Can you be specific as to how many that is?
Could you start with that?
And then the other question about that is how much have you noticed by past experience that when the number of trucks is lower that it increases the risk of looting or diversion by desperate Gazans or by armed militant groups that may try it?
Because the fewer that you have, it seems to me if you've got that 10s of thousands of Gazans who are desperate, there's going to be greater pressure on the fewer numbers of trucks.
So the higher number, wouldn't that necessarily translate into less of a risk of diversion?
As for both Louise and Doctor Peppercorn, you, you mentioned that there are negotiations and, and, and, and Alice Hunter mentioned that there's talks with the Israelis.
It seems to me that Israel to a large extent holds the cards here.
And, and so I really hope you can drill down on exactly what the United Nations is saying in these conversations, because because the, the, the argument that Doctor Peoplecorn made, which is that, you know, let us do our jobs, doesn't seem to be carrying weight with Israelis.
Israelis are going back to the concerns about diversion and, and, and used by by military groups.
So what specifically are you saying to convince them that you're doing your job means that it doesn't go into the hands of of people that Israel doesn't want to see it going to and and and just again for Louise, just very quickly, what is being done right there in those warehouses right now to get those supplies moving?
OK, let's start maybe with the Yens.
And yes, I mean, you're absolutely right.
When you don't know when the next truck will come, you're probably desperate and looting is a reality in that case.
So your first one, around 100, past experience has very clearly showed that the less aid you get in and the less there is properly distributed in Gaza, the more desperation rises.
And that has several effects, predictable effects.
1 is that the insufficient supplies are a greater risk of being looted.
It is being sold on what some people call a black market.
I prefer a market of desperation.
There's one way to remove this market of desperation overnight in one go, and that is to Open Access for all this aid to come in to meet the needs of desperate people.
And the market of desperation disappears.
And there's no reason to loot the drugs.
And these are commodities that I, and I think I listed some of them last time that are literally life saving, have already been cleared by Israeli authorities.
There is baby milk, baby shoes, nutrition supplies for sheer survival.
So if you allow this in, you will not have this market.
There's no reason for looting and the problem is solved.
So back to what it is and why we are asking for all these, for this siege of Gaza to be lifted.
I don't know if Rick or Louise, Rick, you want to start and I'll give the floor to this.
And actually by the way, going back on on looting, I remember that in in February 24, we also had the whole series when when ate was hardly coming in and you know it was a huge food shortages etcetera.
So I wasn't allowed those missions.
And then you see this of course happening.
If people think it's food then then they will jump on the truck, they try to slide open etcetera, etcetera and and things like that happen.
So yeah, of course there's a complete relationship.
If you make sure that enough supplies get in the looting and and all the vials that will quickly disappear.
We saw that very much during the ceasefire etcetera with it was very well managed.
There was hardly any, there was not hardly any incident.
There was no incident actually on health products in general.
We are lucky we announced that.
So we actually, we, we, we never see looting on that.
And we, we announced that now on the, on your other question, I think it's difficult.
I think probably Yence and, and and Ocha and, and also Tom Fletcher again have been very clear actually entering that.
If you looked at the ceasefire and the goods came in, 38% of the goods which came in were linked to the UN Yeah, 38%.
There's a whole monitoring system including the 2720 etcetera for that and on the the lost cluster.
So WFP will very much do that on the on the, on the food and UNICEF, on the wash and we on the health.
And let me then say something on health like The Who essential medicines and medical supplies, they go directly to The Who warehouses 2IN Daraballa and one in Gaza City when allowed.
I mean, like when, when we can move it and from there based on priorities and needs, we directly bring them to respective hospitals, etcetera and health facilities for, for for perusal.
So this is how it works and people know that, Israeli authorities know that as well.
So let's make sure that we can continue implementing a system which has proven it delivered from the UN and partners, etcetera, and let's make sure that we can expand that system.
Just to say this isn't a new problem.
You know, the 11 weeks that we we've had that it's certainly been the longest time during this war that the aid and commercial supplies and any supplies haven't been permitted to enter the Gaza Strip.
But I spent most of the last year in, in the Gaza Strip.
I was there when the Rafa incursion started.
At that time, when I, when I arrived in Gaza in April, the the border was open to Rafa.
Once that border was closed, everything changed.
Really everything changed.
So This is why we continue to call when you're asking what we're doing to get the aid around me into the Gaza Strip.
This is part of what we've been saying for, you know, almost every day for the last 19 months.
Access is very critical to this.
Seeing the operations in Rapper, seeing what we were and weren't able to get in at any time, and now not even having that crossing functioning and continuously having to kind of reinvent how we're able to to do logistics in the Gaza Strip.
But but most importantly, just just to continue to reiterate that this isn't a new problem.
The humanitarian response has been strangled since the very beginning of the war.
There were weeks in the early days we weren't able to get any supplies in.
Certainly the 11 weeks now have been absolutely devastating.
But we rely very much on the international community and action there for, for any change.
We need more crossings open.
We need to get these supplies in.
We need more access in terms of being able to reach people in the Gaza Strip.
Over 70% of the Gaza Strip now is in displacement orders.
It's very difficult for the United Nations to deliver aid when we are denied missions and we are denied access.
So all of these things come together to to get the aid supplies to the people who need them and we need political cooperation for that to happen over.
You have a follow up quickly for Yence Yence.
You said that you've got the authorization to pick up today, collect, collect.
Any idea when that's going to happen?
I mean it is going to happen today theoretically is that, I mean are truck are are people on the move to pick those up now?
We will of course do everything in our power to get that aid in.
I cannot say if people are on the move right now.
It is a developing thing and we have been, as you know, disappointed in the past.
So when we can clearly confirm that there has been movements on anything, we will do so.
But we want to be, you know, clear.
John Zarocostas, The Lancet and Francois Cat.
Thank you for this briefing.
I was wondering if, and it's addressed to both of you, the conflict in the OPT has been in the headlines, but I was looking at some figures from WHO and I notice your appeal for the health segment is only 6% funded out of nearly 600, 2 million that you're asking for.
If you could elaborate what is what's behind the lack of funding for this appeal on the health component?
And secondly, if I could have some information on the supplies that you need urgently.
And does that include medicines to treat people with problems of eyesight and also medical equipment?
Because I understand nearly 4000 people are at risk of losing their eyesight at the moment in Gaza on top of the 1500 that have already lost their eyesight.
Thank you, John, I don't know if doctor said or Rick.
Rick want to start and then I'll give you the flow.
I think on the first part and I see Margaret is there as well.
So I think I didn't get so much what you meant with that segment and then you know that, that, that, that specific segment which was be very underfunded.
On the second part, let me say this, we, we constantly and not WHO we are leading the health cluster.
So we do this with our partners, with all the HealthPartners active we and from the start of this crisis, how we try to prioritise straightaway essential medicines and medical supplies was that we looked at the the, the consumption of central medical supplies from Gaza before this crisis.
And then we try to triangulate and you know, and reprioritize because resources are always low, et cetera, and constantly assess and, and this is how we, we plan as WHO, but also very much I want to say the partners that cluster partners, there's many cluster partners and rise here with us, but there's many other cluster partners as such who play a key, a key role on that, on the specific medical equipment, etcetera.
That is, for example, we, we want to get in medical equipment, medical imaging equipment.
There's only one CT scan working and that's the one in Allahati.
It's insane in the strip.
That's the only one which is functional.
Now we want to get in and you can only do that when there is a chance for ceasefire and you know an early recovery et cetera.
We want to get in this medical imaging equipment and and if you talk about city CT scans or Mris, but also simple X-rays, mobile X-rays, et cetera, including the some of the equipment you were talking about, yes, it's definitely on our agenda.
I also want to allude to that, that even before this crisis it was very difficult to get this equipment into Gaza.
The so-called dual use discussions constantly on that etcetera.
I remember The Who that me and my team, we struggled for two years to get 8 mobile X-rays in and we had 2 1/2 years etcetera.
Like any referral hospitals has maybe 15 mobile X-rays, you know which you just get to the bat etcetera.
So even if you get to the to that phase, that needs to change.
It's all on our list, it's all on the priority etcetera.
But we constantly have to reprioritize is on the absolute top needs and what we are allowed to get in over to you Doctor Sita, thank you.
As you know, we provide Primary Health care and that we do many things to prevent the eyesight loss like treatment or diabetes, which is the main cause of the eyesight loss and the vitamin A as well as the nutrition.
We do everything we can do, but we do not have enough medicines, We do not have equipment, but for the once somebody has serious effects like we have no time to do that.
I fund the screening for the diabetes ones because we do not have equipment.
It is very unfortunate that many people cannot lose the eyesight, but this is the entirety of that meets the entirety of a loss of the medical services in Gaza.
And then that's the result in the eyesight.
The loss is very important, serious, but it's one of many problems which is very important, says the preventable, avoidable and curable if the medical situation is better.
Margaret, can you shed light on the issue of the budget or the funds?
So John, would you mind repeating?
I, I was in the middle of something.
I think it's, it's about the OK, John, maybe just repeat the question if you could.
It's concerning the the 4 billion appeal, the health segment was 6, I think $596 million.
And looking at some of WHO data, only 6% had been funded as of I think 6th or 7th of May, which is very small amount given that the crisis is in the headlines every day.
And I'm wondering what's behind the lack of funding by donors.
And so this is the, the, the appeal for Gaza itself.
It's for the all, the all the OPT Yeah.
So I don't have information specifically on that, but I will check to see if we've got any detail for and and and you may find that there be may may well be more sense.
So I'll double check that for you.
Maybe I just can add one thing specifically for opportunity in Gaza and I think we've raised the former press conferences very clearly did well, relatively well resort mobilised aid to 1st 80 month etcetera.
I think it's not just only affecting WHO currently the whole of the UN we see this as well.
It's not just the USI think a lot of other partners, they are holding the cards against the chest.
I mean like they're very much with us and they're very impressed what we delivered etcetera.
So it's not all doom and gloom.
Some reach out to us specifically in, in OPG and they will continue.
And where I'm really concerned about, I mean if you talk about we're the biggest supplier of essential medicine medical supplies in Gaza.
So we will if, if it would open up, we can continue that for another 3-4, five months.
We will still have you know funds to do that after that.
I mean like if that dries up, we are in massive problems and the the health system is on the brink of collapse as we constantly say, but it's still partly to minimal functional that is because of this kind of support.
So it's absolutely essential that's that we focus and that Member states also focus their support on where it really matters on, on the key priority.
So I don't see other hands up for our colleagues, which is timely because in 5 minutes we have the French authorities, French minister coming for the press conference.
I just have two short announcements to to make you want to try something.
So just just to remind you two things.
First of all, that the Committee on the Rights of the Child is beginning this afternoon, the report to review the report of Romania, which will be followed by Qatar and Brazil.
And then I wanted to tell you that on Wednesday 21st of May at 10 AM New York Times 4:00 here, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres will present the together with Amina Muhammad, Deputy Secretary General, and Oscar Fernandez Taranco will present the 2025 report of the Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group.
And that will be done, of course, in New York.
This report shows that the revitalised resident coordinator system delivers efficiency to improve lives.
It would be of course in New York in person, but you can follow it on UN Web TV and this is what I had in terms of announcements.
We are still, I'm looking at Tariq or I don't know if Margaret has an answer to confirm the Doctor Tedros press conference.
I was certainly advised by his team that he's going to be on his way in the next 30 minutes.
So the idea is that the press conferences with him about the pandemic accord and about with quite a few other speakers who are were involved with the pandemic accord, including Doctor Mike Ryan, Doctor Shahwad Preciousman.
So, so they're going to be on their way in the next 30 minutes.
So I advise you just to stay here.
Yeah, the advice is is shared.
And I would also remind you that the press conference of the French authority is starting now as usual.
So we cannot send it out hybridly, but then we will, as I said before, start the hybrid function again for Doctor Tedra's press conference.
And I can see here on my on my screen that Fidel is sending out the announcement now with all the details.
I just wanted to follow up with the answer.
I'm noticing that Tom Fletcher has spoken to some outlets about the number of babies who could die over the next 48 hours if aid does not reach them in Gaza.
Can Can you tell us more about that?
Do you have any details as to what, where that information comes from that that figure, just what the source of that figure is?
For now, let me just say that we know for a fact that there are babies who are in urgent life saving deed of these supplements that needs to come in because their mothers are unable to to feed them themselves.
And if they do not get those, they will be in in mortal danger.
So that that is as much as I can say right now.
If we have more specifics, we'll come back to you on that.
I would like to thank so much all the people, all the colleagues.
We've briefed us now, Louise in Amman, Rick and Doctor Sita here in person, and Yance and Margaret, of course.
Stay with us and we will wait for the French minister to arrive.
And I'll see you in the next briefing on Friday.
