The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing 4 September 2020
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1:01:17
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MP4
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Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the Geneva United Nations Information Service, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by the spokespersons of the United Nations Refugee Agency, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Relief Works Agency, and the World Health Organization.
Violence in Kasai, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), warned that a resurgence in violence and renewed tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Great Kasai Region could trigger another wave of mass displacement in the country if the situation did not improve. Until recently, the region had experienced a relative period of uneasy calm, but in the
past month, more than 24,000 people had fled three separate conflicts related to land
disputes, clashes over resources, and confrontations between different ethnic groups,
authorities and militias.
The majority of the displaced were seeking refuge on the provincial border areas of Demba
region in Kasai Central, and Mweka region in the Kasai. As the first humanitarian responders, UNHCR was registering displaced people as well as host community members, whose capacity to help and host the displaced was often limited due to the extreme poverty and high levels of malnutrition in the area. UNHCR was helping the survivors of sexual violence and referring them for medical care and psycho-social support. UNHCR was calling for renewed focus on the Kasai to restore peace and defuse tensions. UNHCR was also appealing for the allocation of resources to respond to the needs of displaced Congolese in the region.
Full statement is available here.
Responding to questions, Mr. Baloch stressed that efforts to bring and maintain peace in the region had to be redoubled. The current situation could turn into a new spark to lead to another wave of mass displacements.
UNRWA appeal
Tamara Alrifai, for the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), informed that UNRWA was launching a flash appeal for nearly USD 95 million, to help UNRWA’s efforts on mitigating the coronavirus, primarily in the densely populated refugee camps in the region. It would cover assistance to hospitals and cash assistance to those whose livelihoods had been disrupted. The recent increase in the number of COVID-19 cases was worrisome.
On the other hand, the good news was that more than half a million Palestinian refugee boys and girls were going back to school this week. Giving the sense of stability to those children would be beneficial for the youngest population. UNRWA appealed for support for education.
Responding to questions, Ms. Alrifai said that there were new registered COVID-19 cases in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, i.e. in every single area where UNRWA worked. The situation in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, was very dire, stressed Ms. Alrifai.
COVID-19
Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), responding to questions, said that the plan for the time being was to hold regular WHO press conference on Monday and Thursday the following week. Regarding the US announcement on the cutting of funding for the WHO, Dr. Harris said that the WHO had already expressed its position in that regard when the US had announced they were going to leave the organization.
The purpose of the COVAX initiative, informed Dr. Harris, was to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world. The phase III of vaccine tests was ongoing for a number of candidate vaccines. It was not likely that we would see mass vaccinations before the middle of the next year, explained Dr. Harris. High-risk groups should be vaccinated first; not everybody could be able to simply ring up their doctor and get vaccinated right away, she said, but unless everyone was protected, nobody would be safe. All vaccine therapeutics needed to go through national licensing, informed Ms. Harris. Until vaccines were ready, everyone needed to take actions which are known to be helping, such as physical distancing, washing hands, and wearing masks. Raising false hopes could mean raising complacency.
Geneva announcements
Alessandra Vellucci, for the UN Information Service (UNIS), said that today, at 12 noon, the WHO would hold a hybrid press conference from Press Room III on addressing non-communicable diseases and COVID-19. The speakers would be Dr Bente Mikkelsen, Director of Noncommunicable Diseases, and Dr Nick Banatvala, Head of Secretariat, United Nations Task Force on Noncommunicable Diseases.
Catherine Huissoud, for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, informed about a hybrid press conference in Press Room III on 7 September at 11 a.m. to present the 2020 Report on UNCTAD assistance to the Palestinian people. Press conferences would also be held in Cairo and Ramallah on the same day. The report would be embargoed until 8 September at 7 p.m. Geneva time.
On 9 September at 10 a.m., the Human Rights Council would hold a virtual press conference
Related to its upcoming 45th regular session (14 September-6 October). Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger of Austria, President of the Human Rights Council, would speak at the conference.
Ms. Vellucci informed that accreditations for the Council would be issued on an ad-hoc basis, and there would be limited presence of journalists in the Assembly Hall, where the Council would be meeting until the last two days, when the voting would take place in Room XX.
Ms. Vellucci informed that the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) would close its 23rd session at 4 pm today. The session could be followed on UN Web TV.
The Conference on Disarmament, which third and last part of this year session run until 18 September, would hold on 8 September, at 10 am, a public meeting devoted to “new types of weapons of mass destruction”.
On 7 September, at 3:30 p.m., the Committee on Enforced Disappearances would open its 19th session (7-25 September) online. During this session, the Committee would hold a dialogue with Iraq on additional information (on the implementation of the Convention) submitted under article 29(4) of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which would take place in the afternoons of 14 and 15 September, and could be watched at UN Web TV.
7 September would be the first-ever International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, said Ms. Vellucci in the end. The video-message of the UN Secretary-General was available on the UN website.
Teleprompter
Good morning everybody.
Welcome to the press briefing of this Friday, 4th of September in Geneva.
I will immediately start with UNHCR who is going to brief us on the DRC issues.
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Talking about DRC's Kasai region this morning, Unisia, the UN refugee agency, is warning that a resurgence in violence and renewed tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Great Kasai region could trigger another wave of mass displacement in the country if the situation does not improve.
Until recently, the Kasai region had experienced A relative period of uneasy calm, but in the past month, more than 24,000 people have fled 3 separate conflicts related to land disputes, clashes over resources and confrontation between different ethnic groups, authorities and militias.
The majority of the displaced are seeking refuge on the provincial borders in the Kasai Central Province and also in the Kasai province itself.
In 2017, violence in the Kasai region let to the internal displacement of 1.4 million people within the DRC and some 35000 refugees were seeking safety in Angola at that time.
The newly displaced report killings, ****, torture, looting and burning of the homes.
In the recent weeks, dozens of people have arrived with injuries.
There are many children, women and elderly among the newly displaced in Katendi in the Kasai central province.
Clashes between two communities, water, mineral and timber resources, increased throughout the month of August.
In recent days, Unicia has also received reports of conflict linked with Malaysia trying to replace a traditional community leader with one of its member in the Tenda village in Kasai Central province.
I hope I have pronounced it correctly.
The dispute has led to the displacement of nearly 1000 people there.
As the first Humanitarian Responders Unit, CR is registering displaced people as well as host community members whose capacity to help and host the displaced is often limited to the extreme poverty and **** levels of malnutrition existing in the area.
We are helping the survivors of sexual violence and referring them to for medical care and psychosocial support as well.
In an ongoing relief effort, UCR has so far distributed items including plastic sheetings, blankets, soap, cooking kits to more than 4000 people.
Thousands have also received shelter kits and cash assistance to buy food to meet their most urgent needs.
UCR continues to monitor the situation with our partners and responds to the need of the victims of human rights violations.
We are also promoting peace negotiations between the leaders of the different communities to prevent further clashes.
Also remains concerned for the safety of some 16,000 Congolese who were expelled from Angola last year, who continue to survive in precarious conditions in remote and almost inaccessible locations.
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Unusual is calling for renewed focus on the Kasai to restore peace and diffuse tensions.
We are also appealing for the location of resources to respond to the needs of the displaced displaced Congolese in the region.
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The first one is from Lisa.
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Hi, I was waiting to be unmuted.
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All.
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Good morning to you.
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If you could elaborate a bit more upon the negotiations that you said were going on among the rival parties, How, how is how is that occurring?
I mean, what if you get would give perhaps go back a little bit to the period of relative calm?
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That.
Lasted and what triggered this new outbreak of of horrible violence?
And then I'm wondering whether are the DRC soldiers on in the area?
Are they doing anything to try to create security between the ethnic rivals?
And what about you and peacekeepers?
Are they there?
I mean, it seems as if this is a never ending real tragedy.
If you could respond to those.
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Thank you very much, Lisa.
Indeed, the call is is broad in in terms of the authorities taking responsibility to diffuse tension and bring peace.
Remember, back in 2017, Kasai was also one of the hotspots in terms of displacement inside the Doctor Congo.
Currently we have more than 1.2 million people who are still displaced.
In terms of easy, uneasy calm, it meant the situation had calmed down a bit, but it was already very fragile.
So the risk now with more tensions, more clashes, more attacks, is that we could end up seeing another wave of massive displacement in this region of DRC.
So the appeal is in, in, in, in terms of everyone who's there, authorities and others to really diffuse tensions and, and, and also work to, to maintain and bring back peace in terms of negotiations.
The unit CR teams on the ground with our partners, with local authorities are trying to bring people together where it is possible to defuse tensions.
But as violence continues, as attacks happen, people are displaced, majority of them are women and children, with other parts of the population as well and those who are coming, many of them injured with gruesome details of what they have witnessed over there.
In terms of the tensions itself, these are reported to be 3 separate conflicts related to the land disputes, clashes over limited resources among the communities and also confrontations between different ethnic groups, authorities and the militias which are operating in the region.
Thank you, Catherine.
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Good morning to all.
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My question is related to the Congolese that had been expelled approximately 1 year ago.
I recall that it was a large group at that time.
And what about these 16,000 Congolese that remain there?
I suppose that they are the most vulnerable.
And I would like to know what's the country is doing for, for, for those citizens and are you in contact with with them through your office?
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Thank you there, Catherine.
Angola had expelled thousands of people at the end of 2018 and early 2019 in operations targeting irregular migration inside the country, which was the claim then and and most of these people were, as far as I understand, working in the mine industry then.
Among them were many former Congolese refugees as well who were referred who we when they arrived, we referred them to our partner organisation for assistance.
And when the Kasai violence erupted back in 2017 with people who were displaced inside the DRC's Kasai region, there were more than 30,000 refugees who went and sought refuge in Angola.
So the the point of course, the concern for us is, is the 16,000 Congolese who who live, who continue to survive in precarious conditions on the border and almost in inaccessible areas.
So we are assessing road conditions to prepare for the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance to these people.
And and even when they were expelled at that time, unit CR was monitoring the arrival.
We were working hand in hand with our partners and authorities to assist them.
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And the particular concern over here now is for the 16,000.
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There is a question from Freddie.
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Problem the.
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Just in short, UNICR is actually calling for renewed focus on the Kasai to restore peace and diffuse tensions.
We are also appealing for the allocation of resources as a lot of these tensions are due to meagre resources between different communities.
So we are also appealing for the allocation of resources to respond to the needs of displaced Congolese in the region.
But also a broader appeal from our end to to those who can help us in terms of the the funding to help the people in Kasai and as well as others who are displaced inside the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Yes, actually Bob, are you, you didn't respond to one of the questions I asked you earlier.
I, I asked about security on, on the spot in the area, whether the DRC security forces were there to try to bring peace or some kind of semblance of quiet and whether the UN peacekeepers are also there trying to create peace.
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I, I don't have details in, in, in terms of the presence of different security forces, but I do understand that there have been efforts to to maintain peace, but but the need now is to redouble those efforts to bring and maintain peace in, in the region.
The situation has been fragile.
Tensions were there, but this is kind of a new spark, which could bring in another massive displacement in a country that has already seen millions of people being displaced in the other parts of the country, but also in the Kasai regions as as well.
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Thank you very much.
I don't see any other questions that are in the room.
No, thank you very much.
I'll go to Catherine for Anka.
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But also remind you that we have online Jennifer Phantom for OC, Marixi for UNICEF, Tamara for Umbra, WFP, Elizabeth is there and Fernando for WTO and Margaret Harris for WHO should be in this room.
She had she's been slowed down, but she is coming and told.
So if you want to have to ask her any questions, she'll be here in a moment.
So, Katherine, so.
So how probably just your fate come check any do the situation economic.
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Seller on Palestine and Setany on police.
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And yes, it's.
Telling me that you you have they haven't received your your notes just just as a note.
And then for Margaret, she should be here 15 minutes, 20 minutes ago she was in security, so hopefully she'll be coming in the next few minutes.
Would you, Francois, attendee?
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OK, so we have Tamara from UNRWA who would like to add something to what Katrina said on the report of Palestine.
Tamara, you have the floor.
You're unmuted.
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Well, it's, it's not the comment on Catherine, but it's opportune to come after her because Onura has a couple of announcements for today's briefing.
And good morning to everyone on this call and on this conference in person or virtually.
Today, Onura is launching its flash COVID appeal for the remainder of this year.
So for a period until the 31st of December, our appeal is nearly.
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dollars to be able to continue Onura's efforts in containing and mitigating the virus, mostly in densely populated Palestinian refugee camps across the region.
Onura had a very successful first few months in containing the virus, but unfortunately over the last few weeks, we jumped from less than 200 cases of COVID-19 in Palestine refugee populations to nearly 4000.
That's a really dramatic jump for us.
We're extremely worried and we really call on donors to help us continue the earlier successes that we had.
The jump is mostly due to the longer term socio economic impact of the lockdowns and the closures and the fact that beyond a few weeks it was not possible to keep everybody confined in camps because every because Palestine refugees needed to go back to work to livelihoods.
And unless we're able to support them stay in camps and to step up our medical response, we fear.
An outbreak in very densely populated camps.
However, it's not all bad news.
There are good news from Unira.
Very exciting news about more than half a million girls and boys starting to go back to learning in Unira schools this week.
The the going back to learning can have several scenarios.
It can be a full return to schools.
It can be a blended approach, so half in schools, half online.
But we're also ready for a full online scenario like what happened last year.
One was very excited to continue contributing to the right to education of every little Palestine refugee girl and boy in the West Bank, including E Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
We also truly believe that keeping a sense of normality for these children will help them feel more stable, particularly the given the instability and the volatility in the region over the last few months, compounded by the dramatic explosion in Lebanon, but also the regional political developments that are adding a sense of unpredictability for Palestine refugee communities.
So UNRWA appeals again for support to its education to being able to continue providing quality education to half a million girls and boys, including its flagship approach on conflict resolution, human rights and tolerance.
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Thank you colleagues open for questions.
Thank you very much, Tamara.
And I'm looking to the Emma has a question for you Emma for Reuters.
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Just a bit of clarification on those figures.
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The cases have jumped from less than 200 to nearly 4000.
Just how many camps are we talking and in how many countries, and does that include?
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So much Emma for the.
Question, yes, that does include Gaza and we're very worried about Gaza.
We had been extremely worried earlier about Gaza, but then thankfully things stayed in control for a long time.
But for the first time now in the last couple of weeks, we see local cases in Gaza.
So we're, we're, we're really worried about that.
We're talking about several camps across the region, at least two in Jordan, at least three in Lebanon.
I can send you the names in an e-mail are included in my briefing notes.
Syria, it's extremely difficult to have figures, but we we do have cases registered.
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The West.
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Two or three camps, I can send you the names of the camps, but let's say that we are now witnessing cases in every single field of operation that UNRWA works works in and in several camps.
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Other questions to Tamara, I don't see in the room.
Emma, you have a follow up if I may, obviously noted on your appeal.
But just in terms of the immediate resources that you need to deal with that situation, where are you?
Do you have what you need?
Or are you really struggling?
Onura's always struggling for cash, but for the immediate needs right now we need 95 million U.S.
dollars and that will primarily cover our ongoing but also stepping up of health services and hospitalisation.
It will also cover immediate cash assistance to to to help people whose livelihoods have been disrupted.
And it will cover our education programmes that that are very much focused on keeping the students safe by making sure that our health and hygiene measures are very **** in schools.
So this is 95,000,000 for the period from now until the 31st of December.
Just a reminder that our earlier appeal was also was very close to this one, almost 95 million.
We we had nearly 63% of that appeal covered.
We're stepping up our efforts to fundraising also in view of the fact that there is a second wave of COVID-19 going all over the world and keeping Palestine refugees and all refugees immune to COVID-19 is a contribution to keeping COVID-19 contained across the world.
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I have a couple of questions.
First, I'd like to know whether because because the people have to go back to work, the the virus is spreading, Is it also spreading outside of the camp into the wider populations in Lebanon and Jordan where you have information in, in Syria you don't?
And how many cases are there in Gaza itself?
Is that being contained?
Because I understand the the Israeli government, I may be wrong about this, but I think they have sent some, some aid to to try to mitigate the situation.
Could you elaborate upon this please?
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The.
Fact that there is an increase in within Palestine refugee.
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Is very much due to having to go out and about and because a virus.
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At the at the borders of a camp, yes, it is spreading outside.
So in Jordan where I am based and where I'm talking to you, speaking with you from, we have seen a recent uptick in numbers despite the fact that the numbers in Jordan since the very beginning had been pretty much contained.
So unfortunately there is an A surge in Jordan, but also in Lebanon and.
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Our fields of operation in Gaza.
I'll get back to you on the exact numbers, but again, most of the numbers at the beginning of the crisis in Gaza were were were numbers were cases coming into Gaza from outside, mostly from Egypt.
The situation now is that we are seeing local cases, which also means that people are going out and about outside the refugee camps.
But Gaza is an extremely densely, it's probably the most densely populated place on the face of the Earth.
So measures to contain a virus as as violent as COVID-19 are always extremely difficult to put in place.
Gaza has been under lockdown for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.
Now for a for a few days and This is why it is extremely urgent for UNRWA to be able to step up it's services and to deliver cash and and and food assistance to people's doorsteps in order to to prevent crowding at our centres.
And you mentioned the the passage of additional aid and assistance into Gaza.
We are calling on a facilitation of the passage of eight and and especially cash food, medical assistance.
We're stepping up our emergency appeal on Gaza specific because we consider that the situation in Gaza is more dire, is very, very dire.
And I will get back to you exactly on the mechanics, if you want of 88 passage into Gaza.
Thank you very much.
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I don't see any other question for you, but thank you for briefing us from Aman and I'm happy to confirm that we have Margaret with us now.
Margaret, please, we have got already questions for you and I'm glad to see you here in person for once.
It's very nice to be here.
OK, so I yes, has a question for you straight away.
And, and yes, while you are on, I just confirmed from Babar that the note from the **** Commissioner for Refugees has now been sent.
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Yes, thank you and good morning, Margaret.
This is a really logistical question for for next week.
I I wanted to know when will be the, the briefings of Doctor Tedros and COVID because you know, next Thursday will be Jacques Ferrier.
And so if you, if you already know that, that could really help us to, to organise the week.
So if it will be on Monday or on Tuesday and on Friday or Thursday, yes.
And yes, I let I let Margaret answer, but this is a good occasion to remind everybody that on Thursday, we, the Geneva celebrates with the Jean Genevois and the Paradin assume will be closed.
Margaret yes, unfortunately we and the COVID team don't catch that.
Gilles Ferrier So no, there will.
The plan at the moment is Monday and Thursday.
There are quite a lot of announcements for Thursday.
So currently the Thursday presser will be Thursday.
Now things do change because as you know, we're working an incredibly packed and changing schedule every day because of the nature of the work we're doing.
But currently it is Monday, Thursday.
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And there is a question from Peter.
Peter, choose one way or the other because last time we had an eco, terrible eco.
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It's off I.
Was just wondering if there's any reaction from The Who to the announcement yesterday from the United States concerning its withdrawal from the World Health Organisation and the cuts in funding that it also announced.
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So basically on that, we refer you to our previous statements and previous expressions of regret, Gabriella.
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One, one question, which countries are not registered in, in the Kovacs mechanism?
Do you know a which are not registered already?
And many countries made a bilateral request for vaccines and and everything.
So how are they going to reconcile the two things?
Because someone are in some countries are in the COVAX and doing bilateral positions for for vaccines.
So I don't really understand.
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Right.
So in that, I think you've seen the timeline that the 31st was for expressions of interest, but it's still open.
So that's why we're not publishing a list at this stage, though the countries that have already announced are the countries that have announced.
So by September 18 is when we'll have much more detail.
But essentially we are, the door is open.
Essentially, we are open.
What the COVID is about is ensuring that everybody on this planet will get access to the vaccines.
So we don't say one or the other.
We say we are doing this to make sure that everybody can get access to the vaccine when we have a safe and efficacious vaccine.
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And Musa has a question those more poor, probably more vaccine.
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I'll answer in English because my French accent is horrible.
But as I understood your question, you're looking for a timeline on, on on potential vaccines.
So as you know, there are a considerable number of candidates now that have entered phase three trials.
We know of at least 6 to 9 that are have got quite a long way with the research already.
And the phase three trial is when you compare, you have a large group of people and half get the vaccine, half get a placebo or a different known vaccine such as the meningitis vaccine.
And then you essentially have to follow those people and see if there's a difference in those groups, if the ones that have received the actual vaccine have been protected.
So how you measure that is whether the people in the other group, the group that got the placebo or the OR the other vaccine that is not the COVID vaccine.
If there's a difference numbers, if the people who got the COVID vaccine, if far fewer of them don't go on to get COVID itself, then you've got a strong signal that the vaccine is protective.
Now we've got all kinds of measures.
We're looking at what level of protectiveness do we find acceptable.
We're looking at 50%, ideally 50% or more.
That means that you know that when you give it to a large group, you believe you.
Your research has indicated that 50% of them will be protected.
The lower limit of that is 30%.
So, but we want to see at least 50% protection with, you know, sort of a variation around that.
Now, the best way to know of all the candidate vaccines that we've got, which one will offer the best protection.
Because remember, not only are we seeing a lot of different vaccines, we need to compare them head to head to see which one is really offering the best protection and the greatest safety levels as well.
And so that's one of the important things WHO is doing.
We've got a solidarity vaccine trial and we are wanting to see all the data for all the different vaccines now being trialled in people compared with each other so that we've got a clear idea which ones are offering greatest protection on timelines.
I gave you this very long answer because I'm trying to explain why it takes longer.
This phase three must take longer because you need to see how truly protected the vaccine is.
You also need to see how safe it is.
You need to understand whether there are things that there are earlier phases.
You do look at safety and you look at safety very, very carefully before you go into the phase three, but you need to be following safety at all stages.
So that makes it a longer process.
The good news is the manufacturer, they're already putting bets on which one's likely to be the vaccine and they're already working out how they can scale up production of vaccines once we know which ones are the ones we will roll out.
So that's happening in parallel, which I don't, which is incredibly exciting and really shows enormous commitment around the world, again by all the different partners to get this happening.
But in terms of realistic timelines, we're really not expecting to see widespread vaccination until the middle of next year.
Very comprehensive.
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So essentially all the things you're discussing are still really the phase three stage.
And the important thing AWHOS position is we all work together.
We work in solidarity, we share data, we compare data so that we the world get the vaccine that protects everybody.
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It is something that's essential but must be provided in all parts of the world so that because unless everybody's protected, nobody's protected.
Come here.
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About the preview on.
Thursday, will it be at 5:00 PM as usual or will it will it be earlier?
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Later, 5:00 PM, it may even be 530, but it will not be before 5:00 PM.
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And Catherine, yes and do you hear me?
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Good morning Margaret, nice to see you without the mask.
A follow up on on what on your explanation, I would like to know how much time you usually you normally need, the industry normally needs to detect side effects and I have also another question.
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Why don't you ask both?
OK and and my second question remark is regarding the briefings organised by WHO Afro.
They are very interesting briefings.
They are run by an company called APO.
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Questions have to be sent into written and the moderator is not reading the questions, she is just in fact interpreting the questions.
So I think that we should have a way for the press to have a real press conference where we can ask real questions and that we we get answers to all questions because you have a very interesting experts being part of these events.
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Margaret, we'll answer, but this gives me the occasion to remind you that at 12:00 you have a press conference from WHO on COVID and non communicable diseases.
But Margaret, maybe you want to answer the two questions.
Yes, I'll answer the second first, so that, as you know, we're very devolved.
So the management of a regional press conference is down to the press team and in the regional office.
But I will pass on your concerns to my colleague.
We work very closely together and I'll let them know that you love their press conferences, but you'd like to make some changes to the actual methodology.
Would that be correct?
And this on your first question about safety, this is something that happens continuously with any vaccine.
So we can we monitor safety of every vaccine that's out there.
We constantly review that.
We have our strategic advisory group on immunisation, SAGE, who come together twice a year, but also monitor it during the year and looking for signals.
Because even when you've gone through all the phases of testing, once a vaccine is out in the population, you must continue to monitor for safety because there can be subpopulations, different age groups could be that you're genetically different and you may have a, a, a different reaction.
So the monitoring of safety continues at all times.
It's what we refer to as phase four, which is that post passing all the the stages of testing needed for regulatory approval and rolling out of a vaccine, you still need to be monitoring safety.
And indeed, there are many examples of when a vaccine has found being found not to have be safe in a particular group or they've been concerns and then they've been changes to the strategies as a result.
I've got Lisa and then Isabel.
Good morning, Margaret, nice to see you.
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But yes, you you certainly know that the CDC and others in the Trump administration have been talking about the possibility of a vaccine for possible emergency use.
Strangely enough, just before the election is to take place.
The first I'd like to know whether this is possible.
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To.
Have a vaccine ready for emergency use for people who work in the area, elderly, so forth.
And what is, are the dangers of raising false hopes that a vaccine might actually be there for use?
So on the emergency use, this is something that countries do and make their decisions.
So this is not so this is a question you really need to refer back to the, the, the national authorities.
All vaccine therapeutics go through a national licencing regulation and and emergency use licencing is part of that.
On the false hopes, what we've been saying over and over is nobody should be sitting there waiting for the magic bullet, the the, you know, thinking that the vaccine is going to solve all this or that there'll be a wonder drug.
What we have to do now is do the things we know suppress this virus.
So as Doctor Ted Ross says, do it all, do it now.
And those are the basics, the hand washing, the social distancing, what that we're doing, the mask wearing that everybody has in the room.
The reason I'm not wearing a mask is I'm not close.
We've got the room well ventilated here.
There's excellent environmental hygiene.
You can see the the room is spotless.
All these things have to be done all the time.
It's not a one off, it's a continuum and on.
And actually we've seen a reduction in other viral illnesses in especially influenza in the Southern hemisphere.
So it's showing that a lot of the actions people are taking, populations are taking, may well be helping us beat other diseases.
So again, don't sit there waiting for the vaccine.
The vaccine when it comes or will be another tool in the armoury, but it will not be the only thing.
We have to do everything and we have to do it now.
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I asked specifically, Margaret, if you would please answer to what the dangers of raising false hopes that a vaccine may be, may be rolled out prematurely, shall we say, in terms of having the, the safety and efficacy that you talk about as being so important, not actually being there.
So again, that's a complex question because the dangers of raising false hopes, the main danger is raising complacency.
There has been quite a fixed belief right from the beginning of this outbreak that it'll be fine.
You know, just wait for the vaccine, everything's going to be fine.
Now, we've seen that that attitude has LED us into very, very difficult times.
We need to be doing it all and doing it now.
Now I think your other question was around safety.
The important thing with all vaccines, use of all vaccines is that it's documented, it's done using an appropriate protocol and that that all signals around safety are recorded, are understood and and discussed and responded to.
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Good morning, everybody.
Margaret, I am sure you're very aware that there is a lot of confusion among people.
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Because when they read the news, they get very excited because people think that they could be vaccinated very soon.
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Seen you have said that for to see massive vaccinations maybe we will have to wait until middle of next year.
So my question is in what extent a phase three clinical trial must to be finished and resulted results must?
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Studied to go ahead with an authorization and vaccination stage and this is 1 and in that sense.
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Also you to comment on the fact that we have some vaccines that have been announced and even are being used in some countries that you, you know very.
Well, and these.
Vaccines have not even finished the phase three clinical trials.
So what is the advice by WHO for these countries and for people to accept to be vaccines or not with these vaccines?
So it's really, as I said before, we all need to share data.
We need to share data, compare it, use it properly, use it scientifically to ensure we've got the not just the vaccines, but the right strategies, we're giving them to the right people and to ensure that we're have not only the most efficacious, the genuinely worthwhile efficacity, but also safety on the when and the why.
I think there's a lot of confusion because a lot of the trials are indeed a lot of people have been vaccinated as in a sense, what we don't know is whether the vaccine works.
So some of the confusion is that yes, indeed a lot of the different research groups around the world are are vaccinating people.
But at this stage we do not have the clear signal on whether or not it has the level of worthwhile efficacity and safety to make it the vaccine or the we expect that there will probably be a number of candidate vaccines that could potentially be used in different circumstances and different groups.
So at that moment we do not have that information.
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I think we are turning against around the same question and I think Margaret has answered what she could, but go ahead.
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Thank you very much.
Just to be clear, so did meet for example, because the other day with this is was was mentioned in press conference last week.
So this means that for example, Russia has not shared still not shared with WHO information on its vaccine, correct.
Sorry, I don't know your understand your question.
I mean that Russia has shared yeah, but because the last last last week.
OK, so all countries, but I don't have specific information on on Russia and and you know what level and who is sharing what with who.
But our work is to get all countries together and get all the information and to our utmost to coordinate that and ensure that all the information coming in is used to ensure we get the very best vaccine this global public good we have been speaking about.
OK, Katherine and then Jamie.
Yes, Margaret, sorry to to insist on that.
But to make it clear, it's clear what you said, but in order to be super clear, it means that when you say that they will, we will see.
It's unlikely that we will see mass vaccinations against COVID-19 before the middle of the year.
That means also that you need to have the proper vaccine, the proper product.
And the second question is when you will be sure about the ficacity, the efficiency of the vaccine.
I suppose that there will be a kind of plan to 1st vaccinate maybe the health workers and then the most vulnerable people and and so on.
So that means that normal in quote, people would be vaccinated at the end of of of of of all the, the the others.
So that means that it will take a long time because like you said before, people think that, OK, you find a vaccine and everybody goes to the doctor and is vaccinated, but doesn't go like that, isn't it?
Yeah, thank you for that question.
And that is an important point.
Yes, The the the most vulnerable groups and the various target groups have been are being identified.
And it is most likely that the first groups to be vaccinated would be healthcare workers because they are most at risk.
They are in contact with people carrying the virus every day.
And we have seen far too many healthcare workers become not only I'll with the the virus, but die.
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So many nurses and doctors and and and hygienists and other workers in in healthcare, but other groups as well identified in society as at **** risk will be the first groups to be vaccinated.
Certainly because that's what you do with vaccination.
You go to the **** risk groups first.
We're looking at something of the order of 2,000,000 doses that will be needed to do that first part of the work.
But you're quite right, it won't be a case of everybody being able to ring up the doctor and go and get a vaccine right away.
But indeed, that is why we're saying we must all work together with to ensure that we really can roll it out to the right groups as quickly as possible on every part of the planet.
Because as I said before, no one's safe until everyone's safe.
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Just wanted to know your reaction to the Trump administration announcements on Wednesday that it won't pay more than $60 million in dues that it owes to The Who.
That money is going to be given to the UN General budget.
Can you give me your reaction to that?
And I have a follow up.
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That was the first one.
So we refer you to our previous expressions of regret.
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Hi, Mr Tedders, couple weeks ago said that the Comp 19 pandemic would be brought under control within two years, but you said it's unlikely to that we will see mass vaccinations against COVID-19 before the middle of the next year.
So is it, what do you think about Ted was comment two weeks ago, is that possible to control in two years this pandemic?
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So Doctor, what Doctor Tedros was was characterising was it was in quite answer to a question about the 1819 flu pandemic.
And what Doctor Tedros was saying was that it took two years for that to subside when and it was a period when we didn't have the tools, we didn't have the international solidarity, we didn't have the extraordinary scientific expertise.
You know, we identified the genome of this virus within 10 days of knowing it existed.
We didn't have all those things in place in 1819.
So Doctor Tedros was saying if we all work together, if we harness what we've got, we should be able to finish within that.
It was really a call to the world to keep working together and to really beat this thing.
Jamie, as a follow up and then we'll close.
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Yeah, the sorry, Margaret, I just want to make sure what is going to be the concrete impact of losing $62 million for WHOI mean, I know that you've expressed regret a lot of times when the US government says what it is said.
But I mean, can we be a little bit more elaborate as to what the concrete impact of a loss of $62 million is going to mean at this stage?
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So Margaret, thank you very much.
And as I said, you will stay with her because at 12 O clock there will be this hybrid press conference from this room and online addressing non communicable diseases and COVID-19.
And the speakers will be Doctor Benson Mickelson, director of non communicable diseases at WHOI think he'd be in the room.
Oh, it's a she sorry.
And Doctor Nick Banatwala, who is the head of the secretariat of the UN Task Force on Non Communicable Disease, and he'll be online also today I remind you The Who COVID-19 virtual press conference, which should be around 5:00 right that time.
So this is for today.
I have a couple of announcement of press conferences for Wednesday, the 9th of September at 10 AM.
You have a virtual press conference on the Human Rights Council 45th regular session that will start, as you know, on the 14th of September here in Geneva until the 6th of October.
Ambassador Elizabeth Tisha Fisselberg of Austria was the president of the Council.
We will brief you.
Can you put down the phone please?
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And we are preparing as usual.
A note, a note to the media on the arrangements for the Council, which will be very similar to the ones of the last session last summer, mainly that the accreditation will be given but an adopt basis journalist will not be allowed in great numbers in the room.
There will be a limited seatings and also the meetings will take place in the assembly hall in order to guarantee distancing.
But the voting probably will be in room 20 because that's where the equipment is.
You'll have all the details in the note that we hope to put out either today or Monday.
Another press conference on the 9th is what Claire has already announced on the 9th of September, probably 5:00 PM time to be confirmed.
And this is the New York Geneva press conference on the launch of the report called United in Science.
And that's a joint as UNWMO report and Press Briefing.
So this is what I had in terms of press briefings.
Otherwise, I wanted to remind you that the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disability will close today.
It's 23rd session.
This is at this afternoon at 4:00 PM.
And you can follow the session online on web TV.
The Conference of Disarmament has planned to hold on Tuesday 8th of September at 10 AMA public public meeting devoted to new types of weapons of mass destruction.
And then on Monday 7th of September, 3:30 PM, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances will open its 19th session which will last until the 25th September.
This will be online.
During the session.
The Committee will have a dialogue with Iraq on additional information on the implementation of the Convention submitted under Article 29, Four of the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Forced Disappearance.
This will take place in the afternoons of the 14th and the 15th September, and you'll be able to follow the session also on UN Web TV.
So these are the announcements I had.
Or just one last point, the 7th of September is International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.
There's a video message of the Secretary General which is made available if you need the link, Let us know.
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Yes, on Human Rights Council, it's very difficult to, I mean, we can't approach people because of the situation.
So it would be highly appreciated if they can arrange interviews, proper interviews with social distancing and everything with key speakers or, you know, because freelancers like me, we leave of our stories.
So not because of, you know, agencies and big, you know, so it's very important for us to have access to the people.
Yeah, well, noted.
Exactly as you said, and it would be in the notes.
You will not be, there's not this possibility of just, you know, talking to somebody in the corridor.
We need to maintain this social distancing.
But what you said is something we also discussed last time.
And Rolando is going to try and do it.
He is back to Geneva, at Geneva, in Geneva today and he'll be here as of Monday.
And again, you'll have the press conference on Wednesday, but he'll be able to.
Discussed this with you already on a bilateral basis from Monday on, so please contact him.
But definitely we will.
We will try to to see how this can be organised and if possible put the conditions in the notes, although I'm not sure we will have time to discuss all this.
The thing is it's very difficult to know every, you know, all this, the experts that come and we will have quite a few that we understand will be of interest to you during this session.
They have their own schedule.
So it's sometimes, you know, sort of last minute.
It's not easy to organise banner there also or interview possibility all the time or press conferences.
But as usual, I'm sure Rolando will do his best and we will try to help him that and yeah, yes, Musa we Alexandra exclusive.
It is informational concern.
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Libya give us facility as an FBN 2.
No, she put information.
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No, thank you very much.
Have a nice weekend and a nice press conference in half an hour.
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