The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
UN Geneva Press Briefing - 16 June 2026
/
1:09:56
/
MP4
/
4.4 GB
Teleprompter
[Other language spoken]
Welcome to the press briefing of the UN Information Service here in Geneva.
Today is Tuesday, 16th of June and I'd like to start immediately with our colleagues of UNHCR.
Carlotta, you want to start and introduce Jackie please?
[Other language spoken]
Good morning everyone from unit, CRD and refugee agency.
We're very pleased to be here and I'm very pleased to introduce to you all Jackie Keegan, who's the Deputy Director of our Division of International Protection and Solutions and in particular heading our team working on durable solutions and field protection support.
So global teams supporting all of our colleagues working on solutions and and protection, including in emergencies.
She has extensive experience in the field as well as headquarter in international protection and solutions.
And currently, she's attending important consultations, 2 days of consultations on resettlement and complementary pathways, which are which is our annual multilateral event bringing together Member States, the private sector, academia, NGOs and refugees themselves to discuss in advance resettlement policy.
And she will brief about our newly released report on projected resettlement needs for next year.
And she, of course, will also be available for any questions.
So without further ado, Jackie, over to you.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you, Carter.
[Other language spoken]
We released today the projection the the projected global resettlement needs for 2027.
It's an annual report that establishes through a series of consultations and analysis, projections related to the the needs for people who are to be that those, excuse me, that that gives us the numbers of people and indeed the the locations and the specific needs of those who need to be resettled and need to go from their country of current asylum to a new country in order to find both protection and solutions.
The this year the numbers have dropped slightly over over from from last year.
We're down to 2.4 million people around the world requiring resettlement.
These are people who still face protection needs in their country of asylum and who are still unable to return home.
The figure represents a 6% decline compared to 2026 and continues A downward trend since 2025.
That reduction reflects specific developments in certain contexts.
Some of those are promising and some of them are challenging.
In Syria, the changing government in December 2024 opened up the way for voluntary return.
Despite fragility, it reduced projection needs for some.
In contrast, lower predicted resettlement needs for Afghans in in Iran and in Pakistan, linked to return under adverse circumstances.
Afghans remain the largest group in need of resettlement, followed by refugees from South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and of course, Rohingya refugees, who are mostly in Bangladesh and continue to face acute risks and limited alternatives.
Regionally, resettlement needs remain the highest in eastern and southern Africa, followed by Asia and the Pacific, and then West and Central Africa.
In 2025, approximately 37,000 refugees departed to a new country through UNHCR assisted resettlement globally, down significantly from more than 116,000 in 2024 and only a fraction of those in need around the world.
In 2022, the international community set a target of 130,000 resettlement places for 2027, but declining quotas mean that that goal is unlikely to be met.
This reflects a combination of policy changes in destination countries that have led to a pauses in admissions, to more restrictive criteria and to processing backlogs.
The challenges in destination countries are real, but we should not forget that many of the countries that host large numbers of refugees call for expanded resettlement as a form of international responsibility sharing.
Low and middle income countries host 68% of the refugees around the world and while most continued to show generosity, they also face strain on local resources and capacities.
Resettlement, which was the first solution that the international community implemented after World War 2, is a key pillar of UN High Commission of Refugees.
Baham Sali's drive to halve the number of refugees in protracted situations reliant on humanitarian assistance by 2035.
As we mark the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Convention this year, recommitting to protection and solutions is more critical than ever.
Resettlement helps relieve pressure on host countries, strengthens partnerships, contributes to stability and helps reduce dangerous onward journeys.
Expanding resettlement is urgent and achievable.
Increased quotas, bringing more countries on board and accelerating processing would ensure this life saving tool reaches more of those in need.
Resettlement is not a charity.
It's an enduring solution that helps to break displacement cycle for future generations.
Resettled refugees contribute to their new communities through work and entrepreneurship while also supporting families in their countries of origin or asylum.
UNHCR thanks resettlement countries that continue to lead by example.
Every place rebuilds a life.
[Other language spoken]
If there are questions for you in the room, Christian, the German, good morning.
I have a couple of questions.
One is, can you give us two or three examples of concrete situations why a person in a country does not does need resettlement and has no option of staying there or going home?
[Other language spoken]
And with this question goes the other one, for example, the 1,000,000 refugees, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
How do you choose a few that you think need resettlement whereas everyone else also cannot stay and cannot go home?
How is the difference between those you say need resettlement and those who don't?
And excuse me for I will indulge your patients.
Are countries in the Middle East receptive?
Do they offer resettlement places?
Because maybe for example, for Rohingya refugees who might who are Muslim by religion, for them it might be easier to settle in a country that is also a Muslim country.
I wonder whether there are any places in the Middle East in any of those countries offered for resettlement.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
OK, so the first one, some examples my the when I started doing resettlement 20 something years ago, I was working in the Republic of Guinea.
Could you also speak a bit more slowly?
When I started doing resettlement some 20 something years ago, I was working in the Republic of Guinea with Sierra Leonean and Liberian refugees, and the very first people I met were a group of women who had been sex slaves with militia groups.
They were living and hiding in the refugee camps.
They were unable to secure protection from their families and their communities because they were perceived as having been excluded from good, from from proper society, because they had slept with men who were not their husbands.
They had children from multiple men.
They were in danger.
And when we submitted them to the UK, it was the beginning of the the British resettlement programme.
The very fact of having been submitted meant that they started to look after themselves better.
They started to look after their children better.
And even though they were still living a very restricted life in the communities, in the camp, they started to flower as humans.
By the time they got to the UK, they learned English, they went and they created choir groups.
They worked in municipal government.
They were people who had no opportunity in their society at all, either in the refugee camp or at home when their people started to go home.
But in another country, they were able to start again and they were able to look after their children the way they should.
They're living ordinary lives there today.
They're wonderful.
The other situation is when we're looking at people who while they are, they have demonstrated their resilience and their ability to adapt through fleeing and re establishing themselves in a new place.
They in fact have a specific need that is greater than can be addressed in the country of asylum.
So insulin dependent diabetics, for example, people who have need for, you know, chronic illness that requires a cold chain to establish their medication.
Something that would be quite easy to do in a country where there's reliable electricity, where primary Healthcare is available.
But that is a huge drain on the very limited medical resources of a hosting community.
And so they're the people who are selected, are selected on the basis of their immediate need, perhaps their protection needs even in asylum and of the fact that the community has needs to to husband its resources and look after the the greatest number of people with regard to 1,000,000 refugees and how you choose them.
In a way it's the same story.
But we of course don't work blind, right?
We have all of those million people in Bangladesh are registered.
We understand their family dynamics.
We understand their level of education.
We follow their family every time they have any engagement with us or with the government.
And so we start to understand those who are more vulnerable in society.
1,000,000 people is a city.
It's the same thing that happens in any city.
You know, if you're working with a community, which are the people who are most in need of that additional help?
So together these days, together with refugees, together with the broader community, with the government, with NGOs, we identify the criteria, the sorts of characteristics that people would need in order to require that additional help.
And then from there we go and we work through with the individuals to find out where we are best able to find that help.
And it's a painstaking process.
It's why we have this considerable analysis that we put out at the beginning of the year, because we want people to understand that if they're going to make decisions about then they're drawing on that wealth of knowledge and that presence that that we're lucky enough to be able to to ensure.
The Middle East has of course taken people for resettlement over time.
But like every other country, we've we're in this consultations right now.
We've just heard from Germany that one of the reasons that they've suspended their resettlement programme at the minute is because they're really focusing on the people they have in country, including those who came from Ukraine.
Germany's been a long supporter of resettlement and they're still in the room as a resettlement country.
There are many resettlement people there, but in the case of a country that is trying to deal with the the situation it's got right now, it's made the decision to focus internally.
I very much hope that we'll be able to encourage not only Middle Eastern countries, but countries, more countries in Asia, other countries around the world to come back to resettlement.
Something to note in, in the 1950s, we had some 37 resettlement countries resettling from Europe.
[Other language spoken]
Every year we have different countries starting and stopping according to their capacities.
Thank you very much.
Other questions in the room.
If not, I go to the platform.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Well, sorry, I have given her that.
I'll come back to you in a second.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much for doing this.
Could you give us your view on Satoko?
Sorry we can't hear you.
I don't know if it's maybe I have to, maybe you can put your volume higher and try again.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Let me see if my colleagues can do something.
In the meantime, we will listen to Alex.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you for this briefing.
First question, I wanted, just wanted to know when are you going to share the the report?
[Other language spoken]
It's coming to your inboxes with the briefing note as well as the link to the report.
[Other language spoken]
Just wanted to know, can you tell us why there's been such a drop in the resettlement offers?
You're saying this reflects a combination of policy changes in destination countries?
Is it only about the US or also other countries?
And what kind of signals are you receiving from country that might increase the number of resettlements?
No, it isn't just the US countries that have long been resettlement countries have either dropped their quota or have suspended.
We've also had some countries that are signalling that they're coming back and offering more quota again.
[Other language spoken]
Every country has to work with its with its different challenges.
In some cases, the countries that are reducing their quotas are doing so because in a way we've been victim of our own success.
We with the drop in numbers, we've been very careful to select the people who are most in need.
And often those people have a high settlement cost at the beginning.
And so therefore the same budget allocation covers fewer arrivals.
But it makes sure that the people who are looked after are properly looked after and are able to then become independent more quickly in other situations.
It has to do with housing.
I think we're all aware of the global housing shortage.
And so if we're bringing new people into a country who don't already have a community that can help them with housing, then sometimes resettlement places are constrained literally just by the places people have to stay.
In other situations, there are commitments made by countries to, for example, Afghans or to Ukrainians where the numbers perhaps were greater than they had anticipated.
And so they need to take people out of the waiting list.
You know, waiting for many years in order to come to a new country is not not dignified and not appropriate.
And so countries very properly are trying to work through their their application backlogs.
There are all sorts of different reasons that a committed country might have fewer resettlement places at one time.
Why do they come back?
I, I think it's a genuine feeling of solidarity.
As I said, we're, we're in these consultations with, I think there are seven countries in the room that this year do not have a quota, but that are considering looking at what what's happening around them.
They're studying what works and what doesn't.
We're trying to make sure that that this resettlement community remains a community and in fact that we do things better every year.
So those that are considering coming back have thought about the way that they've dealt that they, that they deal with integration, they're working with local communities, local municipalities differently.
And they're finding ways to contribute to the, the, the needs that are put forward in the projected global resettlement needs via resettlement in a way that matches their societies and their communities.
I, I know that it's a, it's a, we're in a challenging time and we desperately need more places.
We need many more places, but I think the fact that the countries that we're working with are so carefully thinking about how they can do this in a way that is responsible and reflective of the needs of the people who are coming is is in in a way, a positive thing as well.
We're trying to make this last and make sure that it's it's durable and sustainable.
Thank you very much.
Satoko, I see you've written your question in the chat, but maybe we can try again to hear you directly.
And if it doesn't work, I read it.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much for doing this.
I would like to get your view on the EU establishing the return hubs as part of the the it's overhaul of its migration and asylum policies.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
I mean, obviously I can't get into this in in huge amount of detail, but the reality is that it is it is crucial for those who need to seek international protection that they are able to find a place where they can be safe from forced return from formal.
And it's, and part of making sure that that system is available is ensuring that asylum systems around the world are able to conduct fair and, and, and organised procedures.
So the fact that there are people who need, who apply for asylum who have perhaps no other option but to, you know, that there aren't migration options available to them.
They use the the asylum system in order to seek opportunity, which is understandable, but it also is important that those who are not in need of international protection are are able to go home.
That they that they don't take up places from people who really do need international protection, who need to be protected against return to to danger which they would find at home.
And so establishing a system whereby an orderly procedure can be put in place for those who are not in need of international protection is one of the things that governments do when we're working with the European States and with others on their options around that.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Well, I have a little question regarding the countries.
If she is able to give me the five first countries who are receiving refugees in the world.
This is my first question.
The receiving countries, you know, she said that she used to work in Guinea.
I know that Guinea used to be one of the most important countries in the world receiving refugees, and I don't understand the explanation she gave regarding how people are keen on going out from Guinea to go to Great Britain.
Maybe I do not understand really what she meant that whatever.
So the real question is if she's able to give me the five first countries in the world right now receiving.
Refugees.
Thank you, Merci Buku, with regard to and I'm going to have to direct you to the I'm going to come back to you, I think on the statistics with regard to the five countries, is it the five countries that are receiving the highest number of resettlement countries and then receiving not receiving refugees?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
OK, I'm going to come back to you.
Maybe with both of those figures.
We've got some colleagues who are going to figure that out for me.
[Other language spoken]
The the he wanted to understand what you meant when because refugee in Guinea, we were speaking about the difficulties and he thought that the Guinea was one of the countries that was receiving most refugees.
So why do you send them through the UK?
OK, so the obviously the story that I told was a story from a long time ago because I, I wanted to, I wanted to illustrate a very specific situation, which was the request of the earlier question.
But what the, the Today?
And maybe that's the more interesting thing when there are people who flee their country of origin and who arrive in a in a refugee hosting country, whether they live in a camp or a city or a rural area, who are are unable to find real protection, effective protection in their country of asylum.
We look at their situation to see if they might not need to be resettled to a third country.
So there are people in every society who are living in the margins of that society.
They might be from an ethnic minority, They might be single women who who have children, who are not protected by by a male household member in a in a society that relies on male protection.
They might be a person with a particular disability or who has a particular physical characteristic that isolates them from their society.
And the reality is that when people flee and they need to rebuild their lives, they need to rely on their communities.
So therefore people who are on the outside of their communities are the people who are the most vulnerable in this new situation.
If they can't rely on family, if they can't rely on their neighbours, if they can't rely on their community for those daily protections, if they're unable to safely send their children to school or go to the market, then possibly a new country is necessary for them.
And so our responsibility in that situation is to identify them and to see if we can find a new country that helps them to build an, an ordinary life.
And the reason I told the story about Guinea is because this this was 20 years ago.
And so we've seen the impact of their resettlement.
There were 20 women who went with their families there.
And 20 years later, they're doing pretty well.
And it was the British government who said that they were looking for women at risk, women who had been isolated from their communities.
So we made this this recommendation.
And now we found that in fact it was a wonderful thing for these women and a great, great deal of generosity from the government of the UK, which is exactly what is happening around the world, OK, with regard to countries of, of, of resettlement.
So the highest resettlement countries this year or last year for 2025 are Canada with 11,995 people, Australia with 7253, the United States with 68,000 and 62 from the beginning of the year before the suspension, France with 3056 and New Zealand with 1286.
This year we have 17 countries that are offering resettlement and including some very small numbers, but coming from countries that are really grateful for those small numbers.
So they're forming A bilateral partnership through through the work that they're doing.
Numbers change throughout the year.
So we gave 2025 because that's the last complete year.
Thank you very much, Jackie and thank you very much Carlota.
I think this is this was the last question.
So thank you very much.
If you can make sure that the report and the and the notes have been shared on, on the journalist emails.
[Other language spoken]
So let's now go to UNICEF.
Ricardo, you wanted to introduce the subject and your speaker, Tom Slaymaker, who's the chief of the Wash Climate and Environment Data Unit, who is reaching us from Florence.
Welcome to both, Ricardo.
Thanks, Alessandra.
Good morning, everyone.
Yes, Tom will speak with all of you in in a second.
But just before to let you know that today, UNICEF launched a new report to the Children's Climate Risk Report 2026, which provides A comprehensive picture of how climate change is affecting children around the world.
As we've said repeatedly, the climate crisis is no longer a future threat for children.
It is already shaping their lives today, their health, their education, and their futures.
You should have received the final report, the executive summary and press release by e-mail.
Please let me know on the chat or by e-mail if you haven't.
I'll pass now to Tom.
Without further ado, thanks for joining Tom and over to you.
Thank you Ricardo and good morning everyone.
Imagine having to swim across the fast moving river, known for its strong currents and for crocodiles, just to make it to school.
That's a daily reality now for 15 year old Lorna and her classmates in Papua New Guinea.
The bridge linking their homes to school was destroyed by floods, leaving them no Safeway to cross.
But getting to the classroom is non negotiable, so they put their books and their school uniforms in a bucket and swim in perilous waters.
So for these children, the impact of climate change is not an abstract or future concern.
It's a reality pushing them to risk their lives to not miss out on school.
Today, UNICEF has launched a new analysis that shows just how widespread this reality has become.
Almost every child in the world is now exposed to at least one climate hazard, such as floods, droughts, storms or extreme heat.
But one of the the biggest concerns globally is that many children are facing multiple overlapping threats at once.
The data show that that nearly half of the world's children, or 1.1 billion children, are exposed to at least three climate hazards.
And in some parts of the world, children are facing as many as six climate hazards, and these multiple overlapping shocks are building on top of each other and reshaping children's lives.
So in the Sahel, for example, millions of children are already dealing with extreme heat, drought, sand and dust storms all at the same time.
In countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, children are exposed to more hazards and that greater intensity than almost anywhere else in the world.
And in small island states such as Haiti or Vanuatu, a single storm can overwhelm entire systems overnight.
So this is not a a warning of what is to come, it's a recognition of our current reality and an acknowledgement of of how much worse it could get for children.
When climate hazards overlap, the impacts tend to compound.
So a drought can leave children hungry and malnourished, and the flood that follows can then contaminate water supplies and spread diseases like cholera.
And each shock makes the next one more dangerous.
And children can't always recover from shocks before the next one hits.
So for the children I mentioned in Papua New Guinea, they are adapting to one climate shock by swimming across the river to school.
But what happens when the next one comes and the floodwaters rise and the river gets faster and a dangerous journey becomes deadly?
So no country is untouched by climate risks.
But imagine a child in conflict affected countries, the Central African Republic, Chad, Haiti or Sudan because they have much lower access to essential services such as healthcare, nutrition, Morton sanitation, even a moderate blood or a drought can put their life at risk.
Today I think are 634 million children globally still lack safe drinking water and a billion children lack safe sanitation.
So climate hazards are making these already fragile conditions worse by increasing the risk of diarrhoea for example, which is one of the biggest killers of children under fire.
At least 242 million children had their schooling disrupted by climate hazards in 2024, and many more children have been displaced from their homes, increasing the risk of family separation or violence or exploitation, and of course, childhood trauma.
Children have done the least to cause the climate crisis, and yet they are paying the highest price.
So our goal at UNICEF is to make children more visible and to show where the action is most urgent by highlighting where hazards overlap and where children are most vulnerable.
The UNICEF's latest analysis enables governments to identify those who are most at risk and take action to strengthen essential services to protect children before the next shock hits.
And we know what works.
Installing solar power to keep children learning during power outages.
Switching to groundwater aquifers for drinking as surface water sources dry up.
Upgrading sanitation systems to recycle water for farming and building shelters to protect children and their families from tropical storms.
The message is clear.
Climate change is not only changing the planet, but also children.
And without urgent child focused climate action, the shocks they face today will only intensify.
But with the right investment and the political will, we can reduce the risks, strengthen systems and give children the chance to survive and to thrive.
Thanks very much.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much.
The the, the audio was not perfect.
So I like to ask Ricardo to make sure that the notes are shared on on the e-mail.
Is there any question for UNICEF in the room or on the platform?
I don't see any hand up.
So thank you very much.
And really, Ricardo, if you can make sure that the notes get to everyone as soon as possible.
[Other language spoken]
So let's go now to IFRC.
Oh, sorry.
There is a question from Gorgi.
[Other language spoken]
Is that a question for Tom?
[Other language spoken]
UNICEF, Fundamental market monitoring the refugee climatic.
Like this moment, the refugee climatic not to Freya Emilia regret.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Tom, do you speak French?
Do you want me to translate?
Could you translate the question for me?
I couldn't hear it very well.
Yeah, the audio is not.
It's really not fantastic.
But basically our journalist from Senegal, from 2 media in Senegal, I was asking, it was mentioning that today is the day of the African child and to know if there is anything that you were saying about that and if you're doing any specific survey of the situation of African children, in particular with respect to climate change.
I hope I translated well.
Yes, we are aware and our colleagues across Africa will be celebrating the Day of the African Child.
We, as UNICEF, collects a lot of information on the situation of children and how that is changing, on nutrition and education, health, water and sanitation.
And so we have together published an overview of of the situation of children in Africa along with the African Union.
Those exact same data are the ones which are feeding into the report which I have been talking about.
So in our child climate Risk report, what we do is we estimate the number of children who are exposed to each of these major climate hazards and also the numbers who are exposed to multiple overlapping climate hazards.
And then we put that information together with information on children's vulnerability.
So whether they have access to basic services, whether they have access to healthcare, access to schools, access to nutrition services, and it's those which are the most highly exposed and are the most vulnerable who we consider to be at the highest risk.
So all of that information is presented in in the report and we and we highlight lots of examples across Africa.
Thank you very much.
Looking at Ricardo, if he wants to add anything.
[Other language spoken]
So thank you very much to both speakers for this spotlight on the situation of children and climate and environment.
I'll now go to our colleague of RFRC.
I've got Paolo Quevero with me on the podium.
And I believe Bruno, mission operations manager for the Ebola outbreak, is connected from the DRC.
You want to start Paolo or we go there to him?
Happily, Apple started to say a couple of words.
Just I want to add, Bruno as, as as mentioned, is our operation manager for the Apollo outbreak.
He's based in Bunia and Eastern DLC, and you can take questions both in English and in French.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
So yes, I'm speaking to in the DRC Red Cross in the Ebola response.
What I see every day in that outbreak is not only a medical crisis, it's also a crisis of trust.
Since the start of the Bundibu Ebola virus outbreak, the IFOC has been supporting the DLC Red Cross to engage communities, share trusted information, support safe and dignified virus, and help to break the chain of transmission.
The strain of Ebola presents a very particular challenge.
There is currently no approved vaccine and no specific treatment for Bundibuyo Ebola virus disease, and this makes early detection, early care, community engagement, infection prevention and safe and dignified barriers even more critical.
But you know, when there is uncertainty, rumours can spread very quickly.
The recent I also see community feedback reports based on what our volunteers are hearing directly from the community shows that some people still question whether the disease is real.
Some they believe the outbreak was invited to attract foreign monies.
Others see safe and dignified barriers as an attack to culture and tradition rather than a measure to protect families and communities.
Death are not abstract issues.
They directly affect the response.
[Other language spoken]
When people are afraid they may not report symptoms, they may avoid treatment centres.
The family tried to bury their loved ones according to traditional practises without knowing the level of risk involved.
And our volunteers, they are directly exposed to this tensions.
In recent days, Dear Sir, Red Cross volunteers have faced verbal abuse, threats and even physical attacks while carrying out they drop.
These volunteers are local people.
They come from the same community they are trying to protect.
They are doing very difficult, sometimes very dangerous work with courage and commitment.
This is why trust is not a secondary activity in the Ebola response.
Trust is central.
Without trust, we cannot detect cases early.
We cannot ensure safe and dignified bearers.
We cannot even protect families and we cannot stop the transmission.
Following community feedback, we started using body bag with the window so that the family can see the face of the diseased and begin to process the graving.
When communities told us they feared that chlorine was used to poison them, we did not argue.
We demonstrated how disinfectants are prepared.
We explained that curing, what curing does and why it matters to fight the virus.
Now I can see that we see signs of hope here in Italy.
I have seen volunteers speaking with families for hours.
I have seen community leaders to try to help reduce tensions.
I have seen local teams to continue they work even after very difficult incidents in community.
We know that they are not pay civil recipients of assistance, they are essential partner in the response.
Ebola starts in community and it will end with communities.
The IFOC and the DRC Red Cross will continue to listen carefully, to respond quickly to community feedback and to adapt the operation when needed to stop the outbreak.
We need to invest not only in medical response but also in trust in local volunteers, community engagement and operational access.
[Other language spoken]
It requires honesty, patience and humility.
But in this outbreak, it is not optional, it is life saving.
So, to further scale up this effort to earn trust and save life, we call on the international community to continue supporting it through generous contribution.
And solidarity, thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Bron.
Thanks for this important update.
Let me see if there are questions for you in the room.
Yes, Alex, AFP, yes, thank you very much for this briefing.
Apart from this crisis of of trust, we heard yesterday several organisations like MSF and Oxfam saying that there are still gaps in the response to a outbreak in the Congo.
They're arguing, for example, that the epidemic is advancing faster than efforts to contain it do.
Do you share that assessment today in Bunya Ramona?
[Other language spoken]
Yeah, thank you for this question.
I've seen also the statement of MSF yesterday saying that that the epidemic goes faster than the response here in Bunyan.
What I can see is that the we did not reach the peak of the epidemic.
And I think that's why what MSF wanted to say.
It's probably true because we lack a lot of test capacities.
So it's very difficult to know exactly to what extent the, the epidemic is spreading.
So yes, I think, or I share this, I mean this analysis that the response has been more and more efficient.
We are trying to now to, to, to, to, to continue to develop and to decentralise our activities in the different provinces.
But yes, the the peak is, I think not behind us, but in front of us.
Thank you very much, MFR Reuters.
Hello, just a question on what you said on testing.
Can you tell us what the testing turn around time is these days in the Bunya area and and the consequences of delays for testing?
And secondly, are people avoiding healthcare centres because they're afraid of hospitals?
What are they telling you?
And how worried are you about the impact on other diseases because people aren't showing up?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
I, I, I will reply to your second question first, if you don't mind.
Yes, why people don't go to the hospital and ETC.
The Ebola treatment centre because 2 main reasons.
The first one, they are afraid to go there and to be contaminated.
And that's very, I mean, basic reaction we can understand.
So when they have symptoms such as fever, they prefer to stay home.
They don't report those symptoms.
But also the second reason is that this Ebola virus, there is a lot of stigmatisation around that disease.
So people are ashamed also to, to tell the, the family or to tell the, the, the, the population that they, they are sick.
So they do not report cases.
And that's one of the issue because it's multiplied, it multiplied the, the possibility of, of contact cases and also the, the spread of the, of the disease.
Regarding the, the test, we, I must say that I've seen a lot of improvement.
The, the, the, the strength is a new one.
So at the very beginning it was strictly impossible to test because it was always negative.
But now the Ministry of Health has deployed with WHO a lot of capacities to test the population.
But still it can take 12 hours, sometimes 24 hours before to get the results.
And during that time we have to keep the patient in the treatment centre.
They have to keep the patient in a very difficult places and that's why we must absolutely increase the number of testing, but also the rapidity of the the results.
Thank you very much.
[Other language spoken]
Tarek, please feel free to come in if you if you need to add anything.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
You said these people are waiting in isolation for the test results.
Are you seeing incidents where they're sick of waiting and they're they're leaving and therefore risking a spread of the disease?
Tell me what you're seeing on the ground.
I also see in DRC Red Cross are not managing Ebola treatment centre.
We do work with the community to engage with the community and we are in charge of the safe and dignified burgers.
So I don't want to to speak on behalf of organisation who are managing the ETC.
But true that they reported some people who escaped from the ETC who ran away, who didn't want to stay in the centre and who left during the night, for example.
[Other language spoken]
But again, I of course see is not in charge of the, the, the medical response.
We do work with the community to, to to engage with them.
And we are also working with a safe and dignified, unsafe and dignified barriers.
[Other language spoken]
Yeah, Alex, yes, thank you.
You, you, you're saying that the the peak is ahead of us.
Could you estimate when it could be reached?
And also I'd like to have the input of Tariq on on this one and also a reaction from Tariq for for the MSF statement yesterday.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
I'll start with Bruno and then give the floor to Tariq.
Well, it's very difficult to know when the peak will be reached.
What I can say is that when I did arrived 3 weeks ago, 12 of the territories of the province were affected and today 21 are affected.
The province is divided into 34 territories but today more than 2/3 of the territories report positive case of of Ebola.
So and that is a trend since 3 weeks.
I believe that it will continue like that during the coming weeks.
[Other language spoken]
We are afraid that this could this could last one year before to to to to end this this disease.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Well, I can really just like call what Bruno has said and you have heard last Friday from our doctor Olivier Lupolon and he was he was very clear that that the number of cases is expanding.
There is a 31 health zone now affected that the number of alerts remain low which is particularly high risk areas and that the contract racing is is below, below target.
So definitely as Bruno said, we have not, we are not there yet.
So, so we, I think we all agree on that we need what are the key drivers of the epidemic and what needs to be what needs to be done.
We need to make sure that we know where transmission chains are, that people who are infected do not infect other people.
That means that they stay, they get the care they need.
And then for those who unfortunately died, that we do safe and divide burials as as Bruno mentioned.
So I'll just add a few things on on on diagnostics.
So in DRC there is now this work is LED, as Bruno said, by National Institutes for Biomedical Research and they implement A decentralised laboratory strategy.
There are now testing capacities in six locations in DRC in Montgallo, Vero and Bukavu, in addition to existing capacity in Bunya, Kinshasa and Yoma.
There are also 4 tests, 444 laboratories are activated in Uganda for Bundibuja virus.
And we together with partners are replenishing laboratory reagents, testing supplies and other consumables that are needed.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you for adding this.
You wanted the comment.
[Other language spoken]
And if you if you can, have a comment about what MSF said yesterday.
Well, if MSF, yeah, so, so I just as I said, like we really need to to to make sure that all the all the elements of the response are in place for the time being.
As Doctor Poland said, we are like have blind spots where we get we get low number of alerts.
There may be transmission chains that are not being detected.
There are still people who are risking to to infect other people and we need to get them.
And again, to go back to what Bruna was saying, a Community Trust is the is the key.
We need people to understand that the best way to end this outbreak is to, to, to, to work with the Ministry of Health, National Health Studies and all the partners and to implement public health measures.
I think it's OK, Alex.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
So thank you very much.
I don't have the questions for IFRC or Tariq for the moment.
So thanks a lot for for the briefing.
[Other language spoken]
Good luck with your important work and let me now welcome our colleagues of UNIDIR.
[Other language spoken]
Good morning, Claudia and I have with me.
I have the pleasure to have with me Giacomo Percy Pauli, the head of the Security and Technology programme of UNIDIR.
Do you want to start that directly or Javier wants to say something before Javier, if you don't yet, you want to add to start?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Just a brief introduction on the reason why we're here today.
So the UN Institute for Disarmament Research will host this week the second edition of its Global Conference on AI, Security and Ethics.
Over the next Over the two days, we The conference will bring together diverse actors, including diplomats, policymakers, academia, civil society, industry and the research community to examine how AI is already reshaping security and what this means for global governance.
And to provide an update on this year's key themes and programme, as well as the critical moment where this conference is taking place, I'm pleased to introduce Doctor Jacqueline Percivali, head of the Unity Security and Technology Programme.
Jacqueline specialises in the implications of emerging technologies, particularly AI and cyber, on international peace and security, and his work focuses on the governance of this transformative technology, including their impact on arms control, strategic stability and global frameworks.
And Jack, I'm over to you now.
Thank you, Claudia, for the introduction.
Good morning, colleagues, and thank you for joining us.
I'm really pleased to brief you today on Unity's Global Conference on AI, Security and Ethics, which will take place, as Claudia mentioned, this Thursday and Friday, 18th to 19th of June here at the Paledinacio and online.
The timing of this conference is very important.
As we know, artificial intelligence is no longer a future or abstract policy issue.
It is already shaping current security environments as well as the relationship between States and private technology actors.
Issues such as AI enabled drones on the battlefield or intelligence analysis for targeted identification, deepfakes and AI disinformation, AI powered cyber attacks on critical infrastructure are becoming increasingly common features of modern conflict and the debate on human control in terms both of morality and accountability is increasingly central.
For policy makers.
The question is how to govern AI development and use in ways that are consistent with international law, responsible practise and civilian protection.
This is also particularly important moment for multilateral engagement.
More conferences taking place immediately after the informal exchanges on AI in the military domain, currently taking place here at the Palais, and just a few weeks before the 1st Global Dialogue on AI Governance, another outcome of the last General Assembly.
The conference also builds on the growing debate around AI both within and outside the UN, including the Secretary's General Report on AI in the military domain and broader General Assembly efforts that are really trying to move from high level principles towards implementation practical measures and sustain engagement among stakeholders.
The purpose of our conference is to bring together communities that do not always have an opportunity to speak to each other or don't do so enough.
Diplomats, policy makers, military and defence experts and practitioners, civil society, human rights experts, international organisations and industry.
The programme is organised over 2 days.
The first day we'll focus specifically on technology.
We will look at some of the core technical and operational issues that policy makers really need to understand better.
We will also examine concrete areas of application and integration of artificial intelligence, including AI principles across the product, life cycles, infrastructure independence, AI resilience and other issues.
The second day, we'll focus more directly on governance questions.
It will include discussions on the role of investors, the responsibility chain from international norms to industry practise, some regional perspectives from Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as the role of the UN in advancing practical governance measures.
We'll also explore the convergence of AI with other disarmament fields and close with some reflections on possible ways ahead.
We're fortunate to have a strong and diverse programme.
The conference will open with Unity's Director, Doctor Robin Guys, followed by an executive level fireside chat with Mrs Umi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, who will be joining us in person.
Also in person are two other high level engagements, including one with Ambassador Philip Tigo, the Kenya's Special Envoy for Technology, as well as with Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a current candidate to become the next UN Secretary General for Unit Air.
This conference is part of a brother body of work on AI, Peace and Security and follows the launch of Unity Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security.
This new centre will be launched tomorrow and has been established thanks to the generous contributions of a number of donors, including the Foundation for the Adaptation of International Geneva.
Over recent years, Unity has conducted research, dialogue and capacity building on responsible AI in the military domain, including through it's Round Table for AI Security and Ethics, our work on international governance processes, regional and national work and research on military AI governance.
Our aim is really to help Member States and the wider stakeholders community to move from general concern to more concrete understanding and more informed decision making and governance options.
The key point I really want to emphasise is that our conference is not designed to be a platform for political debate or for consensus building.
It is really designed as a forum for serious and sometimes potentially difficult to multi stakeholder dialogue.
AI in the security domain raises questions that are technically complex, that are politically sensitive and ethically consequential.
And they cannot really be answered by avoiding difficult perspectives and exchanges that require scrutiny, critical engagement and direct conversations among the actors that are shaping, using or regulating these challenging technologies.
And This is why we've built a programme that takes into account all of this different range of perspectives.
Our hope is that the conference will contribute to a more informed global conversation on AI, security and ethics and one that is grounded on an in international law that is attentive to risks, but is also open to innovation and focused on practical steps that can support responsible governance.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much.
Giacomo and Claudia, any question to our colleagues of Unidia, I don't see any Nicomin brews the New York Times online.
Yeah, thank you for that.
I just wondered if you could say a word on where this is actually taking place and what access there may be for for journalists to your deliberations.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
The the conference is taking place inside the Palea tempus.
[Other language spoken]
Registration is open.
If you're accredited to enter the UN, you can come in no problem.
There is no restrictions to access.
If you're not registered to or accredited to enter the UN, you can you can register to the conference and you will have access to it.
It will also be all sessions will be broadcasted online, so in case you cannot follow it in person, all the content will be available in real time online.
[Other language spoken]
I have not exactly understood yet the what the result of this conference is.
Everyone's talking, the topics are great.
Is there going to be an an outcome, a document?
Are there agreements?
And do you have people around the table who matter in this case?
Are there representatives of the United States, of Russia, of Israel, those countries that pursue with great vigour, including AI in their weaponry?
China probably too.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
So the the full programme including the full list of speakers is available on the conference website on Unity's website.
There you will see a very interesting combination of state representatives including from the countries, some of the countries that you've mentioned, industry players, including from some companies that are actively developing these these technologies.
So we've really tried to assemble a set of speakers and and participants that can.
To help us better understand in practise how this technology is being developed, used and potentially governed.
There isn't going to be formal negotiated outcome document.
That's not what Unity's conferences normally are used to.
But there will be a conference report that will summarise the main discussion points, the main findings and potentially some potential, some ways ahead that have been identified during the conference.
Any other question?
I don't see any.
So I'd like to thank our colleagues of unit year.
And since you've mentioned the presence mentioned, Mr Grossi going to my announcements and the first one is that we are that you are very soon going to receive an invitation for a press conference by Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who will speak to you from this room on the 18th of June, Thursday at 9:30.
So the invitation is coming.
It's going to be an hybrid press conference, but they would very much welcome your presence in the room.
I'm going to give you the information on to whom Ask to ask the questions, if you have any, because I think you don't have them on the list of the spokesperson.
So you can write to genevaoffice@iaea.org.
And that's going to be at 9:30.
On the contrary, you have received the invitation for the other two press conferences that I'd like to remind you.
One is also on the 18th of June, but at noon, and it's going to be given by the UN Special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Kahn.
She's going to speak about freedom of expression in New frontiers, big Tech and regulation of digital spaces.
And on the 19th of June, so that's going to be Friday 12:30.
After the briefing, there will be a press conference by the Special Rapporteur on the right to health on her report to the current Council and it will focus on health as an enabler of dignity.
And of course, as you know, the Human Rights Council is continuing it's 2nd, 62nd Regular session, the Assembly Hall.
Let me remind you that on Thursday evening at 6:30 PM at the cinema Cinema and Pierre Rue de Carouge, we will hold the next senior join us for this session.
As I said, 630 and the the movie that we're going to screen is called Lost Land.
It's appointment that your tender odyssey told from a child's perspective.
It's the story of four year old Shafi and 9 year old sister Samira leaving a Rohingya camp in Bangladesh to travel to Malaysia, hoping to reunite with their family.
And after the screening, we will have a discussion on the right to seek safety, a shared protection for all of us.
There will be a 22 colleagues, one from OHCHRPO Beroi and the other one from UNHCR, Madeleine Garlic to speak about this matter.
And, and the event is part of World Refugee Day that, as you know, the international community commemorate on the 20th of June.
Just a reminder that tomorrow it's World Day to combat the certification and draft, you have received the message of the secretary General.
And on the 18th of June, the international community commemorates the International Day for countering Hate speech.
If there is something that we really need to do is countering hate speech at the moment, the secretary general says.
In our digital age, hate speech spreads faster than ever, amplified by unregulated platform and intensified by artificial intelligence.
But practical solution exists.
States have clear obligation under international law to combat in, in, in, sorry, in segment to hatred, and to promote inclusion, respect for diversity and solidarity.
I'd like to remind you, as the Secretary General does, that the United Nations have adopted the UN Strategy and Plan of Action and made speech which points the way, while the Global Principles for Information integrity provide a road map to a safer, more ethical digital ecosystem.
And the SG, the Secretary General to conclude, on this fifth International Day for Countering Hate Speech, let us reject prejudice in all its form and work together to build the world based on human rights, dignity and respect.
I think this is all I had in terms of announcements.
[Other language spoken]
Go ahead, John, and if I may say, happy birthday.
[Other language spoken]
I don't know if the representative of Unity is still there or he left.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
I was wondering if he could elaborate who is sponsoring the conference.
He's coming on the podium.
[Other language spoken]
I understand you're celebrating today.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Yes, thank you for the question.
I believe the the sponsor list is also included on the on the conference web page.
But the the sponsor of the conference are the sponsors also of unity.
As I mentioned at the centre of excellence on AI, peace and security.
They include a combination of States and other sectors.
So I mentioned Faji, the the foundation for the adaptation of International Geneva.
And then we have Microsoft from the private sector and then we have a combination of of states, France, Italy, Germany, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
It was a memory exercise, but in any case, it is the full list is available on the on the conference page and it also displayed at the entrance of the of the conference centre in Tempus.
And I'm looking at Claudia.
Maybe we can if, if you can share the the notes and the link to the page and we will also put it in the summary of the of the briefing.
Of course, Gorky Duke Mark was a very little secretary general.
Hate speeches Louis in a candidate for the post Secretary General in conference the press in case of.
[Other language spoken]
The the the conference, the President, the Monsieur Grossi, the Mandela titre is just briefing the press avec Mr Grossi and Tonque.
Director General de la Agence International de Nerecia to me facilitate the press briefing with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi a civilians award plus com GDE for a clear asset Bureau de la EE EE CA genneve epithetical control on Emira telephone.