UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : UN Geneva Press Briefing

[Other language spoken]

Welcome to the press briefing of the Information Service.

Today is the Tuesday 29th of September and I would like to immediately start by going by asking Amna to come to the podium and we will start with Yemen while waiting for Dominique to arrive.

So I'm not as my Begovic has brought us, Doctor Annette Heinzelmann, who is The Who Regional Emergency Director for the Eastern Mediterranean and she is connecting from Cairo, Egypt.

Welcome, Doctor.

[Other language spoken]

I see we have you online, but I can't see you yet.

There you are, Madam.

[Other language spoken]

You are actually frozen.

[Other language spoken]

Let let give us give us one second, please, Because I see my colleagues in the Regiara.

[Other language spoken]

Sorry for this technical itch.

One second, please.

OK, maybe we can we can ask you to put your camera on again.

The camera is on.

OK, so the problem is on our side.

[Other language spoken]

The camera and microphone are on front.

[Other language spoken]

We can hear you well, Doctor.

[Other language spoken]

So first of all, I wanted to thank you to give me the occasion to talk about the health crisis in Yemen related to the latest escalation of violence.

As you all know, the the health system in Yemen is suffering for more than a decade of conflict and the consequences of of the conflict and the latest escalation is really pushing the already fragile health system towards a breaking point.

Due to the to the ongoing escalation of violence, the casualties are arising, more people are being displaced and disease outbreaks risk to spread further.

There are already disease outbreaks ongoing and the existing health health structures are under a growing pressure and a growing strain.

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The insecurity, the damaged infrastructure and displacement of health workers who are fleeing the the escalation of violence as much as shortage of medicines and supplies and the limited access to parts of the West Coast are today preventing services from consistently reaching people who are in need of these health services.

According to the latest data reported by the Ministry of Health in Arden, since the 6th of August, there have been 4481 cumulative casualties, which includes more than 830 deaths.

We know that comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care has been suspended in two hospitals in Mari and Bazar AH because staff and operating capacities have been redirected to trauma care to care for the incoming wounded.

Nine house facilities or assets have now been damaged or put out of service and this mostly close to the areas in Thai Sludge and Alva data.

Displaced families really need urgent essential health services including maternal and childcare, nutrition, care, vaccination and mental health support.

Due to the displacement, we see overcrowding in the reception sites, we see unsafe water and limited access to health facilities and this is increasing the risk of disease and the further straining the care.

[Other language spoken]

More than 3600 Yemenis have been displaced to Djibouti since the 10th of September and nearly half of them are children.

Partners in the arrival site are right now preparing for five to 10,000 peoples arriving from Yemen in the coming week weeks.

And this influx from Yemen is also pushing additional pressure on the health system in Djibouti, which which is already also very much under pressure.

What is important?

Trauma and trauma care is an important part of the current crisis, but the entire health system is struggling due to these years of conflicts.

Even before this recent escalation started, only about 60% of the health facilities were fully functional with already very limited capacities for trauma surgery for blood transfusion and intensive care.

And there, there were already disease outbreaks circulating at a large scale in the country.

Um, we have, uh, suspected cholera cases, um, more than 7780 suspected cholera cases with 22 associated deaths.

And there are more than 9600 dengue cases with 37 deaths.

And we are also concerned about measles, a measles outbreak with more than 2000, with more than 22,000 cases.

So WHO has been immediately responding to the ongoing crisis?

We have first of all supported the the Ministry of Health and partners with more than 59 metric tonnes of medical supplies which are verse about about the net.

The verse is about 656,000 U.S.

dollars and we distributed to 40 facilities and 10 governorates.

We have deployed together with the Ministry of Health 20 mobile medical teams in priority area areas and governorates receiving displaced people.

However, with regards to the supply line, our warehouses are almost depleted of stocks because we we deployed everything to the health facilities on the ground to support the health system and we have been supporting rapid response teams to respond to cholera alerts in in what is important as WHO.

We estimate that only for our response, about 9 million U.S.

dollar are required, but we have only secured about 22 million U.S.

dollar to fund the response so far.

And it is really urgent that not only WHO, but other HealthPartners, NGO partners on the ground are funded to keep services running, to scale up trauma care and surgical care to prevent outbreaks through vaccination, scaling up the surveillance system and vector control, and to improve the water and sanitation services in in displacement sites to avoid future outbreaks.

And it's also important to increase mobile medical services for the displaced people to restore access to healthcare, including maternal and newborn care.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much doctor for this update.

Let me ask if there are any questions for you in the room.

[Other language spoken]

Yes, I have a question on another subject.

[Other language spoken]

Just let's see if there are questions on Yemen, please.

Gabriella, any other end up?

Alexandra is our correspondent of AFP.

Dr Yes, Thank you for this briefing.

[Other language spoken]

Could you tell us since when those deaths occur and how big do you fear the outbreak could get?

[Other language spoken]

So thank you very much.

The cholera outbreak So cholera is endemic in Yemen and the outbreak is on has been ongoing already before the most recent escalation of of violence.

So for, for the exact numbers, I I'm now not entirely sure if it is since beginning of the year or since beginning of the recent outbreak.

We come back to you with this information right after this meeting with regards to um, to the, the potential evolution of the outbreak, let's say in an area where we have already an ongoing cholera outbreak, when we see population movements, people living in really overcrowded setting with limited access to water and safe sanitation, These are factors which can support a wider spread of cholera.

There are preparedness plan, there are containing measures which are rolled out as we speak.

However, when a situation deteriorates and all factors are there to to to improve or to further spread an outbreak, very often the outbreak could get a dynamic and cases could increase.

However, partners, the ministry and WIHO, we are really working to make sure that we can contain the outbreak.

Thank you very much Doctor.

Let me go to the platform MFR Reuters.

[Other language spoken]

Yeah, if you could just give the time frame as well for the dengue cases since when they've appeared.

I'm wondering if they're all since the latest increase in fighting.

And could you comment on the death toll You you issued a very high one the other day.

Could you confirm what the death toll is in Yemen since the outbreak of of violence and also how WHO calculates it?

[Other language spoken]

So we we are working and our data are based on the data from the Ministry of Health.

We are supporting the Ministry of Health, we are working together with Public health Emergency Operating centre of the Ministry of Health in in Aden.

And the casualty data in the death toll is based on the data provided by the Ministry of Health in Aden.

So it was the latest figure we have received are 4481 casualties including 838 deaths since the 6th of August.

Yeah, So I know there are different figures which have been cited and there are other actors, so other entities who also report data but partly with different methodologies.

Us as a health organisation working closely with the Ministry of Health, we worked, we are based on the data we received from the Ministry of Health in Agen.

Thank you very much.

Sorry.

And that we had you had the Decker question, the second question.

Yeah, the the second question was about the time frame of dengue.

It's the same.

I, I think it is since beginning of the year, but I have right now a slight doubt and I will come back to you right after.

[Other language spoken]

And I'm nice sticking note, maybe you have an answer.

And now put it towards your face.

Otherwise you might.

[Other language spoken]

OK, just just to say so for AFP and the and the Reuters, we will send additional information via e-mail.

And just to note also that you have already received the, the regional directors, the the regional emergency directors briefing notes in your inbox over.

[Other language spoken]

So I don't see any other hands up on.

Oh yes, Alex is a follow up.

Yeah, just a question about the number of displaced people you have a figure much higher than the the one given by other agency.

You're talking about 180,000 people displaced.

Can you confirm that please?

I'm talking about people internally displaced yes, this is the information we have received 180,000 people displaced across 10 government rights.

I, I have here I am only I don't know if you have more figures because I have here the figures of IUM indeed it's 142,000.

[Other language spoken]

Can you clarify this please?

So we have, Sorry, I didn't want Omondi is the spokesperson for IOM doctor.

So let's ask him to clarify this number.

Yeah, thank you very much.

I think you've been getting a lot of questions in terms of how the figures, what the figures are and where they stand at.

But it's important first of all, to know that is a very volatile situation and the situation keeps on changing.

And so the numbers and the timelines to which we're going to get these figures are going to be slightly different.

But from what we have as of as of 28 September, the figures that we have is 114.

Sorry, just to flag that as from the 28th of September, what we have is that 145,000 people have been displaced within, within Yemen.

And this is actually an increase compared to the previous numbers that we have, where we have seen an additional 15,870 compared to the last figure that we gave.

So just to clarify again, the IOM figures that we have as of the 28th of of September standard 144,000 people who have been displaced representing also an additional increase of 15,870 from the last figures that we had given 145145.

Alex, I see you have follow up here.

That's the problem with figures.

Yeah, I would, I would just ask why the difference and where does WHO get its figures?

Doctor, can you take this?

So the figures we receive are the figures the the team in Yemen itself received from through the emergency operating centre of the Ministry of Health.

[Other language spoken]

So I there are might be different sources to to these figures.

As I said, we work with the Ministry of Health and the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre which is referring to public health data.

Thank you very much.

I understand this and you want to add something on Monday.

Just to add one thing in terms of the figures is that what we are looking at is simply the figures since the escalation of the violence.

So in terms of the methodology, it might be good to look at the timelines as well because that might be a bit of a difference.

But what you're looking at as IOM and we support of course with DTM on a weekly basis the figures since the escalation of the violence.

So that's the figure that we are using in reference to to the the current context.

[Other language spoken]

Don't go because there's a question from John Zarro Costa say I don't know to whom.

[Other language spoken]

John, can you unmute yourself, please?

[Other language spoken]

John, maybe you want to write your question in the chat and I'll.

I'll ask it to the person because we.

I still can't hear you here in the room.

Sorry.

[Other language spoken]

So before we go to the next speaker, here he is.

[Other language spoken]

My question is to the briefer from Cairo on the data I mentioned concerning Yemen.

Are the estimates by the Ministry of Health also incorporating figures from the area of Yemen not controlled by the government?

In other words, from hospitals in the youth who is controlled area?

[Other language spoken]

Yeah, very clear question, doctor.

[Other language spoken]

No, the data includes only the data we receive from the Ministry of Health in Aden.

We do not receive data from the Ministry of Health of the de facto authorities in Sanaa.

So we, we cannot combine data because we don't receive data from the de facto authority controlled areas.

Very clear.

[Other language spoken]

Gabriela, your question is for whom, on which subject on Mexico, Yeah, if you don't mind.

Wait because there is another briefer from WHO?

And then I will ask Amna at the end to take questions which are not on the agenda.

Thank you very much.

So thank you very much, doctor, for sorry.

Sorry.

At the end of what?

Of the briefing.

Yeah, we have an agenda and Gabriel to, to.

OK, OK, go through that.

Our speakers who are waiting and Gabriel Wicho is here until the end.

So we'll listen to your question afterwards.

But now I would like to go to the next speaker, who is Dominique Hyde.

And thank very much, Doctor Annette Hanselman for this update.

Good luck with your important work, Doctor.

Amna you stay with us, Dominique and Matt, I'll ask you to come to the podium and then we will continue with WHO you want to sit here.

[Other language spoken]

I don't think Dominique needs any presentation, but as you know, she's the Director of External Relations at UNHCR.

Dominique, you came with Marta to present a new report of UNHCR on the protection, please.

[Other language spoken]

Nice to see everybody today.

Matt and I are here to present a report to you.

But beyond the pages of this report is a world of unimaginable suffering.

And I come to you often to speak about refugees, IDP, stateless people.

I will do that today.

But just a reminder to everybody, these are people like you and I who have names and are not just refugees, ID, PS and stateless people.

As some of you know, I'm recently back from Burundi and Rwanda.

In Burundi, I met a woman called Justine from Bozuma who escaped armed attacked in her village in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

She fled with her eleven children and her husband, who suffered a heart attack after the drones attacked her village and was left disabled.

When she reached safety, she realised that she hadn't come with her eleven children, but there was one child that was left behind.

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At age 16, she was abducted from her village by armed groups that attacked her village in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

She was held hostage for weeks, months, she's not sure, raped, gang raped on a daily basis till she was able to escape and reach safety in Rwanda.

And you can imagine the consequences that this has had on this young girl's life.

My daughter is 16.

I cannot imagine what that would mean for me if my daughter suffered what she did.

That 16 year old has never seen her mother, her father, her brothers again.

And we were able to help her.

But she's now actually found out that she has congenital heart disease caused obviously congenital reasons, but also by the attacks that she lived through.

And the reasons I'm sharing this with you today is that UNHCR is warning that without $8.3 million refugees, internally displaced people and stateless people are at risk, I would say will lose access to vital support this year because of the deepening funding crisis.

This is not about doing less in a few places.

These are wholesale draconian cutbacks that will impact countless lives, and not for the good.

In some of the world's largest displacement crises, funding has now fallen to a level where entire protection systems are being dismantled.

The 8.3 million figure I had just mentioned reflects that this funding crisis could mean, in very practical terms, with concrete consequences for people's protection and safety.

In Chad, 319,000 refugees face delays in registration.

You could tell me, well, what is registration?

What does that actually mean?

But without that vital documentation, it means that refugees will struggle to access basic services, access to food, access to health, access to education, and it exposes them to a risk of detention that they would not have if we had been able to register them.

Up to 200,000 women and girls will lose access to safe spaces and programmes designed to prevent and respond to violence, and as many as 233,000 children will lose access to child protection services.

In Ethiopia, the number of safe houses available to survivors of gender based violence has more than halved in one year.

In some areas, child protection coverage has fallen below 85%.

I mentioned earlier my recent visit to Burundi where I met families who had just fled the Democratic Republic of Congo, including children like Aline who had been separated from their or her parents.

They had reached safety.

But reaching safety is only the beginning.

People are arriving after conflict and displacement, need documentation, family tracing, psychosocial support, protection from violence, help accessing school, healthcare or employment.

If that support disappears at the moment, people need it most, and that is literally what is happening.

They can quickly be pushed into deeper vulnerability and the consequences will can follow for years in that person's life.

We're extremely concerned by these funding cuts that are undermining the very programmes that are intended to reduce people's reliance on humanitarian aid.

In Chad, livelihoods, vocational training and business development opportunities are at risk for around close to 400,000 refugees and members of host communities.

These programmes, they matter because that humanitarian assistance was never intended to be permanent.

Where refugees are able to work and earn an income and participate in local economies, they are better able to support themselves and contribute to the communities hosting them and then freeing up humanitarian aid for those that need it.

In the first days of that emergency, we are seeing the same problem.

When people finally have an opportunity to go home, people are returning home in numbers.

We've said this to you before, but without this modest support at the beginning, rebuilding lives becomes much harder and the sustainability of those return is put at risk.

More than 1,000,000 Afghans have returned or been deported in 2026 alone, but return grants have been cut from $375 per person to 170 per household.

All of this comes at a time when unit CR has already taken the very some very difficult decisions.

Income fell from $5.2 billion in 2024 to $3.9 billion in 2025.

And by the end of July of this year, we will have received only 32% of the funding required for 2026.

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We've reduced cost and prioritised the most critical activities.

Last year we cut our workforce by 33%.

We closed 140 offices and generated $135,000,000 in efficiencies.

But prioritisation has limits and we're facing another challenge.

Increasingly, the funding that we're receiving is tightly earmarked.

The proportion of UNH share funding tied to specific activities or projects has increased from 19% in 2022 to 51% this year.

And flexible funding right now in this current environment is essential.

It allow us to keep experience protection colleagues and teams where they're they are needed the most, to respond rapidly when crises escalate and to protect essential programmes even when a particular emergency disappears from international attention.

So my message today is straightforward.

We understand the financial pressures facing governments and private individual donors.

ODA is projected to decrease by 6.9% in 2026.

This is a third year that ODA is falling and declining.

Most impacted sub-Saharan Africa and lesser developed countries.

But there is a threshold below which protection systems can no longer function.

So we're asking governments, we're asking institutions, foundations, individual to sustain your aid wherever and wherever, whenever possible, and extend your support.

The consequences are already being felt by refugees, by displaced families every day.

And without that additional support, millions will lose the protection and opportunities to keep them safe, to rebuild their lives and ultimately move beyond humanitarian assistance towards dignity.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much, Dominique, with a very important subject and I see Jeremy launch EREFI.

In case.

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The the the refugee in the De Placi Anton in the de Patri de Le Monde.

Well, merci Dominique, any other question in the room?

Gabriella Sotomayor, Processor Yes, thank you for taking my question.

[Other language spoken]

Are you aware of the situation of people that are being chased by ICE in the USA?

There was a Venezuelan guy that was killed because he was just there and he was killed.

That's it.

So there are people in the border coming from all over Latin America.

They are in the border waiting for asylum, in gaols.

They are in cages, even children, children in gaols.

So to be to ask for asylum and to be a refugee is not a crime as I know.

So if you can comment on that situation and what is your message to the government of USA if the children have to be in in cages, please come on with the mothers.

[Other language spoken]

Thanks for your your question.

I mean, in terms of those, the specific details of, of the reports that that you mentioned, I don't have details on that right now.

But I mean, what we say in general terms about the situation in the US, but also in in every country in the world is that of course, people who are fleeing war, violence, torture, persecution, they have a right to claim asylum and to have access to asylum.

And their cases should be heard.

And if they require international protection, then they should be given that international protection.

And if they don't have a right to that protection, then they should be returned as far as possible in dignity and in safety.

And that's our position on that.

On children specifically, there is a process around the best interests of children.

Children should not be kept in detention.

And there is a best interests policy that should be followed whereby the the interests of those children are supported by the authorities.

[Other language spoken]

But but are you aware of what can you say about the situation, about the conditions that the people are in the border waiting for asylum?

What are the conditions there?

In, in, in, in not in in the side of the side of Mexico.

OK, Mexico doesn't have money, but USA.

So what are the conditions, if you can talk about that?

The conditions because I mean people are waiting, but they are in gaol.

[Other language spoken]

I don't, I don't have any details on the specific conditions of these people.

But of course, in general, people who are on the move, people who are applying for asylum should be treated in dignity and they should be given the support that they need.

By the way, our High Commissioner is currently in the region, he's in Mexico and he's meeting with authorities in the country.

And so those discussions we hope will will bear some fruit in terms of progress towards supporting Mexico with the asylum seekers who are in the country at the moment.

Thank you very much.

Any other question for Dominique or your NHCR?

Alex, AFP Yeah, but it's not on the report itself, it's on Myanmar.

So if you want to wait later or we can go now.

[Other language spoken]

Can you tell us what what is the UNHCR position on the supposedly voluntarily return of the 1500 Burmese national from Malaysia would be, which began today?

Many argue, of course, that sending them to a country at work put them in danger.

We saw this morning that an air strike yesterday on the market and a lot of dead people.

What's your position on this please?

Thanks for the question.

The latest information that we have, and this is a very fluid situation, is that the individuals have not left the country yet and that there are some last minute appeals ongoing at this stage.

But we would say in general terms that we are concerned by the reported imminent return of some 1500 individuals from Myanmar to that country with ongoing armed conflict and widespread violence and human rights violations across Myanmar.

UNHCR maintains that current conditions do not permit safe, dignified and sustainable returns.

Under international law, no one should be sent to a country where they may face persecution, torture, serious harm or other threats to life, liberty and security.

We remain committed to continuing to engage with the Government of Malaysia through Technical Support, policy dialogue and capacity building to develop accessible and effective protection measures.

Thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

The Lancet and Francois, can you hear me there?

[Other language spoken]

My question is to Matt and also to The Who Rep on the podium.

I was wondering, Matt, if you have any information and what is UNHCR doing in terms of contingency measures in the renewed civil war in Ethiopia?

There are disturbing reports coming from health NGOs of hundreds of wounded patients in hospitals.

[Other language spoken]

Well, in terms of the situation in Ethiopia, we, of course, repeat the concerns that have been expressed by the Secretary General in New York of the United Nations.

We are obviously monitoring the situation very closely.

Again, it's a very active and fluid situation.

We are taking the appropriate measures with our staff in the region to ensure that we can support those who need it as soon as as soon as the conditions allow for that on the ground.

Yeah, indeed.

Yesterday, I think OCHA was warning that worsening security conditions across northern Ethiopia are adding to humanitarian needs and disrupting humanitarian operation.

And the problem is really seems, it seems to be that the access for humanitarians have been severely restricted by disrupted telecommunications, suspended flights to and from the Tigre region and some other locations as well as in the Amhara area.

Restrictions on key roads are also impeding our humanitarian operation.

This has limited the the movement of humanitarians of relief supplies to people.

And of course, we really need a safe and unhindered access.

That's what we are calling for for humanitarian goods, humanitarian workers wherever they are needed.

I'm not doing if you have something more on the health situation specifically.

Not not much to add to what you already said, Alessandra, but from WHO side in terms of response, there is a response plan covering emergency response coordination, surveillance and early warning and response operations.

There is, as it's expected, health cluster coordination mechanism and we are working also with the United Nations wide coordination mechanism to support partners.

There is a plan at the moment to deploy search personnel to reinforce response capacity in priority locations and support coordination, surveillance, response operations and the continuity of essential health services.

That's what we have at the moment.

Thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

I was wondering if you have any data from your field office on the casualties and what is WHO doing to support some of the hospitals that are having a big influx of warm wounded people coming in.

Are you sending emergency kits, surgical kits?

Can you bring us up to speed?

[Other language spoken]

I don't have anything further to what I have already said.

If I if I found out, I think we'll let you know.

[Other language spoken]

And thanks, Viklis from your HCL.

Dominic, thank you for coming.

And Matt and also answering other questions in addition to the important report that you have detailed.

So let me now go again to the blue with Doctor Diaz, who's been patiently waiting to tell us more about the situation in the Ebola in the region hit by Ebola.

So I'll let you start with your that early remarks and then we'll take questions if any.

Thank you and good morning, everyone.

So I am here to provide you a brief overview of the Ebola patient care in Democratic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

I recently returned from the DRC where I supported clinical management and operations activities.

This was my second visit to the country since the start of the East.

This Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundivogio virus.

While we are beginning to see a reduction in transmission in some areas, the number of cases remains high for this outbreak.

We know that for Ebola disease, early access to care can significantly improve chances of survival.

Yet in this outbreak, many people are still dying at home or in their communities because they are unable to reach health facilities on time.

Delays in seeking care, together with challenges in access and referral, continue to complicate the response.

WGM partners have focused on strengthening early recognition of illness, rapid referral systems and early supportive care in this response.

During the five weeks I spent in Bunya, I visited Ebola treatment centres within the hotspots, worked with the Ministry of Health and partners such as MSF, Alima, Medair, International Medical Corps, UNICEF, WFP and UNFPA to ensure a coordinated treatment scale up.

All together we have taken important steps to improve patient care.

We have expanded Ebola treatment capacity from only a handful of beds that was at the start of the outbreak to more than 1600 beds across 50 treatment centres within the seven affected provinces, with further expansion plans to reach just over 2000 beds.

We have supported free access to Ebola care, the provision of meals and nutritional support, and support of mental health and psychosocial support for patients and families.

We are working to ensure pregnant women and young children all have access to safe and quality care by bringing in appropriate specialists.

We have trained large number of health workers in total nearly 400 with the newly launched training hub in Bunya training around 30 to 60 health workers a week.

Every patient that requires A skilled workforce to provide safe, quality care around the clock.

We have just launched the Survivor programme in Bunya to support recovery and long term well-being after Ebola disease and we continue to support clinical trials for candidate therapeutics and prophylaxis, ensuring all participants receive high quality supportive care and follow up.

My final point is on the importance of access to medical oxygen because without previous oxygen scale up efforts in Ebola Marburg responses, we would not be where we are today in terms of more positive outcomes for patients.

Oxygen is an essential life saving medicine and a critical component of supportive care for patients with Ebola, particularly those with severe illness.

More broadly, oxygen is used to treat a wide range of conditions across all stages of life, yet it remains unavailable or unreliable in many health facilities, especially in emergency settings.

Ensuring access to oxygen is about much more than cylinders or equipment.

It requires functioning health systems, reliable infrastructure, trained health workers and sustainable delivery systems that reach patients wherever they are.

As we mark World Oxygen Day later this week, WTO is calling for renewed investment in medical oxygen system so that every patient everywhere can receive the care they need when they need it.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much doctor, for this briefing on the situation in DRC.

Any question in the room?

Don't see a hands up.

[Other language spoken]

I'd like to know what portion of the patients in getting treatment for Ebola actually have access to oxygen in in Congo and what the constraints are and and if you could give me some data or observations on how that impacts the fatality rate, please.

[Other language spoken]

Thanks for the question.

I don't have those exact numbers and we can see if we can provide some more exact numbers to you.

The challenges in ensuring that there is oxygen to medical oxygen across the treatment centres within the affected areas is really kind of dependent on the on the health system prior to this outbreak.

So in areas for example, such as Bunya where there is an oxygen generation capacity, there has been oxygen cylinder distribution plants, the augmentation of oxygen concentrators, which has been one of the major interventions by WHO and its partners, including high flow oxygen devices that has been able to, you know, fill fill the the gap and and the oxygen requirements.

We saw in in Bunya, which has been, you know, where the many of the cases are in Ituri province.

However, in some areas where where there is perhaps more limited oxygen prior to the outbreak, then the scale up initiative has been predominantly around the distribution and delivery of oxygen concentrators.

You know, dependent that there is, you know, reliable electricity, which has been, you know, the concomitant intervention to ensure that the hospitals have reliable electricity, reliable water and access the sanitation and hygiene.

So, so I think looking at it from from that element is what we've been able to, to to deal with and how we're approaching the problem.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

And yes, you wanted to.

Is there any other question on Ebola?

[Other language spoken]

Any other question on Ebola?

[Other language spoken]

And my question is on Venezuela.

How, what, how is the situation on Ebola in Venezuela, if you can talk about that?

[Other language spoken]

If the government gave you information, if you are aware of that it was serious issue.

Oh, which time period are you referring to, Gabriela, which time period are you referring right now?

Is that the current situation?

Yeah, I'm not aware.

I'm not aware of any reports, but I will check and get back to you.

I will check and get back to you.

I am not at this moment aware of any reports, but I will check with the colleagues and I will let you know if I have received anything in the response.

[Other language spoken]

Is there any other question to Doctor Diaz on Ebola?

I don't see any.

[Other language spoken]

Sorry, sorry that I am like a little bit like this, but the the situation it's horrible, OK.

Are you aware of the situation of doctors, nurses, medicines, etcetera in Mexico?

I was in Mexico and I spoke with a lot of people, OK.

And for example, there is no material in the hospitals, no material public hospitals.

[Other language spoken]

Even globes.

They don't have globes.

OK, then.

Then there's no medicines in the in the in the in the pharmacy.

You go, I mean, you're poor people.

You go to ask for a, for a, an antibiotic.

There's no antibiotics, even no vaccines for missiles.

[Other language spoken]

This is this is a disease that it was eradicated in Mexico a long time ago.

[Other language spoken]

And what's the question?

Yes, No, the question is if you are aware of the situation, even sorry to to to be a little bit long in the question.

I spoke with a person with diabetes, OK, a guy, a young guy, he couldn't be in the hospital, treated in the hospital, public hospital.

So they amputate the leg because it's easy to amputate, then treat.

So diabetes, Mexico is #1 diabetes in the world.

So what can you say about the situation in Mexico?

And this is extremely serious because Mexico never had this kind of problems before.

[Other language spoken]

Who wants to take that AMNA word out to this?

[Other language spoken]

Yes, we are we are aware of your e-mail inquiry and we have contacted our office in Mexico and our regional office and we are waiting to hear back from them.

In the meantime, if you could please check there is a, there is a very nice Pajo health information website with some information about Mexico.

And from there a couple of things that I would like to highlight now is Mexico has made important health gains in the of the past two decades.

But as you rightly mentioned, some important challenges do remain.

They are linked to a couple of factors including population ageing, including access to health due to financing and out of pocket expenditure and as you mentioned quite a high burden of non communicable diseases.

But also one thing to stress is that these challenges are not unique to Mexico.

Progress on ensuring universal health coverage globally has stalled since 2019.

And in 2023 we had more than half the world population, over 4 1/2 billion people who were not fully covered by essential health services.

And in 2021 / 2 billion people have experienced, experienced catastrophic or impoverishing health expenditure due to out of pocket health costs.

[Other language spoken]

But sorry to insist in, in this.

I, I, I wrote an e-mail with my questions to your office and no response at all.

OK, so you say that you come back to me.

Please come back to me.

[Other language spoken]

And then and then she will and then are you aware, are you aware of unnecessary, unnecessary amputations?

That is, I understand.

I think I'm not just answered you.

How can you amputate a young guy a leg because there is terrible treatment.

[Other language spoken]

But I understand from AMNA that they've asked their office and they will come back to you very quickly.

[Other language spoken]

So if there are no other questions, I'd like to thank you both for for the briefing.

I have a few announcements for you, but the most important please, please, Please note the most important thing is that the press conference for for by Waipo on the 2026 edition of Waipos Global Innovation Index with Darren Tang, the Director General, Waipo and Sasha Vincent, the Head of Composite Indicator Research section of Waipo has been moved as you know to 12:15.

[Other language spoken]

This is going to be in less than one hour and it's a virtual press conference hosted by Wiper.

So please connect at 12:15 and not at, I think it was announced for 1:00 or something like that, but it's 12:15.

And so please connect at 12:15 to this press conference and be reminded that the embargo lifts also today.

I think it's lifted already 9:30 AM.

This is to be checked the information I have.

So that was one of the things I wanted to tell you.

The other thing is that you may not know, but on the 1st of October, we are commemorating for the first time International Coffee Day.

Coffee is an incredibly important commodity which sustains the livelihood of at least 12.5 million farming families and underpins a global market worth close to to 150 million billion, sorry, billion dollars a year.

So it is absolutely important to to commemorate this first International Day and in order to do so the International Trade Centre and its long standing partner the International Coffee Organisation are marking the first UN recognised, as I said, International Coffee Day.

With the launch of the Coffee Market Intelligence platform, which is a new interactive tool being in together daily market indicators, monthly trade data and annual production and consumption figures.

This launch will be made through a press conference which will take place tomorrow, Wednesday 30th of September at 10 AM at the International Centre of Conference ICGCICG here in Geneva on the very close to the Paladin.

You have to register for this press conference.

I think we've you've just received the media advisory for the press conference and the launch with all the details.

So if you're planning to attend, please send a message to press@interestand.org and Estella Kotis will be able to answer your question.

And also there are no human rights to the body meeting this week, so no update on that side.

But I wanted to mention a plenary meeting that is taking place in New York today is the International, the high level plenary meeting to commemorate International Day for Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

This is a day that is already passed, as you know is the 26th of September.

But the International the observation in New York is taking place today and we are expecting that this high level meeting will emphasise nuclear disarmament is the highest disarmament priority of the UN and highlight it It will highlight the continued risk posed by the more than 12,000 nuclear weapons estimated to exist worldwide.

The Secretary General is expected to give a remark his remarks and you can follow this high level meeting on UN web TV.

[Other language spoken]

And that is I think what I had for you.

So if there are no questions, I would like to thank you all very much and I'll see you on Friday.

[Other language spoken]

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 29 September 2026