UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : UN Geneva Press Briefing

All right, let's start.

[Other language spoken]

Welcome to the press briefing of the Information Service here in Geneva.

Today is Tuesday, 10th of November.

And I have the pleasure to start by welcoming Kay Williams, who is the Head of the Global Framework of Chemical Secretariat and who is here to tell us a little bit about the first international conference of the UN Global Framework on Chemicals.

You've met already, Sookie, who is the focal point for communication on my right.

And I'll give the floor to K now for a short introductory remark.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much and good morning to you all.

So next week, from the 16th to the 20th of November, the United Nations Environment Programme will be hosting the first international conference of the Global Framework on Chemicals in Geneva, together with more than over 1000 participants from governments, industry, the financial sector and civil society, as well as science and youth.

For those of you that may be less familiar with the Framework, it was adopted in Bonn in 2023 and is a voluntary global agreement that sets out five strategic objectives and 28 targets with a vision to have a planet free of harm from chemicals and waste in the future.

So chemicals, as you may be aware, are part of our daily lives.

They're in the food we grow, the flu, the clothes we wear, and together the products that we used and how they're produced, used and disposed effects our health, our workplaces and the environment.

This is why the Global Framework on Chemicals is so important.

It brings together a shared commitment to make chemicals and waste management safer and more sustainable worldwide.

So three years on after the framework was adopted, this conference will examine what has been done.

Are the commitments that were made in bond translating into action?

How will we be able to measure the results?

What do we need to move faster and who will finance the action needed?

There are three themes, tracking progress, accelerating action and investing for impact.

The conference will consider several important proposals.

This includes a draft measurability framework with global indicators to track progress around the world.

It will also look at global implementation programmes where we bring all the actors to strengthen national chemicals management action nationally and across economic sectors, including those global value chains.

The conference will also consistent consider existing and newly merging issues of concern.

Those chemicals that are problem chemicals and that we foresee in the future may well be problem chemicals or groups of chemicals.

These are important decisions because we they can help us put in place practical tools, partnerships and those resources needed to turn global commitments into action.

We will also have a high level dialogue on the 18th and 19th of November.

There'll be 80 senior representatives including CE OS of the company, CE OS of NGOs and ministers and vice ministers.

The dialogue will focus on three important areas, transparency across value chain, information on chemicals, scaling up green and sustainable chemistry and mobilising public and private investment.

So beyond the formal negotiations, there will be an opportunity for practical solutions and to prioritise those actions to make a difference in the future.

So in terms of the stories to follow, they will be about how the world, how will the world measure progress on chemicals and waste?

Can safer chemicals become a competitive advantage for industry and who will finance the transition?

And how can new approaches to chemistry, to chemistry and product design help prevent pollution before it happens?

So, so these are report, they're important human stories as well.

Behind the discussions, there will be people present who have been personally impacted.

There'll be discussions from workers and communities that have been affected and the businesses are there that can make the difference.

So we invite journalists to join us, follow these developments and speak directly to the people involved in shaping and implementing these decisions.

UN accredited journalists can register on site at the International Conference Centre in Geneva, prevent presenting their valid UN accreditation badge and fight photo ID they will have.

You will have access to open plenary sessions and selected conference events with the Secretariat media team and we can help organise with some of the senior representatives from the different constituencies who will be there.

Selected sessions will be also live streamed for those that wish to follow remotely.

Media advisory and frequently asked questions can provide further information and we encourage you to get in touch with our comms team, including SUHE there and we look forward to welcoming you next week.

Thank you and happy to take any questions.

[Other language spoken]

Is there any question?

[Other language spoken]

It's only Tuesday, no, for planning purpose, is there any press briefing like opening press briefing, closing sessions, closing press briefing, What can we expect here?

Lead, I believe that there are, I mean SUHE will be in charge of all the the difference.

There's going to be a specific press briefing I believe on Tuesday.

But over to Suhei.

We won't have opening press briefing per SE, but we will have a closing press release and media briefing week after the conference, once we have the final outcomes of the conference, not a week after.

Well, following the conference, at the end of the at the end of the conference, the last day of the conference, Ideally that's what we're planning, but we will have to see how the negotiation proceedings go as the week progresses.

That's the plan.

[Other language spoken]

We have seen that already with the plastic negotiation.

You remember it was 9:00 in the morning after the night of negotiation.

[Other language spoken]

German Press Agency.

[Other language spoken]

Is there a decision of any kind being taken at the end of a conference or is this more of a stock taking?

There will be some, there will be decisions.

We will be adopting some global implementation programmes.

We'll be adopting some proposed indicators to be able to measure progress for the targets which will be delivered in 2030 and 2035.

We also be looking at new ways to scale up financing as well as reviewing some of the terms of reference of the funds.

So yes, there will be some key decisions.

Thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you for taking my question.

I was wondering how the decisions are going to be taken and this is, I understand a voluntary agreement.

So what impact can you say that this any decisions taken here will actually have?

[Other language spoken]

So thank you very much for the question.

So yes, we will aim to have all our decisions by consensus.

In terms of the fact that it's voluntary, I think this is where it's the advantages is that we can have everybody around the table that can make action happen.

So we do not have parties and observers.

We actually have everybody that comes to the conference has an an equal voice in within the conference in terms of the views that it puts forward.

So it is very much about partnership, collaboration, taking things forward, working with the willing and making sure that those people that are moving are creating.

[Other language spoken]

So that's the main advantage of the voluntary.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

So I hope you will be able to join this important conference.

As it has been said, it's also in the media advisory.

You just need to go there with your badge and register for the conference.

So thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

And let's go now to the first of our topics with UNHCR.

Dominique Haid is here with Matt to tell us about the people who flee violence in Nigeria.

[Other language spoken]

Good morning, everybody, and thank you, Alessandra.

I'm just back from DFA in Southeast Niger where a both the humanitarian and the protection emergency is unfolding.

The silence around this emergency is absolutely deafening.

The escalating violence in Northern Nigeria is forcing thousands of families and people to flee.

They're fleeing to Niger.

They're fleeing to Benin since January.

We're Speaking of about 66,000 Nigerians who have fled to neighbouring countries and the overwhelming majority have fled to Niger.

The movement continues with thousands more arriving in October.

Just this month it's over 4000, but it keeps on, on, on.

They keep on coming forward.

This is unfolding across a broader displacement crisis across the region, where conflict, insecurity and climate shocks have uprooted millions of people.

Niger itself already holds more than half a million refugees and asylum seekers along a side with displaced people, and at the border in Nigeria it's over 4 million internally displaced people in a highly complex patchwork of local tensions.

The latest arrivals are placing huge constraints on the local community that's already struggling with insecurity, with the climate shocks I mentioned and dwindling resources.

Nigel's authorities have and the host community are showing incredible solidarity.

They're providing a temporary space, they're opening support in terms of land.

But they they, they just can't sustain this response alone.

In DFA, where I was, some 23,000 people have arrived since the beginning of the year and more than 2/3 are children.

What struck me there was really the the severity of the crisis, high levels of malnutrition, severe malnutrition, children that are emaciated.

There is no water or lack of water.

The insecurity the, the camps are right now makeshift camps.

They can only stay there temporarily and at night the, the, the terror comes again because the people that were that attacked them in Nigeria are coming during the evening in the makeshift camps also in Nigeria.

So we need to move them very quickly to safer, safer locations.

The Healthcare is close to nil in some of the areas.

Most of the children have not been vaccinated, neither in Nigeria or in Niger.

So a large level of real concerns for these families.

[Other language spoken]

She's a mother of five.

She fled Nigeria because Boko Haram attacked her IDP camp where she was living.

She was already displaced inside Nigeria.

She told me that she had lost one of her children.

She didn't explain to me how and but she told me that the situation in the settlement where she is is not just dire, it's it's it's dramatic.

In order to access water they have to walk kilometres and then they can only really get 25 litres a day, which is insufficient for a family.

Her husband has left and is not as nowhere as well.

So she's caring for her four daughters on her own and she told me how difficult it was to even provide one meal a day for her family without knowing where the next ration would be coming forward with families are dependent on one single water point, which is broken.

And she was telling me for the elderly, it is impossible for them to actually walk.

And just to picture it, it's, it's sand dunes.

It's, it's, I was, I was wearing flat shoes and the, the, the heat, it was over.

It was close to 40° and I could, my feet were, were burning.

So for families that are there, that's also an additional an additional burning and the makeshift shelters, some with holes in their roofs are are the best that they could have.

She had to wait one month to actually even get this makeshift shelter.

There is no school, no health facility on this site and Howard told me as well of all of the sick people, they have to be brought in a Shahet in a wheelbarrow to and carts.

Thank you to to the closest health centre.

But they often don't bother because they don't have the funding to actually pay for the healthcare that is needed.

And across define tower registration has only recently begun.

So we've only been able to start the documentation a few days ago because we got emergency funding coming in.

But without that documentation, children don't get access to vaccinations, they don't get access to food distributions in the long run and we don't understand their protection situation.

So you have over 40,000 refugees that have not been registered yet out of the the 60 plus I mentioned.

Insecurity and climate pressures are making it even worse.

In terms of insecurity in the Defa region.

70% of the incidents that are taking place in Niger are happening in Defa including armed attacks, Clashes and violence against the civilians have occurred since the beginning of the year and the the climate and the drought that is impacting the region massively.

So both the refugees and the host communities.

Out of 1000 villages in DFA, about 700 have faced complete lack of grain production, which is putting immense pressure on the food needs of the region.

And this is after a terrible rainy season and and and flooding the year before.

So this has serious implications for food security, not only for refugees, but also the communities hosting them.

So we're on the ground, we're there with other UN agencies, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, UNFPA and local and and international partners, MSF also doing great work.

But the response needs to be scaled up.

Just to give you an idea, a year ago we had 45 staff in our office in DFA.

We now have only 1011 for which are drivers and and we're not able to meet the needs.

And this is also obviously linked to the cuts.

We need international support immediately to provide water, food, shelter, healthcare and protection.

And we're seeking 11.4 million to strengthen the emergency assistance across Niger, Nigeria and Badin and including immediate needs of $2,000,000.

These families want more than emergencies.

They, this womanhawa asked me.

I just want to know what tomorrow is going to be made of.

They want to work.

They want to support their children for a better life.

But right now, with the emergency at hand, support needs to come immediately.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much, Dominique.

And yeah, it's really an appalling situation.

Do we have any question for UNHCR, Christian Germany's agent?

[Other language spoken]

Did you mention Boko Haram?

Is this who, who is attacking who and are they going across the borders?

I think that's what you implied.

Can you give us a bit more of an update?

And could you also repeat how many refugees are already hosted by Niger?

[Other language spoken]

So half a million refugees from different countries, including Mali, Nigeria, etcetera are hosted in in Niger in yes.

So I was in the southeastern part of Niger at the border with Nigeria and the refugees were telling me of Boko Haram coming again to attack their internal displacement settlements in Nigeria, burning down entire camps and destroying in them, forcing them to seek refuge in Niger.

And I understand that on some evenings they are able to also come in to, to Niger and the authorities are doing their utmost.

But the, the insecurity as I said is, is huge in the the number of I said the number of refugees in the country are about over a bit of 500 million of these ones crossing since April.

It's over 60,000 15, 1000, sorry, half a million, sorry, half a million.

[Other language spoken]

I'm used to dealing with money.

[Other language spoken]

Sorry, thanks, sorry.

Let me just follow up on the Boko Haram.

Do you know what exactly is happening here?

Is this a matter of trying to kill as many people as possible who are not supporting Boko Haram or what is the point of burning down camps for displaced people?

I asked that same question of, of the refugees and authorities and I didn't actually get an answer.

So I I don't really have an answer.

We could check again with our Niger office and come back to you if I, if we get a firmer, A firmer response.

What I, what I had like impression it's, it's vandalism, it's youth, but I'm not sure what they're what they're if they're asking for something specific.

Thank you very much, Alex.

Yes, Alexandro, AFP, thank you for this briefing.

Just a quick question regarding the, the, the, the figures you mentioned 66,000 Nigerians who fled the city in the beginning of the year and then 4000 in October.

Does it mean that we should count a total of 70,000 this year?

Of course not including the one that haven't been registered, of course.

So the 66,000 have fled since the beginning of the year to Niger and to Benin, a very small number.

I think it's about 4000 that have fled to Benin.

But I can double check the number with Matt, but it's 62,064 thousand to to Niger now and the numbers are changing by the month.

But I would say that that number, it includes the the number that came through in October, the 4000 extra.

That's clear.

[Other language spoken]

Oh, sorry, Olivia Reuters.

Hi there.

[Other language spoken]

Thanks very much.

If I may actually have two questions, but on a separate topic for UNHCR, if that's OK.

Yeah, I think it's OK because I don't see other hands on Nigeria.

So if it's OK with you, Dominique.

[Other language spoken]

Yeah, I just wanted to ask if UNHCR has any updates on the situation in Tyres and Yemen, but also arrivals into Djibouti and and second question on the situation in the Canary Islands, following a large number of people taking boats, taking dangerous crossings to one of the islands in recent days.

[Other language spoken]

Certainly in terms of the Canary Islands, I can, I can give you a couple of points there, Olivia.

There have been a couple of tragic accidents at sea recently on the Atlantic Coast on the 6th of November, for example, a boat capsized and at least 35 people have been reported dead with the bodies recovered primarily Senegalese according to reports.

And then in addition, earlier in N7, people died on a boat heading towards Lanzarote.

So the situation is extremely concerning in that part of the world.

And of course, UNHCR is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life, life off the coast of Senegal.

And that's another painful reminder of the dangers people face along the Atlantic route and of the urgent need for collective action to prevent further loss of life.

So far during the month of October 6200, people have arrived in the Canary Islands aboard 65 boats, and that represents a 417% increase compared to the same month last year.

And that's the highest number of monthly arrivals that have been recorded in the Canaries since 2024.

So this route is one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world.

And people are coming from countries affected by conflict, violence and instability.

And that includes Mali, Burkina Faso, Sudan and Somalia, as well as a number of other countries in the region.

And of course, those arriving include women and a significant number of unaccompanied children and adolescents.

We UNHCR, are continuing to support the Spanish authorities in the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, while also monitoring the situation to help ensure effective access to the territory and to international protection.

In terms of Yemen, I don't have a significant update to give you, Olivier, since we last briefed about the plight of refugees and asylum seekers within the country.

The situation in Tyres, I understand it's extremely worrying.

Access still remains an acute concern, but we will update you on that as soon as we have any more to add.

I only have an update on the political issues within school, but not on Tyres.

I don't know if UNICEF has any update on Yemen, no.

So we will have to or IOM now.

So we'll have to come back to you, Olivia on on Yemen.

Thank you very much.

So if there are no other questions for your HCR colleagues.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you for that.

I'll ask James to come to the podium.

James, who is back from Italy where he is now headquartered.

[Other language spoken]

But we, but we have Ricardo here in Geneva who holds the Fort and we're happy to see you.

Thank you very much.

Yes, literally just back this morning from Sudan.

Good morning everyone.

Drones and drought are closing in on Sudan's children.

It is an assault unlike anything Sudan has seen before.

In the last week of October, not a single day passed without a drone strike on a power station in Sudan.

Up to 15 were hit in the month of October.

At the same time, amid all the global warnings about El Nino, the damage has already begun in Sudan.

Even if rains arrive late, they cannot undo the damage.

The planting window for the serial harvest has largely closed, but the drones keep coming.

Repeated strikes have hit key sites across Sudan's power grid, spreading geographically and coming in quick succession.

The attacks represent a serious escalation on attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Let me explain why together, drones and drought are so lethal for children in Sudan.

[Other language spoken]

When a power station is struck, water pumps stop, water treatment stops, families are forced into expensive and unsafe alternative disease spreads.

We're again seeing pockets of cholera.

The coal chain that keeps vaccines and medicines viable is threatened.

Farmers lose irrigation because pumps run on electricity and there are crippling fuel.

Fuel shortages.

Harvests suffer, prices keep rising, and food slips further and further out of reach.

A lethal cycle kicks in at a time when anested.

All this is happening at a time when anested.

825,000 children under the age of five in Sudan are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year.

The type that kills now.

This year in Sudan, two in three child casualties were killed by armed drones.

They are bringing war to places that were once safe.

People in Sudan talk about three things.

They talk about safety, education and water.

Drones are taking all three.

In camps last week, I met children whose arms and hands had been blown off.

In this war.

[Other language spoken]

An explosive took both his hands.

He lives in a tent, he told me.

I must accept this.

He spends the mornings learning online and the afternoons picking grass for animals with stumps for hands.

His friends help him.

[Other language spoken]

It's relentless, It's crushing.

And still Sudanese stand up, hold up one another.

Now, working side by side, local communities, UNICEF and partners.

We treated hundreds of thousands of children for that deadliest form of malnutrition, help provide healthcare to around 2 and a half million people, vaccinated millions of children against deadly diseases.

We've repaired water systems with solarizing water systems, trying to keep water flowing for millions and millions of people.

Thus far, it's 8 million people, which who we've done that for UNICEF and partners helped millions of children get back into learning, and we've reached around 1 1/2 million children and families with protection and psychosocial support.

But with so many crises happening at once, everything, everything is at breaking point.

UNICEF's response in Sudan is just one third funded now.

People in Sudan are showing remarkable strength, but resilience cannot run on goodwill alone.

UNICEF is calling for three things.

One, an end to the violence against children and an end to attack on power stations, water systems and all the civilian structures and infrastructure that children depend on.

2nd, safe access for humanitarian workers and supplies across conflict lines, for those with influence to protect children and civilians, and for those with influence to stop the flow of weapons that are killing and injuring children.

Third, sustained and flexible funding to help keep essential services running.

All those things I mentioned, the safe water, solarisation, treatment for malnourished children, healthcare, education, protection.

For 3 1/2 years, the suffering of Sudan's children has largely been met with silence.

[Other language spoken]

Must Sudanese children face an existential threat for the world to take notice?

[Other language spoken]

When the power goes, the water pumps stop.

When the rain fails, the food runs out.

Sudan's children are now facing both at once.

If the world is waiting for something worse, it will be waiting at their graves.

Thanks Alessandra.

Thank you very much James for the appalling situation.

Questions on Sudan, on the children.

Let me see if there's any online.

Don't see hands up.

So thank you very much, James, to to come in and brief us after you've met with silence.

Yeah, really find me another place in the world, people historically where we have a drought like El Nino and attacks on water systems.

Ukraine has the attacks on on electricity systems.

They are unparalleled.

They repair them as they go.

Sudan, that does not happen.

El Nino is unprecedented anyway.

And the whole and the whole plan for humanitarian needs response plan is severely underfunded for all the activities critically, critically underfunded.

Anyway, I will, we've got a question from Emma.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you for that powerful briefing.

James, just do you have any idea what portion of the electricity network or the water network have been kind of knocked out?

And as it is it worse than it has been at any stage during the war, for example?

[Other language spoken]

It's at it's worse now than any stage in the war.

It's around 1/4 if I understand well, it's at 1/4 of that of that capacity.

So without a doubt it's at at it's worst.

It would, it would have been at it's worst because of the rises in fuel costs in September.

But again, Sudan has never seen an attack on power stations every other day for an entire month.

So now is the worst.

[Other language spoken]

So so you transport, people can't learn and earn an income.

[Other language spoken]

People can't afford fuel for any type of irrigation.

[Other language spoken]

So again, it's the attacks on power stations.

It's the drought.

But you allude to the right point, Emma.

The third factor to that is that you have horrific spikes in fuel prices based on the war in Iran, which is the triple impact that Sudanese are suffering to, which they have absolutely no control over.

[Other language spoken]

Maybe a question on The Who is responsible for those drone attacks.

Would you say that both sides are actually using drones to attack those facilities in the water pumps?

I think there's lots of documentation on on both sides using drones.

I obviously no one would have given, you know, several years ago there was a use of suicide drones, which was terrifying to see that in Sudan.

Now in the last year we see long range drones and increasing accuracy of those drones.

You've seen drones, you know, going 1500 kilometres.

So it would be impossible for many people, certainly for humanitarian organisation to say from whom.

But the 15 strikes, at least 15 strikes in October, all hit Sudanese power stations.

One would struggle to think if it was in the interest of South of government to do that.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you, James for the the briefing.

I was wondering, you mentioned that that 2/3 of child casualties were killed by armed drones this year.

Do you have any, do you have numbers on that and indications of of where this happened?

[Other language spoken]

Yeah, it's so it's 2/3 of it's actually 80 percent, 80% of children killed or wounded by drones.

I will get you the exact figure as of 2 days ago.

I'll share it with the briefing.

Well, I'll follow up the briefing note with that to to all correspondence.

Thank you very much.

And as I was saying, the humanitarian needs a response plan for 2026.

And we are, as you know, in November is only 50.4% funded.

So we urgently need, need funds for this, which is probably one of the, it's definitely one of the biggest crisis humanitarian classes in the world.

Thank you very much, James.

Let me now go to OHCHR.

[Other language spoken]

You have a briefing point on Egypt and press freedom that will interest our journalists.

[Other language spoken]

Good morning, everyone.

We are witnessing widening assaults on press freedom by Egyptian authorities, including the targeting, persecution and harassment of independent journalists.

These alarming developments must end immediately, and journalists must be able to carry out their essential work free from intimidation and reprisals.

6 journalists forming the entire newsroom of the fact checking website Matsa Dash currently remain detained.

[Other language spoken]

Their lawyers reported that they were subjected to torture and other forms of ill treatment and forced to record fabricated confessions.

The chief editor of independent news outlet Madam Maser, Lena Atallah, also faces continuing judicial harassment related to her journalistic work.

Convicted by an Egyptian court last month for operating an unlicensed website, Atallah was detained and released following payment of a fine.

The court also ordered the closure of the website.

She now faces another hearing this week in a different case dating back to 2024, which raises fresh concerns regarding due process and fair trial, including obstacles to appeal.

We call on Egypt to end all forms of harassment of journalists and media outlets and to respect and fulfil the right to freedom of expression, including the right to information.

Authorities must release all MATSA Dutch reporters and drop charges arising from their legitimate journalistic work.

Pending their release.

They must be afforded confidential access to lawyers, family contact, necessary healthcare and access to medication, and be guaranteed humane conditions of detention.

All allegations of torture I'll treatment or forced confessions must be promptly investigated and those responsible held to account.

The steps taken to suppress the continued work of both Mata Dash and Madam Maser must be overturned.

The people of Egypt have the right to read and hear views expressed through these FORA on issues of legitimate public concern.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

And, and let me take this opportunity to remind you that as, as I'm sure you remember the 2nd of November when we commemorated International Day to an Impunity for Crimes against journalists, we distributed the statement of the Secretary General who highlighted that in the world, 34 journalists were killed this year and six out of every seven such murders go unpunished.

I'll open the floor to questions or OHCHR on this subject.

[Other language spoken]

OK, So let me go directly to the platform.

[Other language spoken]

I don't see hands up.

So Moussa, go ahead concern the manifestation of just cannot know the manifestation on.

The.

Merci manifestation of France.

The preoccupation.

[Other language spoken]

It's not about Egypt, it's actually about the closure of Novoya Gazeta in Russia.

I'm wondering if you have any comments on that on the closure and and what do you think the impact will be on on freedom of speech in in Russia?

[Other language spoken]

Emma, I'm afraid I don't have information on this specific issue, but I would need to check with my colleagues and get back to you on that.

I just received this from from my colleagues.

In fact, I was absent at that moment.

So the High Commissioner has has commented on on this issue and he said he was deeply concerned and saddened by the announcement, by this, of the closure by this, of this highly respected and Independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, and that it was being forced to close.

It is yet another devastating blow of the for the remaining independent media in the Russian Federation.

And the High Commissioner said that independent journalism in the country has faced mounting restrictions and pressure for many years, but these have intensified significantly since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine through increasingly restrictive legislation and tighter state controls and the harassment and the persecution of journalists.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

Any other question, Tamin?

[Other language spoken]

So thank you very much, Tamin, for this update.

And thanks for, you know, talking lovely about the need to protect journalists everywhere.

[Other language spoken]

And Zoe is with me on the podium.

We also have online Doctor Andrew Peter Obat, who is the regional Ebola coordinator and who's calling in from Nairobi.

Welcome, Doctor.

And I think you want to start or I give the floor to the doctor already.

Yes, thank you very much.

So Doctor Andrew Obat is going to tell us about the situation on Ebola and particularly what we are seeing at crossing points.

Over to you, Doctor Andrew, thank you so much Today.

I would want to really draw attention on a key area that we think is quite important in this Ebola response and that is the frontline workers at the Poe and also at the point of control, including the mobility corridors that we think are quite important.

Often when people think about response and especially in this context of Ebola, many people tend to think about the hospitals, the treatment centre, the isolation wards and all that.

But from what IOM has observed over time, especially in this outbreak, is that we need to think about the mobility corridor, we need to think about the mobility of the population.

We need to think about the ground crossing points, the airports, the transit apps, including also the displacement sites.

Because the data we have, which I'm going to share soon, shows very well that it is very important for us to look into this key area.

IOM conducts what we call population mobility mapping.

And often when we do that, we try to make sure that we bring in and prioritise most of the hotspots areas.

And we look also look into the congregation points like the markets, the bus stations, the worship areas and including the mobility corridor, just to understand where are people coming from, where they're going?

Is the, is it an affected area?

Is it not an affected area?

And often when we do that, we come up with recommendations to inform the the the responders in terms of where they need to put most of the resources.

I would want to mention here that since the outbreak started, IOM has conducted 55,000,000 screening and that translates to about 350,000 screenings per day.

But this is in DRC and other 11 neighbouring countries that IOM is directly supporting the Member States to mitigate the outbreak spread to those countries.

And I want to bring in also the element that we have seen up to 71 confirmed cases in the transit routes and that include the point of control where we include some screening points in those areas where there, there there is informal route.

And we are also seeing a number of confirmed cases at the PA.

Now one thing that has been quite interesting and that's why we are making our submission today is that the formal point of entries are important, but we need also to look into the informal point of entries and the informal crossing points within point of control within the country.

And in the data we have up to date 71 cases that have been confirmed in the mobility corridor, 95% have been confirmed in the informal routes and that shows a very significant figure.

Now the second thing that we have observed also in this ongoing outbreak is that most of the population and as we know that the population, the community resistance is still high.

Most of them are using this informal routes that IOM is identifying through the mapping to move the deceased persons.

And so far since the outbreak started, we have seen 258 deceased person that have been intercepted in this informal route.

So I would want to bring the attention of everyone here that it is quite important that we look into the point of control and to be able to expand the the expand our scope in terms of response to make sure that we cover all the informal routes, not only concentrating in the formal ones.

Now IOM roles does not stop only at the point of entry and point of control.

We also support the IDP sites where IOM is currently supporting 67 IDP sites in DRC and out of the 57 IDIDP sites I 50 already in are in the health zones that is reporting outbreak.

So I want to mention that in the context that we have at the moment, IOM is expanding the scope to make sure that we cover all the the the important routes, as I mentioned, using the population mobility mapping.

But also are we looking into the screening in the informal areas.

And this the discussion that we are currently having with a number of member states to make sure that we expand our screening into the informal areas based on the data that we're seeing and also to strengthen surveillance and risk communication in those areas.

I want to end by saying that the current financial gap that we have is 58 point 59.8 million U.S.

dollars and we are advocating for more resources to make sure that we expand our scope to other areas.

We have developed a rapid response team that can go into the new locations.

As of last week, we realised in DFC there were other new locations, health zones that were reporting an outbreak.

And we have seen this expanding because because of the community resistance that we have seen the issues of access, less funding that is available.

And that's why if we look at this outbreak compared even to the outbreak in West Africa, the 2014 one, we tried to analyse the data and realise that in the last 166 days, the outbreak in DRC, the one ongoing currently has up to 2.2 more cases than the one that was in DRC.

So for example, when you look at the debts and you look at also the cases, the number of cases.

So this outbreak is quite more intense.

And we are calling upon the, the, the donors, the partners to come in so that we make sure that we, they reinforce the envelope preparedness.

And as we all know that this cannot stop at the point of entry alone.

And we must also involve the community and make sure that the mobility corridors and other crossing points are included in the response.

And so that we meet to get the, the, the cross-border infection.

I want to stop there.

And thank you so much.

Thank you so much, Doctor.

Thanks for this updates.

It's important to speak about the movement routes.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

I would like to ask you 2 precisions more for, for the numbers.

First, you mentioned that you did 55,000,000 screenings.

Can I just confirm that it's in the beginning of the outbreak?

And if you could precise like the amounts that the date, the date?

And second, you mentioned that you currently have fifty $59.8 million, if I'm right and you, you are advocating for more resources.

Could you precise how much?

And if I may just ask one question more.

We also heard that there is another cholera outbreak going on at the same time or developing at least.

Could you precise when you're making these screenings about Ebola, you're also screening other, other disease?

Thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

On colour, we will hear from the very experts later on.

But Doctor, maybe you want to to answer our colleague of Children News or?

[Other language spoken]

Thank you so much for that important question.

So the 55,000,000 screenings, screenings that have been done across the DRC and also the neighbouring countries and then the 59.8 million U.S.

dollar, that is the funding gap.

Our total request for multi country preparedness and response plan, we costed it at 110 million U.S.

dollars and right now the funding gap is at $59.8 million.

So just just in case for the screening, so you want to screen cholera or you don't or other indices?

Yes, at the moment we are doing only the Ebola screening.

We are not doing the cholera screening.

And maybe I don't want to get more technical on this, but you see with the with the screening for cholera, it's not something can be done easily at the at the POC's at the point of control and also at the point of entry because it involves active sample collections.

So what our team does, anyone who is unwell that is passing through the point of control or the point of entry, what we do is to refer them for secondary surveillance and at the nearest health facility for further management.

That's very clear.

Thank you very much, Emma Reuters.

[Other language spoken]

Andrew.

[Other language spoken]

I didn't hear the number of deceased persons that had passed through and then had been intercepted, Sorry.

And then two broader questions.

I would like an update on the K Gonzi camp where dozens of deaths were reported and then it had to be abandoned after armed groups came in.

And this is the camp near Bunya.

Wondering if you have any updates on the situation there.

And then a case as well.

And I'm wondering if if IOM has any information about it given your role in surveillance.

It was the wife of of the Swiss diplomat in Nigeria who travelled to Uganda when the country was supposed to be Ebola free.

Do you have any information at all about this case and and how she caught Ebola on her travels?

[Other language spoken]

All right, thank you so much Emma for the for the good questions.

So the deceased persons that have been intercepted in the point of control and point of entry at 258 since the outbreak started.

Now the Kigunza camp, what we the information that we have and I just want to clarify that IOM is not working in this camp.

This camp is led by UNHCR.

But the information that we had was that the camp was closed by for for for security reasons.

And this camp had 1200 contacts by the time it was being closed.

And the partners have been working so hard to make sure that the contacts are identified within the community because there's a very good system of community surveillance as well, which they're using to identify the contacts.

So that's all the information I have.

But we can cross check further information with the UNHCR.

Now for the Swiss diplomat, the information we have also is that the diplomat is getting treatment, the wife of the diplomat is getting treatment in Swiss.

And so far there are 66 contacts that were listed by the government of Nigeria and those 66 contacts are being monitored.

So far there is no confirmed case in Nigeria out of the 66 contacts.

So that's the information that we have in terms of how the how the the case got infected that is not clear for us at the moment over.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Andrew.

I don't see any other hands up for IOM.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much Doctor Andrew Bala for this update.

But before I let do a go and you had asked question on Yemen, I think so I might have an update.

[Other language spoken]

Yes, thank you very much, Alessandra.

So Olivia did ask from Reuters, did ask a question on Yemen and I have an answer to that now.

We are still very concerned about the rapidly evolving situation in Yemen.

Rapid displacement tracking update from the 1st to the 7th of November 2026 shows displacement continuing at significant levels.

We saw nearly 16,000 people, that's 16,000 newly displaced in just one week, bringing the number experiencing displacement at least once in 2026 to more than 343,100 thousand with large and ties at the centre of the latest movements.

So still some very concerning figures there.

Thank you, Alessandra, thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

So Reuters I think has taken good notes of your update.

[Other language spoken]

So if there are no other questions for IOM, Doctor, thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

And just as a heads up, I think Friday we will have a big spotlight on Ebola.

So stay tuned.

[Other language spoken]

So let me now welcome our next speakers who are coming from WHO.

Christian, welcome.

You've brought Doctor Lorenzo Pizzoli, who is The Who lead for epidemic prone bacterial diseases, speak about cholera and maybe we will have pardon me, you start.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much, Alessandro.

And as as Doctor Pizzoli gets gets seated and gets settled here, let me just connect to to the what we just heard from our colleagues from IOM, just to underline how critically important these screenings are.

And for especially the people to feel safe to go to these screenings, to understand screenings at the health centres, at the crossings, wherever as a service where it gets picked up, whether they are unwell, sick, whether it's Ebola, cholera, as we just see now, or any other disease and get actually help and treatment.

Not to understand it as a rigid sorting out who's allowed to travel or not.

That's absolutely not the point.

So that's why again, it's such an such an important service actually to the people at every point.

And that's why travel restrictions have never been a big success because these informal crossings will mainly be the ones which are being used.

And if those are being monitored and people feel unsafe, then they will use the next informal crossing.

So again, just to underline how important these screenings are and to catch cholera to make the transition to, to my colleague here, Congrats.

Thank you Christian and and thanks everyone.

[Other language spoken]

Cholera is a disease that shouldn't really exist anymore in most high income countries.

Access to water and sanitation have made this disease history.

Unfortunately, as we just heard, it still hits some places in the world where it causes devastating outbreaks and it can kill within within hours.

If you have ever been to a cholera treatment centre in one of those affected places, you will never forget the cholera cot, which is a hospital bed with with a hole in the middle and a bucket underneath and patients arrive with a diarrhoea that is so severe in some cases that they can barely stand.

They rushed to this cholera treatment centre in the in the cholera cot and the irony is that cholera treatment is very, very simple and and easy because we're and inexpensive.

We're talking about patients who are who are dehydrated.

There needs to be rehydrated as quickly as possible.

When you give rehydration, most in most cases it's simple oral, oral retortation salts patients recovering in one or two days.

And Double Show still firmly thinks that ending colour as a public health threat by 2030 is within reach.

In 2025 we had unfortunately the highest number of deaths reported to Double Show, with almost 7900 deaths.

And many of these deaths were happening not in the health centres but in the communities before they reach health healthcare in 2026.

The situation so far seems to be improving.

We have 3000 deaths so far reported until the end of September.

This is of course is 3000 deaths to many and nine of them are in in Africa 9.

Now 9 out of 10 of them are in Africa, the African continent.

And this illness is very it really has different effects or different outcomes depending on the context.

Imagine having this diarrhoea that often starts as a mild diarrhoea in a place where you have access to safe water, a place where you have access to good sanitation or basic sanitation, a place where your health centre is just around the corner.

You will recover and you will not progress to that dramatic state that I was describing earlier.

But imagine the same mild area starting in a place where, as we heard in many other examples today, you have no access to clean water, you have no way to dispose of human waste.

Your health, your village is cut off because of fragility, insecurity from the health centres, or it is probably unreachable because you have to work days or hours or even days to to the to to have care.

That mild area then progresses to what I was describing before and the outbreaks spread in a way that is uncontrollable.

This is obviously exacerbated by climate.

Cholera is a climate sensitive disease, El Nino, which causes on one hand, floods facilitating the spread of cholera and on the other hand, droughts were limiting access to safe water and and and and sanitation is a is a is a typical example.

And as we are today in the week of COP 31, double show report to names water, sanitation and hygiene as the priority for health and and and climate and these are the same actions that help us to prevent and and control cholera.

So what does it take to eliminate cholera as a as a public health threat by 2030?

Every death is of cholera is from cholera is preventable with the tools that exist today.

The key is making them available quickly to the communities that are affectable affected.

And the work that we're doing is, is under way with the, with our partners, especially the Global Task Force on cholera control, GTFCC.

We are now working towards operationalizing the, the plan to, to the last stretch of the road map to eliminate cholera by 2030 and focusing on very specific actions.

The first one is vaccines and vaccination.

In 2025, it was a big year for for cholera and we have deployed 71 million doses of vaccines.

This year, the burden has been easing and we have still deployed 31 million doses of vaccines.

But this is a good news because there is not enough, there's not any more a big pressure on the stockpile.

And we can use the vaccines that we're not deploying for outbreak response to conduct preventive vaccinations, which is ultimately the best use of vaccination.

Preventive vaccination have resumed in DRC, have resumed in in Mozambique and in Bangladesh as we speak.

And more countries will follow.

We are working, as my colleague Christian was saying, on supporting countries with the detection and the screening.

The detection is the first step for control, is the first step for surveillance of this epidemic disease.

If you don't detect it, you don't confirm it, you're fighting blind.

And so we're supporting countries with reinforcing the laboratory capacity.

We're supporting countries sending rapid diagnostic tests to, to, to get this detection as quickly as possible.

Once you detect, of course, you need to save lives, you need to care, you need to to provide case management and care to these patients.

And we are working with our partners of the Global Task Force on Colour Control and with our three levels of the organisation to bring this care and this simple treatments to the communities that most need them.

Ultimately, it's not only about responding, it's also about prevention.

And we're working with country with countries to develop national colour elimination plans that will ultimately help achieve the cholera elimination goal.

And we call to all countries to continue developing these plants to continue in prioritising the areas where cholera is hitting every year, every season.

And as that brochure, we stand with these countries and their partners to support operationalizing these plants.

I'll finish with saying that in the long run, water and sanitation is what will and cholera for good.

And but most of the countries or many of the countries that are affected by cholera are also hit by conflict and and by disruption.

So no plans will work if we don't also have peace.

Thank you very much.

Sorry for this call.

[Other language spoken]

Hello, which country is most affected?

Which one country needs most help from WHO and what happened between 25 and 26 the case, the number of cases came down so much.

[Other language spoken]

Actually the countries that are more affected, most affected one we just mentioned is DRC where unfortunately we have seen an overlap not necessarily exactly in the same places, but in the same regions in the eastern, northern part of DRC with the Ebola outbreak.

And this is a counter that is consistently reporting high number of cases we have in the region.

Also Zambia, who's Who's reporting cases and, and is, and it's a significant shares a significant share of the cholera burden.

[Other language spoken]

And at the moment we are seeing also a resurgent of, of, of cholera around the Red Sea.

Yemen was a country that was severely affected by a cholera outbreak a few years ago and unfortunately never went away.

And now we're seeing a resurgent of cholera in, in Yemen and in the, and in the areas surrounding surrounding that country with Somalia, Djibouti, and, and so that's, there's a focus there as well.

The Red Sea is a is a big hotspot and the areas in Central Eastern Africa are the ones that are currently most affected.

What has changed?

Well, we are working with our partners and the countries are supporting the, the, the response to this outbreaks.

As I mentioned, we have deployed 71,000,000 doses of cholera vaccines which surely make a difference.

So the, the collective response is definitely showing its results.

But as I said, this is still not enough and we need to we need to work more to bring all the countries to the elimination goal, which means making sure that cholera is not a public health threat in in none of those countries by 20-30.

Maybe the caveat about that we only early in the maybe to mention the caveat that we're early and not yet finished with the season and, and not to, to over read and to this data.

That's important to say.

The data I presented for 2026 is up until the end of of September.

And indeed this 3000 deaths that we're reporting will unfortunately grow.

[Other language spoken]

It will, it will grow, but probably not to the levels of 2025, which was 77000, nine 7900 cases, almost 8000 cases from the 8 deaths.

Yeah, the follow up just one additional one.

What is the definition of not the public health threats in 2030?

Is it a question of numbers or what exactly is the definition of the yes, the the the road map for colour elimination sets two important goals for for that.

One is the reduction globally of deaths by 90% and the other is having countries that don't report cholera.

20 of our of our high priority counters when we set our goal in in 2017 not reporting cholera anymore.

When we say eliminate cholera as a public health threat, we don't say eliminating cholera as a disease because this is a disease that is often in the environment and cholera cases will still occur.

When we say it shouldn't be a public health threat is when there is a cholera case, it should be identified swiftly.

It should be controlled and not spreading further in those devastating outbreaks that I was describing at the beginning of my intervention.

Thank you very much.

Any other question WHO don't see any.

Oh, yes, it's, it's on a different topic.

[Other language spoken]

I think you can go ahead because there's no other other hand up to go ahead.

[Other language spoken]

You no doubt saw the reports of the floods in recent days.

I'm wondering if you've also seen a spike in waterborne diseases in Gaza as a result of this flooding and your concerns about the spread of maybe cholera, but other diseases at this time.

[Other language spoken]

Yep, thank you very much, Emma.

We're looking into having a more detailed briefing next week.

So for that purpose, especially on the winterisation and what this is bringing with us.

But yes, a quick overview as you also have as a in a, in a summary in the recent disease outbreak news, which is dated 6th November, that's just a few days ago.

So yes, exactly the ones you're mentioning.

So the HealthPartners continue to report significant communicable disease risks amid overcrowding, the displacement, the poor sanitation, the recent flooding, the constraints and Walton Health Services between 18 and 25 October.

So that's already more than a week old data.

Communicable diseases accounted for 18% of medical consultations reported by the health cluster partners, acute respiratory infections where 60% of the these reported ones skin diseases, acute water diarrhoea and the acute water water diarrhoea accounts for 18%.

So an increase of in the viral and the probable viral and bacterial meningitis cases has also been observed since September, primarily in the Gaza governorate.

And maybe on the context of winterisation.

[Other language spoken]

This is obviously and and of high priority and it's a a serious concern, an increasing concern.

More than 950,000 people are estimated to live in 989 displacement sites at medium or high flood risk, including more than 400,000 people in 451 high risk sites.

So nearly 1,000,000 people in nearly 1000 displacement sites at medium or high flood and 400,000 and more than 400 sites of high risk.

Just about just a correction because I mentioned Mozambique as one of the highly affected countries.

[Other language spoken]

The the most I just checked are are are data.

The most affected countries are DRC, Yemen, as I as I was saying, Zambia and then Nigeria is also a country that at the moment is reporting a high burden.

So correction on, on Mozambique should have not been in that list at the moment.

Thank you very much.

And speaking on on Gaza, I'd just like to call your attention to the declaration that we made yesterday by the deputy special coordinator Ramiz Arakbarov.

He said while the rain is natural, people's vulnerabilities is human made.

He described the situation in the in the Gaza Strip, especially after this flooding.

And he called for the urgent lifting of all unnecessary restrictions and delays, including those preventing humanitarian organisations from bringing into Gaza enough vacuum trucks, mobile dewatering pumps, heavy machinery, engine oil, spare parts, tents, tarpaulin, plastic sheeting, blankets and winter clothings.

Any calls for urgent humanitarian funding, without which the humanitarian community will simply not be able to purchase enough supplies.

And I think, James, you have an update also on the situation of children in Gaza.

Emma, just to your question, firstly, it's very important to know how bad things are in Gaza.

It's not yet winter.

[Other language spoken]

We're weeks away from winter.

[Other language spoken]

We are getting unprecedented rain and cold, but I think very relevant to your question in terms of why the risk of cholera is so heightened and so utterly avoidable.

Let me read precisely on Sheikh Rod One, if you're familiar with it.

So the Sheikh Rod One stormwater Lagoon and pumping station was designed to collect surface drainage and rainwater and pump it out to sea and stop flooding in Gaza City.

It's huge and it's critically important, but severely, severely damaged by attacks during the war on that pumping station facility.

Now only two of the six pumps are working.

And so rainwater that collects here is heavily, heavily contaminated with sewage.

It's a result of the damage and the destruction on that sewage and sanitation network.

Right now, despite some progress with sewage and repairs, today the basin is filled with contaminated water and is absolutely at high risk of overflowing.

The first heavy rains of winter have have have as expected.

Well, first heavy rains pre winter have as expected, only heightened the risk as the water gathers much faster than it can be pumped out.

Any overflow would cause a serious public health crisis, particularly impacting children who are highly vulnerable to those waterborne diseases.

Here's the kicker.

That's why for more than a year, more than a year, UNICEF's been advocating for the repair of the facility and the restoration of critical water and sanitation systems across Gaza.

The good news?

We've been engaging for a year with COGAT and at the request of COGAT and the Board of Peace to develop plans and technical details to recover emergency operations of that storm water pumping station.

Fantastic Plans are drawn, money's raised, equipment is ready.

[Other language spoken]

Just recently, COGAT rejected the project.

Old argument, can't bring in the equipment needed on security grounds.

Meanwhile, the basin fills up, sewage seeps into the ground and flows into the sea, affecting communities for hundreds of kilometres around.

So toxic sewage could could flow into the streets in tents of Gaza City, forcing children and families from their Matrix home once more, Matrix homes once more, and grossly increasing the threat of disease.

[Other language spoken]

Let's do the rehabilitation before this becomes another entirely preventable killer of girls and boys in Gaza.

And Speaking of whom, Ocha said that they had received reports of an infant who drowned in the flooding and three children and at least one woman who were killed when a sand dune collapsed onto their tents.

Thousands of families have lost their shelters and belongings.

It's really a dark situation.

Thank you very much for coming in, James.

And tell us about this project.

And thanks to Doctor Pizzoli and Christian for the update on cholera.

And as we said, we will speak more about Gaza.

We will speak more also about Ebola on Friday.

[Other language spoken]

Friday, Yeah, thank you very much.

So Thomas, you have you, you wanted to tell us about the UN Water Convention just before one month before the the conference itself.

[Other language spoken]

Yes, that's right.

Indeed, in one month, governments and international partners will convene for the landmark 2026 UN Water Conference Co hosted by UAE and Senegal and held in Abu Dhabi.

That's on the 8th and the 10th of December.

Faced with the growing water crisis and as climate change impacts intensify, the governments of Finland and Zambia have launched the 100 Parties initiative calling for countries to strengthen cross-border Water Corporation by joining and implementing the UN Water Convention.

This United Nations treaty, as you know by now, but as a reminder.

Is open to all United Nations Member States and provides governments with a clear legal framework for water Corporation, setting out responsibilities and obligations for the sustainable and equitable management of shared waters.

With 62 parties worldwide following the accession of Mauritania just a few weeks ago, momentum is building fast for the UN Water Conventions expansion.

The need for cooperation is clear.

Transboundary rivers, lakes and groundwater are shared by 153 countries worldwide.

This accounts for over 60% freshwater flow.

Yet less than 1/3 of these countries have operational arrangements in place covering 90% or more of their shared basins.

In this context, Reinforcing Water Corporation offers a foundation to strengthen peace, security, climate change adaptation and sustainable development more broadly.

So, in response to these challenges, Finland and Zambia, as Co Chairs of the UN Water Conferences Interactive Dialogue on Water for Corporation, have launched the 100 Parties initiative, aiming to reach 100 parties worldwide to the UN Water Convention by 2030.

This initiative is expected to be among the main practical outcomes of the UN Water Conference.

Reaching 100 parties by 2030 would send a strong signal of country's commitment to cooperating over shared waters to strengthen regional stability, climate resilience, water and food security and peace between neighbours.

Joining this international legal framework and intergovernmental platform, it gives countries the tools and support to turn this into action.

I just want to leave you with a couple of facts on water challenges.

And we've heard earlier about the health dimensions of of the water crisis, especially in the context of climate change, from my colleagues in WHO.

More than 2 billion people worldwide live in countries underwater stress and 3.6 billion face inadequate access to water at least a month.

One month per year.

Water related disasters account for 70% of all disaster related deaths.

Momentum for water corporation, as you have heard, is growing rapidly as a means to address the complex water crisis.

Building on 30 years of successful corporation in the Pan European region, 21 countries have joined the UN Water Convention to support this corporation since it opened for accession to all UN member states in 2016.

This includes 17 states from Africa where over 90% of freshwater is in shared basins.

This is in addition to states in South Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

[Other language spoken]

And we, of course remain available to support you and your colleagues who will be attending the conference in in Abu Dhabi.

Thank you very much, Thomas.

And just to add that we have sent you quite a few information on the water conference of interest to the press.

As Thomas has said, we will of course support the participation of media.

There will be the SDG Media Zone broadcasting live from the Emirates and spotlighting the six conference themes and explore exploring crucial cross cutting issues including AI, gender equality and agriculture.

We've also launched a ahead of the conference, we've also launched a new challenge on the ACT Now campaign of the UN that I'm sure you know well.

This challenge is to log 500,000 actions in support of water and the environment.

So you can have a look at this and help us spread the word to empower people to take hashtag water action and help advance the SDGS.

And we've also published a lazy person's guide to saving waters.

You have all this information in your mailboxes.

Is there any question, Thomas, or on the water conference, We want to put you the name of the colleague in New Yorker who's able to answer your questions on our site.

Don't see any hand up.

So thank you very much, Thomas.

But before we leave the environment thing, environment subject, let me just remind you that the Secretary General has is participating in the COP 31.

He has arrived yesterday in Turkey, in Turkey, in Antalya, where the conference is taking place until the 20th of November.

So the Secretary General will be speaking tomorrow at the opening of the leaders segment of the COP 3031 and during the week he will be meeting with leaders attending the conference.

Today he has addressed just now an event at the Corp presidency on the road map to transition away from fossil fuels.

And we have sent you the statement we said just been just been read.

The key messages from this speech are that transitioning away from fossil fuels is essential to achieving the 1.5° goal and ensuring energy security.

The Middle East crisis exposes the economic cost of fossil fuel dependence.

Clean energy is the only lasting solution.

As said the Secretary General.

Countries need concrete national Rd maps backed by finance, technology, and international cooperation.

Producers and consumers must work together to manage the transition and avoid economic disruption.

And of course, the UN stands ready to support countries in turning commitments into action.

And the secretary General is concluding by say it's long past time to stop treating the transition away from fossil fuels as taboo or intractable.

Now, here at the COP 3130, first we must move from discussing the transition to organising it, financing it and delivering it.

And the secretary general today, he will have a bilateral meeting with the President of the Republic of Turkey, the Secretary Erdogan.

So that is what I wanted to tell you before we leave the climate, the environment issue, no question on this to move forward to Thomas.

So let's let me finish with a few other announcements.

Thank you Thomas, thank you very much.

So on the human rights committees, the next public meeting of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will take place next Friday at 5:30.

The committee will close it's 80th session and issue it's final observation on the report submitted by Eswatini, Pakistan, Mexico and Austria.

I've been asked by our colleagues of ITU to read you this announcement.

The Penny Potentiary Conference 2026 of the International Telecommunications Union open Monday in Doha, Qatar, ITU's highest decision making body, will run through 27th of November.

[Other language spoken]

Elections for the ITU's 5 senior leadership positions are scheduled to take place from Thursday 12 to 3rd to Friday 13th November.

This include the election for Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and Directors of the Bureau of Radio Communication, Standardisation and Development.

On Monday, 16 November, elections are scheduled for the 48 members of ITU Council of ITU Council and the 12 member Radio Regulations Board.

And as you know, the ITU media team, which is in Doha is reachable at press info at ITU dot int.

Don't hesitate if you need more information on the conference.

I also wanted to remind you of the panel on Investing in Sports for a Healthier Future that will be held tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM at the CICG in the context of the Invest the World Investment Conference.

This panel will look at the issues related to investing in football in particular, in sports and in football in particular.

And for us, I'll be there participating in the panel.

It will be an occasion for us to spotlight the UN initiative Football for the Goals that mobilises the global football community to advance the SDGS through advocacy, community engagement and measurable actions.

And if you want more information on that, let me know.

And of course, you are more than welcome.

Last but definitely not least, I like to remind you that you've just received, I think it's been distributed this morning, the media advisory for the 7th Review Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the convention.

Certain conventional weapons.

That's going to take place at the same dates of a chemical conference that we've spoken about this morning.

That is 16th to 20th of November.

But he will be here at the Palais and the presidency will be carried out by Ambassador Julian Tierney of Switzerland.

We have been speaking a lot about this conference because especially in connection with the possibility of the fact that they will be speaking a lot about lethal autonomous weapon systems, because the conference will consider the outcome of the group of governmental experts that was established under the Convention in 20/20/16 to address these weapon systems and decide on the future work of this issue.

Under the Convention.

There will be a press conference at the given by Zumi Nakamitsu, the and the Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.

The press conference will take place here in this press room on Wednesday at 9:00 AM, so Wednesday, 18th November.

Today's into the conference and of course, the meetings will be webcast by UMTV Geneva.

If you are looking for more resources, there are links in the media advisory and the accredited media to the Palais of course, are welcome to cover the events they for you for those who have the registration, the accreditation of you know, the permanent condition to you know, there's no need to register for an additional budget.

The others will have to register on the link indicated to the into the media advisory.

And I think this is all I had to ask you.

Yes, to tell you yes, that's correct.

But the press conference is on the 18th.

That's correct.

[Other language spoken]

The Wednesday, Yeah.

And is there any planning for concluding press conference?

Not for the moment.

They might be coming afterwards.

And if you want more information, if you want interviews or if you want to, to talk to experts, it's a very complex subject.

So when we have spoken with our colleagues, we've also considered the possibility of having them, you know, giving you some briefings beforehand.

But in fact, I think they will be coming to the briefing next Friday to tell you a little bit more about the, the, the conference, but also if you need any background information that are available.

So just contact us and we will put you in contact with the, with the colleagues at ODA.

But the press conference is scheduled for the Wednesday.

So you are putting us in contact with who exactly?

The colleagues of the Office of the Zament Affairs were serving as secretariat to the conference.

Any other question to me?

I don't see any.

So thank you very much.

I'll see you on Friday.

And as I said, we will probably speak with a lot about Ebola on Friday and you'll have more on Thursday afternoon because now I've here, I've heard you're very happy with our heads up.

So we will give you more information on Thursday afternoon on the Friday briefing.

Thank you very much.

Bon appetit, and I'll see you on Friday.

[Other language spoken]

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 10 November 2026