UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing 27 November 2020

[Other language spoken]

Welcome to our press briefing the UN Information Service in Geneva today, Friday, 27th of November.

We have quite a few announcement this morning.

I will start with one and I'm reading on behalf of Archer.

the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will present the human The Global Sorry Humanitarian Review 2021 in Geneva and in four capitals on 1st December 2020.

The Global Humanitarian Overview is the annual overview of trends and current state of worldwide humanitarian needs projections and interagency response plans.

It includes an overview of the funding necessary to implement them in 2021.

The event is virtual and hosted from Geneva, and it will be live streamed on UN Web TV from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM CET Subsequent events will take place in Berlin, Brussels, London and Washington, DC.

The global humanitarian overview launch is convened by Mark Lowcock and the Secretary general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief coordinator.

A panel discussion on current humanitarian trends and challenges will be moderated by CNN Senior International Correspondent Nima Elbagir.

Member States and other stakeholders will have remark as well.

Yes is available if you have questions on this and more resources are available on the OCHA website.

And in preparation for this launch, as you know, this afternoon at 3:00 PM we will have a virtual press conference from Geneva with Mr Mark Lowcock and who will give us a presentation, will give the journalist a presentation of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2021.

The press conference and every material under presented under it is embargoed until Tuesday, 1st of December, CA 6 CET.

So that is what Ian asked me to communicate to you.

Let me just see if there's any question on this issue.

I don't see any.

So I'll go to the next announcement.

Jennifer, you are with us Jennifer Fenton for an announcement of the upcoming Syria talks.

You have the floor.

[Other language spoken]

First of all, I just want to thank you all for your incredible patience while we moved forward this with this process and I hope that to date I've answered all the questions that I have received from you, but if not, I do apologise.

You should have received the announcement yesterday that the Constitutional Committee small body will convene from the 30th of November to four December in Geneva, as was relayed to the Security Council in line with the mandate, the terms of reference and the core rules of Procedure.

The Constitutional small body will continue in Session 4 to discuss the agenda of Session 3 on national foundations and principles and in Session 5, we'll discuss constitutional principles, basic principles of the Constitution.

The Co Chairs have further agreed on the dates for Session 4, of course COVID-19 situation permitting, and told Session 5 in January 2021.

And of course, when we have those exact dates, we will relay them to you.

While the Constitutional Committee will be meeting in closed session, we will endeavour to inform you of developments and the arrivals and departures of the committee members during the week will be entirely covered by you by the UN and UN coordinated pool journalist.

I hope you will have seen that On Sunday, the Special Envoy, Mr Garrow Patterson, will give a hybrid press briefing, of course, in Room 14, if that's available to you at 4:00 PM or a live webcast will be viewed.

And if you're accredited, you can, of course, join by Zoom as Mr Patterson will be briefing you on Sunday.

I'll leave most questions to him, but if there's anything that I can't answer now, happy to thank you.

Thank you very much, Jennifer.

And indeed, the note correspondent that went out yesterday had all the details for those who want to accredit and follow the conference, including at a distance.

So I will start with Byram, who has a question to you.

[Other language spoken]

The last time I remember in the third round, we had some issues with the COVID-19 with delegations.

So can you give us some information regarding logistic preparation as we have restrictions in the Geneva country right now?

[Other language spoken]

So obviously, in preparing for the Constitutional Committee sessions, the Office of the Special Envoy has been in close consultation with UN medical experts, with the Swiss authorities and Unag's leadership.

And our precautionary measures to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 have in fact gone above and beyond the guidance that we've received.

The safety and the security of our staff and others like yourself and the people working at the Pele are a top priority and a concern.

Some of the COVID safety protocols will continue, obviously, which will include PCR testing, mandatory wearing of mask at all time temperature cheques, strict physical distancing, including by using only meeting rooms that are large enough to always ensure a minimum of two metre distance between all participants and to allow for translators to be in completely separate rooms.

We've also taken careful notes of the experiences and lessons learned from other meetings that have taken place in Geneva.

[Other language spoken]

Other questions while waiting for the press conference of Mr Peterson on Sunday, I don't see any.

So thank you very much, Jennifer, for this announcement.

Next announcement is by Catherine Rizzo for Anktat.

[Other language spoken]

Oh, she's here.

[Other language spoken]

The rapport crisis QC is it for the economy?

Olivo Wilson is the capacitated production.

The CP the capacitated production separate example your permit necessary for transforming so I prove to see Napala Community international porque la vestis porque fino sutien ETCP vulnerability 2 sapas capacity production is objective the development you have if someone tests the decisive.

[Other language spoken]

We have Claire online.

[Other language spoken]

Morning, everybody.

[Other language spoken]

The, the, sorry, the World Meteorological Organisation is issuing its provisional state report on the state of the climate in 2020 next week.

I'm afraid to say we are coordinating with the UN Secretary General's office in New York because he's also making a big policy statement.

So we are, you know, trying to coordinate with that.

But the plan is that we will release the statement on Wednesday the 2nd with a press conference here at 3:30 PM in the afternoon.

Again, as I said, we are trying to coordinate with New York on this.

I will send out, you know, more, more details of this and we'll, we'll obviously send out a briefing note to correspondents.

This it's the provisional statement.

Obviously, you know, we're, we're still, the year is not yet finished, but as usual, it will give, you know, projections on, you know, the ranking of the year in terms of the warmest on record.

We'll give details of all the extreme weather events that we've had as well as climate change indicators such as, such as the ice.

And as I said, that will be a press conference with our secretary general.

I'll send material out under embargo because obviously I appreciate you.

You know, you will be very, very busy next week and if you need interviews, Andrew embargo, given that you know, 330 is quite late, we, you know, we will try to facilitate and facilitate those.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

And indeed, as as Claire has mentioned and as you've seen in the press release that we've sent you yesterday evening, the Secretary General will give a speech on the 2nd December on the state of the planet.

This is going to be a major speech ahead also of the Climate Ambition Summit.

The speech will be webcast.

And we also have a briefing, a pre briefing for the media by the Associate Secretary General, Selwyn Art, the Secretary General Special Advisor on climate action.

If any of you would like to participate, please let us know and we will inform you on how to go ahead to participate in this briefing, in this pre briefing.

So I'm just looking if there's any question for Claire or for me on this.

I don't see any.

So thank you very much, Claire.

And and yes, as Claire said, next week is report week.

So we have another one from IDO.

[Other language spoken]

Sorry, sorry, Rosalind, before I get to the floor, I see that Jamil has raised his hand.

I don't know if it's for Claire.

[Other language spoken]

Probably she's she mentioned, but since we were in another press briefing, will there be a press conference on this report and on your, on your proposal, Lassandra, regarding the, the Under Secretary, Yes, I think we, we all want to participate or to have access to this.

So if you could share with us the date, when, how etcetera.

Not only that, but also regarding the summit on the 12th, if we could get a, a briefing on that summit, not on the 11th, but much before so we can know actually what has happened.

[Other language spoken]

Okay, yes, Claire mentioned it.

I'll let her answer on the press conference and on the Secretary General, Assistant Secretary General's briefing ahead of the speech of the Secretary General.

This is not organised by us, it's organised by New York.

So we can't just give them 200 names.

That's why I'm saying if there is any and I, I register that you are interested Jamil.

But if there is any other interest, please let us know because we can't just send them 200 names.

It's, it's and we have to register.

[Other language spoken]

And Claire, can you, do you want to repeat the information about the press conference?

Yes, as I said, we will, we will send out an information note.

It will be 3:30 PM in the in the afternoon, but will be, I know it's a little bit late, but as I said, we are constrained by working with the UN Secretary General's team on this.

And the, you know, the fact that there is a lot of other things are happening.

So obviously UNTV is, you know, is maxed out in terms of what they have to do.

But as I said, if you need information and we will send everything out under embargo, I'm hoping it'll be ready today.

[Other language spoken]

And if you do need interviews under embargo, you know, please come to me.

And as far as I know, our Secretary General Petri Tallis is also taking part, I think in the pre briefing with the with the UN Under Secretary General Sulwin Hart.

So if you can get access to that, you know, that will obviously facilitate you with, in your reporting and, and planning.

But I, I, I don't have any further details on that.

It's, it's being handled by yeah, the, the assistant Secretary General Selwyn Hearts presser.

Jamil, as I said before, is on the first, sorry, on the yes on the 1st of December.

I don't have the time yet.

We will give it to you.

And this will, as Claire rightly say, also help journalist ahead of the climate admission summit.

And as I said before, so let us know and I I register your interest, Jamia.

So Catherine, yes.

[Other language spoken]

Sorry to be late at the briefing.

So, Claire, could you please repeat the dates and times?

[Other language spoken]

I'm sorry.

We were all in a briefing.

So I'm, I'm really sorry about that.

I just heard 3:30, but I, I did not catch the day.

And now that I have the opportunity, I know that Claire at WMO, you're very organised, very well organised as some other agencies, but other agencies are always briefing us and giving us information the day of the International Day.

There's absolutely no utility to give us information the same day at the International Day.

I mean, please do follow the example of Claire and inform us, yes, inform us in advance and provide us in advance under embargo documents.

Thank you so much and sorry, Claire.

OK, yes, just to repeat.

So the WMO provisional statement on the state of the climate in 2020 will be released on Tuesday, the 2nd of December.

There will be a press conference with our Secretary General at 3:30 in the afternoon and I will send you information hopefully today.

Andrew embargoed the press release and we will obviously send a detailed note to correspondents.

Thank you for repeating this, Claire.

I will now go to Rosaline, who has been patiently waiting.

Rosaline, you have another, yet another report next week?

Yeah, the same day as Claire's actually.

[Other language spoken]

On Wednesday the 2nd of December, the ILO will be publishing the latest edition of its Global Wage Report.

And the report looks at trends in wages over the last four years and also examines how wages have been affected in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It includes regional and country data and outlines a number of policy recommendations to reduce the negative impact on wages of the crisis.

The report also contains data on minimum wages worldwide and an analysis of the extent to which they help reduce inequalities.

The ILO Director General, Guy Ryder will present the findings at an embargo virtual press conference on Wednesday the 2nd at 11:00 Geneva time.

And one of the report authors, Rosalia Vakit Alvarez, will also elaborate on the findings.

And the embargo will lift at 1300 Geneva time on the same day.

You'll be receiving a media advisory this afternoon and we're aiming to send you the embargoed report, executive summary and press release on Monday.

An audio and video of the briefing will be available after the press conference.

So please contact me if you have any interview requests either under embargo before, before the press conference or after the press conference.

And our experts will be available to speak to you in English, French and Spanish.

[Other language spoken]

Sorry, Jamie, can you hear me?

[Other language spoken]

Rosalie, thank you very much for this and thank you for your organisation on this embargo, the material.

Just want to point out that it is very important.

And if you want, everyone could follow Ilo's lead.

[Other language spoken]

We would all appreciate very much.

[Other language spoken]

Yes, there's another question from Yuki.

[Other language spoken]

Just for clarification, I think the idea normally launches the report on the impact on employment of COVID every two months by Mr Ryder and Mr.

[Other language spoken]

And I guess this report on wage is next week is different from the one the on the employment.

So when are you planning to present the next report on the employment?

[Other language spoken]

Yes, the this one is different to the Monitor series which has looked at the impact of COVID unemployment worldwide.

The next one will be in January, mid January and we will be able to give you further details a bit later.

Thank you, Rosal.

Yeah, this one is released on the global wages.

Nobody else is asking for the floor, so I will go now.

Thank you very much to the Ethiopian refugee situation with Babar, who is also online.

Thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

Yes, this weekend.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

The UN **** Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi is visiting Khartoum as the country receives a growing number of refugees from Ethiopia.

Since the start of the fighting in Ethiopia's northern thick grey region in early November, more than 43,000 refugees have crossed into Sudan seeking shelter and protection.

Even before the influx, the country was hosting nearly 1,000,000 refugees, mainly from South Sudan.

Mr Gandhi will review unit share operations in support of the government LED response to the latest refugee influx.

He's also scheduled to meet with refugees in eastern Sudan.

Unit CR continues to ramp up its relief efforts together with Sudan's Commission on Refugees and Local authorities.

Amidst complex logistical challenges, aid is being mobilised to help refugees, almost half of whom are children.

Humanitarian agencies continue to provide shelter and other facilities to help refugees, but more resources are required and Sudan needs international support urgently.

The UNICR has helped to relocate nearly 10,000 refugees to the Umm Rakuba site, 70 kilometres further from the border inside Sudan, as work continues to put up shelters and improve services.

Family tracing services have been established and these have already reunited many separated refugees.

This morning, a plane carrying 32 tonnes of Unit CRS emergency aid from our global stockpiles in Dubai landed in Khartoum.

Another airlift is scheduled to leave Dubai on Monday with an additional 100 tonnes of relief items.

Inside Thigray region, concerns are growing for the safety of civilians in the conflict, particularly in its capital of Mekele, home to more than 500,000 people.

Unisia remains concerned as the humanitarian situation continues to worsen in Thigre, including for those displaced and for some 96,000 Eritrean refugees who will run out of food as soon as of Monday if supplies cannot reach them.

We join other humanitarian agencies to reiterate our call for the protection of civilians and immediate humanitarian access in order to resume the delivery of life sustaining assistance.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much, Babar.

And I see a number of people who would like to ask you for the for questions.

And I'll start with Lohan.

[Other language spoken]

Till when the is the **** Commissioner staying in Sudan?

And is he going to go to the eastern part of the country as well to assess the situation with the refugees?

Thank you very much.

My understanding is he'll be there till Monday.

And yes, it is scheduled for him to meet refugees.

[Other language spoken]

No, she's not.

[Other language spoken]

I had a bit of a problem.

[Other language spoken]

Good morning, everybody.

And good good morning to you.

[Other language spoken]

I have a few questions for you.

How how concerned are you about the imminent attack by the government?

Reported reported imminent attack by the government in T Grey are are are you able to have any kind of protection for the Eritrean refugees in your case and also other people?

And I'm wondering at how many refugees are actually fleeing now on a daily basis to Sudan and what are the stories that they are telling you in terms of what is happening to them in Tigray and on the road?

And, and then I, I won't take more of your time, but I'd like to know whether you're having building new refugee sites and able to move the refugees away from the border.

I think this is probably going to become more of a problem now with the, the, the increase in fighting.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

Just focusing on the refugee arrival numbers, they continue to arrive though the the number has dropped a little bit, but so far more than 43,300 have been registered.

And as of yesterday, the number was nearly 700 who who were registered as as new refugees.

In terms of our concern inside the Thigray region, our concerns are actually growing for, for the safety of civilians in, in the conflict, particularly in its capital of Michele, home to more than 500,000 people.

And indeed, these concerns also and worries remain for the refugees, the Eritrean refugees who are in, who are in the four refugee camps inside the thick grey without humanitarian access, it's very hard to say what is actually going on on the ground.

But there were worrying reports that fighting was getting closer to to these refugee camps.

Yes, in terms of new sites being built inside Sudan, work continues to put in place shelters and and improve services at Umerakuba, which is 70 kilometres further inland from from the border.

And we are improving structure so that we can move more refugees.

So far we have moved 10,000, but many refugees want to stay close to the border as they have family members who have been separated from from from them in a hope that they will be able to see them soon.

That's why one important service that we humanitarians working with authorities are providing his family tracing services.

We have been able to get some family members reunited, but worries are there that many are left behind.

And those who are fleeing, they talk about the conflict, hearing gunshots.

Some have just fled even before in in the anticipation of of the conflict reaching them.

[Other language spoken]

Yes, Alessandra, my first question is to repeat, Baba please, could you please repeat the dates of travelling of Mr Grandy?

And my other question is more to all the UN agencies.

As I remember well, Addis Abeba was a platform to, to tackle the COVID-19 and for the distribution of masks and PPE and all equipments to the rest of, of Africa.

So I would like to know if you agencies, humanitarian agencies, you feel affected by the, the conflict and are you worried that it can affect if it's not?

And I would like to know if The Who is attending the briefing today.

[Other language spoken]

So let's start from the easy one.

They are not the bridges not attending the briefing today, Babar.

I'll let you answer to the first question and then I think maybe if you have something on the second, but also Thompson has has something to add to that.

[Other language spoken]

Baba Catherine, my understanding is he's he'll be spending a few days there in terms of reviewing the operations and also meeting refugees with, with his official engagements in in Khartoum probably till Monday.

[Other language spoken]

Do you have anything on the logistic on the platform, logistical platform of Addis Ababa or I'll give the floor to Thompson.

OK, Thompson.

[Other language spoken]

Indeed, Addis Ababa is a very important getaway for humanitarians not only to East Africa but also to other regions, particularly following COVID-19.

At this stage, we have not felt any disruptions.

It is still a humanitarian staging area.

Flights are coming in and out and proceeding normally.

However, we are concerned with a growing insecurity inside of Tigray and any, any, any, any, any spillover effect that may, that may arise if, if, if, if there is no cessation of hostilities soon.

At this stage, everything is business as usual.

On the Addis Ababa side, we are able to, to, to, to operate over.

Thank you very much, Thompson.

[Other language spoken]

Hopefully it works today.

[Other language spoken]

Sorry, I had a bad experience last time.

My question Barbara, is regarding the access.

You mentioned the Eritrean refugees there and other people you'd like to reach within Tigre.

Can you say who exactly is blocking the access to them to those people and where are you with efforts to negotiate access or humanitarian corridor please?

The call is on all side and, and we have been trying to make this appeal in terms of supporting civilians and calling for civilian safety in general, but also the the refugees we were looking after.

That's very concerning for us as well with different reports.

And since the start of of the conflict in early November, we have had lost access to, to the refugees and and other people that we we were taking care of.

Thank you, Robin.

[Other language spoken]

Just on something you said, I think you said that there were 96,000 Eritrean refugees who would run out of food as soon as Monday.

That sounds pretty, pretty desperate.

If if you could just say a little bit more about that and the plans you have to prevent that situation from happening.

Indeed, that's quite worrying.

So before the, the start of the conflict, I mean, we had regular access to the refugees.

They're 96,000.

Since the start of it, we have lost access.

We had done and these refugees rely on humanitarian distributions.

We had done the distribution we had done before the start of the conflict.

According to what what they have had is they will be running out of food as as of Monday.

So we remain ready in terms of with our our supplies and trying to reach desperate populations.

What's needed is, is, is is unconditional and unhindered humanitarian access to reach them as soon as possible.

Is there any other question for Papar?

I don't see any.

So thank you very much, Papar, for this extensive briefing.

And now I'll go to Thompson, who has a point on the drill situation in Madagascar.

Hunger is on the rise in in the southern region of Madagascar, where consecutive years of drought are deepening the suffering of hundreds of thousands of people with devastating impact.

The droughts episode have wiped out the incoming harvest and and and Hanford people's access to food.

Half the region's population, approximately 1 1/2 million people, are experiencing crisis or emergency hunger conditions and struggling to put food on their tables.

Now what is concerning is that the number of people that I need now is actually three times more than what we had projected mid year in June.

As the situation is western rapidly across 10 southern districts now they're hungry people, most of them are women and children need immediate food and Nutrition Assistance.

[Other language spoken]

The island nation has the world's tenth highest standing rate.

Almost half of all children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition.

As hunger numbers rise, so does the proportion of families who are resorting to crisis copic mechanisms.

The majority of them are having to eat bugs they are selling off, live life saving livelihoods, assets, farm implements, kitchen utensils.

An assessment that we did last year last last October in the Southern District of Amboasari, which is the hardest heat district in the South, showed that hunger had forced 3/4 of children to drop out of school so that they could help out at home with foraging for food.

Most of the women that we spoke to said they had nothing to feed their young children except the red cactus Piers that grow on the roadside.

The situation in Madagascar, he has been, he has been, he has been, he has been bad before.

We have been down this road before.

But this is the third successive year where the country has first, he has first very devastating drought episodes.

WFP begins began it's life saving emergency food assistance at the end of September, reaching more than 100,000 people in Ambosari within days.

And we had been providing in kind food distributions and for particularly malnourished children and the elderly, we had been providing hot meals.

We are also providing lean, lean season assistance to more than half a million people in nine other drought stricken southern districts through December.

Given the gravity of the emergency that we have now, the World Food Programme intends to continue scaling up its operations through June next year, reaching more people in more locations.

We additionally seek to help the challenges that are being faced by rural women who often are prevented from owning land and agricultural assets, as well as first discriminatory customary practises.

Over the next six months, WF PS funding shortfall is 37 and a half million United States dollars and we appeal on the international community to step in and to do so now so that we are able to respond in a timely manner.

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

I don't know what happens here, sorry.

Thank you very much.

[Other language spoken]

Sorry, not in this subject.

A correction from the earlier 1 so I can come back.

[Other language spoken]

So let me give the floor then to Lisa to ask her questions.

Yes, hello, good, good morning, Thompson.

First of all, please send us your notes.

It would be so helpful.

Sorry to have to remind you again, but it would be helpful.

And then I'm wondering whether the, the, the fighting that is going on in Cabo Delgado is affecting the, the hunger that you're discussing and the ability to get food that you need to the people at risk.

[Other language spoken]

I will send the notes to, to, to, to the colleagues just after this briefing.

[Other language spoken]

The fighting in Kabul Delgado is in the northern part of Mozambique.

Today's briefing is on the southern region of Madagascar on the other side over.

[Other language spoken]

I'm I'm operating in a in a different stratosphere apparently.

[Other language spoken]

Yes, indeed.

[Other language spoken]

The question is, is in fact, for a WHOI know that they're not there, but it would be very nice if they could send at least one person at each briefing on Tuesdays and Fridays.

I think that they are.

Thank you very much.

We remind them, yes, to have at least one person to come, because it is the only opportunity for the Geneva Press corps to ask direct questions, because we don't have any press, real press conferences organised.

And the other thing, if you could convey them also the message to inform us on time about press conferences, I mean webinars, because they send us the mails half an hour before or we just received now a mail to say that there will be a webinar this afternoon at 5:00.

So I think they organised that in advance.

They could at least do like all the agencies and tell us in advance in order for us to organise.

Question to you, Alexander, is there another press conference this afternoon?

Yeah, you were probably still on the other briefing.

There is one at 3:00 PM and it's the embargoed press conference to present you the Global Humanitarian Overview 2021.

This is organised by OSHA and the speaker will be Mark Lowcock.

[Other language spoken]

And points about WHL well taken.

We'll we'll let them know you have questions for Thompson or not.

[Other language spoken]

Yes, I just want to second Catherine.

What what she said about WHO because they assume that if we have a webinar, they don't come to the briefing.

So that is, I mean, I don't know where is that logic?

They it come from and on the summit, on the climate summit, the the list of participants can can we have it or is the new government, I mean, for example, Mr Kerry coming or is he going to be involved?

[Other language spoken]

I suppose you're speaking about the summit of the 12th of December.

Yeah, that one.

OK, that's again what I said before.

We will have a embargoed briefing by ASG Heart on the 1st of December.

That should help you have this kind of information and also give you the sort of the presentation of the speech that the secretary general will pronounce on the 2nd of December.

So let me know if you want to participate in that.

But you wanted to add something, but it's on what you said before on Ethiopia, right?

[Other language spoken]

Thank you very much.

Just to correct one thing I said **** Commissioner Gandhi will be there, but till Monday correction, I mean he'll be there till throughout the the weekend, not Monday.

[Other language spoken]

Just maybe I I would like to add something on the issue of Ethiopia that Jens sends me on the issue of the access that you mentioned.

Several of you mentioned the UN and the humanitarian community appreciate the Ethiopian federal government's announcement acknowledging the need for urgent humanitarian assistance and protection for people affected by the conflict in Tigray.

We look forward to working with all actors to ensure that humanitarians have unconditional, safe and immediate access to and within Tigray.

3 weeks since the fighting began, the humanitarian situation integrates is increasingly critical as Babar told us, and it is vital that humanitarians are able to urgently assist people in accordance with the globally agreed principle of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and operational independence.

So that's in the answering your questions on the issue of access.

I don't see any other question on this or other issues.

Thompson, thank you very much.

So thank you very much and I just wish you a pleasant weekend.

[Other language spoken]