The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing 15 December 2020
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1:35:53
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MP4
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1 GB
Announcements
Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service, announced that the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, would brief the Security Council tomorrow, Wednesday 15 December, at 10 a.m. New York time (4 p.m. in Geneva). The briefing would be webcast.
Mr. LeBlanc reminded attendees that the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) was convening, in Geneva, a technical meeting to agree on critical reforms to the Libyan economy (14-15 December), including the currency reform and the banking crisis, as stated in the press release issued yesterday by UNSMIL.
Mr. LeBlanc added that the President of the United Nations Social and Economic Council (ECOSOC) would hold an end-of-year press briefing tomorrow, at 10:30 a.m. (New York time).
Mr. LeBlanc finally said that the Secretary-General of the United Nations would be traveling to Berlin tomorrow. He would address the German Parliament on Friday morning, and hold discussions with the German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, as well as the Foreign Minister, Heiko Mass.
OHCHR – Violence in Colombia
Maria Hurtado, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, had condemned, on Tuesday, the heightened violence being carried out by non-state armed groups, criminal groups and other armed elements in Colombia, targeting peasants, indigenous and Afro-Colombian people. Ms. Bachelet had called on State authorities to take concrete actions to effectively protect the population.
So far in 2020, the UN Human Rights Office in Colombia had documented 66 massacres, in which 255 people had been killed in 18 departments. In addition, the Office had received information on the killing of 120 human rights defenders. Since the signing of the Peace Agreement in November 2016, the UN Verification Mission in Colombia had documented 244 killings of former FARC fighters.
The High Commissioner had urged the authorities to conduct investigations into all allegations of human rights abuses and violations. The Special Investigation Unit of the Attorney General's Office had been doing good work but could be further strengthened in order to dismantle criminal networks.
Answering journalists’ questions, Ms. Hurtado explained that the violence had taken place in remote areas that were difficult to reach and suffered from a lack of a comprehensive Government presence, in terms of public services such as security. Criminal and armed groups were trying – and sometimes managing – to exert control over the territory. The State was called upon to deploy its full apparatus in the areas concerned.
To read the full press release, click here
OHCHR – Venezuelans fleeing to Trinidad and Tobago
Maria Hurtado said the Office was extremely saddened by the news that at least 21 Venezuelans who had tried to reach Trinidad and Tobago had died when their boat capsized off the coast of Venezuela. Venezuelan authorities had identified 19 victims, among them four children. The boat was said to have left Güiria en route to Trinidad and Tobago on 6 December.
OHCHR echoed calls by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration for urgent efforts to stop smugglers and human traffickers sending refugees and migrants on dangerous sea journeys. The Office also urged the Venezuelan and Trinidad and Tobago authorities to coordinate to protect the lives and safety of migrants and refugees, including by operating effective search and rescue at sea.
It was also extremely important for the two Governments to coordinate and cooperate regarding safe migration routes. Both Governments were called to halt pushbacks at sea, which violated the principle of non-refoulement and the prohibition of collective expulsions, and to suspend all forced returns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments were also encouraged to provide safe and legal pathways for migrants to regularize their status and avoid the risk of deportation.
Answering journalists’ questions, Ms. Hurtado said both Governments had said they intended to launch investigations into these events. The OHCHR insisted that these investigations must be transparent, and that the authorities of the two countries must cooperate to understand what had occurred “and to prosecute whoever needed to be prosecuted”. It was also important that steps were taken to avoid another tragedy happening.
Regarding the report by the International Criminal Court [on Preliminary Examination Activities (2020) regarding Venezuela] that was mentioned by journalists, Ms. Hurtado noted that its outcomes were quite similar to those of the mission of enquiry that had been mandated by the Human Rights Council, last September.
Regarding other topics raised by journalists, Ms. Hurtado said the High Commissioner had previously expressed her concern about article 24 of France’s new “Loi sur la sécurité globale”. OHCHR understood now that the French Parliament was redrafting this law. The High Commissioner welcomed the proposed reform of the “Inspection générale de la police nationale”, among others.
Other questions were asked regarding the imprisonment of opposition leaders in Ivory Coast facing terrorism charges; the detainment of a Bloomberg assistant in China; and the alleged disappearance of 12 Hong-Kong residents on their way to Taiwan, after having been intercepted by the Chinese Navy. Ms. Hurtado said she would get back to the journalists on those questions.
UNHCR – Attack on displaced people in Niger
Babar Baloch, for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said the Office condemned an attack by armed assailants on Toumour, a town in south-east Niger, that killed 28 people and injured hundreds more. The four-hour attack, claimed by Boko Haram, began at 7 p.m. on 12 December. According to local sources, the assailants destroyed nearly two-thirds of the town’s homes, burned the Toumour market to the ground, and killed more than a thousand cattle. Following the attack, most of the population had fled to the bush, with some people returning only at daytime.
Toumour, near the border with Nigeria, hosted 20,000 Nigerian refugees, 8,300 IDPs, and 3,600 returnees still in need of humanitarian assistance. People were on the move from Toumour toward Diffa, a town some 100 kilometers away and host to 46,000 refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, and returnees. Together with humanitarian partners and local authorities, UNHCR was organizing emergency shelter, food, water, and health support to the affected communities. However, recent heavy floods had made it difficult for aid workers to reach Toumour.
UNHCR and its partners were currently providing protection and humanitarian aid to more than 265,000 forcibly displaced people, including nearly 130,000 Nigerian refugees and asylum seekers, 102,726 internally displaced Nigeriens, and 34,324 returnees in the Diffa region. The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated the response as most of the displaced were sheltering in crowded urban areas, where social distancing is impossible.Further information on HCR website.
Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Information Service, said the Secretary-General had strongly condemned the attack in the Diffa region, reiterating “the commitment of the United Nations to support national efforts to consolidate democratic governance, promote social cohesion and achieve sustainable development”.
Answering journalists’ questions, Mr. Baloch said that it was not possible, at this stage, to ascertain the identity of the victims.
Questions were also raised on the situation in Ethiopia. Mr. Baloch explained that UNHCR had not been able, so far, to move into the Tigray region, contrary to the ICRC, which had managed to run a convoy there. The Refugee Agency hoped, and called, for the restoration of humanitarian access as soon as possible to reach the desperate people in the Tigray region. Also, the agency had established that several hundreds of Eritrean refugees had been put on buses to be returned to the Tigray region.
Safa Msehli, of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said the IOM had no oversight or management authority over one of its transit camps that had recently been taken over by the Ethiopian Government. The Organization had asked the authorities to uphold the international law, especially the principle of non-refoulement.
WHO – Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator
Dr. Bruce Aylward, Senior Advisor to the Director General of the World Health Organization and lead for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator), reminded that ACT- Accelerator had been set up last April to accelerate the development of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics against COVID-19, and to make sure these are equitably accessible in the world. The three targets of this initiative were to make available 2 billion doses of vaccine by the end of 2021; half a billion new rapid diagnostics for low and low-middle income countries; and 250 million therapeutic tests.
However, there still was a financing gap of 28 billion dollars. Dr. Aylward welcomed yesterday’s announcement that Canada would allocate 485 million dollars in new financing to the ACT- Accelerator. He insisted that this financing would cover not only vaccines or diagnostics but therapeutics as well – which was “super important because therapeutics is the part of the Accelerator where we have the greatest risk of having a major access inequity across high- and low-income countries”. The concern was that tools would only go to high-income countries.
Dr. Aylward said there was a need for the donors to be “a little more visionary”, more committed to the principles of equity and access, “and putting money behind that”.
Read the Government of Canada’s press release here.
Answering journalists’ questions, Mr. Aylward noted that Member States were completely behind the purpose of ACT- Accelerator and recognized that it would take 28 billion dollars to deliver the tools. However, the problem was the complexity of today’s financing instruments. For instance, overseas development assistance for health stood at about 26 billion dollars, while 28 billion were needed to get the [ACT- Accelerator] tools out. People would die of other illnesses – like malaria – if the assistance for health were diverted to [the fight against COVID].
G20 countries had spent 12 trillion dollars, half in cash, to counter the pandemic: part of this stimulus financing would have to be devoted to deal with its root causes and get the economy moving again. An acceleration of technology transfers was also necessary, as well as better coordination. However, “financing is what stands between us and getting out of this pandemic”. Financing must not be a barrier to access, Dr. Aylward stressed.
Dr. Aylward addressed further questions regarding, among others, transparency in financing the ACT- Accelerator and COVAX programmes; the manufacturing capacity for new vaccines; and the integration of Chinese and Russian vaccines in the ACT- Accelerator programme.
Teleprompter
All right, 1030, let's get started.
Thank you and welcome to this press briefing of the Tuesday 15th of December.
Before we move into our agenda, I just have a couple of announcements.
Just a reminder that tomorrow at 10 AM New York time, 4:00 PM Geneva, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Mr Gehr O Peterson, will be briefing the Security Council.
You will be able to follow that on the webcast if you wish so.
And following the briefing, the Office of the Special Envoy will be distributing the transcript of Mr Patterson's address.
So that's a reminder for tomorrow.
Also, as you know, you will have received late last evening a statement from our mission in Libya about the technical meeting that is taking place yesterday and today here in Geneva, looking at critical reforms on the Libyan economy that is ongoing today.
And of course, the the representatives of various entities are here to discuss currency reform, the banking crisis, the unification of the national budget, including a timetable to implement these reforms.
The Special Representative of the Secretary General, Miss Stephanie Williams said that she sincerely hoped that this meeting would would lead to an agreement on concrete objectives on the issues of currency reform, the cheque clearing crisis, the overall banking crisis and budget unification as well as on clear deadline, a clear timeline, timetable for actions to be taken to implement these reforms, she said.
She also said time is not on our side, we need to move quickly and decisively and I count on you to take these important steps in the coming two days.
As she was addressing the participants of this meeting also, you will have received yesterday, I believe, an invitation to a virtual press briefing by the President of the Economic and Social Council, Equisorp, which is one of the Charter Ordinance of the United Nations.
Ambassador Munir Akram will be holding his end of year press briefing.
This will be tomorrow at 10:30 AM Eastern Standard Time.
We've provide you, provided you the the details to connect if you would like to listen to that press conference.
And also I believe there will be a question and answer session.
And finally, just a note to tell you that the secretary general will be travelling on Wednesday to Berlin.
He's expected to address the German parliament on Friday morning.
And while he is in Berlin, he will be meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Frank Walter Steinmeyer and Foreign Minister Heiko Mass.
He will be discussing various issues with them, including the pandemic, climate crisis and international cooperation.
And of course, I think we will be able to to share his remarks to the Bundestag with you.
[Other language spoken]
So before we move to the agenda, I see Catherine.
OK, there's a couple of questions.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Let's go to Catherine.
Yes, good morning, real good morning to all of you.
Just regarding Libya, is there any briefing planned?
And if not, do we know if they will meet again in January in Geneva?
[Other language spoken]
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We'll wait to see during the day whether, whether Stephanie, whether the the Secretary General's special representative would like to hold some media activity with you.
We will inform you, of course, as soon as we have information about that.
[Other language spoken]
I'm not aware of any plans on that for the moment.
Moussa with concern on the Libya C ESCI von Terminios Rodri successor, we have Rita La Reunion, Dwest Terminios Termini.
I think Peter, you also had a question.
Thanks, Rial.
You actually answered that when you answered Catherine's question.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
So let's move on then to Marta Hertado from the Office of the **** Commissioner for Human Rights, who's here to give you some information about Colombia and also Venezuelans who tried to reach Trinidad and Tobago by boat.
Voila, good morning everyone.
You might have received on your e-mail press release by the **** Commissioner.
I will read some parts of this statement right now.
UN **** Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachele on Tuesday condemn the heightened violence being carried out by non state armed groups, criminal groups and other armed elements in Colombia targeting peasants, indigenous and Afro Colombian people and call on the state authorities to take concrete actions to effectively protect the population.
So far in 2020, the UN Human Rights Office in Colombia has documented 66 massacres in which 250 people have been killed in 18 departments.
In addition, the office has received information on the killing of 120 human rights defenders so far this year.
Since the thackening of the peace agreement in November 2016, the UN Verification Mission in Colombia has also documented 244 killings of former firefighters.
The NASA community has been one of the worst affected indigenous groups with 66 of its members in Northern Calco department reportedly killed in 2020.
The most recent incident occurred on 5th December when five people, including a former fire firefighter in the process of being reiterated, were reported killed in two separate incidents in northern Kaka.
In addition, on the same day, 24 leaders and authorities of the NASA people received death threats.
Another recent attack occurred on 3rd December in Choco department where an indigenous leader, Miguel Tapirito, was killed, causing around 900 people in his community, mostly women and children, to flee to a nearby town where they have been begging the state authorities to provide them with protection.
I call on the Colombian authorities to take stronger and much more effective action to protect the population from this appalling and pervasive violence, said the **** Commissioner.
Is the state's duty to be present throughout the country, implementing a whole range of comprehensive public policies, not only to clap down on those responsible for the violence, but also to provide basic services and safeguard the fundamental rights of the population?
Bachelet also stressed the urgency for the National Commission of Security Guarantees to develop a public policy to dismantle the criminal groups that succeeded paramilitary structures and their support networks as a specifically request in the 2016 peace agreement.
The **** Commissioner also urged the authorities to conduct prompt, thorough, impartial, independent and transparent investigations into all allegations of human rights abuses and violations and to uphold the rights of these teams to justice, redress and reparations.
To this end, she said the Special Investigation Unit of the Attorney General's Office had been doing good work, but could be further strengthened in order to dismantle criminal networks.
Thank you, Marta, for that, that update.
Are there any questions on this issue in the room?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
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I see that online we have Gabriella Sotomayor.
So please, if we can unmute Gabriela.
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Nice to see you.
Real nice to see you.
Marta, what is the response of the government?
[Other language spoken]
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What is the reason that they are failing to protect the the the people?
[Other language spoken]
As we mentioned, those are remote aerials, rural areas, difficult to reach, where there's a clear lack of presence of the government in all defence of the war.
There's no security, there's no police officers, but there's no there's neither the presence of the government in terms of public services.
There's lack of the schools, there's a lack of health.
This is the lack of an integral and comprehensive presence.
So that is one of the reasons that we are asking and calling the government to deploy the full state in those areas.
And then I have to be acknowledged as well that in in those areas there are, as well as I mentioned, criminal groups, armed groups, groups that they are not, no, neither criminals nor armed groups.
That's the mix of drug traffickers and that they try to exert control over these territories and sometimes that they manage to do so.
That's why we call to the government to go to these areas and take control.
Those areas, it's the government, it's the state who have to be present, not criminals and armed groups.
[Other language spoken]
Good morning to you.
[Other language spoken]
Yes, Marta, I would like to know, it appears that these killings are happening or has been happening since the last, for the last months during the quarantine in Colombia.
So a period where people is supposed to be at home, where maybe police forces has more time to to to accomplish their duties.
But instead of that, we have seen during this time the increase of killings of social leaders.
How could you explain this?
This is exactly what I was saying.
The fact that there's been people inside and the security office has security officers, security agents having to be deployed in other areas and doing other duties have sadly as well allow criminal groups and armed groups to go into these areas.
The, the fact as well that the numbers I, I mentioned are the numbers that have been reported, the numbers of massacres and let's say 66 and a total of 255 people killed are those that we have been able to, that have been reported to, to us.
But we fear that these those numbers might be higher exactly, precisely due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has undermined our efforts of documenting and verifying the killings and the massacres.
[Other language spoken]
See, Catherine, if you know Con, has your hand raised?
Catherine, is this a question on Colombia or?
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It's a question related to Ivory Coast.
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Do you want to do your second item?
[Other language spoken]
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Catherine, we also have a question on another topic from Moussa.
So I'll wait till the end and then we'll come back to you.
[Other language spoken]
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[Other language spoken]
Those are all the questions on Columbia.
Maybe you want to move to your second item, so we have a second item on Venezuelans.
We are extremely saddened by the news that at least 21 Venezuelans who had attempted to reach Trinidad and Tobago died where they both capsized.
Obstacles of Venezuela search and rescue operations have been continued amid fears that others may still be missing.
This represents one of the biggest single losses of life involving Venezuelan refugees and migrants trying to cross the sea to Trinidad and Tobago, which at it's narrows point.
[Other language spoken]
According to Venezuelan authorities, 21 bodies were found over the weekend in the waters of the town of Weeda in the Venezuelan state of Sucre.
So far the authorities have identified 19 victims, among them four children, according to information we have received.
The vote in question is said to have left Guida on foot to Trinidad and Tobago on the 6th December.
We echo calls by UNHER and the UN Refugee Agency and International Organisation for Migration for urgent efforts to stop smugglers and human traffickers sending refugees and migrants on their German Sea journeys.
We also urge the Venezuelans and Trinidad and Tobago authorities to coordinate and cooperate to protect their lives and safety of migrants and refugees, including by operating effective search and rescue at sea and by properly, effectively, thoroughly and transparently investigating this tragic incident.
It is also extremely important for the two governments to coordinate and cooperate regarding safe migrants foods.
Last month we raised concerns over the deportation of 25th Venezuelans, among them sixteen children from Trinidad and Tobago.
As the legal application was being lodged against their removal.
The group spent a couple of days at sea before ending up back in Trinidad and Tobago.
We once again call on governments to how push backs at sea in violations of the principle of non refulimo and the provision of collective expulsions, and to suspend all forced returns amid the COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard the health of migrants and communities.
We encourage governments to instead provide safe and legal pathways for migrants to regularise their status and avoid the risk of deportation.
Pathways for admission and stay should be consistent with international human rights law and humanitarian considerations and include access to due process and procedural safeguards.
Are there any questions in the room for Marta on this topic?
[Other language spoken]
Gabriela Sotomayor, I suspect this is on the topic, so Gabriela, please go ahead.
Yes, thank you, Real.
So did you have any response from the government of Trinidad and Tobago?
And clearly they are in breach of their responsibilities in under international refugee law.
So what is the response of the of the government why they are repatriating people?
I mean in in that in that way?
And then I have a second question on the ICC court and the report that they launched yesterday is saying that the army of Maduro, it's could be responsible of crimes against humanity.
So if if the Michel Bachelet's going to say something about that, the **** Commissioner or if you have a statement or any comment on this very important issue?
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On Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela, I know both governments are fed that they are launching investigations to figure out what happened because apparently no one knows exactly the circumstances of the Casais and what happened with them.
But that's why we are issuing this press release today emphasising exactly the point.
Both government have to conduct investigations, probably transparent and share their outcomes and to cooperate between them and not only to solve, to understand what happened in this case and to prosecute whoever needs to be prosecuted.
We, they found the people responsible for it.
But to avoid this tragedy happens again, because as I mentioned two weeks ago, we have to highlight another case where luckily people didn't die, but in this case it happened.
So to prevent another tragedy like this one, both governments, Venezuela and the and Tobago government, government have to cooperate and find out safe pathways for migrants and refugees to seek refuge and safety.
[Other language spoken]
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And ICC.
Yeah, we note the yesterday's comment, an announcement from the ICC.
The outcomes are quite similar to the the and the mission of inquiry.
So as you know, when you were there, the **** Commissioner commented last week on on that, on the law on demonstrations, what we call was for a, a rewrite of the Article 24 and other articles of the law that were we are worried that would not maybe comply with international standards and, and might be problematic.
But as well, we would like to to acknowledge and and to welcome some positive steps that the government has announced.
I understand that the Prime Minister himself has said that there's the possibility of the understanding the possibility of reforming lands fiction General de la Police national.
So we welcome this step and we look forward to see what exactly means this this possible reform.
And as well, we note and and welcome the President Macron announcement that he has asked for reflection of police reform in seven areas, including combating discrimination and relationship with with media and linked to to the police.
Therefore, we see that the authorities are listening to the the population and seeing what is happening and the demonstrations in the streets every weekend show it.
So we welcome those those steps of listening of calls for reforming and we are ready to engage with them if need be to to move forward.
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Now we had a question from Catherine, Catherine Fionncon.
You would have wanted to ask something about Ivory Coast.
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First of all, I would like to say that we had a technical problem and we did not hear what's Martha said when she answered the second question of Gabriella.
And we did not hear the question in asked in the room, I suppose about France because the connection has been put again when she was speaking about President Macron.
So I suppose that you had a question about France, that it would be nice that I'm sorry that if you could repeat for for us.
And I give you my question also regarding Ivory Coast.
It says now more than a month that some opposition leaders are in prison and they face charges of terrorism and up to life in prison because they denounced the vote after President Ouattara's victory to presidential elections.
So I would like if you have any comments about the situation in Ivory Coast.
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In Cote d'Ivoire was just Catherine on Cote d'Ivoire.
Juniper Partagia Avictua may see to the GPC the the the tuba set response.
Alexa CE so in France, yeah, what I said in France, what I said is that as you know, the **** Commissioner herself highlighted in the press conference last week our concerns regarding the law and the old the security law.
And we ask for view or redraft Article 24 and other articles that might pose a problem that we acknowledge.
And we understand that the the the state institutions are doing so, the parliament and the government.
But I also said that we acknowledge the steps that the government is taking to address the situation.
I understand that the Prime Minister have said that this they're starting the possibility of reforming Inspection General de la Police National and as well that the President himself has asked for reflections on police reform in seven areas, training, leadership, working conditions, use of video to recuperation the inspector, admission, staffing and links between police and the population, specifically on combating discrimination and relationship with the media.
So we acknowledged these steps, we welcome them and we are ready to to collaborate with France if need be, to take this process forward and can find a solution that everyone is is happy with.
Yeah, on Venezuela, on the ICCI said that, yeah, we note the the division of the ICC prosecutor.
And I said that, yeah, it's quite similar to the findings that the independent Commission of inquiry mandated by the Human Rights Council shared.
And I read to the conclusion in in September and that they shared their outcomes in September.
And I said that we as an office take note of all these investigations and these outcomes.
And as you know, we have our own path of investigating, highlighting and then I'll see in human rights violations in Venezuela.
But as well, we are engaged with the the authorities we are present in in the country with our presence.
We are working toward the possibility to have a fledged office, and we just agreed with the government, our road map for 2021 of engaging with the government of Venezuela to keep workings toward a situation where there's no human rights violations in the country.
[Other language spoken]
OK, one last question from Lionel Fatton Kyodo to be quite cellular El merci beaucoup.
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Please do a question of it.
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More from principal more consultation Shaman Savas here she was trivial affair.
The the last system, the Bloomberg that new.
So this person don't.
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Please don't say don't fall.
[Other language spoken]
Marta de Mariete Regus Mata, thank you very much for being with us.
We are going to continue with the agenda and move on to Babar Baloch who joins us online to give you some information about an attack on a Niger town hosting forcibly displaced people.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Real good morning everyone.
A note of apology in advance as the neighbouring building has some renovation works in case it becomes noisy.
So please forgive us in advance.
Let me pull up the note.
UNICR, the UN refugee agency, condemns an attack by armed assailants on Tamur, a town in southeast Nigel that killed 28 people and injured hundreds more.
Unisia is gravely concerned for the safety of over 30,000 refugees and internally displaced people who have been sheltering in Tamur.
The four hour attack claimed by Boko Haram began 7:00 PM on December 12th.
According to local sources, the Salans destroyed nearly 2/3 of the town's homes, burned the Tomor Marquis to the ground, and killed more than 1000 cattle.
Following the attack, most of the population fled to the Bush, with some people returning only at daytime.
Tamur is 14 kilometres from the border with Nigeria and hosts 20,000 Nigerian refugees, more than 8000 internally displaced people and 3600 returnees still in need of humanitarian assistance as of Monday morning, 14th of December.
Our teams and partners reported that people were on the move from Tamur toward the Diffa, a town some 100 kilometres away and this town already is host to 46,000 refugees and asylum seekers, displaced people including returnees.
Together with the humanitarian partners and local authorities, we are organising emergency shelter, food, water, health support to the affected communities.
However, recent flooded floods have made it difficult for aid workers to reach to more defer.
Region in Southeast Niger has been hard hit by increasing extremist violence on the Lake Chad Basin that has forced hundreds of thousands into the region.
In the first nine months of this year, over 450 acts of killing, kidnapping, sexual and gender based violence and other serious incidents were reported.
Unit CR and our partners, we are currently providing protection and humiliation aid to more than 250,000 forcibly displaced people, including 130,000 Nigerian refugees and asylum seekers, 102,000 internally displaced Nigerians and 34,000 returnees in the Defar region.
The COVID pandemic further complicates the responses.
Most of the displaced are sheltering in crowded urban areas where social distancing is impossible.
I'll stop here.
There are a few other details in the note as well.
Thank you Baba and of course, you will have seen the statement we shared with you last evening as well in which the Secretary General strongly condemned this attack in the DIFA region.
He expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and the people and government of Niger and wishes wish the swift recovery to the injured.
He regrets that this barbaric attack disrupted the the peaceful holding of municipal and regional elections in the Differ region and he reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to support national efforts to consolidate democratic governance, promote social cohesion and achieve sustainable development.
I think we have a question from Emma Farge from Reuters.
[Other language spoken]
Good morning, everyone.
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My question is for you on Ethiopia, if I May 2 part question.
I'm wondering what is the access like to the 100,000 Eritrean refugees in Northern Ethiopia now?
And specifically can you comment on reports from Adi Harash camp that there's no food, no water and some of the refugees are being mistreated and raped?
[Other language spoken]
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In terms of access, we still don't have presence in the four refugee camps.
So effectively no access and and the call is still out there for for as immediate and urgent access as possible to reach desperate refugees and other civilians in in the region.
During the the course of last few days, there were also disturbing news linked to Adi Haraj where there were reports that even some refugees, Eritrean refugees that have arrived from from the Tigra region in Addis being moved.
Unicia was not part of any such movement and when we looked into these alarming reports, we established that several 100 refugees had been put on buses to be returned to the Tigray region.
We have seen reports that these refugees were taken to the Adi Harsh camps where, as I mentioned, UNICIA continues to have no presence at all.
We had not been informed in advance by the government or any other authorities or partners of a planned relocation of refugees.
Initial remains very worried about the safety conditions of the Eritrean refugees who remain in Tigray who may have been caught in the conflict and have had no access to services and supplies for more than a month.
We echo the UN Secretary General's call for unhindered access to the Tigray region in terms to reach desperate people.
[Other language spoken]
You still have your hand raised.
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[Other language spoken]
Yes, I just wanted, I wanted to check after the remarks by the **** Commissioner a few days ago about the overwhelming reports of killings and abductions, are you in a better position now that communication is opening up a little bit to to confirm any of those reports?
[Other language spoken]
Well, our colleagues in in a town.
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We thought you were going to tell them to be quiet during your your, your, your briefing, Baba.
All right, please go ahead.
Seems to be quiet down now.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Indeed.
I mean, as I was mentioning, so far no access.
We have the staff in in the town of Shire, but even they haven't been able to access the, the refugee camps and in even inside the town of Shire where there were a few Eritrean refugees that have moved.
I mean, they're asking for assistance and help as well.
But our access inside the Tigre region to the refugee camps are really very limited.
We stand ready to move with supplies and staff as soon as as it becomes possible to go to the Tigre region.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much for that.
We still have a question from Lisa, Lisa Schlein.
[Other language spoken]
Is this about Niger?
It's about everything.
[Other language spoken]
I mean, I mean real nice to see you and good morning to you, Babar as well.
First a question on Ethio of sorry on Niger and then I'd like a follow up on Emma's question regarding Ethiopia.
OK, on Niger, I'm wondering the people who were killed, were they all members of the host community or were there refugees and displaced people who also were killed?
And the, the, the town is quite close to the Nigerian border.
The you can't do much anything about the host community, I suppose.
But shouldn't you be moving the refugees and displaced away from the border?
What kind of security, if any, exists in this in this region?
And then Rael, you want me to come back with Ethiopia afterwards?
[Other language spoken]
Or shall I continue with my question there?
Well, let's, let's maybe go with Niger and then come back on Ethiopia.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
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Yeah, right now.
[Other language spoken]
Indeed, this horrible attack that killed 28 people and injured hundreds more.
There's no breakdown at at this stage in terms of who these people were who were attacked.
But Tamur is a is is is a place 14 kilometres from the border with Nigeria.
It it hosts 20,000 Nigerian refugees and more than 8000 are internally displaced people as well.
[Other language spoken]
So, OK, so Lisa back to you for the follow up on Ethiopia, I think.
Yeah, it sounded like a, a, a, a truncated answer because of the drilling that went on.
Sounds like my apartment by the way, because of renovation here too.
Yes, Lisa, just to I mean, if, if I may repeat that no breakdown at this stage, but the town or the the location hosts more than 30,000 refugees from Nigeria, internally displaced people and local returnees as well.
[Other language spoken]
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[Other language spoken]
All right, thank you.
On on Ethiopia, I I was wondering the International Committee of the Red Cross was able to get a first convoy of of aid into the into the Tigray region.
I thought that this might be a crack somehow in the in in the government allowing access.
To aid and so forth.
This is not the case.
You think that this is just a one off and that you are still, you are still asking for access to the refugees and to displaced people.
And do you have any idea why it is that the government is not implementing the agreement it made with the United Nations?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Indeed, ICRC was able to move in with the local authorities, not for us so far.
Uh, and some of the issues as I was highlighting, even in a, in a town like Shire, uh, where refugees, uh, come to our staff who are already there, uh, there's not much to help these desperate refugees and others.
We had some distribution with the available stocks, but after that or since the beginning of the November, no access at all.
Our hope and call is to restore humanitarian access as soon as possible to reach the desperate people in the Tigray region.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you Baba for that.
I don't see any other questions and I think that was your only topic.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Yeah, Sorry, sorry.
This is this is just a follow up on the reporting that came out of Eritreans in the IOM transit camp, which apparently had been taken over by the government being deported or sent to to Tigre.
Is there any follow up on that?
I mean, what, what do you know about this?
Is this still occurring?
Are Eritrean refugees being deported against their will to Tigre from Addis Ababa by the government?
[Other language spoken]
I think colleagues from IUM will speak if they're online from us.
I mean the, the we we heard this, this really worrying reports that I mean and we looked into them and established that several 100 refugees had been put on buses to be returned to the Tigray region.
We have some seen reports that refugees were T taken to the Adi Harush camp where unit CR has no access.
We had not been informed in advance by the government or any other authorities or partners of a plant planned relocation of refugees.
So given the traumatic events to which refugees say they were exposed in Tigray, we believe the trained refugees should have the opportunity to receive protection and assistance outside of the region.
In accordance with the Government of Ethiopia's Refugee Proclamation, the Out of game policy and other relevant national and international laws, Junicial has advocated with the government for access to jointly identify and respond to the needs of Eritrean refugees who have moved out of the camps in the Tigray region, including who have came in Amhara region and Addis Ababa.
I'll stop here.
[Other language spoken]
And I see Paul Dillon has just come online also with his hand raised Paul, and maybe you want to add something to this.
Thanks Real.
[Other language spoken]
Actually just wanted to clarify, Lisa, sorry, we're connected through the same device.
Just to clarify Lisa, as as explained on Friday, IOM had no oversight or management authority over the centre.
As our statement explained, we are aware of the reports and again, we are very concerned and continue to call on state to uphold international law, especially the principle of non reformer.
I don't unfortunately have any updates on the situation in the centre or any information on people who may or may not have been transferred, but I'm happy to try and and look into it more and and share any information and updates with you.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much, Safa for that.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much, Baba for being with us this morning.
And with time ticking, we're going to move on to Margaret Harris from the World Health Organisation who is with us with a guest, Doctor Bruce Aylward, the Senior Advisor to the Director General and lead for the ACT Accelerator.
Margaret, would you like to say something or should we go directly?
No, I see that your mic is open.
Would you like to introduce the.
Yes, certainly.
I think Doctor Elwood needs no introduction.
I This is a period for reunions and meetings of old friends, and I think Doctor Elwood is a very suitable guest for this moment.
So without any ado, I'll hand over to Doctor Elwood.
Is he up online?
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Yes, yes, he is there.
[Other language spoken]
Yeah, I hear you loud and clear.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Please welcome and please go ahead.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Bruce Elward has mentioned and, and among the many roles I've played and I'm playing the one right now is to coordinate the what we call the ACT accelerator.
Just a quick note on that and then a couple of points about issues that about let's say developments over the last 24 hours that might be of interest to the group.
As as most of you will be aware, the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator was launched at the end of April with an effort to bring together all of the international efforts to excel with with two big objectives to accelerate the development, rapid development of new diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics for for against COVID.
Oh, just just a moment, Mr L Word.
We've lost the sound.
Let's see if we can bring this back.
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Are you able to say something?
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There.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
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[Other language spoken]
So maybe, Mr Elward, do you want to try again, please?
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OK, Sorry about that.
[Other language spoken]
So I don't waste the time of everyone online.
We heard the first couple of minutes of what you said.
And just when I stopped you is where we we couldn't hear anymore.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
So so the purpose of the ACT accelerator, as I mentioned, accelerate development of these tools and most importantly make sure they're equitable access around the world.
We have three big targets.
We're gunning towards 2 billion doses of vaccines at least by the end of 2021, half a billion new rapid diagnostics for low and low middle income countries and a quarter of a billion therapeutic tests.
So what we've done is really repurposed the international health architecture to try and achieve this.
Again, many of you'll be aware we've got Gabby, SEPI and WHO leading on the vaccine side, Welcome Trust Unit Aid and others leading on the on the therapeutic side, FIND and the Global Fund leading on the diagnostic side and with, with, with, with, with a lot of progress.
Today, yesterday, we had a meeting of what we call the ACT Accelerator Facilitation Council.
This is the council that really looks at how do we ensure the political choices necessary, the really difficult choices to #1 ensure this thing is financed.
We have a financing gap of $28 billion to get those tools out developed and out next year.
I can't hear sorry.
We, we, we have another technical.
I don't know what's happening this morning.
[Other language spoken]
Things come back when, when I unmute.
So maybe I'll stay unmuted and be very quiet.
Maybe it works when I'm unmuted, so I'll stay quiet.
[Other language spoken]
Do you want to try again?
No, we are not hearing you.
And now you can hear me again.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
I'm not sure what's happening.
It seems that I I've I've got to switch in and out of this mic to make it work.
[Other language spoken]
But the, the things I wanted to share was just yesterday with the big council looked at this and what it really reinforces with all the attention on vaccines.
It's absolutely essential that we continue to look at not just diagnostics, but therapeutics if we are going to save the lives and prevent the severe mortality, which is what's at the heart of of gumming up our intensive care units, our social distancing and of course resulting in the economic disruption, the extraordinary economic disruption we're in the middle of.
And then just at the back end of yesterday, you may have seen and I wanted to highlight this, an announcement from Canada, which came out announcing $485 million in new financing to the ACT accelerator.
What was interesting about that and, and, and really important is that they are actually financing across the range, not just vaccines or diagnostics, but therapeutics as well.
And this is super important because therapeutics is the part of the ACT accelerator where we have the greatest risk of having a major access, let's say inequity across **** and low income countries.
And what Canada's come out and done and said, you know, here is nearly a nearly 1/4 of a billion dollars, they put in $230 million through UNICEF to say, look, as these new therapeutics become available, which normally only get into **** income countries, we are going to make sure that the key agencies like UNICEF have got the resources to be able to get these out to low and low middle income countries with a specific view.
What they're really looking at is the monoclonal antibodies that you keep hearing about in the press.
We keep hearing a lot in the press about the concerns and the really valid concerns these tools will only go to **** income countries.
So this is quite an important announcement, right?
You know, again, coming back to not only the existing vaccines, making sure they get out the low income countries as rapidly as possible and the new ones in the pipeline, but also key tools that are further upstream.
So it's, it's, it's pretty visionary and it's really, really important piece of what we're trying to do because the ACT accelerator is all about an integrated end to end solution to the, to the, to the pandemic.
So just a couple of important pieces that came out yesterday that just reaffirmed.
And the, the continued attention, I think of some of the core backers is its effort to make sure that the right products not only get developed, but they get to the people who need them.
And again, I thought to take advantage of the offer to say a few words this morning, because we read a lot of bleak stuff about who is and isn't getting products.
And I, I just wanted, I just thought it's so important.
I know a lot of you personally that you're aware there's a lot of real heroics by some of our real important partners and donors to be a little bit more visionary, really committed to the, you know, the principles of equity, the equitable access and putting money behind that now as well.
Not just for the tools that we've got in our hands, but the ones that we need to get in our hands if we're going to really get this this thing under control.
So happy to take a couple of clarifying questions if that's helpful.
But I just wanted to share those couple of points.
And I also recognise going forward a lot of interest in our work and we're working 20 hour days.
So we don't have a lot of time to keep everyone up to speed with what we're doing.
But as we go forward, if it is helpful, I lost you lost you got here momentarily.
I bet better back the tailor back they.
I recognise a lot of interest in these and we haven't been very visible because we're we're working 20 hour days, which hopefully is not visible through the Zoom.
But happy to come back brief as we go forward, especially in the new year.
[Other language spoken]
We're always happy to have you with us at the briefing.
Thank you for your patience with these little technical difficulties we had.
Do have some questions from journalists online.
Can I make this suggestion?
I I heard before we had a couple of questions in French folks, if you would bear with me and wouldn't mind to try and do them in English.
I just want to make sure I'm really accurate in my my response.
Je pee Pele Francais con neceser and they just go on the prior compassion because you say on the don't set the situation on both on OK, we'll take a good note of that.
[Other language spoken]
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Mr This is Jamil Shad, the journalist from Brazil here in Geneva.
My question, 2 questions actually very short.
First on the 28 billion in the gap, the financial gap, why do you think there is this gap today?
Because you have requested so many times the G20 has met and did not put a value to their promise.
Other meetings happen without the number or without a firm commitment.
Do you think there is a a hesitation towards double HO, towards the administration of WHO and towards Doctor Tedros himself?
Do you think this is weighing in?
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I thought you had two questions or is that the 2?
I think he he asked the questions if he has a follow up Hillary.
And again, yeah.
So first of all, why?
Actually, I do have a second question, but I was cut.
OK, maybe Jamiel, if you're still on the line, please ask me two questions.
So the second, the second question is quite straightforward.
The emerging countries, not the least developed, they claim that they are the ones actually, at the end of the day having a larger burden because at the same time, they are not developed countries.
But they still have to pay a lot for the vaccine to be part of COVAX.
And at the same time, they don't have the transfer of technology, which they would get in a bilateral deal with the companies.
So what is there for the big emerging countries?
Thank you very much.
Thanks for both questions.
First, the first one, absolutely crucial.
Why isn't this $28 billion gap funded?
The bottom line is it's a really big number and countries and and donors are completely behind the rationale, completely behind what we're doing.
They would love to see that number lower, but they recognise that that's what it takes to buy, simply buy, procure, deliver these kind of tools.
So not so much a challenge around that, but it's the it's the complexity and the difficulty in terms of today's financing instruments.
That's the bottom line.
If we look at overseas development assistance, annual overseas development assistance for health, and that's the usual instrument people use to finance this, it's about $26 billion.
We need about $28 billion to get these tools out.
So one of the big challenges are the instruments simply aren't there.
You can't Rob ODA to try and find this because if we do that then the problem is people are going to be dying of malaria, women aren't going to get antenatal care, routine vaccinations aren't going to go into HIV medicines.
[Other language spoken]
And that's crucial.
So one of the biggest challenges, Jamil, is simply the financing instruments.
So the discussion that we're having and the big discussion at the ACT Accelerator Council yesterday was around a financing framework where a working group looked at all the financing instruments that are out there, you know, special purpose vehicles, concessional loans, the the catastrophic bonds, social bonds, all of these different instruments.
And so there's a huge piece of work going on right now with the G20G7 to try and look at how can that financing instruments actually be used.
There's also a very hard look at stimulus financing.
G20 countries have put about $12 trillion into their economies, about half of that almost in cash to try and address the consequences of COVID-19.
So part of the argument that we're making, as well as we need to find a way to unlock a chunk of the stimulus financing to actually deal with the root cause.
Because we can get these vaccines out, If we can get these therapeutics out, the diagnostics out at this kind of scale, we can get the global economy moving again.
The IMS report back in October, incredibly compelling data, right, looking at what was the number of some extraordinary number in terms of the rise in global incomes, like $9 trillion in rising global income, something like that by 2025, if we can get these kind of tools out fast enough.
So the scramble right now and the council said, look, it's going to meet again in early February to try and look at how can we leverage all of these financing instruments to try and deal with this gap.
So there's a strong commitment, strong interest, but frankly, everybody is struggling in the current environment to find that kind of fiscal space, nothing to do with.
With agencies or individuals, it's really about the instruments quite frankly.
And on the second issue about the emerging countries, super important now part of what we're trying to do is accelerate the transfer of technologies as well.
But first we got to make sure we know what works to be able to accelerate and transfer those technologies.
So the ACT accelerate and the Kovacs is trying to do all of those pieces at the same time, while at the same time getting the best possible prices and volumes for all countries, **** income, upper middle income, low income countries.
Because frankly, if we don't do this in a coordinated way, it is going to cost more, be slower and have a where this is just going to drag out longer.
Sorry to drag on, on the answer there.
But the financing 1 is the crucial one because you know what, folks, right now, financing is what stands between US and getting out of this pandemic as rapidly as possible.
It's as simple as that.
Thank you very much.
We have quite a few hands up, so we'll go down the line.
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much.
Mr Edward, I have a follow up question on my colleagues questions about about the funding gap.
Doctor Tedros basically said we we in warrants basically about vaccine nationalism and things like that.
What I hear about what's going on here with COVAX is that the funding gap of $28 billion is not only due to the complexity of the of the funding instruments and fixed like that or fiscal space that needs to be found.
It's also according to some missions here in Geneva, it's also very opaque process and some, some missions are not very happy with that.
And how, how do you explain the fact that basically it's mostly Bill Gates who who came up with a very strong funding, but the member states are not there, even though you said they they have a strong commitment.
[Other language spoken]
Thank you very much.
[Other language spoken]
Are you unmuted?
[Other language spoken]
[Other language spoken]
Yes, it's something curious.
I have to click on another mic and then re click on this one to be heard.
So sorry about that folks.
So first of all, I just want to highlight we have a commitment tracker online, which you can go in gives complete transparency on the financing of the ACT accelerator and it's 4 pillars, main pillars of work right now.
So you can go in there and look at which agency is getting what money to do what and from who.
And what you'll see is there's a broad range of donors, in fact.
And the Gates Foundation is nowhere near the top donors in this many other donors, government donors and others who are who are really backing this.
If there is an issue around transparency on anything like this, that's great feedback.
That would be something we would need to change and do something about South.
Stephane, if there's anything specific, you know, fire a note to us or Margaret or what you're hearing, because we need to fix it.
Our goal is to make sure everybody can see what money is needed for what and where it's going.
So if there's a problem there, we have to fix it.
In terms of within the Kovacs Facility itself, what we need there is $5 billion.
So of the total gap, it's 5 billion right now for the Kovacs facility part to buy the doses for the lowest income countries, what we call our advanced market commitment.
So there's different parts of that gap, but that's that part of the gap.
Just to be very, very clear.
And in terms of transparency on how the Kovacs facility works, we've got 2.
If the Kovacs facility has got two major bodies, one is called the stakeholders group, which is made-up of all the participating self financing countries.
And there's an AMC group made-up of all of the AMC, the 92 AMC eligible countries.
We have regular calls with all of them to make sure that they have visibility on what products we're working on, what deals we're working on, where our financing is.
You can never do enough communicating, as you folks know.
And you know, a lot of this has been designed so far.
But again, if there's gaps, the goal is to to address them because if transparency is part of the problem, then fix it.
But I actually don't think it's transparency.
I think the information is available and I think it's a challenge for people to finance it.
It's a real challenge in today's fiscal environment, despite the fact this is the best deal in town.
[Other language spoken]
This will pay itself off within 36 hours once we get international travel and trade mobility moving again, as all of you can well appreciate.
[Other language spoken]
Now we have a question from John Zaracosta.
Can we unmute John, please?
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[Other language spoken]
Bruce.
I was wondering, you mentioned about transparency, is it possible to get copies of the Council's proceedings, a summary of the proceedings and of the agenda?
And down the road, are you publishing the minutes of the meetings given this effects a lot of investments?
You're talking of 10s of billions of dollars.
It's a question of transparency also for market makers and market movers because we're seeing some participants in these ventures constantly on the airwaves talking about one product or another.
I think you're no, it just takes me a second to to reset that.
[Other language spoken]
Thanks for the patience, Ralph.
John, great suggestion.
Actually yesterday within two hours of the meeting, the council posted a a statement from the Co chairs, Norway, South Africa.
Both of them are really committed to transparency and in driving the process.
They also put a chair summary up.
They also publish outcome statements and also make the ingoing materials for the meetings available as well.
I think we may need to do a better job to make sure you can find those more easily.
So again, great feedback, but certainly open to making sure those things are available.
In addition, our Co chairs the ministers of Norway, South Africa, as well as the Co hosts of these meetings, the EC and and and WHO have had press conferences in the past to make sure any questions could be addressed openly and transparently.
They've also briefed the member States and WHO all 194 of them so that they have sight on this.
So again, if there's better ways to get that information, it's in, out.
It's in everyone's interest and we'll do it.
[Other language spoken]
We're going to go now to Stephanie Nebe from Reuters.
Thanks, Ryan.
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Perfectly.
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I was wondering about your remark early on about the therapeutics area being the one that is got the most issues in terms of inequality of access.
I wonder if you could expand and say specifically you're referring to dexamethasone.
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What are you referring to and how do you, what are you doing to address that, please?
[Other language spoken]
Thanks, Stephanie and thanks everyone for bearing with me.
I seem to have to reset my mic every time I answer a question.
I think rails trying to slow me down.
[Other language spoken]
So what we're worried about is not the existing or repurposed at Therapeutics because like you say they can be widely available, especially dexamethasone, right?
This is a fantastic discovery in terms of dealing with COVID-19 widely available.
We bought 2.9 million doses early on.
When I say we, the credit goes to Unit A and others, part of the ACT Accelerator Therapeutics group who did that to make sure any country that by chance didn't have access and needed help with it, they could rapidly get doses out to help.
So work very quickly on that.
On oxygen situations, a little bit more complicated, as everyone is well aware, oxygen supplies are technically complicated to advantage.
So supply has lagged, but that's more technical than a financing issue.
Frankly, what we're worried about on the big financing side, it is a financing issue.
I want to be very careful because we're still looking for just over a billion to try and really catalyse the oxygen piece as well.
But what we're really worried about Stephanie is that pipeline of monoclonal antibodies that look like one of the most promising areas because number one, these are expensive current monoclonal antibodies over I think about 85% of it is used in the **** income countries for other diseases etcetera.
So you know if we go into this with a **** performing monoclonal antibody for COVID, then we have a problem.
So what we're trying to do is get in front of that, have full sight on the whole development process, R&D processes around the monoclonals, be deeply involved with those trials, look at manufacturing, expanding manufacturing capacity at the same time so that we could actually produce at scale these 4 specifically low income countries and then have the procurement financing to get them out to them.
So it's really in the area because there's three areas we work in, in therapeutics, repurpose drugs.
That's basically your, your, your dexamethasone and you could say your oxygen.
The second one is the monoclonals.
And then the third one is what we call the novel antivirals, the new antivirals that would come out.
Those last two buckets are going to be expensive.
They always are.
And what we want to do is make sure get in front of that.
So that finance, yeah, we lost you for a second there.
We still don't hear you.
[Other language spoken]
Well, there you are.
[Other language spoken]
No, the last part was just to say there's three buckets of, of, of work that we're doing in therapeutics, repurposed therapeutics.
That's where the dexamethasone hit was oxygen, you could say is in that group.
So relatively low cost, still have access challenges.
So then we get into the monoclonals and the novel antivirals.
These are always expensive.
So what we're trying to do is get in front of that to make sure that financing is not a barrier to access.
And then the last one I made was just ask if I covered Stephanie's question because it's a super important one.
But all the journalists are keeping their screens off.
So they're either in their pyjamas or, or I can't see anyone nod or shake their heads.
So I don't know if if if we're hitting your questions, they're getting comfortable from working from the comfort of of their home.
We still have a couple of journalists, a couple of journalists wishing to ask questions.
James Keaton from Associated Press.
[Other language spoken]
Hi, Bruce.
I'm trying to show you my picture.
I don't know if that's going to please the other.
No worries, young colleagues, but I just wanted to thanks.
Thanks for coming to see us.
[Other language spoken]
I want to really go back to the vaccine piece, if I might.
Then how concerned are you that the CEO of the Serum Institute has said that they only have an order for 200 million doses and nothing in writing?
That's the first thing that we have a story from my colleague Maria Chang, who I think you know today on that subject.
And then the second question I had, just going back again to the vaccines, you know, are you considering adding the Chinese and Russian vaccines given that the Sanofi GSK vaccine is looking like it's not going to be ready until anytime soon and maybe late next year?
And finally, Pfizer, Moderna, are there any chances, any odds that you're going to get access to that super expensive vaccine?
[Other language spoken]
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[Other language spoken]
Yeah, great questions, Jamie and, and and folks, sorry for the quip about about the cameras off.
It's just easier to see your face and tell if I'm going the right direction or not answering your question.
I just always want to make sure you get what you need.
So first in, in, in, in terms of of that would have been at our Punuwala from from, from SII, who's a fantastic guy, really committed to making sure that the vaccines that they may get to low and low income countries.
Clearly, we want to build a portfolio which is diversified so that as you saw last week, some products are going to be late, some products may not work.
So we'd have to make sure that we hedge our bets right across that spectrum and SII is part of the portfolio that's needed and it may well need to be be a much bigger part.
If Ader is concerned, then we need to continue the conversation, Jamie, and address that.
[Other language spoken]
That is managed directly by you know the deals team and the facility itself.
So that's under the managing director of the facility and I'll go back to her on that today.
But you know, you need to have, you know, we're all taking risks.
Sorry, we lost you.
We've lost you for a couple of seconds there.
[Other language spoken]
Is that working now?
[Other language spoken]
Sorry about that.
No, the point I was making was we just have to be diversified across as many products as possible, but we also need the volumes.
So if we have one of the most important producers such as SII concerned, we have a very close ongoing relationship with SII.
So be very surprised that something's being said in the press that we don't know.
[Other language spoken]
We go back and we talk to him, we figure it out and make sure they have the assurances that we need cuz SII is absolutely crucial to global supply of many vaccines and will be crucial part of the equation for, for for COVID-19.
In terms of considering other products we will look at, we, we look at two groups of products in the Kovacs facility.
The first are ones that come from an upstream portfolio that we've invested in through SEPI from the very, very early days.
But then the second is all the other products that are being tested and use that we didn't put finance or what we call upstream financing into.
And this includes would include any product out there with demonstrated efficacy, safety, quality and programmatically sued to what we're trying to do.
So if those products are made in China or Russia, if they meet the standards for efficacy and safety, then they would definitely be scrutinised by what's called the investment procurement group of the Kovacs facility.
But remember, this means these products, like all products, have got to go through a stringent regulatory approach where we really scrutinise the efficacy data, the safety data and the quality.
And that's the production data, right?
And consistency, your production, etcetera.
And one of the challenges that we have folks, and you'll all appreciate this, is that a lot of the information that's out there is coming out through press reports and press releases.
And it's, it's, it's like an efficacy #86% efficacy, 94% efficacy.
What you really need to know is how many people were in those trials, how many were in the control group, how many in the perceivable group, how was this monitored, blah, blah, blah.
And you really have to scrutinise all of that to make sure you know what you're buying.
And So what we we have done WHOI'll speak with that hat on right now.
There are so many right now, it's confusing.
But The Who hat on, we've reached out to all the producers of COVID-19 products and said, look, we really want to get in front of this, really want to get looking early at any products that are interested in being submitted for emergency use listing.
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So let's do it on a rolling process.
So we're right now starting to get responses from from companies and they're at different stages, frankly in terms of the data submissions.
Because part of the challenge folks is for many companies, as you've seen in this game, many of them have not made vaccines that were pre qualified by WHO or certainly went through stringent regulatory authority previously.
So what they're trying to do is, you know, these are complex processes that they're trying to work through as well.
But that's super important because the most important thing is the world has confidence in the safety, efficacy and qualities products.
So we'll definitely look at them and we are also in conversation, of course, whether with Pfizer or with Moderna about can those products be part of what is used to, you know, early roll out of vaccines.
But we also need to make sure that there are prices that are appropriate to to to the populations we're trying to serve and the countries we're trying to help.
So all of that conversation is ongoing.
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We're going to take these.
I have three last question we're then we're cutting it off here because we've already been Mr Mr Alward has already been briefing quite extensively.
Nina Larson from AFP, then Gabriela and then Musa in the room here.
And we'll close the question then.
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Thank you for taking my question.
Nice to see you, Bruce.
I wanted to just quickly follow up on the the last thing you were saying on Pfizer and Moderna.
I was wondering if you could say a little bit more about how those pricing discussions are, are going and if, if there's sort of a limit for how **** you could go within the the COVAX facility.
I was also wondering on the treatments of the monoclonal antibodies.
There's been a lot of news coming out of the US about how these have only been accessible basically to VIPs generally around the president.
I'm wondering if if that kind of news could maybe help you in your arguments for providing more equitable access or yeah, if, if that has had any impact on spurring participation.
And finally, I just had a question for for Margaret about the the holidays, if WHO is going to be continuing briefing on a regular basis throughout the Christmas holidays?
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Real, did you want to take all the questions first?
No, I think it's best to to go with each journalist.
So go ahead then we'll see what Margaret can tell us as well.
So, so, so Nina, not to be evasive on the first point.
I'm, I'm really sorry about this, but all of the work on the deals is run by the deal team that manages that aspect of it out of the Kovacs facility and that changes on a day-to-day basis.
So I haven't got specific site on the specific detail of that, but you know, as, as you will have seen and, and, and I thought the CEO of Pfizer has, has done a great job where he's come out publicly and said, look, we're committed to making sure that our product sees global use.
And we recognise that, you know, that requires pricing it at the right level to be able to make that work.
So there's a strong commitment out there from Pfizer to, to, to, to do that.
And and that's what we're trying to do is, is to work with them to, to see if we can take advantage of that commitment of, of, of the company.
But what I'd say to that point, and also, I think Jamie, the questions you were asking earlier, we're we're hoping to be able before the end of this year is to, to have the facility and that would be Gabby etcetera, to come out with a few announcements in that regard.
So really stay tuned.
They're working hard to, to, to move that whole agenda forward on, on, on the deals on the Monoclon piece, I mean, I wasn't quite sure that I followed your question.
If I understood it correctly, the President had taken it.
Does that help or hinder if that was the question?
I think was that question here.
No, sorry.
I meant there has been news about people around the president getting access, that there's been sort of a rush by VIPs to secure access while other people are probably not, will have less access because there's a very low, there isn't a huge amount of this stuff available yet.
So if that has spurred any more interest in the whole equitable access point of your argument, Yeah, so, so absolutely right.
And that is the reason that donations like what Canada did yesterday become so important.
And also by the way, someone asked earlier, this is an area where the Gates Foundation has been really important because what they're trying to do together is look at how do we make sure this product is available because meaning exactly like you say, people are concerned there's a run on this and it's not.
So what they're trying to do is reserve production capacity and ensure procurement financing is there for these.
So if anything, it has spurred, you know, thinking and action within the ACT accelerator and from, you know, our donor partners to be able to make sure that we can access production capacity and procure product and get those reservations in early for low, low middle income countries.
And that's a good thing.
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Yeah, just a clarification.
So till now you don't have all the data on safety and efficacy of the Russian and the Chinese vaccines, because for example, Russia is is selling millions of doses around the world.
So if you can just clarify about that.
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So folks, this is not unique to the China and Russia vaccines, right?
This is is common to all of the vaccines trying to get the actual data.
So not just a report, right.
Everybody says their vaccines are safe and they've proven safe.
They may well and also that their efficacious, but what you really need to see Gabriella is the detailed data behind those.
So a regulator can't operate, you know, and regulate a product simply on the basis of a company saying it was safe and it was efficacious.
So this is not unique to the China or Russian products.
This is, you know, common across all products in the regulatory process.
You have to see all of this in detail.
Now, remember as well that countries have their own regulatory agencies that look at these and say, well, this data may be acceptable to them.
But what you're talking about now is WHO actually having a position on the product and for WHO to do that, it has to see the specific data.
So it's not that those data don't exist.
It's not that those data may not not have been looked at at a national level, but the question is have they been seen by WHO, if you're talking about AWHO, emergency use listing or pre qualification.
And what we're doing right now, Gabrielle is encouraging countries to work with us because there's a lot of data right when you're looking at efficacy, safety, quality, especially if you're say producing a multiple sites.
So what we're encouraging the countries, the companies to do is to work with us with rolling submissions of those data so that we can be ready as rapidly as possible with a regulatory opinion.
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And I forgot to bring in Margaret on that second question by Nina.
Margaret, would you like to inform the media about what you're Yeah, will you be available during the holidays?
So yeah, the media team, it will basically be me and Tarek will be available throughout the holidays.
My family on the other side of the earth.
So I'm not going to be able to do anything more than have a Zoom reunion.
So I will be available to you all that time.
As for global press conferences currently there, we do plan to continue them.
There will probably be fewer.
So not not twice a week, but the plan currently is to continue the global press conferences because this virus doesn't take holidays.
Quite right, quite right.
So it's important to be careful.
Everyone.
One very, very last question from Mousasi in the room here and then we will close this off.
Thank you so much for your generous time already.
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So right now we are working to secure that there's 2 billion doses now, not by the end.
We're hoping we're obviously planning to roll out from the beginning of 2021 those doses Musa right out through the year such that we would hit 2 billion doses by the end of the year and hopefully more and hopefully earlier, right.
But that is A and and remember a year ago and a year ago six months ago, that was a massive stretch target.
We didn't have any vaccines, any volume.
So we went out with a very well at the time what was an aggressive target.
We still don't know frankly what the global situation will look like in terms of doses.
We know a lot of countries of course, have contracted a lot of doses and it adds up to billions and billions of doses.
But we don't know Moosa, which one of those vaccines are actually going to work.
We don't know if manufacturers can actually meet those production targets.
And what we're finding in both areas, you have to scale fail back ambition.
We saw just last week, right, the CSL vaccine has got a major problem or had reported a problem.
We know that Sanofi had had a delay as one of the journalists already highlighted.
So all of these things affect the overall volumes.
You know, when you read in the in, in, in the news that, you know, X billion doses are, you know, contracted, that doesn't mean those are going to be produced.
It doesn't mean that it, you know, some of those contracts may not be realisable because the vaccine frankly doesn't work or the yields with the producing it right etcetera.
So we're having to calibrate and update this stuff all the time.
In terms of, of the distribution of these vaccines, in the website, Gabby's website, there is a list of the 189 countries that are part of the COVAX facility.
92 of them are what we call AMC or countries, which means they're eligible for financial support, donation of those vaccine.
The rest are what we call self financing countries that are working together through the facility.
And the full list is, is, is is on the website what we are in terms of the roll out of the vaccine, because where it's going to be very scarce at the beginning, there's a whole allocation framework, access and allocate.
Well, what we call an access framework and an allocation mechanism that explains how the very limited amounts of doses will be distributed.
To start with.
The first emphasis being on protecting that vital infrastructure of healthcare workers or health workers, frontline workers, then getting to the folks who are at higher risk of severe disease, the elderly and those with comorbidities.
So the allocation framework, that WHO is published in the allocation mechanism that underpins Gabby is anchored in that basic tenant of we've got to reduce the risk of severe disease.
Because remember folks, if you look at COVID, there's lots of COVID transmission, but only a small proportion of that results in severe disease.
It is that severe disease which is overloading our IC US, requiring the social distancing and completely disrupting our economies.
So what we're trying to do with those 2 billion doses is target them in a way that it is going to unstick the IC, US, the social distancing and get our economies going again.
We've got to get the fear out of this disease, get the confidence back at the consumer level, the corporate level, the community level, the country level.
And that's what we could do with that number.
But we can't do it without $5 billion to close the gap in the what we call the AMC part of the of the vaccine facility.
[Other language spoken]
We've taken a leap of your time.
I'm so sorry about that.
I thought I'd give 2 minutes.
And here's a couple of little things that happened yesterday.
But clearly if we can be more helpful to you going forward, we'll, we'll come more often and do that.
No, that's wonderful.
Thank you so much for your time and being with us this morning.
We've had 45 minutes.
So the next on briefing.
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Thank you so much, Margaret and Doctor Bruce Elward, Senior Advisor to the Director General and lead for the ACT Accelerator.
So good luck with the following steps on that.
So this is all we have for you this morning.
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Ready, Mulongo, I see your hand is up.
Is this for me?
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Doctor Elward, are you able to answer this final question Just trying I think we're voila.
OK, just trying to unmute here.
Sorry.
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I I I didn't quite catch to catch the question real.
So in terms of Madagascar and access to the specific yes, the journalist was asking if Madagascar people would be able to get access to the to the vaccine as well as others.
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So, so absolutely, folks, in establishing the the the the COVAX facility, the goal was to ensure every country could get access to COVID-19 tools as they become available and irrespective of their wealth.
That is the whole underpinning premise of the ACT accelerator.
So as I mentioned, if you go on to the Gabby site and you look at the COVID or the COVAX facility participating countries, you can see that full list of countries.
And, and, and, and I'm, I'm, I'm sure that, that I won't be careful what I say, I'm sure because I can't remember the whole 189, but I anticipate Madagascar is in there is certainly eligible.
Now remember, countries have to request the vaccine.
Countries have to, you know, do the in country readiness and preparedness.
And folks, you know, one of the things I said yesterday, and I just have to emphasise again, you know, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
What we have learned in the last month is we can generate immunity.
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I think it's a sign for us to stop.
OK, I think you can if you want to finish this.
Sorry.
Yeah, no, I feel the same way.
I'm sick of hearing my own voice, folks, at this point.
But you know, the point I was making is the last month is so important, right?
There is light at the end of the tunnel.
We can generate immunity against COVID-19, protective immunity using vaccine.
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The other thing that we've seen is we can actually do that across probably 3 different vaccine platforms, really important, which means we may be able to get more of the product than we'd originally hoped for in 2021.
But it's going to be slow, right?
It's a long tunnel, bright light at the end of it getting brighter realm, but it's a long tunnel and it is going to take a while to get these products out in the volumes that we need to really change the dynamic of the, the outbreak.
But again, as you all know, we get the diagnostics out there, use the the preventive measures properly, we can change the dynamic even faster than we need to with the vaccine.
OK, Thank you so much for all of that information.
And we're going to end here the briefing of Tuesday, 15th of December.
Thank you very much everyone for your attention and patience.
And sorry for those small technical difficulties.
But in the end, I think we we got everything.
So thank you very much and have a very good afternoon and we'll see you on Friday.
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