Welcome to the press briefing in Geneva, Friday, 26th of February.
I will start immediately by giving the floor to Rolando Gomez for the Human Rights Council for an update.
Rolando, you have the floor.
Very good morning to all of you.
I will brief you on the programme of the Human Rights Council for today and for Monday.
Today is, it's rather busy but also very straightforward programme at the Council.
At 10:00, the Council started its panel discussion on the role of poverty alleviation in in promoting and protecting human rights, which has a particular angle on the ****** posed by poverty in the context of COVID-19.
And this is one of the many panels that the Council is holding this session.
I shared with you last night a concept note with details that will end at 12 O clock.
At 12 O clock, the **** Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, will present her global oral update.
This is a statement that is somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes long.
It's a video message along with other other, other presentations.
And this is, of course, shedding light on the recent human rights developments worldwide, as well as the activities of her office.
So immediately following that, that presentation by video message, there will be a second one that will be presented also by the **** Commissioner for Human Rights.
And this speaks to several country reports, including on Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras.
These are written reports as well as an oral update on the situation of human rights in Venezuela.
And then there's a separate report on Cyprus and then report a rather an oral update on Eritrea and then finally a written report on COVID-19.
It, it sounded a little convoluted, but I, I read it in the order in which the reports are will be presented in the statement which you have received under embargo for roughly 12:00.
So this will take up the 12:00 all the way to 1:00 when we have a break.
When we resume at 3:00, States and NGOs will engage in a general debate with the **** Commissioner on all the reports that I just mentioned.
We'll start off with the concerned country statements first, so those countries I just mentioned, and then all other States and NGOs will have a chance to take part in this general debate, which will last throughout the rest of the day.
So quite a busy day indeed, but fairly straightforward I'd say.
And of course, the one thing I wanted to say, I will share with you a list of speakers once that is firmed up for Monday.
Very briefly, if I can get you on track for Monday, we have an annual panel discussion on the rights of the child, carrying the theme of the rights of the child in sustainable development.
So that'll start at 10:00 on Monday morning, 11:50 in fact.
Now afterwards, at roughly noon, we'll hear from the first of a series of thematic human rights experts, starting with the new Special Rapporteur on the right to food.
That's Michael Fakhri, who will spell out his vision for the mandate.
And then the new special rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children with Mama Fatima Singate, whose report addresses the impact of COVID-19 on different manifestations of sale and of the sale and sexual exploitation of children.
So that is Monday afternoon, also on Monday.
And as announced earlier this week, in terms of press conferences, the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic will hold a press conference at 1:00 PM.
It's a totally total virtual press conference with three commissioners to launch their special report on arbitrary imprisonment and detention over the course of the conflict and the continuing trends in the country, covering the period from March 2011 up to the end of last year, December 2020.
They will also speak to their report published on 18th February, which we shared with you, which provides A retrospective overview of key recurrence human rights concerns over the course of the conflict in the continuing trends in the country more broadly.
There is a second press conference on behalf of OHCHR on Monday.
And this is with Anyas Calamar, who is the UN Special Rapporteur on extra judicial summary or arbitrary executions, and Irene Kahn, Special Rapporteur on the promotion protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
The press conference is to for them to present the findings of their investigation into the case of Alexei Navalny.
We'll have Miss Khan who will be here in person and Miss Calamar who will be participating remotely.
One question practical for for the Monday press briefing, a hybrid, how many people can be in the room?
Gabriella, I think I can answer this.
As usual, with the restrictions that are decided by the host country, we cannot have more than five people in the room, excluding the organisers, the people on the podium.
So that that that's the limitation with which we are working.
I understand that there may be a few people that would want to have a camera here at least.
So maybe if there are requests to come with the camera, let us know at Unis and we will try to coordinate this.
Yes, it's also a point of clarification.
Thanks for taking my question.
Rolando, you just sent us some notices just now with some video and some texts, but I haven't looked at it.
Does the text of the Commission, commissioner's speech is, does that correspond with the video?
Yes, the thanks, Peter, the the text you received earlier, it was actually from Rupert's office.
So the media team and his team, they shared the text with you, which is in fact a transcript of the video that will be played at noon.
So it's it's verbatim and body.
Rolando, question about next Monday, Madame Gallaman, will she launch a report or a summary in advance before the press conference?
That's a question I think I'd you would need to point to our colleagues working in Rupert's office, particularly Jeremy Lawrence, who's been working with the special rapporteurs.
As you know, he's the media focal point.
I understand it's a communique, but I I'm not entirely sure the plans for sharing anything in advance, but do check with Jeremy on that one.
I I saw the speech was given for the various countries and COVID previously, but I haven't seen the global update yet, unless I've missed it.
Is that going to be sent also before she gives it at noon?
I thought it was sent already, but maybe it was me make with so many emails coming and I might have mistook that for the global update.
Let me let's double check that with Rupert, because in obviously it's important you get that as early as possible.
So let me follow up with with his team on that immediately after this press briefing, Freddy.
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Can't you have the floor?
We can't hear, so I will go to Gabriella.
There was a side event on Venezuela and they they were asking to remove the Maduros regime from the Human Rights Council and I heard that there are almost 200,000 signatures asking for these.
Then Secretary Blinking spoke about the record of human rights of the members of the Human Rights Council.
So is there going to be any discussion in New York or where about this issue or it's just a words and that's it?
Yeah, I side event I, I'm not sure which side of it you're referring to, but it, it wasn't an official Council side event per SE, nothing associated with the Council.
There may have been something else arranged, but not, not in connection with the Council.
In terms of Venezuela, indeed there have been many states raised the issue in Venezuela during the **** level segment.
I can't tell you how many, but quite a number did raise the situation.
We have an oral update as I mentioned this this morning and it will in a short while this afternoon by the **** Commission on Venezuela.
We expect several that will trigger several states this statements this afternoon during the general debate.
You know, beyond that, in terms of any calls for the removal of any member state from the Human Rights Council, that would require the General Assembly's action, as you well know.
But that is not for something for the council to decide here.
I see your hand is still up.
No, I sorry, I forgot to put it down.
Thank you so much, Orlando.
Gabriella Ravikant, I see you have reconnected with your full name.
You know, I think we have a problem with your with your connection because we cannot hear you in the room.
Any other question to Rolando, I don't see any.
So thank you very much, Rolando.
And let me go to Edward Harris, who also has an announcement about the press conference of the 1st of March.
Ed thank you very much, Alessandra.
Very briefly, I just wanted to give you a little bit more information what we're doing on Monday.
So this is as you do each March, the annual results of our global filing systems for patents, trademarks, industrial designs, as well as some figures on cyber squatting and arbitration and mediation.
Why this is particularly interesting this year is because you'll see the 1st results of the pandemic related shutdowns on these IP rights, which kind of underpin a lot of the crucial elements of the modern digital and global economies.
Of course, there's been major human and economic disruptions related to the pandemic, and on Monday you'll see how that's translated into this part of of the economy.
So the press conference is at 11 AM via this platform, March 1st on Monday, that's under embargo.
DG Darren Tang will be there with chief economist Kirsten Fink.
The embargo lifts the following day, Tuesday, March 2nd at 10.
AMI will endeavour to get you the embargo material as soon as I can, hopefully this afternoon, if not through the weekend.
So you have plenty of time to to consult with it before the press conference on Monday morning.
Already in advance, if you'd like to do any interviews under embargo, I'm happy to try and set anything up.
So just hit me back on that.
So thank you very much, Alessandra.
Ed, Let me see if there's any question for you.
OK, So thank you very much.
My before we leave the announcement, just let me give you the usual updates I try to give you once a week about the COVID case numbers in the UN Secretariat staff in Geneva.
As of today, 26th of February, a total of 226 UN Secretariat staff in Geneva have tested positive to COVID.
And this is a global figure since March 2020.
And let's go now to the other items on the agenda.
And we have Boris Cheshkov for the refugee agency and then Paul, Dylan.
Boris, let's start with you.
Thank you, Alessandra, and good morning, everyone.
We we do have a note this morning on displacement in Yemen.
Amid intensified clashes in Yemen's Marib region, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, is calling for safe passage for the fleeing civilians.
Fighting parties must spare no effort to protect the population caught in the conflict and ease its impact on civilians.
Insecurity is increasingly hindering the delivery of aid to civilians in Marib, with dire consequences for the most vulnerable among them.
The latest clashes are just a few kilometres from Madib city and people had little choice but to flee to relative safety in the urban areas.
The existing sites for internally displaced are already overcrowded and the humanitarian response is overstretched.
More than 800,000 displaced Yemenis have been taking refuge in this part of the country.
Most of them have been sheltering there since the start of the conflict in 2015.
Unimpeded access to affected areas must be granted to aid agencies so that critical life saving assistance can be delivered to the displaced and other families in body and elsewhere in the country where the needs are dire.
Ahead of a major donor pledging conference for Yemen which starts on Monday 1st March, we are also warning that the growing number of displaced Yemenis are now facing severe food insecurity.
Out of 4 million ID PS in Yemen, nearly 2.6 millionaire, just a step away from famine.
Most ID PS are sheltering in parts of the country assessed to have acute food shortages or famine like conditions.
Conflict, protracted displacement as well as lack of access to services and livelihoods are the main reason for growing poverty and food insecurity among the displaced.
Many of them have been displaced for more than two years, while some have had to flee multiple times, straining their meagre resources and increasing the dependency on humanitarian aid.
Life in Yemen is getting more desperate and dangerous by the day.
Based on Unhcr's assessment, 64% of displaced families have no resources for income.
Others earn less than fifty U.S.
dollars a month to make ends meet.
Consequently, 2 out of 3 displaced families say they need to resort to harmful coping mechanisms just to survive.
They limit or skip their meals.
They take children out of school and forgo medical attention.
Some end up begging or selling whatever they have.
Child marriages are on the rise.
To mobilise international support for the people of Yemen, UN **** Commissioner for Refugees Pinipo Grande will on Monday attend the virtual **** Level Pledging event to call for robust international support for life saving humanitarian response.
We are seeking 271,000,000 United States dollars for our 2021 operations in Yemen.
So far, only 6% of this amount has been received.
And we need and we may be forced to reduce drastically the number of people receiving aid with dramatic consequences, notably for children, women and other vulnerable people.
I think I'll leave it there.
Thank you very much, Boris.
And as you said about the conference for on Yemen, I think Jens sent you programme and other information.
He's in the room if you have any question on this.
And before opening to questions, I'd like to give the floor to Paul Dillon for IOM, who also has an update on Yemen.
One second, we are opening the mic of Paul Dylan.
Paul, if you can hear me, you need to to unmute your mic.
Yes, yes, sorry about that.
You'd think I would have learned after all this time.
Thank you very much and good morning.
The International Organisation for Migration is watching with growing alarm as increasing numbers of people are displaced in Yemen, adding to the already worrisome few food security concerns there.
Hostilities in Yemen's Mareb government have led to the displacement of at least 9000 people in recent weeks, bringing the total number of displacements in that part of the country to more than 117,000 people.
Humanitarian depart partners there estimate that 385,000 people are at risk of further displacement, in addition to hundreds of thousands of others.
In Marib city city, with the population of roughly 3 million people, the latest epicentre of violence is Sirua.
It's a mountainous district in Marib Government Steerwah hosts district alone hosts around 30,000 displaced people and 14 displacement sites, three of which were directly impacted by fighting in recent in recent weeks, forcing the onward displacement of at least 6000 people.
All three of those sites have been completely emptied as a result of these displacement Sites should be refuges.
All civilians, including displaced people, must be afforded from the fight.
The local community in Marib is long welcomed, vulnerable displaced people, but today the situation is far beyond something that they alone command.
We're calling for a greater humanitarian presence and resources as an urgent matter that needs to be resolved.
And I'm looking now at the journalist in the room or online if there are any questions on Yemen.
Thank you very much to both.
And yes, he's in the room, as I said.
And Boris, you had another item on Central Africa, I think.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has today launched a 164,000,000 U.S.
dollar appeal to provide life saving assistance and protection to nearly 1.5 million uprooted Central Africans.
This includes 210,000 who have fled a new bout of violence related to the December 2020 presidential of the general elections.
Since the new crisis erupted, some 100,000 people have been displaced inside the Central African Republic, while neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, the DRC and the Republic of Congo have received at least 111,000 new arrivals.
Refugees are continuing to cross every day.
New arrivals are reporting grave human rights abuses inside CAR.
Our colleagues in Gore in Chad are caring for a 26 year old refugee mother who was beaten and raped by a rebel with her six month old baby by her side after fleeing her home.
She is now pregnant and as a as a result of the ******* and is receiving medical and psychosocial support from our teams.
To enable Unhcr's targeted and timely protection and assistance to the displaced Central Africans and their hosts, and to ensure our support to governments and other partners, we require urgent financial contributions.
Unless funding is swiftly made available, we will be forced to reduce or halt vital assistance even as the needs are rising.
dollars to address the ongoing protection crisis and help us support the most vulnerable children and families, to prevent and respond to gender based violence, to monitor for registration and for documentation.
Another 13.7 million U.S.
dollars is needed for shelter and essential relief to the displaced that are now living in dire conditions inside car in neighbouring countries and who also depend on the generosity of local host communities.
dollars for health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene.
These are needed also to prevent disease needs are compounded by the looming ****** of COVID-19.
Despite our limited resources, we have already scaled up our assistance as well as border and protection monitoring to proactively identify and address the most pressing needs of displaced Central Africans.
We are registering and supporting survivors of sexual violence and helping to mitigate the risk of further gender based violence.
We're also working to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections by building and equipping quarantine centres and for treatment and isolation as well as testing, distributing masks, raising awareness on COVID-19 prevention and social distancing by improving water, sanitation and health resources.
Funds for you in HC Rs Humanitarian response to support the displaced Central Africans are already critically low and under severe pressure due to the rising needs of both refugees and the host communities.
We are urgently appealing to the international community to mobilise resources to protect and assist the displaced Central Africans and their hosts.
In our notes, which you should have received, we also have a link to the appeal document.
Thank you very much, Boris.
And again, I turn to the journalist for questions.
Leave them a few seconds more.
There are no questions for the refugee agency on both items.
So thank you very much, Boris for this items, briefing items.
And I'll turn now to my right for Thompson that has a briefing on Tigray bourgeois truce.
The United Nations World Food Programme, WFP, is urgently appealing 407 million United States dollars to ramp up food assistance to reach 1,000,000 people as hunger levels continue to spiral in Tigray, Ethiopia.
The food cluster estimates that 3 million people across urban and rural areas as well, including the displaced and retainees, need emergency food assistance at least until late this year.
Food insecurity in the region is driven by conflict, loss of jobs and income, disruption of markets and movement, loss of harvest, skyrocketing food prices, and severe difficulties accessing cash and fuel.
At the request of the Government of Ethiopia, WFP is providing food assistance and logistical support to both the government and humanitarian partners.
As part of its response, the World Food Programme is targeting 1,000,000 people with food assistance and providing 875,000 children and pregnant and nursing mothers with specialised nutrition support.
Since 15 December 2020, WFP has delivered 20,000 metric tonnes of assistance through 18 convoys reaching various locations such as Adharoosh, Mayayini, Mekele and Shirley with critical supplies.
If sufficient funding is secured, WFP will scale up the transportation capacity of the government and partners to deliver additional humanitarian assistance to those in need, especially in rural areas.
I will circulate this note right after the press briefing and we'll stop here to see if there are any questions.
And I will ask the same question to the journalist online or in the room, OK, No questions to WFP.
So thank you very much, Thompson.
And my last point, the last point on my agenda is just to remind you that we have suspended on the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women as suspended yesterday it's 78 session.
It will adopt its concluding observation on the report of Denmark next Thursday 4th of March.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will close it's 7060 ninth session on Friday 5th of March.
During this session they have reviewed the the reports of Finland and Latvia and a reminder that the Human Rights Committee will open next Monday, 1st of March at 4:00 PM.
This is a virtual session.
It will last until the 26th of March.
In During this time, they will review the reports of Finland and Kenya and that is what I had in terms of announcements for you.
I see that John Xerocostas is asking a question and then we will go to the last part of the briefing.
This time we can go ahead.
My question is to Thompson, if he's got an update on what the Wealth Food Programme is doing in Yemen with regards to providing food.
John, I stop you because Thompson has just stepped out of the room.
Francois is trying to catch him.
Maybe you can follow up with your question as soon as you get to this office.
This concludes the the regular briefing, but we have as, as you know a presentation from WHO.
So we'd like to ask everybody to stay on the line while we do the necessary technical modifications and we'll back, we will be back to you straight away with Tareq and his guests.
Just one second, stay on the line please.
