Let's go right into some announcements.
We'll give the floor first to Rolando Gomez from the Human Rights Council, so he can give you a quick update on what's happening today.
I will be fairly brief, just to keep you on track for the proceedings of the Human Rights Council for today.
The programme is as follows.
At 10 AM, the Council began with rights of reply and these are a roughly 20 states have inscribed a list to to speak during this segment, which is a reaction to statements that were delivered during the general debate on the **** Commissioner's update which concluded yesterday.
So again, around 20 states are engaged in its rights of reply segment, which should last to roughly 11:00 this morning.
And this is in addition to the programme I sent you last night.
So I apologise for not indicating that last night.
So the programme just shifted roughly about an hour.
At approximately 11:00, the Council will begin a series of presentations, a hearing, a series of presentations by thematic human rights experts, and this will continue until the end of this week.
So roughly at 11:00 this morning, we'll hear from the new special rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children.
And her report is addressing the impact of coronavirus disease on different manifestations of sale and sexual exploitation of children.
And she's also presenting a country visit report undertaken by her predecessor to Gambia.
Then at around noon, we'll hear a report from the independent expert on the effects of foreign debt, That's Mr Yufen Lee.
And the report is focusing on the role of credit rating agencies in debt relief, debt crisis prevention and human rights.
And this will be followed by interactive discussion.
This will carry over to the afternoon session and then at roughly 33345, we'll hear from the Special Rapporteur on the right to food.
This is Mr Michael Fakri.
He's a new rapporteur in fact, and his report is to spell out his vision and priorities for his mandate as he embarks on this important mandate.
And then time permitting, at the end of the day, we may or not may not hear from the independent expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism.
That's Ikhwanwosa Aero, who's been counsel rapporteur for some time now.
And she is the will be providing an overview of the work of the on the mandate and on her mission to Brazil, which he undertook just over a year ago.
And this will be followed by interactive discussion as well tomorrow.
Very briefly, we continue, as mentioned with thematic experts presenting in in the following order for tomorrow, we have the special Rapporteur on the rights of person with disabilities.
This is a new mandate holder in fact and Mr Gerrard Quinn, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of of religion or belief, this is Ahmed Shahid and his report is actually discussing combating anti Muslim hate and those are in the morning, disabilities and religion or belief in the morning and then in the afternoon.
Tomorrow we have the Rapporteur on cultural rights, Miss Karima Bannoun, whose report will focus on COVID-19 in the aspect of cultural rights.
And lastly, we'll hear from the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, Mr.
David Boyd, whose report touches on water pollution and water scarcity.
So that's all I have for you.
Rolando, might there be some questions for a colleague from the Human Rights Council?
So thank you very much, Rolando, for being with us this morning and good luck with everything that's happening today.
On that, we will move right along to Francisco Perez from Saitis, who also has an announcement for you.
Good morning, Francisco, and welcome.
Thank you for having me and good morning, colleagues.
Good morning members of the press.
My name is Francisco Perez, I work for the SITE Secretariat and it's my pleasure to come to talk to you about the celebration of the United Nations World Wildlife Day, which will play take place tomorrow, 3 March, starting at 2:00 live on YouTube.
With SO, the SITE Secretariat with the United Nations Development Programme, Jackson Wilde and other partner organisations are setting this up to be the first ever virtual celebration of World Wildlife Day.
Under the theme of Forest and Livelihood Sustaining People and Planet, We intend to bring together representatives of local and indigenous peoples and communities, UN Member States, UN system organisations and multilateral environmental agreement, civil society and private sector for a series of discussions on the experiences and knowledge of communities whose livelihoods rely on forest and forest wildlife and who have a long history of managing forest ecosystem sustainably.
There will be opening remarks by His Excellency Mr Federico Tenorio Calderon, Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation of Peru and His Excellency Mr Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations.
We will also be hearing from several indigenous and local community leaders from around the world including Miss Nemonta Ningimo, founder of the Ecuadorian NGO Elianza Sabo and Mr Albert Lotana Lo Casola, founder of the DR Congo based organisation De Sovar, both of them laureates of the 2020 Equator Prize Initiative.
I believe we will also be unveiling the winners of two of the now staple artistic contest that come with every World Wildlife Day event.
The World Wildlife Day Film Showcase organised with Jackson Wilde UNDP and the World Wildlife Day International Youth Art Contest organised with UNDP as well but led by the International Fund for Animal Welfare or Eiffel.
The winner of the youth art contest will be introduced by Miss Dia Mirza.
Miss Mirza is an actor, producer, UN secretary general's SDG advocate, UNEP goodwill ambassador and Ifill Global ambassador.
The winners of the film showcase will be unveiled by our partners at Jackson Wild, specifically Miss Lisa Sanford, Executive Director of Jackson Wild.
As I mentioned earlier, the event will be broadcast live and accessible to the public on YouTube starting 2:00 PM Geneva time, 8:00 AM New York time, and will be accessible on the link that I've shared with many of you via e-mail and which will be either visible on the site's homepage or in my briefing notes.
Thank you very much, Francisco.
Sounds like a very interesting event.
I see we have a couple of journalists online who would like to ask questions.
So Catherine Fionca Boconga France Venkat bonjour Catrin.
OK, on some level of the problem to connected, no problem.
Very good and and we hear you.
OK, I just have a question, is there going to be by any chance a press conference following this the World Wildlife Day?
Will there be an opportunity to speak to some of the participants?
There's no press conference planned afterwards, only a press release which will come out by the time the event is out.
Would it be possible to to get in touch with you just just in case I want to speak to one of the participants?
You can contact me on the CITES media account, which is displayed at the very bottom of the cites.org page.
Or you have to make bilateral contact.
I can try and arrange something for you.
Let's go back to Catherine Fioncon and see if we.
I mean problem with my computer.
In fact, my, my I had the same question of of Paula number one.
Francisco, could you be kind enough please, to share your contact details, meaning your number and e-mail address by or giving it as to us now or giving it to Eunice as so like that we can contact you directly.
And I wanted to also to know if the secretary general of the scientist, Yvonne, what's her name?
Igero is, is launching something or giving a statement or could you send us any document?
Because in the link, we have a link to to follow the events, but we don't have any written material.
I can share with you, of course, the details of for contact and can provide any extra information on this.
We're not launching any particular report ourselves On this date.
This is an annual celebration we hold every year.
But I mean, yeah, I will make my contacts available for more details on this.
That would be nice of you.
Yeah, If you need any assistance from Eunice Francisco, you can contact us.
But I think we gave you the contact list the other day, so you can deal directly with the the accredited correspondence at the Pele.
And one final question from Nina Larson from AFP.
Actually, I also want to ask a similar question, but I was because I haven't also seen any any details on this previously, but would it be possible at least to receive the the press release under embargo in advance so that we have at least some idea of what this is going to be about?
So that will be tricky in embargo because obviously it's a, it's a joint press release with partners.
I will consult and see if it is possible at all and get back to you.
Lots of interest Francesco for your event.
And of course, you will try to share whatever additional information you can with with our journalists.
Thanks very much for being with us.
We'll go now to Boris Chechakov from the UNHCR, who has a couple of topics to on which to give you some information.
Yes, thank you and good morning to everyone.
Francisco was cutting out a little bit, so I hope my connection will be stable.
But indeed, we have two, two items today.
The first one is surging violence in Nigeria, driving displacement into neighbouring Niger.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is alarmed at surging violence in northwest Nigeria, which has fueled displacement into neighbouring Niger's Marathi region, where violence is also on the rise, peering armed groups in communal clashes.
More than 7660 refugees have fled into Nigeria, into Marathi this year, from Nigeria into Marathi this year, and another 3500 citizens of Niger have been displaced inside the country.
Most of the refugees are women and children displaced following recent attacks in Nigeria's Sokoto state.
The Marathi region in southern Niger now hosts nearly 100,000 displaced people, including 77,000 Nigerian refugees who have fled relentless attacks in Katsina, Sukoto and Zamfaro states.
UNHCR commends the generosity of Niger as it continues to grant asylum despite border restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNHCR teams in Niger have recorded a spike in deadly violence inside Marathi itself, with more casualties and serious incidents reported in January and February 2021 than in the whole of the second-half of 2020.
Many have also been caught up in clashes between farmers and murders as well as vigilantism and self defence groups are being set up in most villages.
People fleeing are in urgent need of water, food, shelter and health services.
Most have fled anti handed in a rush to save their lives.
UNHCR is providing life saving assistance and protection and has scaled up border monitoring activities.
Our teams are also registering new arrivals to identify people with vulnerabilities and other specific needs.
We're working closely with the Nigerian authorities to relocate refugees away from the border and into safer localities where basic assistance and services are available.
Since October 2019, some 11,320 refugees have been relocated to other villages where UNHCR and our partners have strengthened water, health, sanitation and education infrastructure.
Armed groups in the Sahel and the Lake Chad regions have been fueling one of the world's fastest growing displacement and protection crises.
To date, more than 3.2 million people have been displaced by violence in the Lake Chad Basin.
Humanitarian efforts to respond to the emergency are dangerously overstretched.
UNHCRS Lake Chad Basin operation requires 128.6 million United States dollars and is only 10% funded.
UNHCR is urging the international community to boost support for the region and to help government root out the causes of this force displacement and to boost strategic and sustainable development.
We have included some B roll in our note and there's some more details also in in what you have received this morning.
Thank you very much, Boris.
I see we have a question from Lisa Schlein.
Lisa yes, good morning, Rael, Good morning, Boris and others on this terrible issue which keeps going on and on and on.
I was wondering whether there was any particular reason for the upsurge now, whether it had levelled off before to some extent of whether something has happened to create this spike in, in violence and who, who are the armed groups?
Are they a motley group or is it is Boko Haram still involved in this situation?
They, it seems to have gone into the shadows.
And so I'm wondering whether other groups are more prominent now, more reasons for this.
What we have seen this situation is obviously not new and certainly in the last two years, there have been several waves of displacement from Northwest Nigeria into Niger's Maradi.
But what we have witnessed in the last several months, especially since the start of this year is that the violence has been been increasing.
There are more registered incidents in the last two months then in the whole of the second-half of of 2020.
So obviously there is a surge of violent attacks of these include murders and kidnappings and lootings.
Who is perpetrating them?
We for the moment think that these are unidentified armed groups, but they are really causing a, a very serious situation which is driving this fresh displacement.
And at the same time, the humanitarian needs are surging from the most basic shelter, food and water to then the the next level of needs.
This is one of the reasons why we're working with the Nigerian authorities to relocate people away from these border areas because also inside Marathi, the violence has been increasing.
I don't see any additional question on this topic, so maybe we move to your other topic on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is working to relocate thousands of Central African refugees away from dangerous conditions in remote border areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo into safer sites further in the interior of the country.
UNHCR and the Dr CS National Refugee Commission have signed agreements and started to develop a site for 100,000 refugee 1 excuse me for 10,000 refugees in Modale village.
This is near Yakoma in North Ubangi province.
A second site is being considered near Undo in Vasuele and it's pending government approval.
And then two more sites are being identified.
In total, UNHCR and CNR will prepare 4 relocation sites for 35,000 refugees.
They will be able to live alongside local communities, to grow their own crops, to attend local schools and benefit from other services.
Settling refugees and local communities will allow them to live in greater dignity and independence.
At the Modalis site, UNHCR is setting up new water and sanitation facilities and is planning to expand health and education facilities.
The localities selected already have administrative and judicial services.
They have 9 primary schools, a secondary school and a health clinic.
We are reinforcing these existing services and infrastructure to be able to cope for when there are new arrivals, otherwise they would they would struggle.
Most Central African refugees are now living along riverbanks in hard to reach border areas among host communities with extremely limited resources.
Conditions are dire with many refugees sleeping in makeshift shelters or out in the open.
Most have little to no access to drinking water, sanitation for food.
Some have been welcomed by host families, sometimes up to three refugee families in a single home.
As the needs of thousands of Central African refugees continue to rise, so do the funding requirements.
Funds for UNHCR humanitarian response are already critically low and under severe pressure due to the needs of both refugees and the host communities.
We are appealing for 164.7 million United States dollars to deliver critical protection and assistance for the displaced Central Africans.
The note which I hope you had received this morning, also has Bureau and some additional details.
And I'm happy to take questions.
And I see that Lisa has her hand up again.
Boris, wondering whether the exodus from Central African Republic has essentially stopped.
I mean, I see that the #92,000 and the DRC is is the same as it was the last time you reported on this situation.
And whether things essentially have calmed down somewhat in CAR so that people are not fleeing or are you concerned that this could?
Increase at any time become volatile once again, thank you.
The situation remains volatile and it's still concerning for us, especially since 200,000 people have been forced from their homes, at least 100,000 our ID PS eternally displaced inside CAR.
But also now 110,000 people who have been displaced in the region, most of them being in the DRC.
And indeed we since our last reports of the numbers have more or less remained the same.
These 92,000 are government estimates.
We have been working hard to scale up our biometric registrations.
Already we have around 40,000 people registered in the DRC.
Our scale is around 1000 new registrations per day.
But what what concerns us is that those that have been displaced are living in dire conditions and and they need urgent assistance.
And this is one of the reasons why our focus now is to relocate them away from the border areas along these riverbanks and into safer locations.
And we're developing this first site at Modale and then the second one at Undo and ultimately these four locations.
One of the things that I can mention is outside of the basic needs for food, shelter and water, also the health services that need to reach the displaced inside DRC are mounting or the needs are mounting rather.
We have recently had a joint evaluation team among UN agencies, NGOs and the local provincial health authorities and we're very concerned that there might be a measles outbreak.
There are already cases that have been registered.
Only 30% of the refugee children have been vaccinated.
We're calling for a vaccination.
Dr And then at the same time, I wanted to mention that some areas of CAR are are seeing more calm.
One of these areas is Bangasu.
As you know, the violence there was was quite intense at the start of the situation.
We know that some people that are now staying in Undu are making regular trips back to Bangasu across the river and then paddling back to spend the night in Undu.
So the safety issues that you described they're to do, they're not to do with actual conflict in DRC.
It it's safety issues are related to the health and and the sexual violence that you described as opposed to armed conflict.
And I'd like to follow up as well.
Thanks and we thank you for that.
Follow up of the situation in the DRC for us is that the conditions that people face because they're staying with local hosts that are already under intense pressure with limited resources and now having to to support the refugee community that has come in, in the last two months or so has has really put tremendous pressure on their abilities to to host them.
We need to get assistance to them.
The road infrastructure is poor.
And this is our main concern inside the DRC in CAR in, in the Central African Republic.
We continue to register grave human rights violations, including instances of sexual violence and and of assaults and attacks.
So we are still concerned that the situation remains volatile in in inside CAR.
There is some displacement continuing to take place.
We do have reports of continuing arrivals of refugees, especially in Cameroon and some to some degree in Chad, not as many coming at in the DRC.
And we're working to to have a better estimate based on our biometric registrations, which at this point are 40,000 comparing to the estimates of the government of 92,000.
And this has been a stable estimate for the last few weeks.
And is the situation so dire in DRC that some of them are actually going back to CAR?
And secondly, can you say a little bit more about the child's marriages?
Are these somehow linked to the period of upheaval in Central African Republic or is that unfortunately a feature of life anyway there?
One of the things to say is that some of the services inside Benghazi in the Central African Republic have come back online, some of the schools, some of the churches, some of the hospitals, including the market, as I understand from colleagues.
And this has meant that people staying in Undu, which is across the river, have been going back home to Benghasu and then travelling back at night because they don't feel that it's safe enough to stay.
What we see in inside the Central African Republic is that the cases of sexual violence of of of also other forms of exploitation, including of children, the risk is remains ****.
And this is a main concern for us.
And this is one of the ways that we are trying to scale up our assistance.
And this is one of the efforts that we will strengthen and continue to scale up as more funds are coming in with the appeal that we launched on Friday.
We have two more questions on on the line.
Freddy Mulongo, we bonjour, real bonjour.
The situation exact the refugees South Africa.
Let's see Freddy do did you understand that Boris or should I interpret it's essentially yes, but if you could help, OK.
Freddy was asking about the situation of central Central African refugees in the north of the country.
They are experiencing great precarity and he wanted to know whether UN humanitarian organisations were having any particular logistical difficulties in reaching them.
Indeed, there are quite a bit of logistical difficulties because these are remote areas of the infrastructure to reach people is quite poor.
It it takes a lot of planning and effort to, to coordinate and get into these areas and to make sure that continuous deliveries of assistance are coming in at the same time the resources are stretched.
We we're already facing a very severe funding crunch on the Central African Republic situation, which includes the response that we have in the DRC.
And now we we have launched this fresh appeal and asking the international community to support us further and to support the humanitarian efforts further.
What I can say is that still we're able to provide assistance.
We have been serving a quite a **** number of people.
Our registration is helping us identify those that are most at risk.
With the 40,000 registrations that we have been able to conclude so far, around 4500 people with extreme ****, **** at **** risk with with serious vulnerabilities with specific needs have been identified.
These include women at risk, people with disabilities, some that have specific medical conditions and we've been able to support them.
So it's important that we are able to to provide this care, but it's becoming increasingly difficult, especially as the rainy season is approaching.
And this will certainly have make it more difficult to reach these areas.
This is why relocating them to safer locations is our priority right now.
And we have one last question from Bairam Altuk from Anadolu.
Thank you for taking my question.
Oh, Bairam, we do not hear you very well.
Speak closely to your mic.
OK, so I have a different question for Greece, the Turkish minister.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has released a statement citing an instant in which Greek forces removed 13 Afghan refugees from a refugee camp on Greek island of ****** on February 18 and pushed them back to Turkey after assaulting them and taking their personal belongings.
According to the statement, over 80,000 asylum seekers have been pushed back to Turkey in the last four years by Greece.
And this is a systematic policy.
So can you comment on these pushbacks?
Are these policies by Greece a violation of European Union and international laws?
Thank you, Byron, good morning to you and thank you for the question.
Certainly the situation with push backs at both land and sea borders of Greece has been one that that we have been following closely in the over the course of definitely the last year.
But but even before this, we have continuously expressed our concern and of these continuing and in in some cases increasing reports of pushbacks of people attempting to reach Greece both by sea and by land and then being being pushed back on.
This specific incident that you mentioned, I might not have all the details.
I think you may be referring to to one incident which which we also have information reports reaching us of around I think 13 Afghan nationals who including children who according to several eyewitness reports were on the 17th of February, were reaching the northern shores of ****** Island.
I cannot give much information now, but I'm happy to come back to you bilaterally by rum, if I, if I may, and connect you to my colleague who's following this situation, just to make sure that I have all the details.
Byram, you want to have a follow up?
Are these policies by Chris a violation, a clear violation of an international right?
Clearly the 1951 Refugee Convention and also the European Convention on Human Rights and EU law requires states to protect the right of people to seek asylum and to be protected from pushbacks and being sent back without going through the regular asylum process.
So for sure, whenever these incidents come to to light, then reports reach us, we approach the authorities, we seek formal investigations and and we closely monitor the situation.
But I am indeed happy to to come back to you bilaterally specifically on this, on this instance that you mentioned.
That's all the questions for you this morning.
Boris, thank you as always for being with us and wish you a good day.
We'll turn now to another one of our regular spokespeople who is here Thompson Ferry from the World Food Programme who will tell you some give you some information on refugee ration cuts in East Africa and also the impact of fuel crisis on Yemen's food security situations.
Good morning Thompson, good morning.
Thank you so much for your just to say that Boris may may say 1-2 or three after after I've given the initial remarks on on the refugee ration cuts in East Africa.
the United Nations World Food Programme, WFP and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency are appealing for $266,000,000 to end food ration cuts for over 3,000,000 refugees in East Africa.
Critical funding shortages have forced cuts of up to 60%, compromising long standing efforts to achieve food security in camps.
East Africa hosts one of the largest displaced populations of any region in the world, with some 4.4 million refugees and 8.1 million internally displaced people as of end 2020.
WFP has been forced to implement ration cuts for refugees in Uganda and Kenya by 40%, South Sudan 30%, Djibouti 23% and Ethiopia 16%.
However, the most dramatic cut is in Rwanda.
We're starting from this much refugees will have their rations cut by 60%, meaning that refugees will only receive 40% of the recommended minimum daily kilo calories.
As our refugee programme in Rwanda is completely cash transfers, we can quickly reverse this situation, but only if we can receive additional funding.
Refugees rely on humanitarian assistance to survive and it does not get any easier for them when when food rations are reduced.
Ration cuts have extremely serious implications that go beyond food and nutrition security.
When food is in short supply, protection concerns including sexual and gender based violence increases in the camps and this can also serve to significantly escalate tensions even within hosting areas.
If WFP is forced to continue cutting rations, this could prompt refugee communities to move within host countries or even across borders as they become more desperate to meet their basic needs.
Such movements, as you will all agree, could not have come at a worse time.
With the COVID-19 spreading even amidst fears of 1/3 worth, most governments continually meet their obligations under the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework.
They open local services, provide land and allow integration with local populations.
The CRF outlines a commitment of the international community to meet the immediate humanitarian needs of refugees to ease the burden on host governments.
Additional support is now needed to support the host governments and their goodwill and to not undermine developmental gains.
I will stop here and see if Boris can add 1, two or three.
Very good, thank you, Thompson.
Boris, would you like to add a few words?
Thank you, Rahel, and thank you, Thompson.
Just to join Thompson and stress that these cuts will have dramatic consequences and without the funds of thousands of refugees, many of them being children, will not have enough to eat.
Already the cuts in food ratios and cash are forcing people to skip or reduce meals to sell off their belongings and the risks are growing, including of child labour and domestic violence.
People are already feeling desperate and we need the support to ease their hardship.
I'll, I'll, I'll leave it there and thank you Thompson.
I can support you with questions if if needed.
Thank you to both for this briefing.
And I see that Lisa has her hand up, so we'll go to Lisa's line.
Could you elaborate upon what, what these draconian cuts are doing on the health conditions of the people or not getting enough to eat?
Specifically, if you have information about the malnutrition rates, whether they're going up and malnourished children are particularly vulnerable to preventable illnesses and so forth, whether illnesses, diseases of various kinds also have escalated.
And if you could elaborate a bit upon the coping measures that people are forced to to to do as a consequence of not having enough to eat.
What we have seen is that this is not the first time that we are cutting or having to reduce rations in East Africa.
Earlier in the year we cut rations already in Uganda.
They have been receiving reduced rations since April 2020.
What we have seen is that the food security levels have increased.
The assistance that we provide is a basic meal.
It's just enough for people to survive and having to to to reduce on already.
What is not enough is, is, is is is something that breaks our heart, but we are forced to do it in order to spread what little food is available in terms of malnutrition rates.
The people, people do not, do not leave home unless home has become a place to run away from.
They arrive in these camps in very bad shape.
People in Djibouti are people who are.
Some of them are coming from Yemen.
They are fleeing the conflict there.
They arrive in very bad shape and all the efforts to provide food are meant to preserve whatever remains.
And we are seeing a spike, of course, in more nutrition rates.
The the concern is that nutrition becomes even more difficult to treat, particularly amongst children.
If you miss the window, the first window, these are vulnerable people, the majority of them are women, children and we are concerned that with these deeper cuts, people will continue to struggle.
Are there any other questions for either Thompson or Boris on this issue?
I don't see any any other hands up so.
Again, Boris, thank you for for joining Thompson on this.
And Thompson, if you want to move on to your next topic on Yemen, the United Nations World Food Programme warns that a crippling fuel shortage in Yemen is making an already catastrophic food security situation far worse and appeals for an urgent solution to this man made crisis.
No fuel vessels have been allowed to birth at Yemen's Al Hodeidah port since January 31313 fuel vessels carrying over 350,000 metric tonnes of commercial fuel are currently being held off Yemen's coast.
A lack of fuel has left the population struggling to reach markets, access health facilities and other vital services.
Meanwhile, people are queuing for up to three days to refuel their cars or forced to tend to the parallel market where prices are 180% higher.
These acute fuel shortages threaten the availability of clean water and electricity supply.
Health facilities that rely on fuel for generators are without power.
Higher fuel prices also mean higher food prices at a time when over 16,000,000 food insecure Yemenis are already struggling to afford basic foods, all coming together and culminating in another shock that will further heighten the fragility of the most vulnerable, the humanitarian community and commercial actors.
Small reserves are also at unprecedented levels.
WFP's ability to deliver Lifeline food assistance after March is hanging in the balance.
Food security projections for 2021 One that nearly 50,000 people are facing famine like conditions with 5 million people just a step away.
A further 11 million people are struggling each day to feed themselves and their families.
But these forecasts do not factor in the economic and humanitarian impact of a fuel crisis, meaning they risk underestimating the scale of suffering.
Right now in Yemen, WFP issues an urgent appeal for all parties to reach an agreement that allows entry and distribution of fuel for civilians and the commercial sector through our our data ports.
Echoing similar and repeated calls by the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, the fuel shortages are yet another ****** to a population that is already on the brink.
The spectre of famine grows by the day and the cycle of hunger and conflict continues.
Action must be taken to protect the lives and livelihoods of Yemen civilians.
Thank you very much, Thompson.
Yes, a dire situation which is of course not improving.
And as you will have, you may may have followed the the pledging conference yesterday on Yemen.
The Secretary General delivered a statement afterwards saying that of course it was a disappointing outcome, that he wished that more had been donated Pledge announced yesterday were about 1.7 billion and that's less than they received for the humanitarian response plan in 2020 and a billion dollars less than was pledged at the conference in 2019.
Of course, Secretary General recognises that this is going to mean that millions of Yemeni children, women and men are desperately in need of aid to live.
He basically called that cutting this aid is a death sentence and he called yesterday's pledging.
Basically it represents a down payment.
Of course, he said that while thanking those who pledged very generously, he asked others to consider again what they can do to help basically stave off the worst famine the world has seen in decades.
So we'll be following that very closely.
Are there any questions for for Thompson on this?
So thank you very much, Thompson, for being with us this morning and we've reached the end of our agenda.
So I just have a few things to share with you in terms of press conferences.
Press conferences Tomorrow, the 3rd of March at 2:00 PM, a virtual press conference by the UN Development Programme on call for a temporary basic income for women during COVID-19 that will be with George Grey Molina, the UND PS Chief economist, and Raquel Lagunas, the Director of the Gender Unit.
Also on Thursday, the 4th of March at 2:00 PM, also a virtual press conference by the IFRCICRC and Syrian Arab Red Crescent on the 10th anniversary of the Syria crisis, an update from the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement.
That will be with the president of the IFRC, Francesco Rocca, the president of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Khaled Bubati and Peter Mauer, the president of the ICRC.
In terms of meetings, lots happening as you you heard Rolando talk about give you an update on the Human Rights Council, which continues this week.
This morning the Conference on Disarmament was having a public plenary meeting at 10.
It's currently under the presidency of Brazil.
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which suspended last Friday.
It's 78 session where it's it's has reviewed the report of Denmark will be adopting its concluding observation on that report this Thursday 4th of March.
This will be a private meeting.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will be closing this Friday, 5th of March.
It's 69th session, during which it will it has reviewed the reports of Finland and Latvia and the Human Rights Committee opened yesterday.
It's a virtual session, of course, happening until the 26th of March.
During this session it will be reviewing the reports of Finland, which it's doing today, tomorrow and after tomorrow.
They they look at the reports two hours per day and then Kenya on the 9th, the 10th and the 11th of March.
And those, those meetings are happening from 4:00 to 6:00.
Finally, just a heads up, you will have received some information this morning about the Secretary General's participation today in a in the Powering the Powering Pass Call summit.
He will be making a video statement to the summit, which is being Co hosted by the United Kingdom and Canada shortly after 4:00 PM GMT time.
It comes on the heels of last Friday's UNFCCC report and the effort to phase out coal has taken on even greater urgency in the global effort to reduce emissions by 45% this decade.
Also this afternoon you may be interested the the UN Statistics Commission will be will begin consideration of a ground breaking measure that could fundamentally reorient economic and policy planning towards sustainable development.
Countries will consider a new system to measure economic prosperity and human well-being that includes the contributions of nature.
The measure could move towards the process of adoption on Friday.
So this system of environmental economic accounting could be a major step towards forward and incorporating sustainable development in economic planning and policy decision making.
The UN chief economist Elliott Harris will be the guest at the noon briefing in New York today.
That's at 12 noon New York Times.
So if anybody wants to follow that, that'll be on web TV and there we will be sending you probably today a message giving you some information about the upcoming International Women's Day, which is on the 8th of March, that's next Monday.
We will be sending you a note to give you an overview of the many activities that are being organised.
Of course, the whole month of March will be a pivotal moment for celebrating and advancing gender equality.
This year's International Women's Day and the Commission on the Status of Women focus on the importance of women's leadership and call attention to women's central role in building back better.
So among, yes, just as a heads up and you will be getting information about that one activity that is being organised.
Well, Eunice Geneva is collaborating with our colleagues in Brussels and in Vienna on a sinew which will be taking place next Wednesday, the 10th of March at 7:00 PM.
We're going to be screening a film called The Heat, the Heat, a Kitchen Revolution about the impact that women chefs are are are making in society.
And we'll have a very interesting discussion with the director of the film, Maya Gallius, and a Michelin star chef based in Brussels, Isabel Arpa, the director of the UN Women's Brussels office, Dougmar Schumacher, and a representative from the European Commission.
So we'll be sending you all the details on how to participate in this screening of senior and many, many other activities that will be taking place over the next few weeks to celebrate International Women's Day.
So this is all I have for you.
If there are no questions, then we will close this briefing now.
And I wish you a good afternoon.
