Welcome to the press briefing of the UN Information Service in Geneva.
Today is Tuesday, 13th of July.
I will start immediately with Angktad because Katrina has to leave.
So Catherine, you have just a quick announcement for us and then we will go to Baba.
And just a confirmation that we will publish tomorrow, one day before what I've announced previously at 6:00 PM CST, the report on the impact on developing countries of the carbon border adjustment mechanism adopted by the European Union on some imported goods as part of its Green Deal to decarbonize its economy by 2050.
This report looks at the potential effects of a EUCB AM, as it's now known, on CO2 emissions and its effect on trade flows, particularly for developing ones.
The report and its press release will be shared with you as soon as possible and at the latest tomorrow morning.
The embargo is 14th July at 6:00 PM CST, 4:00 PM GMT.
It's a short report, it's 30 pages and 20 pages of text.
And we will have you will have a press release with the key messages and results of the analysis with the report very soon.
Let me see if there is any requests for the floor from you.
I again not my computer is again not working.
So I'm doing this with the phone.
Just a little bit of patience, but I don't see any hand up.
So thank you very much, Catherine.
And I turned to the bar, but you have a a topic on Afghanistan.
Following up on what's happening inside Afghanistan, UNICIA, the UN refugee agency, is warning of a looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as the escalating conflict brings increased human suffering and civilian displacement.
An estimated 270,000 Afghans have been newly displaced inside Afghanistan since January 2021, primarily due to insecurity and violence, bringing the total number of uprooted populations to over 3.5 million.
Families who are forced to flee their homes in recent weeks cite the worsening security situation as the predominant reason for their flight.
In addition to ongoing fighting, displaced civilians have told UNITAR and our partners of incidents of extortion by non state armed groups and the presence of improvised explosive devices on major roads.
Many have reported interruption to their social services and the loss of income due to rising insecurity.
The number of civilian casualties has risen 729% during the first quarter of this year compared to 2020.
So there is a 29% increase in civilian casualties during the first quarter of 2020 when 2021 when compared to the numbers in 2020.
According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, an increasing proportion of women in children were among those being targeted.
The needs of those who have had to flee suddenly are acute.
Unit CR and partners as are, as part of a coordinated response, are assisting newly displaced Avgans with emergency shelter, food, health, water and sanitation support and cash assistance.
Despite challenges in accessing vulnerable groups, the resilience of the Afghan people has been pushed to the limit by prolonged conflict, **** levels of displacement, the impact of COVID-19, recurrent natural disasters including drought, and deepening poverty.
Some 65% of the Afghan population in and outside Afghanistan are children and young people.
A failure to reach a peace agreement in Afghanistan and stem the current violence will lead to further displacement within the country as well to the neighbouring countries and beyond.
Iran and Pakistan host nearly 90% of displaced Avrans, more than two million registered Afghan refugees in total.
Both countries have granted access to territory and protection to Afghan refugees along with the health and educational services through their national systems.
Their hospitality and inclusive policies spanning decades and generations must not be taken for granted.
UNICER welcomes the respective government's commitment to provide access to asylum amidst the global health and socio economic challenges of COVID-19.
We stand ready to scale up humanitarian support to all host countries in the case of additional arrivals.
We urge the international community to step up support to the government and people of Afghanistan and its neighbours at this critical movement in spirit of solidarity and burden sharing.
Humanitarian resources are currently also falling dramatically short.
Unichard's financial appeal for Afghanistan situation include our operations for Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran remains acutely underfunded at only 43% of the total of 337,000,000 required.
Realising that we are nearing the 8th month of the year.
Lisa has a question for you.
I have a couple of questions.
One, lots of people fleeing their homes, they are internally displaced.
Where is it safe for them to go inside, inside Afghanistan?
Are they living with families or are there camps for them?
And also are people fleeing to Pakistan and Iran?
There are new newly fleeing there.
Then just a couple of other things.
What about the situation of women?
What are you, your, your people on the ground noticing as far as they are concerned?
And lastly, Pakistan has in some ways protected the Taliban in lots of ways throughout the years.
Are you concerned about this continuing?
Thank you very much, Lisa.
I'll try to address them one by one.
If we look at the map of Afghanistan today, it's really a scattered picture of nothing else but displacement.
Afghanistan has a population of 35 million people who amid all challenges and problems, have tried to stay and make it work for them.
Currently, we are seeing that 3.5 million people are displaced inside Afghanistan and nearly 300,000 that have been displaced since the beginning of this year.
I mean, the numbers are scattered all around.
We have people who are displaced near the capital Kabul, in the Central Highlands, eastern region, northeast in in the North SE, southern and western regions as well.
And as fighting intensifies, many of others have to leave as well.
Our concern is if this does not stop, people may be further numbers, may be forced to seek safety inside the countries.
But there's a potential risk that they may have to seek safety not even in the immediate neighbouring countries but beyond as well.
Indeed, Iran and Pakistan have been hosting Avrans for four decades.
If we look today, 90% of Avran refugees are in the neighbouring countries of Pakistan and and Iran.
But their hospitality and generosity should not be taken for granted.
These countries have their own issues in terms of development, in terms of fighting COVID in in in these days, economic issues.
Their generosity has to be matched by the international community in terms of committing resources for them, but also trying to make sure that Afghans inside their country are looked after.
But emphasis here is really on peace.
Afghanistan is on the brink of another humanitarian crisis.
This can be avoided, this should be avoided.
So efforts to secure peace has to be strengthened and and doubled.
And this is what Avrans expect.
Indeed, it's very challenging for Avrans in general, but for Avran women, look at the gains of last 20 years, the last two decades, some of the the positive things we saw I personally when I went to Kabul in 2002, the first time, the images of children, boys and girls going to school.
That generation has almost graduated now.
And for women who finally found the space to breathe in Afghanistan, they're anxious, they're worried and probably they're angry as well.
They want peace and stability for their country.
They don't want to be go back to an era when there's no freedom for them.
And that's why when when we look at the number of casualties, we see targeted killing of women and children, women activists, women journalists, among other civilians have been on on the 4th have have been targeted as as as as casualties are on on on on the rise.
Keeping politics aside, our focus is now to make sure that the peace process, which has started, the political peace process, it goes forward and it works for Afghanistan.
So that's why we hope there are the efforts are strengthened, everyone will be involved to secure peace there.
Violence and and and dictating things to gun in Afghanistan has not worked.
It has brought more disasters than stability.
2 questions, one you just mentioned non state actors as you know robbing and attacking civilians.
Do you have any any idea whether these are just bandit groups or are we looking at ISIS or Taliban?
And secondly, according to reports, the Taliban have taken the border point post leading from Herat to Iran.
And I'm wondering whether you have any people on the ground.
Are they actually allowing people to go back and forth across this border post, particularly refugees?
It it's a scattered picture in Afghanistan.
I mean, we know the current intensifying fighting Taliban are involved in in that all of us have seen the news and following developments with with great concern on a humanitarian level.
We have to stay engaged, try to help vulnerable people who are affected.
At the end of the day, people are affected by violence and war and and and and conflict.
So we try to reach people who are, who are displaced and also in terms of which are actors are present where it's very hard to say.
Many attacks on journalists, on, uh, human rights activists, uh, Edu, uh, educational experts, uh, on students, uh, they have haven't been claimed as far as, as I, as far as I understand.
Uh, so it's very hard to pinpoint who is doing what, but other ones are the victims of whatever is happening over there.
We are talking about women and children who were robbed on the gunpoint.
They are killed their IED blast even in the city centres where sticky bombs uh, uh, target civilians and and and others.
In terms of of the border points, as far as I understand, there are mixed movement still happening for, for for Avalans despite all the all the insecurity inside the country.
Our understanding is most of the Afghans that are displaced are inside the the country.
But we are ready to scale up our operation if there is a need and we work hand in hand with the neighbouring countries to try to make sure those who who are fleeing to seek safety across the border, they receive it.
I mean, you are unmuted, but I can't hear you.
You should have received an operational update that came that went out yesterday on T grade.
And I'm just going to to to highlight a few points coming out of that.
The United Nations World Food Programme WP convoy of 50 trucks arrived in the grime capital of McKellen Monday with 900 metric tonnes of food as well as other emergency supplies.
It was the first humanitarian convoy to reach Tigray since WFP restarted operations in the northwest on to July following fighting.
With almost 4 million people in need of emergency food assistance in Tigray, we are far from where we need to be.
Of the 50 trucks, 29 truckloads transported food commodities comprising of wheat, split peas and vegetable oil, enough to cover the most pressing agent food needs of 200,000 people for a week.
The food stocks and other emergency items just delivered and badly needed by the communities integrate will run out and we need regular and faster deliveries into the region.
We need 100 trucks to be moving in on any given day for half the time we are to reverse the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the region.
It took the convoy four days to travel from Saint Maria to Mekele via Abala, a distance of just 445 kilometres, passing through of the 10 checkpoints on the way.
With each and every stop, the humanitarian cover was rigorously checked.
WFP is extremely concerned with the pace of the response and capacity as both food and fuel stocks are very low and may impact our ability to mount an effective response.
At this rate, WFP cannot hope to scale up to reach over 2 million people in need of food assistance integrate.
We need to transport over 10,000 metric tonnes of food and 150,000 litres of fuel every week on behalf of the humanitarian sector.
Of greatest concern is the fact that it's not only WP's response that is at risk here, but other humanitarian actors.
Emergency responses as well, will rely on us for logistic support while calling for greater access.
Additional funding is also vital to allow WP to keep serving and changing lives in Ethiopia.
WFP needs $176,000,000 to continue to scale up its response in Tigre to the end of the year for all its activities under its country strategic plan for the country.
WFP has a funding show shortfall of $377 million.
Now this is the shortfall for all the activities that cover many other regions as well.
I'll leave it there and Alessandra and give it back to you and see if there are any questions for me.
Oh, thank you very much, Thompson.
Sorry, I, I don't hear you very much.
OK, so let's go now to Christian, who has also an update on this subject and then I'll go to the questions.
Christian, are you connected?
Thank you and good morning again to everybody.
Well, just to add a few points on the situation in in Tigre.
As we have mentioned previously, most health facilities are not functional at the moment.
And first hand accounts which we just received this morning tell us that medical equipment and supplies were removed or destroyed in almost all health facilities in the region without limited remaining financial resources.
WHO is procuring vitally needed supplies worth $1.9 million for malaria, cholera and nutrition.
While this is only a fraction of what's needed, these will be critical to local authorities and partners to deliver assistance.
This also includes about 6000 litres of critically needed fuel a week.
Little, but it's critically needed.
Thanks to WFP for their critical role in delivering the supplies.
As Thompson just mentioned, in the convoy they discussed today there were I think 40 metric tonnes of medical supplies.
These much needed supplies are just the drop in the ocean.
Let's be clear about this of the whole volume that will be needed to resupply health facilities so that healthcare workers can return to providing care.
W Jo and UNICEF and other partners are working together to get the health system up again, but it faces huge barriers and will need access and funds to manage this epic task.
Thanks to you, Christian.
Well, to to both Thompson and and Christian actually the the issue of access.
I'm wondering whether whether it's still a a government policy, shall we say, to block access to to the country or whether it's a matter of security and which is preventing you from having full access to the region And who, who is manning the checkpoints?
Government, Tigray, Eritreans, all of the above and Christian you were talking about.
Let's see you, you, you said that, that your medical supplies had been, I've been looted or I, I didn't quite get that.
What are your major problems?
Who is preventing you from doing what you need and how much money do you need?
Also, could you just give a, a description of the health condition of the people, why it is so important to get healthcare to them?
Maybe Tom's not just clarify briefly my points and then leave it to you to talk about the security and the convoy aspects, if that's OK.
So Lisa, let me just go into this.
So now what what I said is that the not our equipment, but that medical equipment and supplies were removed to destroyed in almost all health facilities in the region.
We're talking about roughly 40 health facilities in the area.
That means the health system there is barely functioning or not functioning at all.
That's the situation I have on the funding needs.
Maybe I can briefly look at that.
Yeah, the grand total of that, but that's including the humanitarian response and the COVID response.
There's a grand total needed of 34 million U.S.
dollars mobilised to this point.
We have $7.2 million, which means there's a gap of $26.8 million.
And with this, over to Thompson.
Thompson, I give you the floor.
Just wanted to remind Lisa that on the 9th of Friday of July, we put out a statement on behalf of the Secretary General about the discussion he had with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, where he, the Prime Minister assured the Secretary General that the Government of Ethiopia will facilitate immediate access to the grave humanitarian organisations.
We hope that this first convoy was a result of those discussions, but I understand the many roadblocks still exist and we we monitor the situation continuously and, and maybe Thompson has more.
Just to quickly say that, you know, there are multiple authorities and what is important here is to note that the convoys, convoys are going through rigorous cheques.
We need to send in convoys every day from now on so that we are able to meet demand.
We therefore appealing for a quicker and smoother passage into the region as soon as possible.
Any other question on this subject from the journalist Peter?
Thompson, who are you appealing to for this access?
Our appeal is not targeting a single entity.
Our appeal is directed to authorities in Ethiopia.
And that's exactly what the secretary general also said when he reiterated his call to all parties to meet their obligations to protect civilians, provide unimpeded humanitarian access, and observe international humanitarian law.
Other questions, I don't see any.
So maybe Christian before I go to FAO can would you like to do your announcement?
You had a few other points to make.
Yes, thank you very much.
And just pull this up first to remind everyone that we have a briefing this afternoon and the new official data on childhood vaccination from W and UNICEF this afternoon, Pele only.
So take advantage of that and it's under embargo until July fifteen, 1:00 AM, Central European summertime.
And briefers today will be Kath Kate O'Brien, Director of the IBB Department from WHO, Efrem Mango, Principal Advisor and Chief of Immunisation from UNICEF and Doctor Young Graven Dong, who is the Technical Officer for information on immunisations.
That should be an interesting thing with first existing data on the topic.
And this is this afternoon at 3:30 PM.
And I do have, and that's not unimportant following the recent discussion on which is ongoing on mixing and matching, a couple of points to clarify on mixing and matching of COVID vaccines.
So, on 15 June 2021, the SAGE, a strategic advisory group of experts on immunisation, updated its interim recommendations on the Pfizer vaccine to give permissive recommendation to use the Pfizer vaccine as a second dose following a first, those with the AstraZeneca vaccine if a second dose of AstraZeneca was not available due to supply constraints or other concerns.
A clinical trial led by the University of Oxford in the UK is currently ongoing to investigate the regiment of the AstraZeneca vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine.
This trial was recently expanded to include also Moderna and Novovax vaccines.
Preliminary findings from the University of Oxford trial show that people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine for their first dose, followed by Pfizer bouncer vaccine as the second, had a higher likelihood of fever and other typically mild side effects than if they had stayed with two doses of the AstraZeneca.
These side effects lasted on average only a few days and no hospitalizations occurred.
The study was done among people aged 50 and over.
And maybe a clarification what Doctor Swaminathan, our chief scientist, also tweeted as a summary.
Maybe on this whole topic, individuals should not decide for themselves about mixing and matching.
Public health agencies can based on available data.
So data from mix and match studies of different vaccines are awaited.
Imagination and safety both need still to be evaluated and that's that's what I have on this one over.
I see Christophe has a question.
Christophe Bourgeois Christian, just a very quick question on the UNICEF.
Are we getting the data in advance so we could sift through it and maybe ask better questions?
Yes, colleagues are actually just getting the link together because we had it as a it's a it's an old problem.
We had it as APDF and the PDF was not cannot be attached to our system when we send out to you.
So we'll send very as we speak.
They should be sending it with a link to an account where you can actually download the the pre-existing material.
Any other question to WHO?
And by the way, I will send the the notes about the mixing and matching and Tigray I will send afterwards because the yeah, just a reminder to all the to all the speakers, please.
Yes, send out your notes to distributing to the journalist.
There is some controversy regarding the efficacy of the FISA vaccine against the Delta variant.
Israel has come out, as you know, with a report that what is it, it's about 60 or 64% efficacious, which is quite a lot less than what had been reported earlier.
And now I've been hearing stuff coming out of the United States too that perhaps it's not as efficacious against the Delta variant as had been previously thought.
Is this something that the World Health Organisation has investigated, knows about, can clarify or is it under investigation right now?
So what I have on this is what I see is the the Israel study that you're mentioning showed that the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine had decreased slightly against infection, but still maintains an effectiveness of about 93% in preventing serious illness and hospitalisation.
And that's all what we're looking for, of course.
So when talking about the effectiveness of vaccines against any of the virus, we need to be sure to specify the outcome against as is which we are saying, and this is effective versus severe disease or hospitalisation.
So that's the key points of still 93% in preventing serious illness and hospitalisation.
I'm asking about the Lambda variant, which is apparently one of the fastest growing variants at the moment.
And we were in, I was informed last week, I think that they were 29 countries that had been affected by this variant.
And is it still the fastest growing variant?
And what is its impact compared to say, the Delta variant?
I do not have any details on the Lambda with me today, so I would have to follow up with you on this.
In Mexico, there's a like a beginning of the third wave due to the Delta variant.
And there are, there are vaccines in Mexico.
I mean, we have it, but the, the vaccination is very slowly.
So I mean, it's, it's not that, that fast because the government doesn't want the private sector to intervene.
And I mean to, to help to the, to, to rush the vaccination.
So what what is your advice to to the country or maybe we this is an opportunity to reiterate our general point on this.
It's important that we have the most vulnerable population vaccinated first in every country, which means, of course, first and foremost the healthcare workers, the frontline workers, the health and care workers, and of course also the vulnerable population.
The policies of the of any government of how to achieve this according to the available vaccines and the available mechanisms has to be decided by the government.
But the goal should be to have 10% of the population at least vaccinated by this fall in any country, in every country.
Thank you very much, Christian.
I don't see other questions for you.
Let me now turn to Dominique Bourgeon for FAO.
Dominique, I think you have now connected.
Gabriella has a follow up and I'll go to Dominique.
Sorry it's not a follow up, but it's another question, but maybe later it too.
It's it's regarding human rights.
I'm afraid we don't have colleagues from human rights today.
So maybe I'll, I'll either ask you to, to address the question to them or you can tell me at the end and I'll, I'll report to them.
Yes, good morning and thank you very much for the opportunity.
We want to inform you that yesterday FAO together with IPHAD, UNICEF, WHO and WFP have issued the 2021 edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, which as you know is a major flagship report we show every year and which give the number in terms of people facing hunger.
The message of the report of yesterday is basically that we are not on track in terms of eradicating hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030.
As a matter of fact, there were a number of pre-existing drivers such as conflict, climate extremes and viability and economic shocks, of course, coming on the top of **** poverty and inequality that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and that have led to a situation where in 2020 we had 768 million people in the world facing hunger.
This is the midpoint because the report is actually giving a range between 707 hundred 20 million and 811,000,000 of people facing anger.
So the midpoint is 768, which represents an increase of 118 million compared to the the number of 2090.
So the the increase has been basically everywhere.
But when we look at the geographic distribution, we see that basically the largest number of people facing hunger is still in Asia for 118 million people, 282 in Africa.
But we see that of course the the prevalence of anger, prevalence of undernourishment is, is the highest on the African continent with 21% of the population facing hunger.
If we look at the the number in terms of of nutrition, they are unfortunately not good either.
And as we see that, we still have very **** prevalence of stunting, wasting and even obesity.
As a matter of fact, 22% of the children under 5, about 149 million people are stunted, 6.7% are wasted and 5.7% are facing overweight or obesity.
The only, I would say, rather positive sign we have on the nutrition side is the fact that the percentage of children benefiting from exclusive breastfeeding has increased from 37% in 2012 to 44% in 2020.
As I was saying, the main drivers behind that are of course still conflict, extreme weather events and climate variability and economic shocks coming at the top of poverty and inequalities.
In the meantime, I mean we have to keep in mind that today and the reports emphasises that there are still 3 billion people around the world who cannot afford access to healthy diet.
So all of these coming together makes it that we are facing a very dire and there is a need to to have everybody doing its part to in at the very minimum reverse the trend.
You know that the trend has been negative with the number of people in facing anger basically increasing since 2014, 2015 while it had been decreasing for a decade or so.
Now it is increasing again.
But of course the increase has been much faster in the last year due to COVID-19.
Which is about evidence and which is about, I would say reflection tracks to be provided to the the countries is basically identifying 6 possible pathway towards the transformation of food systems.
Transformation of food systems to be more resilient, more efficient, more sustainable and more inclusive.
And these pathways are not basically one-size-fits-all, but depending on the situation as it is assessed in the various countries.
And it has to do with action along the so-called humanitarian development, peace Nexus, along climate resilience, in terms of resilience to economic shock.
It is about intervention along the, it is about intervention along the food supply chain, about poor, poor intervention.
And then finally, in terms of changing behaviour, all these intervention pathways having to to sort of come into to inform policy changes, to inform then strategic investments to be made by the country.
This report is of course very important as this junk at this juncture, as we are a couple of weeks away, month away from the UN Food System Summit, which is going to bring concrete solutions.
We can't hear you, Alessandro.
Can you just repeat your last sentence, please?
I don't know where you lost me, but I was saying perhaps my colleague Thompson from the World Food Programme wants to add something.
I do not have anything to add.
So now I just wanted to add on my side that yesterday the Secretary General said that this new tragic data that Dominique has just mentioned about the number of people that are facing or or or experiencing hunger are, are dramatic.
And he said that addressing hunger and malnutrition cannot be done in isolation of other global challenges.
It is time to keep our promise, he said.
In a world of plenty, we have no excuse for billions of people to lack access to a healthy diet.
And that is why the Secretary General is convening a Global Food System summit this September, because we must come together, he says, to urgently make a change.
He added that the upcoming pre summit in Rome that Dominique has mentioned at the end of this month will help us define the scope of our ambition and work out how we must address hunger, climate emergency, incredible inequality and conflict by transforming our food systems.
And the full statement, I think has been distributed to you.
I have John Zaracostas who has a question.
I was wondering if you could give us, you mentioned about 2030, what's your prognosis for 2022?
And I've got a, a technical question, were these assessments based on household surveys in the various countries or was it a desk study basically an extrapolations?
OK, should we take the two questions or should I No Dominique, go ahead, go ahead.
So thank you very much for your question basically and which is a a very important one indeed.
We, according to the to the report, it is estimated that with the, the impact, of course the impact of COVID-19 on food security has been very severe.
I mean, here we are talking of chronic anger, but we had the opportunity to already together with our colleague from, from WFP to also brief you on acute food insecurity, the one that can potentially lead to famine.
And here I, I was referring to this number of 768 million people facing anger in 2020.
It is estimated that this number will slightly start decreasing next year.
I think it's, it says around 720, but I have to double check in the, in the report itself, exactly what is the estimate?
But what is more important is to keep in mind that I mean, if we keep the same trajectory, the the reduction is not sufficient to reach 0 anger by 20-30.
And it is estimated that there will be actually 660 million people facing hunger in 20-30, which is 30 million more than in no COVID scenario.
So this is 1/2 on the way this is generated.
Actually there are different approaches.
I mean the percentage of under the prevalence of under nourishment is produced on basis of government data.
So basically we work with government to build their capacities to collect data that is not fed into this report.
This is why also we always, the time series are always revisited that basically we cannot compare the report of this year with the report of last year as the time series are always updated to reflect the, the information coming from, from government.
In the meantime, And I didn't go into that, but since you're, you're, you're asking, I will do it.
The report is talking of percentage prevalence of under nourishment, as I was saying 768.
But the the report is also discussing and for the last couple of years this has been of course one of the SDG indicator and the report is discussing the prevalence of food insecurity which is survey based.
So for that survey are being conducted And what we see there is that basically we are looking at the number of people who do not have stable access to food throughout the year.
Therefore we may face a day sometime not having been able to access food.
This number is 2 point 37 billion people.
Within that there is the report identified 928 million people who are in severe food insecurity and this number of 928 which is survey based and the 768 which is based on government data gives you, I would say a range in terms of the number of people in actually facing food insecurity, severe food insecurity and therefore facing anger.
It is very well explained in the report that I invited to read.
But John has a follow up and then I go to Gabriela.
The, the, the estimates for 2022 is that it will be a slight decrease.
Is that down to 720 million?
Is that for 2022 or 2021?
So I need to double check exactly what is the right and what what is driving that?
What is the the element for the figure going down?
Because at the same time you're referring that the number of severe food insecure people is close to a billion people.
So there seems to be a disconnect here, yes.
But I mean as I was saying 1 is based on official data that we are regularly updating.
The other one is survey based.
So it gives you sort of a range.
In the meantime, if we are looking I think the the report is looking at at estimates trajectories for the number of people in facing under nourishment.
So with the starting point of 768, which this is the number that we have been monitoring for 20 years or so.
So this number is being monitored.
We estimate that it has reached a peak that it will decrease.
I need to get you the the exact estimate that I don't have out of my mind.
Thompson may have it for 2022.
We will look at it and and get it to you, Gabriel.
So on Mexico, it strikes me that some countries like for example Cameroon or Ghana or Senegal are in better shape than than Mexico.
So what is, what is your observation on Mexico?
What are your concerns for Mexico?
I mean, I, I cannot come with a, with a specific point on Mexico.
We'll need to get back to you from our experts on that.
What, what we, we see from this report is that basically the increase in terms of the, the prevalence of undernourishment has been the highest in, in Africa plus 3%.
And then immediately comes Latin America and the Caribbean with plus 2%.
So it means that the, the Latin American continent has definitely been severely hit by the, the consequences of, of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And, and of course, the, the, the, the level of, I would say, of impact varies very much from 1 country to another depending on the, on, I would say the resilience of the, of the Agri food systems in these countries.
But also referring to the point of Alessandra, keeping in mind that it is not food security, agriculture only, but that it is all interconnected, including in terms of social protection, etcetera.
But if you want a more detailed analysis, we can connect you to the to the expert for for Latin America.
Thank you very much, Dominique and colleagues.
Don't see other questions for FAO or WFP on this, so I will take out my mask Now for the last announcements.
First of all, I've been asked by Rolando Gomez to read this to you.
The Human Rights Council is continuing its action on draught resolutions, which will last throughout the day.
Please consult the table of resolutions that Rolando has shared with you last night.
He will also send you updates today as things progress at the Council.
Christian has already reminded you of The Who press conference.
There is also another press conference on Wednesday, 14th of July at 2:00 PM.
It's a OHCHR press conference on freedom of expression, online challenges and opportunities in the digital age with a series of of speakers.
You've received the invitation to that.
And then just as a reminder of the meetings on human rights, the Human Rights Committee will next meet in public on 16 July at 4:00 PM to consider the progress report of the rapporteur on follow up to concluding observation on state party reports.
And then the session will close on 23rd of July.
The Committee Against Torture is, which has opened yesterday.
We'll have a short public meeting today from 2:00 to 2:30 PM devoted to the follow up of Articles 19 and 22 of the Convention Against Torture and to the question of reprisals.
And you will then review the report of Belgium on 15 and 16 July at 12:30 each day.
And I just a reminder that the next plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament is scheduled for the 27th of July under the presidency of Ambassador Leslie Norton of Canada.
And that's all I had for you, Gabriella.
You had a question that's right for, for human rights.
Thank you, Alessandra, thank you very much.
Yes, I, I had a question on Cuba, on Cuba and the protests that are going on.
There's apparently there's repression against them the the protesters.
So and I have an also a question on the secretary general, if he has reactions on on protesting in Cuba.
Yes, I was looking for my notes on Cuba.
Yes, indeed we have here.
First of all, I, I can, I can bring the your request to to our colleagues of human rights.
I'm just trying to find the secretary general are here.
The Secretary General, deputy spokesperson yesterday answered a question from one of your colleagues on the issue that's of Cuba and the and the protests that broke out over the weekend.
And he said that we we obviously reiterate our principal position on the need for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly to be respected fully.
We expect that that will be the case in Cuba and we are following the course of those demonstrations.
And I'll see with our human rights colleague if they have more don't see other questions.
So thank you very much and I'll see you on Friday.
