PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
3 January 2023
Messages
Ms. Vellucci wished happy New Year to all participants and read excerpts of the New Year’s message from the Secretary General: “Ever new year is a moment of rebirth. We sweep out the ashes of the new year… In 2023 we need peace now more than ever… In 2023 let’s put peace at the heart of our words and actions. Together, let’s make 2023 a year when peace is restored to our lives, our homes, and our world.”
Pakistan
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), said the International Conference on Climate Resilience in Pakistan would take place next Monday January 9 at the Palais des Nations. The Conference would be co-hosted by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations, and would bring together governments, leaders from the public and private sector, and civil society, to support the people and government of Pakistan after the devastating floods in 2022.
It had two main objectives:
To present the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework, which laid out a multisectoral strategy for rehabilitation and reconstruction in a climate-resilient and inclusive manner
To secure international support and forge long-term partnerships for building Pakistan’s climate resilience and adaptation.
A curtain raiser briefing with representatives of UNDP and the government of Pakistan would be organised on 5 January at 2:30 pm, with details to be provided soon.
Covid-19
Responding to questions on Covid-19, Tarik Jasarevic, for the World Health Organisation, said the technical advisory group on virus evolution was meeting today. This was a regular meeting of experts who would help WHO assess the risk of evolution of the virus. Chinese colleagues were expected to participate and the meeting would take place around noon, with the advice received to be made public.
ITU New Senior Leadership Team
David Hirsch, for the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), said the new senior leadership team of the ITU took office on 1 January 2023. Doreen Bogdan-Martin became ITU's 12th Secretary-General since it was designated a UN specialized agency in 1947. She was also the first woman to head the organization since its establishment in 1865
Member States elected Bogdan-Martin as Secretary-General in September 2022 at ITU's Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22) in Bucharest, Romania. She came to the post from ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, where she had served as director since 2019.
ITU was unique as it had five elected officials: Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, Director of ITU's Radiocommunication Bureau, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau. All five senior officials were elected to four-year terms. ITU noted and appreciated the interest the press corps had in talking to the new ITU Secretary-General and was working with her office to schedule a date.
Complete information on ITU’s new senior leadership team could be found on the ITU website: www.itu.int. Media inquiries could be found at: pressinfo@itu.int
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR , UNHCR , WHO , UNICEF , UNRWA , OHCHR
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid briefing, which was attended by the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, representatives and spokespersons of the World Health Organization, the United Nations Human Rights, the United Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the International Labour Organization.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IOM
Amy Pope, IOM Director General, briefs the Geneva press corps on her recent mission to Syria.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | FAO , UNHCR , WHO , WOAH
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid briefing, which was attended by the Head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism Investigating Serious Crimes in Syria, representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Meteorological Organization.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IIIM
Robert Petit, Head of IIIM: opportunities and challenges for justice in Syria in the wake of current events.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OSE , UNHCR , ICRC , UNRWA , HRC , ILO , WHO
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid briefing, which was attended by the representatives and spokespersons of the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the International Labour Organization, the World Health Organization, the Human Rights Council, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OHCHR
Rights experts call for end to impunity for Israel’s violations of international law
Four independent human rights experts have jointly called for the international community to sanction Israel’s conduct of hostilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as in the wider Middle East region - including in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. They also called for the restoration of trust in the international justice system through the abandonment of “extreme interpretations” and “double standards” in the application of the universal norms regulating the conduct of war.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OCHA , UNECE , UNHCR , UNITED NATIONS , OSES
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid briefing, which was attended by the Special Envoy for Syria and the spokespersons of the Office of the Special Envoy, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
2
1
3
Edited News , Press Conferences | OSES
Barely 48 hours since opposition forces including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept into Damascus and forced out President Bashar al-Assad, the top UN negotiator tasked with helping Syrians’ create a peaceful and democratic future insisted that nothing could be taken for granted.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR
End of year press conference by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC , ILO , UNCTAD , WHO , FAO , ICRC
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Labour Organization, Human Rights Council, United Nations Trade and Development and International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA
More than 280,000 people have been uprooted in northwest Syria in a matter of days following the sudden and massive offensive into Government-controlled areas led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is sanctioned by the Security Council as a terrorist group.
2
1
4
Press Conferences , Edited News | OCHA
Multiple unending conflicts, climate change and a glaring disregard for long-established international humanitarian law are set to leave a staggering 305 million people in need of lifesaving assistance next year, the UN’s top aid official warned on Wednesday.
Embargo Wednesday, 4 December 2024 at 0600 CET / 0000 ET