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PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
28 March 2023
Report on Enforced Disappearances in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Marta Hurtado, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that a report published today by the UN Human Rights Office vividly detailed the ongoing suffering of victims of enforced disappearance and abduction by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The report called for renewed efforts for truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence. The report was based on interviews with 38 male and 42 female victims of abduction and enforced disappearance, including relatives of forcibly disappeared people. The testimonies laid bare the severe and sustained psychological harm and emotional suffering, as well as the economic impact, such violations had on their lives.
The report, entitled ‘These wounds do not heal’, detailed enforced disappearances and abductions dating back to 1950, including arbitrary detentions in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in some cases following forcible repatriations from neighbouring countries; abductions of nationals of the Republic of Korea during and after the Korean War; non-repatriation of prisoners of war from the Korean War; and abductions or enforced disappearances of nationals from Japan and other States. “These deeply tragic stories of lives ripped apart by State-sponsored abductions and enforced disappearances demand action,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk.
Video of the High Commissioner’s comments can be viewed here.
More details on the report are available here.
The OHCHR did not have a total number of enforced disappearances, explained Ms. Hurtado in response to a question, stressing that the DPRK was one of the most hermetic countries in the world. Ms. Hurtado said that it was part of the OHCHR’s mandate to engage with every Member State; there were regular exchanges with the DPRK Mission in Geneva; an OHCHR office had existed in Seoul since 2016. OHCHR wished to engage with the DPRK Government with the objective of improving the human rights situation in the country. OHCHR was asking that due investigations take place to establish accountability for the disappearances and ensure that justice be served. Enforced disappearances were an ongoing crime, continuing until the disappeared person’s whereabouts were known, stressed Ms. Hurtado. The report did not include cases of US soldiers missing from the 1950s war, she explained.
One year of the state of emergency in El Salvador
Marta Hurtado, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the state of emergency had now been in force in El Salvador for a year, during which the authorities had taken several measures that raised serious human rights concerns.
While the OHCHR understood the serious challenges posed by gang violence and the State’s duty to ensure security, it was also the State’s duty to do so in compliance with international human rights law. Over the past year, at least 65,000 people had been detained, some of which might amount to arbitrary detention, as they appeared to be based on poorly substantiated investigations, on the physical appearance or social background of the detainees. Conditions in frequently overcrowded places of detention were also deeply concerning, and there were allegations of violations of prisoners’ rights, such as prolonged solitary confinement and inmates with chronic disease not receiving their prescribed medication.
OHCHR called on the authorities in El Salvador to ensure people were not arrested without sufficient legal authorization and ensure that those detained be afforded all fundamental safeguards as required under international human rights law. OHCHR also called for the national human rights institution o have an unrestricted access to all prison facilities so it can conduct regular, independent reporting on prison conditions.
Full statement is here.
Quadripartite call to action for “One Health for a safer world”
Dr. Francesco Branca, Director for Nutrition and Food Safety at the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the principals of the four “quadripartite” organizations – the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the WHO had met in Geneva the previous day to issue a joint call to action for “One Health for a safer world”. “One Health” was an integrated, unifying approach that aimed to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognized that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment were closely linked and interdependent.
The call to action by the four principals, issued on 27 March, stressed the need for enhanced collaboration and commitment to translate the “One Health” approach into policy action in all countries. The Quadripartite leaders urged all countries and key stakeholders to prioritize “One Health” in the international political agenda, increase understanding and advocate for the adoption and promotion of the enhanced intersectoral health governance. States should make sure that adequate resources were there, and that intersectoral workforces were formed and coordinated regularly. They were also invited to strengthen and sustain prevention of pandemics and health threats at source, targeting activities and places that increase the risk of zoonotic spillover between animals to humans, and to encourage and strengthen “One Health” scientific knowledge and evidence creation and exchange. Finally, explained Dr. Branca, Member States were called upon to increase investment and financing of “One Health” strategies and plans ensuring scaled up implementation at all levels, including funding for prevention of health threats at source.
More details are available here.
Answering questions, Dr. Branca said that avian influenza was indeed one of the diseases that would be covered by the “One Health” approach. He explained that biosecurity in medical labs was not part of the “One Health” discussions at this stage.
Labour market impact of the earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye
Maurizio Bussi, Director, Priority Action Programme on Decent Work in Crises and Post-Crisis Situations at the International Labour Organization (ILO), said that the ILO was issuing two separate technical briefs on labour market impact of the earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye, one with a technical analysis of the developments thus far, and another with recommendations for action by the two governments. Some 658,000 workers in Türkiye were currently out of work because of the earthquakes. ILO estimated that the affected workers were losing about USD 230 per month, which aggregated to USD 150 million per month in the damaged areas. Mr. Bussi said that in addition to employment losses, in the ten provinces of Türkiye, there were some concerns with occupational safety and health, including a possible surfacing of child labour.
In Syria, after the 12 years of civil war had had a huge impact on the economy, some 70,000 workers had lost their jobs as a result of the February earthquakes. Those job losses affected, directly and indirectly, as many as 750,000 people. In Syria, USD 5.7 million were lost in income per month. More than seven million people of working age lived in the most affected governorates and were thus most directly affected; some 2.7 million had been in employment before the earthquakes, explained Mr. Bussi. The ILO report was quite data rich, and its recommendations included promoting employment-rich infrastructure reconstruction works and further investments in skills developments.
More details are available here.
Human Rights Council
Pascal Sim, for the Human Rights Council (HRC), informed that the Council had received a total of 43 draft resolutions. Members States would be called to take action on them during the two last days of the 52nd session, on 3 and 4 April. Seventeen of those draft resolutions were on country situations and 26 were on thematic issues; 18 included mandate renewals. There was also a draft proposal to create a new mandate on Haiti.
Since 24 March, informed Mr. Sim, the Human Rights Council had adopted the final Universal Periodic Review (UPR) reports of ten countries: Bahrain, Ecuador, Tunisia, Morocco, Indonesia, Algeria, the United Kingdom, India, Finland, and the Philippines. It continued today with the adoption of the final UPR reports of Brazil, Poland, and the Netherlands this morning, and South Africa this afternoon.
Starting today and until 30 March, the Council would hold general debates on several items on its agenda, namely Items 6, 7, 8 and 9. On 29 March at 4 pm, the Council would hold a debate to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Finally, on 30 March, in the afternoon, at 4 pm, there would be a dialogue on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to be followed by a discussion on the situation of human rights in Mali.
On 29 March, the Security Council would hold a meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said Rolando Gomez in a response to a question.
Announcements
Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), informed that today at 3 pm there would be a global virtual press briefing by Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE). Multiple issues had been discussed by SAGE; COVID-19 was not the only topic on the agenda.
On 29 March at 10:30 am, there would be a hybrid briefing on the increase of trauma injuries across Eastern Mediterranean Region, and WHO response and management. Speakers would be Dr. Rick Brennan, Regional Emergency Director of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region; Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for the Occupied Palestinian territory; and Dr. Sara Halimah, Trauma Care Specialist for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Mr. Lindmeier also informed that the WHO EPI-WIN Webinar on avian influenza H5: its evolution and associated risk would be held on 29 March at 12:30 pm.
Finally, he said that a regular press briefing with Dr. Tedros would be held in the afternoon on 29 March.
Marta Hurtado, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), informed that the High Commissioner for Human Rights was in New York today, where he would address the General Assembly on the issue of the missing persons in Syria. Rolando Gomez, for the UN information Service (UNIS), said that the Secretary-General would address the same informal meeting of the plenary to hear a briefing on the Syrian Arab Republic.
Mr. Gomez said that the previous day, the Secretary-General had delivered remarks at the General Assembly event marking the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Today, he would speak at the Security Council on threats to safety and security caused by terrorism.
The Committee on Enforced Disappearances would conclude its 24th session on 31 March, at 5:30 pm, when it would issue its concluding observations on the four countries reviewed during the session: Zambia, Argentina, Germany, and Costa Rica.
The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families had begun this morning its review of the report of Morocco.
The Conference on Disarmament was having this morning a public plenary meeting. At the end of this week, the Conference would complete the first part of this year session.
The first-ever Day of Zero Waste would be marked on 30 March. This Day aimed to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns and raise awareness about how zero-waste initiatives contributed to the advancement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
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