PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE

6 October 2023

Deadly Attack on a Café in the Village of Hroza, Ukraine

Elizabeth Throssell for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said appalling scenes from the village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine underscored once again the terrible price civilians were paying 20 months after Russia’s invasion.

According to local authorities, 52 people were killed when what appeared to be a Russian missile struck a café in the village, where people had gathered for a wake.

So far, the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine had established the names of 35 people who were killed, 19 women, 15 men, and an eight-year-old boy, and the names of five women and one man who were injured. One Ukrainian soldier who was attending his father’s funeral was among those killed, according to the authorities.

What was clear was that the strike was one of the deadliest since 24 February 2022, but of course it was far from being the only one. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who saw for himself the horrific impact of such strikes, was profoundly shocked and condemned this killing. He had deployed a field team to the site to speak to survivors and gather more information.

Before the Russian invasion, the village’s population was about 300. It was not clear how many residents were still living there, but it was clear that with the high number of people killed, everybody in this small community had been affected. At least eight families had more than one relative killed in the attack.

OHCHR stressed once again that international humanitarian law, in particular the rules on conduct of hostilities, needed to be strictly respected.

In response to questions, Ms. Throssell said the field team would be speaking to survivors and witnesses to establish exactly what happened. At least 23 of the people killed appeared to be in civilian clothing. It was very difficult to establish with certainty what happened, but given the location, the indications were that this was a Russian missile. The loss of life should be deplored in all circumstances. This was a small village before the invasion, and it was unclear if there were military targets in the region.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service, recalled the strong condemnation that the Secretary-General had expressed the day before. Jens Laerke for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, had also condemned the attack, which caused significant death and damage.

United Nations agencies and Ukrainian non-governmental organization partners were mobilising assistance for civilians in the area, including medical supplies and health support, shelter maintenance kits, non-food items, cash, hygiene and mental health and psycho-social support.

Ms. Brown was today travelling to Hroza to see first-hand how the humanitarian community could support.

Weather-Related Disasters Lead to Tens of Millions of Displaced Children

Verena Knaus, Global Lead on Migration and Displacement, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said a growing number of children were being forced from their homes by extreme weather events. To date, they had largely remained invisible. And too often unprotected.

To shine a light on this highly vulnerable and growing number of children around the world, UNICEF had published the “Children Displaced in a Changing Climate” report, a first-ever analysis to estimate the number of children among those displaced. The report found that on average, 20,000 children had been displaced by weather-related events every single day for the past six years. Weather-related disasters like tropical storms, hurricanes, floods or wildfires caused more than 43 million displacements of children in 44 countries over just six years. Some children were displaced more than once, and some never returned home. The report also found floods and storms accounted for 95 per cent of the child displacements, due in part to better reporting and more pre-emptive evacuations.

China and the Philippines were among the countries that recorded the highest absolute numbers of child displacements, due to their exposure to extreme weather, large child populations and progress made on early warning and evacuation capacities. However, children living in small island States, such as Dominica and Vanuatu, were most affected by storms. Children in Somalia and South Sudan were most affected by floods. Wildfires triggered 810,000 child displacements, with Canada, Israel and the United States recording the highest numbers.

The climate crisis was bringing chaos to the lives of millions of children; and it was getting worse by the day. But not every child was equally vulnerable. A large part of whether a child survived a disaster, and how they experienced displacement, depended on the early warning, evacuation, and support systems their community or town had in place. It was in high-risk countries with vulnerable child populations that risk mitigation, adaptation, preparedness efforts and financing were most urgent. The right investments could go a long way in preparing and protecting children at risk.

The report’s analysis projected a truly terrifying future. Large scale displacements of children would likely become more frequent in the future. With every additional one degree of warming, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change believed, the global risk of displacement by flooding could rise by 50 per cent. While some countries like the Philippines, India and Mozambique had made great strides strengthening early warning, evacuation, and recovery capacities, we were not prepared for this climate changed future. And the displacement of children was barely on the radar of the leaders due to meet in a matter of weeks at COP28 in Dubai.

Governments needed to urgently protect children and young people from the impacts of disasters and displacement by ensuring that child-critical services, like education and health, were shock-responsive. Children and young people ought to be prepared for a future already unravelling, by improving their adaptive capacity and resilience and involving them meaningfully in solutions. And it was essential to prioritise children and young people, including those already uprooted from their homes, in disaster and climate action and finance. There was no excuse not to do what was needed to prepare and mitigate its consequence for children. It was clear now what to do and where the greatest number of children is at greatest risk.

In response to questions, Ms. Knaus said the report looked into the future. Over the next 30 years, close to 96 million children could be displaced due to river-run flooding, and several million more due to other disasters. The figures that the report presented were possibly underestimated, as the future model did not consider climate change scenarios.

Climate finance ought to be reimagined. The international community needed to scale up support for regions where it was likely that high numbers of children would be displaced. The future required action, and the COP28 meeting and other platforms were where the international community needed to show solidarity with vulnerable regions.

The report did not consider women, the elderly or other vulnerable groups, or certain disasters such as drought. With the report, UNICEF wished to shine a light on children, the kind of disasters that could affect them and the scale of the response that was needed.

Large percentages of children in South Sudan and Somalia had been displaced by natural disasters. This was due to the topography of these countries and the absence of early warning systems. The frequency of natural disasters in vulnerable regions was intensifying, driving children from their homes. Families were realising that their livelihoods were not tenable in the context of repeated droughts and floods.

On behalf of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that Amy Pope, the new IOM Director General, was going to hold a press conference on the issue of climate migration at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva today at 2 p.m.

Clare Nullis for World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said displacement was a theme in the WMO’s State of the Global Climate in 2022 report. Over the past few days, there had been a glacial lake outburst in a remote part of India, leading to many casualties. It was it burst due to incessant rains leading to the release of water in downstream areas. Three million Indians and two million Pakistanis lived in areas where glacial lake outbursts could occur at any time. There were large numbers of people, including children, who were at risk of displacement because of these natural hazards.

September Temperatures the Hottest on Record

Clare Nullis for World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Earth just had the hottest September on record, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change monitoring service. Scientists were flabbergasted by the enormity of temperature changes that were occurring. This was an ominous signal of the speed of climate change’s effect on temperatures. The year 2023 was on track to be the hottest year on record. Antarctic sea ice was at the lowest level ever. El Niño, which had a warming affect, had yet to kick in, which would lead to further increases. WMO would be presenting detailed findings on these trends at COP28 next week.

Violence in Syria

Jenifer Fenton for the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria (OSE) said the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, was gravely concerned by the escalating violence in Syria today, particularly by the alarming reports of a drone attack on the graduation ceremony of a military academy in Homs. The attack was attributed by the Government to terrorist organizations, and reportedly caused many dozens of casualties, including civilians and children too.

Further, the Special Envoy expressed concern about reports of escalating pro-Government shelling and rocket fire into Idlib in the aftermath of the attack in Homs, with reports of civilian casualties and strikes on civilian infrastructure. This came against the backdrop of weeks of significant escalation in northwest Syria, with pro-Government airstrikes and also attacks by Security Council-listed terrorist group “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham”.

The Office had also seen concerning reports of escalating violence in northeast Syria, with reports of Turkish strikes, including on civilian infrastructure and reports of casualties. This escalation came on the back of an attack on Turkish Government facilities in Ankara, claimed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Mr. Pedersen deeply deplored the loss of life on all sides. He urgently appealed to all sides to exercise the utmost restraint. Today’s horrific scenes were a reminder of the need to immediately de-escalate violence, towards a nationwide ceasefire and a cooperative approach to countering Security Council-listed terrorist groups, in line with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). All sides needed to respect their obligations under international law and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The developments further highlighted that the status quo in Syria was unsustainable. In the absence of a meaningful political path to implementing Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), Mr. Pedersen said he feared further deterioration, including in the security situation.

Humanitarian Needs and IFRC Response One Month after the Morocco Earthquake

Sami Fakhouri, Acting Head of Delegation for Morocco, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said that he had visited the area affected by the earthquake and seen first-hand that the real story was in the faces of the people that the Moroccan Red Crescent Society was helping, the eyes of a mother who lost her home and that of her family, and the hands of an elder too frail to rebuild what was once a home. They conveyed a message more powerful than any report.

A baby, Anas, was born in a makeshift medical tent on the streets of Amizmiz. Just 10 minutes old, he was nestled safely in his mother Nezha's arms—unaware of the chaos that enveloped him and the community. Streets away, hundreds of homes lay collapsed, public buildings including the local hospital were severely damaged, and makeshift clinics had taken their place. For baby Anas and his family, the warmth of that moment was a fleeting respite from the lingering devastation of 8 September earthquake.

One month on, the Moroccan Red Crescent Society had been instrumental in providing immediate relief to affected people. Working in a strong auxiliary role to the public authorities in the humanitarian field, its emergency services had reached well over 50,000 people through the dedicated volunteers and staff.

Their volunteers had engaged across the four most affected provinces, conducting search and rescue activities in support of authorities’ own operations, providing medical and psychosocial support, distributing relief items, and even organising blood donation drives. This steadfast response had been supported by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, coordinated by the IFRC, and they had been an essential part of combined relief efforts.

However, the road ahead remained challenging. Winter was fast approaching. Temperatures would soon drop to negative values during the night, especially in regions with altitudes between 1,500 and 2,000 meters.

There was an urgent need for insulated shelter and other provisions for the colder months. Furthermore, the threat of rain could lead to dangerous landslides, compounding the vulnerabilities of these already affected communities.

Adapting to these challenges, the Moroccan Red Crescent would be gradually shifting its focus towards long-term recovery efforts. Immediate needs like warm shelter, clean water, and hygiene infrastructure remained a priority, but it was also mindful of the importance of rebuilding communities sustainably and in line with the overall recovery plans initiated by the authorities.

To this end, the IFRC had initiated an emergency appeal, requesting 100 million Swiss francs to facilitate these crucial aid and recovery efforts. It had only secured about 20 per cent and support was essential for filling this gap.

Mr. Fakhouri urged the media to continue covering this crisis and not lose sight of the human suffering it had caused. The momentary solace that baby Anas and his family found should not overshadow the arduous journey towards recovery that laid ahead for thousands like them.

Narges Mohammadi of Iran Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Answering a question about Narges Mohammadi of Iran who had just won the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight against oppression of women and girls in this country, Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, said that the United Nations stood for the rights of women around the world, including in Iran. The Secretary-General had been very clear in his defence of the human rights of women and girls in Iran, and he was expected to comment on this important nomination later in the day.

Elizabeth Throssell for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that the courage and determination of the women of Iran in the face of reprisals, intimidation, violence and detention had been remarkable. They were being harassed for what they did or did not wear. There were increasingly stringent legal, social and economic measures against them. This nomination highlighted the courage and determination of the women of Iran and how they were an inspiration for the world.

Announcements

Pascal Sim for the United Nations Human Rights Council said the Human Rights Council was this morning holding a dialogue with the Chair of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, Epsy Campbell Barr, who would present a report on the first and second sessions of the Permanent Forum that were held earlier this year and last year. The Committee on the elaboration of complementary standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination would also present a report on its 13th session, and this would be followed by a general debate on item nine of the Council, “Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance”.

On Monday, the Council would begin considering the last item of its agenda on technical assistance and capacity building. At 10 a.m., the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, would present an oral update on the situation in Ukraine. This would be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the participation of the Deputy High Commissioner, the team of international experts on the DRC and the country concerned.

On Monday afternoon, the Council would hear an oral update on the situation in South Sudan from Christian Salazar Volkmann, the director of the Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). This would be followed by an interactive dialogue with Vitit Muntarbhorn, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, who would present his latest reports.

A total of 37 proposals for draft resolutions had been received. 11 of the 37 draft resolutions included a mandate renewal. Further, 11 of the draft resolutions concerned country or regional situations, namely Sudan, Afghanistan, Russia, Burundi, Honduras, Cambodia, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Yemen, and the establishment of an OHCHR regional office in the Caribbean region. 11 of these 37 draft resolutions included a mandate renewal, including for the team of international experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and for the Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Burundi and the Russian Federation. There was also a proposal to establish a fact-finding mission on Sudan to establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged human rights violations and abuses that started in the context of the ongoing armed conflict. There was also a request from Honduras regarding technical cooperation on its penitentiary system, and a new resolution concerning the centrality of care measures and their importance from a human rights perspective.

In response to questions, Mr. Sim said the Secretariat had not received any draft resolutions regarding Ethiopia.

Christian Lindmeier for the World Health Organization (WHO) said that ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, WHO would release two new resources. The first, “Mental health, human rights and legislation: guidance and practice,” a joint guidance by WHO and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR), aimed to support countries in reforming legislation and policies to end human rights abuses and increase access to quality mental health care. It set out what needed to be done to accelerate deinstitutionalisation and embed a rights-based community approach to mental health care, including adopting legislation to gradually replace psychiatric institutions with inclusive community support systems and mainstream services, such as income support, housing assistance and peer support networks. The joint guidance was under embargo, which would lift on 9 October at 12:30 p.m. To obtain the guidance, please write to archerm@who.int with copy to media@who.int.

The second, “Mental health of refugees and migrants: risk and protective factors and access to care,” was the fifth report in the Global Evidence Review on Health and Migration (GEHM) series. It summarised global evidence on the main factors influencing the mental health of refugees and migrants, and determining their access to care. Five high-level themes emerged from this evidence review, each with implications for research and policy, and relevance across refugee and migrant groups, contexts and stages of the migration process. The report’s findings were fundamental to developing better policies and practices to ensure that mental health needs of refugees and migrants were met. The embargo on this report would lift at 12:00 p.m. on 10 October. The report is available upon request to cornacchionev@who.int with copy to media@who.int.

Karima Cherif for the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) said that UNRISD would hold an art expo, titled “The Art of Equality: A Journey to Justice,” at the Palais des Nations to mark its 60^th anniversary. An event would be held at the Palais at 1 p.m. on 10 October to open the expo. The expo brought together 39 artists from 20 countries across the six regions in a competition for the better visuals on gender, social and economic rights and climate justice. It looked back on 60 years of the organisation’s work and humanity’s common history, and examined today's challenges related to the above-mentioned matters. The Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva would deliver opening remarks at the event together with UNRISD Director, and NBA champion Ronny Turiaf would be the jury chair and announce the winners of the expo.

UNRISD would also hold the “Geneva Policy Symposium on Migration and Inequalities” on 12 October, together with the Migration for Development in Equality (MIDEQ) network and colleagues from various United Nations entities. The objective of the Symposium was to unpack the complex, multidimensional relationship between migration, development and inequalities. The symposium would focus on poverty and income inequalities, gender inequalities and racism, xenophobia and migration narratives.

During the event, UNRISD would also launch a report which collected all the findings of the MIDEQ Hub. The report contained case studies from 12 countries and focused on gender, children and migration, access to justice and digital technologies, and decision making. It planned to share the report under embargo and the related press release on Monday.

Matthew Saltmarsh for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that next week, UNHCR would be holding its annual ExCom executive committee meetings in Geneva. There would be an opening speech by the High Commissioner, which would be live streamed but also distributed to press on Monday. On Thursday, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs, would provide an update on global refugee protection themes and issues. UNHCR’s three bureau directors for the Middle East and North Africa, East Africa and West and Central Africa would be holding a press conference on Wednesday at 3 p.m. to discuss the Sudan crisis. Journalists interested in participating could contact the UNHCR’s Geneva news team.

Clare Nullis for World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week was taking place next week in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In conjunction with Climate Week, WMO would be releasing a sand and dust storm bulletin and accompanying press release.

On Thursday, 12 October at 11 a.m., WMO would hold a press conference at the Palais des Nations to announce the release of the “State of Global Water Resources 2022 report”. Speaking would be Professor Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General. The report would be released on embargo on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, said that the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights would close next Friday, 13 October, its 74th session and issue its concluding observations on the reports of the six countries reviewed: Chad, State of Palestine, Brazil, France, Qatar and Armenia.

Next Monday, at 10am, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women would open its 86th session (9-27 October, Palais des Nations, Room XXIII) during which it would review the reports of Bhutan, Philippines, Jamaica, Guatemala, France, Albania, Malawi, Uruguay and Nicaragua.

Next Monday, at 10am, the Human Rights Committee would open its 139th session (9 October-3 November, Palais Wilson) during which it would review the reports of Iran, Venezuela, Haiti, Kuwait, United States, Trinidad and Tobago and Republic of Korea. The Committee would also have a public meeting with States parties on Thursday 26 October from 3 to 6 p.m. in Palais des Nations Room XIX.

Speaking on behalf of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), Ms Vellucci also said that a photo exhibition to mark UNITAR’s 60^th anniversary would be displayed on the Rotonde du Quai du Mont-Blanc in Geneva from 2 to 27 October 2023. An opening ceremony would be held today at 4 p.m., attended by the Executive Director of UNITAR, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, the Mayor of Geneva and the President of the Swiss Diplomatic Club. Members of the press were welcome to attend.

On Tuesday, 10 October at 2 p.m., the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) would hold a press conference to mark 10 years since the Minamata Convention on Mercury was signed and what to expect from the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention, to be held in Geneva from 30 October to 3 November 2023. Speaking would be Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary of the Minamata Convention, and Marianne Bailey, Senior Coordination Officer of the Convention.

9 October was World Post Day. The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres had issued a statement saying, among other things, that “On this World Post Day, we celebrate the Universal Postal Union’s work, and the critical contributions of postal workers around the world. Together, we can deliver a fair and sustainable digital future for all.”

The Heads of Geneva-based United Nations agencies had come together yesterday to sign the declaration of the Geneva Alliance against Racism in the workplace. This was the first meeting of this Alliance. A note on the declaration would be sent soon.