The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING
30 July 2024
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons of the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization.
Situation in Gaza
Answering questions from the media, James Elder, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), stated that the blowing up of a large water facility in Rafah was yet another reminder of a blatant disregard for children’s rights. Without it, vulnerable children and their families would be forced once again to resort to consuming unsafe water. The range of water availability in Gaza had been reduced, and it was now of two to nine liters per person while the humanitarian minimum standard was 15 liters. Mr. Elder reminded of sweltering heat in Gaza right now. Civilian infrastructure had to be protected, he reiterated.
Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that environmental samples of polio had been tested, and the Health Ministry in Ramallah would like to test them again to confirm the outcome. If the cases were confirmed, the situation would be very worrisome. The virus was likely present in the population, but that did not mean that there would necessarily be a broader outbreak, he explained. Not many people showed symptoms; only heavy forms of polio could be mortal. Aid – food, medical assistance, and vaccines – needed to reach people, for which a ceasefire was necessary so that humanitarian agencies could deliver it safely. A proper polio vaccination campaign could only be conducted under safe circumstances. Before the war, Gaza had had very high vaccination rates. Mr. Lindmeier said that the world had been very close to eradicating polio completely, and it was hoped that Gaza would not turn into a pocket of polio. No cases of polio paralysis had been reported so far, added Mr. Elder, for UNICEF. There were tremendous challenges getting food in, including therapeutic food, said Mr. Elder. Children were very malnourished, there was a lack of clean water and sanitation, and Gaza was experiencing extreme heat, which all together created a very dire situation.
On another question, Mr. Lindmeier said that four children and their families had been medically evacuated from Egypt to Belgium; more children were now being evacuated towards the United Arab Emirates. Some ten thousand more medical cases needed to be evacuated.
Election in Venezuela
Replying to a question on the presidential election in Venezuela, Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), stated that the Secretary-General had called for a peaceful resolution of the electoral dispute. He recalled that electoral authorities should undertake their work independently and without interference to guarantee the free expression of the will of the electorate.
Sudan talks
Answering a question, Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), explained that according to the latest information, the next Sudan talks, expected to be held in Switzerland in mid-August, should not be UN-led, although the UN would be represented in the talks. All these efforts had the same aim: to lead to a peaceful solution to the conflict in Sudan. As soon as there was more information about the UN’s participation, it would be shared with the media, while the details on the talks should be sought from the Swiss Permanent Mission, said Ms. Vellucci.
Announcements
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), informed that the third and last part of the 2024 session of the Conference on Disarmament was being held from 29 July to 13 September. Ireland was holding the presidency of the Conference until 16 August, after which Israel would take over from 19 August until 13 September.
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination would hold its one hundred and thirteenth session from 5 to 23 August, during which it would review the reports of Venezuela, Iran, Pakistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, United Kingdom, and Belarus.
On 1 August, the National Day of Switzerland, the United Nations Office at Geneva would be closed, informed Ms. Vellucci. It was planned not to hold a press briefing on 2 August.
Finally, Ms. Vellucci said that the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) would close at the Palais des Nations on 2 August.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Press conference on the latest report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UN Human Rights Council
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR
Victims Still Waiting: A Global Briefing on Transitional Justice Around the World
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
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”.
ends
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WMO , OCHA , WHO , UNICEF , UN WOMEN , OHCHR , IOM , UNHCR
Update on Ebola from WHO and OCHA, update on the situation of children with the beginning of school in Ukraine from UNICEF, UN Women on the impact of the settlers and restrictions on women and girls in West Bank, OHCHR on the recovery of extensive human remains in Gaza, IOM and UNHCR on the new wave of displacement in Yemen
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WFP
‘Super El Niño’ and converging crises worsen hunger in South Sudan and across the region - WFP
South Sudan’s hunger crisis is becoming increasingly catastrophic as violence, extreme weather and dwindling aid leave millions without enough food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC
Update on the human rights situation in Belarus by the UN Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus
1
1
1
Press Conferences | HRC , OHCHR
Update on the human rights situation in Syria by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNOG , IOM , UN WOMEN , UNCTAD , WHO , UNECE
IOM Yemen's Western Coast displacement; UN WOMEN on Gaza; UNCTAD Strait of Hormuz disruptions impacts; WHO Ebola logistics in DRC; WHO smoking and infertility; UNECE Data centres and energy.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNITAR , WMO
UNITAR: GA resolution on the merger of the United Nations System Staff College into the United Nations Institute for Training and Research; WMO: Air Quality and Climate Bulletin released; WHO: Ukraine update
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , UN WOMEN , WFP , WHO , WMO , OCHA
UN WOMEN/IFRC: Update on the impact of the floods in Nepal, WFP: Food assistance in the West Bank, WHO: Gaza’s rehabilitation needs and continued spread of diseases
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , ITU , OCHA , OHCHR , UNCTAD , UNDRR , UNHCR , UNICEF , WHO , WMO
UNDRR/OCHA/IFRC/UNICEF/WHO: Nepal updates; IFRC/WMO: El Niño Update; WHO: Health situation in Ukraine; UNHCR: 65 years after landmark Convention; OHCHR: Human Rights situation in Haiti;
ITU: Upcoming Greening Digital Companies 2026 report; UNCTAD: World Investment Forum 2026 in Doha 25-27 October