UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

6 December 2024

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.


Health Situation in Gaza

Dr. Rik Peeperkorn for the World Health Organization (WHO) said that according to information from an emergency medical team at Kamal Adwan Hospital, there had been heavy bombing around the hospital all night last night, and an Israel Defence Forces tank had been stationed outside the hospital this morning. Everyone in the hospital had been told to move out; people panicked and tried to climb hospital walls to escape, and soldiers opened fire on them, leading to deaths. There were also reports of arrests and detentions. The bulk of people were then directed to walk towards the main street, Badelair street.

It was unclear whether there was an official evacuation request. The Hospital Director and a number of staff and patients were still in the hospital. WHO and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) colleagues had reached out to the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) to ensure protection of the facility. Six international medical staff from an emergency medical team that had just recently been stationed in the hospital had fled the hospital. The Hospital Director had not asked the team to leave.

Yesterday, a 16-your-old patient was reportedly killed while she was being taken on a wheelchair to the x-ray department. Twelve other people had been injured, including two health personnel.

Hospitals and health workers should never be a target. They should be protected. Over the last month in Gaza, access to Kamal Adwan, Al Awda and Indonesian hospitals had been severely restricted.

Dr. Peeperkorn said that he had participated in four missions to the north of Gaza between 30 November and 2 December that had brought medical supplies, fuel and food to Kamal Adwan, as well as an emergency medical team composed of two surgeons, two emergency nurses, one gynaecologist and one logistician. The deployment of this team had been denied at least five times. This attack immediately after the missions was not only incomprehensible but also incredibly sad. Within one week of arriving, the team had felt threatened and were forced to leave the hospital.

In the missions, WHO had also delivered 24,000 litres of fuel and medical supplies to Al-Shifa Hospital for onward distribution to other hospitals and resupplied the WHO warehouse in Gaza City. The remaining primary health care points were becoming more and more important and needed to be resupplied.

WHO continued to support medical evacuations outside of Gaza. Since 7 Oct 2023, 5,325 patients had been evacuated outside Gaza. Of them, 4,947 were evacuated via the Rafah crossing before 7 May, including 4,043 children. Since the Rafah crossing was closed on 7 May 2024, only 378 had been evacuated outside Gaza, including 217 children. The top five medical needs of those evacuated through WHO support included 44 per cent cancer, 25 per cent trauma, eight per cent congenital anomalies, seven per cent cardiac diseases and four per cent ophthalmology. The top five referral dentations for evacuations were the United Arab Emirates (266 patients), the United States (22 patients), Jordan (20 patients), Romania (15 patients) and Belgium (five patients). Prior to the current crisis, between 50 and 100 patients per day had been evacuated.

WHO continued to plea for the restoration of proper medical corridors, and for the rapid and efficient use of all corridors to allow all patients to receive life-saving care in time. The referral pathways to East Jerusalem, Egypt and Jordan needed to be restored.

In response to questions, Dr. Peeperkorn said there were over 100,000 people injured in Gaza. Based on an assessment carried out between January and May, around one quarter of trauma injuries were severe ones that required life-long support and rehabilitation. Seven per cent of the Gaza population was estimated to have some form of disability. These people needed specialized support.

There were no reports of patients being transported to the United Kingdom or France. Egypt had taken the bulk of patients before the Rafah crossing was closed. There were approximately 12,000 patients who needed to be evacuated. For all medivacs, WHO arranged transport, food and shelter.

Kamal Adwan hospital was still at “minimum operation”. There was no evacuation of the hospital currently taking place. Attacks were constantly happening outside of hospitals in north Gaza, which constantly had shortages of medical supplies, fuel. food and blood. Only a few days ago, a WHO mission was facilitated to bring supplies to Kamal Adwan and an international emergency medical team. Within one week, they had been forced to leave. Supply teams needed to be able to reach the hospitals.

Shelter was a major concern in Gaza in the winter months. Shelter items needed to be delivered to places where they were needed most. In north Gaza, the fuel situation was again becoming precarious, and there was a lack of food, compounded by security issues. The contraction rate of infectious diseases was more than 25 times higher than normal. Water and sanitation conditions were incredibly poor, causing the outbreak of polio. A ceasefire was needed first and foremost so humanitarians could do their work.

One of WHO’s mandates was to monitor, analyse and report on attacks on healthcare. It did not attribute where attacks came from. It had raised requests for medical corridors with Israeli authorities. East Jerusalem hospitals were ready to receive patients.

The members of the emergency medical team were from Indonesia. The team had been evacuated and were now camping in another hospital.

It was remarkable that health workers in Gaza had somehow managed to make health systems partly functional. Many hospitals had bounced back form being non-functional with the support of medical teams. However, there were still many people dying unnecessarily.

Monthly Update on Global Food Commodity Prices

Monika Tothova, Senior Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said that in December 2024, the FAO released its monthly update on global food commodity prices, revealing that the FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) had increased by 0.5 per cent in November compared to October, reaching its highest level since April 2023. The overall FFPI in November was 5.7 per cent higher than in November 2023 but remained 20.4 per cent below its peak in March 2022, immediately following the start of the war in Ukraine.

The Vegetable Oil Price Index surged by 7.5 per cent due to tightening supply balances, and the Dairy Price Index rose by 0.6 per cent, influenced by strong global demand for whole milk powder and record-high butter prices, with tight inventories in Western Europe. Conversely, the Cereal Price Index fell by 2.7 per cent, reflecting weaker international demand and increased supply from southern hemisphere harvests, and the Sugar Price Index dropped by 2.4 per cent due to the start of the crushing season in major producing countries and improved crop prospects in Brazil. Meat prices also declined.

FAO’s new Cereal Supply and Demand Brief, which was released today, forecasted a 0.6 per cent decline in global cereal production for 2024, which, despite the decrease, would still represent the second-largest output on record. Softer wheat prices could discourage the expansion of winter wheat crops in the northern hemisphere. Additionally, the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) hosted by FAO released its monthly Market Monitor, which featured a reflection on agricultural commodity markets in 2024 and identified uncertainties that could impact global markets in 2025, including weather conditions and geopolitical tensions.

In response to questions, Ms. Tothova said that in month-on-month statistics, it was hard to see the impact of digitisation and streamlining of supply chains. Shocks often impacted the market and supply chains, making it hard to analyse the influence of new technologies and developments. However, these were lowering the costs of transactions and of moving goods from one area to another.

Risks Posed by Mines, Unexploded Ordnance and Munitions to Civilians Globally

Erik Tollefsen, Head of Weapon Contamination, International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC), said this week marked the 27^th anniversary of the Mine Ban Convention and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

In Lebanon, the ceasefire had taken effect, and a population of more than 100,000 was trying to return to their homes in the south. There was evidence there of significant weapons contamination, hazards that were not there when these people left. ICRC teams were trying to assist as best they could, but the organisation feared that there would be an increase in injuries and harm to the population as a result of the situation.

In Syria, there was a very similar situation, with massive populations fleeing the rapidly developing conflict situation. Over the war that had spanned over a decade, the majority of weapons contamination had been along the river and the waterfronts, which were the main routes for people trying to escape. Everyone was exposed to risks.

In Ukraine, winter was coming, and it could get very cold. People needed support to heat their homes and care for their loved ones. Areas in forests were contaminated with weapons. News of the transfer of anti-personnel mines in this context was concerning. These could make the situation worse. They were causing harm mainly to civilians. The majority of accidents happened after conflicts, when people were trying to return to their lives.

In the past, accidents from landmines, unexploded ordnance, explosive suspensions from cluster weapons increased each year until the Mine Ban Convention was introduced, followed by the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2005. These legal instruments had made an impact in reducing accidents and increasing clean-ups, which were time-consuming, costly and dangerous.

In response to questions, Mr. Tollefsen said ICRC’s lawyers were working on how the organisation could work to ensure that these legal instruments remained strong in the face of current security risks.

In Gaza, there were very few victim-activated weapons. Such weapons were seen in Ukraine, however, where they were causing harm. There were many variables that affected weapons’ failure rate, including the type of weapon, surface conditions, and the training of operators. Manufactures often claimed failure rates of one per cent, but some anti-personnel mines in places like Ukraine had self-destruct failure rates of more than 50 per cent.

Announcements

Pascal Sim for the Human Rights Council said the Human Rights Council would hold two meetings on Monday, 9 December. At 10 a.m., the Council would hear an oral update from the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif on the human rights situation in Nicaragua, followed by an interactive dialogue.

In the afternoon at 3 p.m., the Council would also hold an organizational session regarding its 19th cycle, which would begin on 1 January 2025. The items on the agenda for this session were the election of the next President of the Council and of the Bureau, and the adoption of a Presidential Statement on the Council’s efficiency. The Council would be also asked to announce the appointment of the new Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, following the resignation of the former mandate holder Francisco Cali Tzay.

On Friday, 13 December at 3 p.m., the Council would hold an interactive dialogue on the human rights situation in Venezuela, and would hear from High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. A meeting on Ukraine scheduled for the same day had been rescheduled to January 2025.

Mr. Sim announced that for International Human Rights Day on Tuesday, 10 December, the President of the Human Rights Council would participate in a discussion on the rights of persons with disabilities with about 80 students from the public schools of the Canton of Geneva. This meeting would take place in Room XX of the Palais des Nations. It was coordinated by the United Nations with the support of the World Organization for Intellectual Property.

In response to questions, Mr. Sim said that the High Commissioner was mandated to deliver oral updates on Nicaragua four times per year. The presentation of the final report fell outside of regular Human Rights Council session scheduling.

The postponement of a meeting on Ukraine was due to operational restraints. The postponement would enhance the quality and reliability of the information that would be presented.

Zeina Awad for the International Labour Organization (ILO) said that ILO would be issuing its flagship report on social dialogue next Wednesday, 11 December. A virtual press conference would be held at 10:30 a.m. to mark the launch. The report would look at the critical role of social dialogue in economic and social development, and the state of dialogue between workers, employers, organizations and governments, especially in light of current environmental and digital transitions and in the context of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report’s comprehensive findings built on surveys, data and reviews.

Manuela Tomei, ILO’s Assistant Director-General for Governance, Rights and Dialogue, would present the report. The report would be available under embargo until 9:30 a.m. on the day of the conference, and a media advisory would be shared later today.

Catherine Huissoud for United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said UNCTAD was organising the tenth Global Commodities Forum, a multi-stakeholder conference aimed at addressing the challenges faced by different actors in the agriculture, minerals and energy commodity value chains, with a lens on developing countries. The theme of the tenth session was “Commodities amid the climate emergency: Sustainable trade and value addition”.

The Forum would bring together actors from the public and private sectors, international organizations and academia to discuss challenges in the production and exchange of commodities in the face of climate change. The four sessions of the Forum were devoted to adapting to the energy transition in fossil fuel-dependent developing countries, promoting natural fibres in the climate action agenda, fostering sustainable trade in agricultural commodities, and minerals essential to the energy transition. The Forum would be opened on 19 December by the UNCTAD Secretary-General.

Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, said that on Monday, 9 December at 10:30 a.m., the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk would hold an end-of-year press conference.

On Wednesday, 11 December at 1:30 p.m., the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights would hold a press conference on human rights violations in Gaza and across the occupied Palestinian territory. Speaking would be Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967l; Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; and George Katrougalos, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order.

On Friday, 13 December at 9:15 a.m., the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) would hold a press conference to present review findings on Armenia, Ecuador, Greece, Kenya, Monaco, and Saudi Arabia. Speaking would be Michal Balcerzak, Committee Chair, and three Committee members.

The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (39th session, 2-13 December, Palais Wilson) was concluding this morning its review of the report of Seychelles.

Ms. Vellucci announced that 7 December was International Civil Aviation Day, and that 9 December was the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, and the International Anti-Corruption Day.

This year was the 75^th anniversary of the Association of Accredited Correspondents at the United Nations (ACANU). Ms. Vellucci paid tribute to the important role that the Association played in bringing the voice of international Geneva to the world.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

- HRC - Pascal Sim: Human Rights Council update
- ILO - Zeina Awad: Upcoming social dialogue report launch
- UNCTAD - Catherine Huissoud: Global Commodities Forum 9-10 Decembre – Palais des Nations

TOPICS

- WHO - Margaret Harris with Dr Rik Peeperkorn, Occupied Palestine Territory Representative (From Gaza): Update on the health situation
- FAO - Monika Tothova, Senior Economist, FAO, Connecting (From Astana): Monthly update on global food commodity prices (FAO Food Price Index)
- ICRC - Erik Tollefsen, Head of Weapon Contamination: Risk posed by anti-personnel mines, unexploded ordnance and munitions to civilians globally