The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
As Austria announced today that it will go into its fourth nationwide lockdown amid soaring cases of Covid-19 infections, the Alpine country will also become the first European country to make vaccinations against Covid 19 mandatory starting in February 2022.
Asked by journalists at a press briefing at the United Nations in Geneva whether vaccinations should be compulsory, Fadela Chaibe, the spokesperson of the World Health Organization (WHO) said “No, immunization policies are decided within the national domain. It is up to countries to decide. WHO guidance aims to demonstrate the benefits and safety of vaccines for the greatest possible acceptance of vaccines rather than impose mandatory vaccination. So, this is the official WHO position.”
Austria, a country of 8.9 million, has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe — only 65.7% of the population are fully vaccinated.
Elizabeth Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) emphasized that “the requirement that states employ should be the least intrusive option to achieve the desired results”. She added that “they really should use all measures available to encourage people to get vaccinated in the first place. That includes public information campaigns and particular those aimed at communities and groups that are marginalized or have a higher rate of vaccine hesitancy. We would say that that is important. Obviously, Austria has decided to proceed to mandatory vaccination.”
Earlier this month, Austria introduced rules that barred unvaccinated people from restaurants.
According to WHO’s Fadela Chaib, “countries should really take a risk-based approach to make a decision in curbing the transmission of Covid based on assessment of their own epidemiological situation.”
She added that “it has some, as I said, ethical, human rights implications. So, countries should look at this very closely and take into consideration also groups of people who cannot get vaccinated because of any medical condition. Or, they do not have access to a vaccine, this is also a situation where people want to get vaccinated, but they don’t have access to vaccines.”
WHO’s spokesperson also stressed that “the solution is not only in the hands of governments, it’s also the individual behavior to try to curb down the number of Covid and to reduce transmission.”
OHCHR’s Liz Throssells also refers to the principles of international human rights law where restrictions must be necessary, proportionate and non-discriminatory.
“Restrictions must be based on law that is in force and publicly accessible”, Ms Throssell said. ‘Necessary’ and what we mean by that is that be that restrictions or the actions taken must be necessary to achieve a legitimate aim and, in this case, we are talking about public health. And they must respond to a pressing social need. So obviously the context of this is rising covid cases in some countries. ‘Proportionate’: the action must be proportionate to the interest at stake, proportionate to achieve its aim and it should be the least intrusive option among those that could be achieved. And this is really an important final point here is ‘non-discriminatory’.”
While countries including Italy and France have made vaccination against Covid-19 mandatory for health workers, Austria will be the first country in Europe to apply such a requirement for the society at large.
-ends-
- Exterior wide shot, United Nations flags flying.
- Medium-wide shot, inside the press conference room, showing speakers and participants.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Fadela Chaib, Spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “Is vaccination mandatory? No. Immunization policies are decided within the national domain. It is up to countries to decide. WHO guidance aims to demonstrate the benefits and safety of vaccines for the greatest possible acceptance of vaccines rather than impose mandatory vaccination. So, this is the official WHO position.”
- Close shot, journalists seated and masked, listening to the press briefing, a TV screen in the background showing a speaker.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Elizabeth Throssell, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The requirement that states employ the least intrusive option to achieve the desired results. I mean, again, they really should use all measures available to encourage people to get vaccinated in the first place. That includes public information campaigns and particular those aimed at communities and groups that are marginalized or have a higher rate of vaccine hesitancy. We would say that that is important. Obviously, Austria has decided to proceed to mandatory vaccination.”
- Close -up, a participant taking notes of the press conference.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Fadela Chaib, Spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “Countries should really take a risk-based approach to make a decision in curbing the transmission of Covid based on assessment of their own epidemiological situation.”
- Close-up, journalists seated and masked, attending the meeting.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Fadela Chaib, Spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “It has some, as I said, ethical, human rights implications. So, countries should look at this very closely and take into consideration also groups of people who cannot get vaccinated because of any medical condition. Or, they do not have access to a vaccine, this is also a situation where people want to get vaccinated, but they don’t have access to vaccines.”
- Close shot of the face of one of the journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Fadela Chaib, Spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “The solution is not only in the hands of governments it’s also the individual behavior to try to curb down the number of Covid and to reduce transmission.”
- Close shot, a technician supervises the briefing on Zoom.
- SOUNDBITE (English): Elizabeth Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Restrictions must be based on law that is in force and publicly accessible. ‘Necessary’ and what we mean by that is that be that restrictions or the actions taken must be necessary to achieve a legitimate aim and, in this case, we are talking about public health. And they must respond to a pressing social need. So obviously the context of this is rising covid cases in some countries. ‘Proportionate’: the action must be proportionate to the interest at stake, proportionate to achieve its aim and it should be the least intrusive option among those that could be achieved. And this is really an important final point here is ‘non-discriminatory’.”
- Close shot, a journalist, masked, standing in the press conference room
- Close shot, participants attending the meeting.
- Medium shot, a technician supervises the briefing on Zoom while a TV screen shows two speakers in the background.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNHCR , WHO
The past two months of intensifying Israeli bombardment in Lebanon have been the “deadliest and most devastating” in decades as communities uprooted from the front line have continued to flee across the border to Syria, UN humanitarians said on Friday.
2
1
3
Edited News | UNOG
“State of Silence”: Diego Luna brings the fight to protect the press to the UN in Geneva
Mexican actor, producer and director Diego Luna has brought his fight to protect journalists all the way to the United Nations, in Geneva. Together with documentary director Santiago Masa, he is putting a spotlight on the silencing of investigative journalism in his country, and on the incredibly high price that many journalist have to pay in pursuit of truth.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
“Today marks the grim milestone of 1,000 days since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale armed attack on Ukraine. Our Office has verified that at least 12,162 civilians have been killed since 24 February 2022, among them 659 children. At least another 26,919 civilians have been injured,” UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurance told the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
With COP29 in Baku now in its second - and final - week, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has reiterated his call for urgent human rights-based climate action.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL , UNICEF , WHO
Lebanon: Increased violence along Blue Line and ‘horrific new normal’ for children
In southern Lebanon, peacekeepers have witnessed “shocking” destruction of villages along the Blue Line and ever-deeper Israeli ground incursions, while the situation of children across the country is becoming increasingly desperate, the UN said on Tuesday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNRWA
The head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, confirmed on Monday that a large convoy of humanitarian aid was looted inside Gaza at the weekend, amid a near-total a breakdown in law and order and harassment of the agency’s staff by Israeli soldiers.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
In the nearly 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, thousands of civilians have been killed, the country’s energy infrastructure is on the brink and drones terrify communities on the front line, the UN’s top aid official in the country said on Friday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OHCHR
Mexican actor, producer and director Diego Luna took a break from the big screen on Thursday to highlight the dangers faced by journalists in his country and beyond, condemning murders of reporters everywhere as “a scandal”.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Gaza: ‘People are losing hope’ as aid access is refused to north, warns UNRWA
Besieged northern Gaza is a place of dead bodies lying in the streets and hospitals running out of blood packs – a situation that’s “nothing short of catastrophic”, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence & Ajith Sunghay, Head of UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, on Gaza
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Sudan’s displaced have endured “unimaginable suffering” in their search for shelter from the country’s ongoing war, UN humanitarians warned on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘Exceptional achievement’: Humanitarians reach over 105,000 with polio vaccine in north Gaza
Despite ongoing attacks and access challenges, humanitarians have managed to inoculate over 105,000 children in north Gaza with the second and final dose of the oral polio vaccine, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.