Welcome to the press briefing of the Information Service of the UN in Geneva.
Today is Friday 7th of October.
Rolando could not join us for obvious reasons as the Council is in his concluding day and he has asked me to inform you that the Human Rights Council has adopted a total of 21 resolution yesterday and there remain 20 draught resolution for the Council consideration today.
He has sent you the link to all the text and also a table, a revised resolution table for your reference.
So in theory they should be completing today.
We are not expecting over time.
So I hope you will be able to follow all the various proceedings of the council and why is not here.
Is always happy to be contacted if you have any specific question.
We have a very quick announcement from Claire and then I'll go to Jens for an announcement and a briefing.
Claire, you have a brief announcement.
Just just quickly, the World Meteorological Organisation on Tuesday the 11th of October.
State of climate services.
On energy reports, it's an annual report we do moving from.
So last year was water, this year it's energy.
How energy obviously is at the.
Core of the problem on climate change, but also energy security is very, very vulnerable to climate change impacts.
There's a press conference.
With our Secretary General.
Joined via Zoom by by it's the deputy executive secretary of the International Renewable Energy Authority.
Amendment to to the notice.
That's sent out, which said it was the executive secretary.
Send you all the embargoed.
First thing on Monday morning.
If you've got any questions, please, please ask.
Thank you very much, Claire.
For the moment, I don't see any.
And let's thank you very much.
And let's stay on the issue of climate and Eve Ian's.
You also have press conference on Monday, right together with the IFRC.
Indeed, we, with our friends and colleagues from IFRC, are launching the report Extreme heat preparing for heat waves of the future.
Will be lifted at the end of the press.
Conference it takes place at.
11:00 In this room and speakers are my boss, Martin Griffiths emergency.
Relief Coordinator and Mr Shapagan.
Who is Secretary General of the?
International Federation of Red.
And we have here Janelle Haley of the IFRC also, who wants to add the word please.
That press conference on Monday.
Shed some great light on Extreme.
Talking more about the hunger.
Crisis and Africa through the **** level Food Security and Nutrition Conference which is being organised in Addis Ababa by the African Union, the IFRC, the FAO.
And the African Development Bank.
It's in the Nelson Mandela Hall.
Time we're talking about the hunger crisis.
It's a primary concern for us, the opening.
Remarks will be live streamed.
By the Africa Union website at 9:00 AM local time.
Afterwards, the four organisations will hold a.
Press briefing in But we are.
With the principals of any of these 4 organisations about the crisis.
So just want to let you know those resources are available.
Thank you very much, Janelle.
And we will speak more about food issues to later on with FAO and its invitee.
And let's now go into the substantive briefing with you and you have a an update on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
It is from our colleagues in Khakifska Oblast in North.
East Ukraine where humanitarian?
Deliveries began in mid-september.
After the government of Ukraine.
That it had regained control over most of the oblast.
Areas that we have now follows several months of intense fighting nearly 100 and.
40,000 people are believed.
To remain in the towns, villages and settlements in areas where control has changed.
But they have extremely limited access to food.
Water, gas, electricity and medical services.
Some 8 to 9000 people remain there in that town.
That's down from it's original population of around 40.
6000 people and those remaining are completely dependent on humanitarian aid to survive, according to a recent UN mission that went.
Market and shops in Issium have been destroyed.
Or are closed families gather in the main town?
Square to exchange their possessions.
To meet their basic needs.
In the in another town called Kupyansk, some 4000 people remain.
Out of a pre war population of 28,000 people, hostilities and fighting are still.
Frequent in that location.
On the east side of Kupyansk.
People spent their days in bunkers and only.
Go outside to receive humanitarian assistance.
Or to board evacuation buses that are.
Arranged by the local authorities.
UN inter agency convoys have delivered.
Household items, medicines and health services.
In both these areas, while.
Volunteer groups have also stepped in to respond.
That's nearly half of the.
Population in the retaken areas in Kharkivska Oblast have received food.
We've also distributed 12,000 hygiene.
Solar lamps and blankets.
Medicines and surgical and emergency health kits to treat 10,000 people.
Over the coming weeks, weeks have now reached health centres across this area.
And we and our NGO partners are planning more humanitarian convoys in the days.
Thank you very much Jens.
Question on this subject in the room online.
Thank you very much for this brief, Jens.
And I'd like now to go to our friends from WHO.
Christian, you are with us and you have brought us Doctor Wen Qing Zhang, who is the head of global influenza programme of WHO to tell us about the flu season that is coming.
It's getting over our heads.
Don't know if you want to say a word, Christian, before we go to the doctor.
Is Doctor Wenjing Zhang exactly the head of the Global Influenza Programme at WHO?
And please, over to you, Wenjing.
Thanks very much, Christian.
So my briefing today is on influenza and I have 4:00.
First Northern hemisphere influenza season is upcoming after a period of historically.
Low circulation in front of our.
Seas from March 2020 since later 2021 in forensic activity started in many countries in Northern and Southern hemisphere.
From what we have observed from the Southern hemisphere 2022 season just passed.
We have seen that in France, in the Southern hemisphere, has been buried in timing and severity among countries, and also in.
Comparison with previous seasons.
Overall in forensic activity picked up again often to the levels or pre COVID.
Or even higher than pre COVID.
So second point is about.
Avian avian inferensic infection in humans or somatic infection contrast to two.
Seasonal influenza somatic inferensic infection.
Actually didn't stop or decline over the whole COVID-19 pandemic.
On the contrary, we have seen an active dynamics of adding influenza evolution and spread during COVID pandemic.
The first human infections with any in forensic age 3 and.
Three were reported from China and the first infection, human infection of adding in forensic age 5 and 8 was reported from Russia.
Also, UK and US reported for the first time human infection of any in friends age 5 and 1.
Signal of an influenza pandemic and this ****** is is persisting throughout the COVID-19 pandemic countries.
Should really never let down.
Alert to such ******, the Third Point is about in friends of vaccines.
Two weeks ago, on 23rd of September, the BHO issued its recommendation on the Infranza composition for the Southern Hemisphere.
Four days consultation, so.
Due to the evolution of influenza viruses, the composition of Infranza vaccine is being updated by annually to prevent severe diseases is highly recommended for people, especially those at **** risks.
Down in time and I think the vaccination.
Campaigns in the Northern.
Hemisphere countries are starting what around this?
Last but not least is about the network distress, the global influenza surveillance and response system.
This is one of the very few long.
Standing global network in the.
In 1952 and at the moment, it covers 158 institutions in 100.
So the capacity, capability, etcetera of this system was sweetly used for COVID-19 pandemic and also the global mechanisms for Infreza also used for COVID.
One example is Gisset, the genetic sequence database at the moment is being used for COVID was used was built for flu.
So now this race is expanding to include precise COVID 2 ISV and the next novel virus X of pandemic potential.
So this year the network is celebrating 70s.
Set thanks to generation of scientists worldwide to conclude that.
There is a global network working.
Around the clock, on the front of the fight against influenza and other respiratory viruses protecting the world.
Let me stop here and back to you, to the Chairman.
Thank you very much, Doctor Zhang.
And I'm sure that Christian will send your note to the journalist as soon as possible.
Is there any question for WH in the room?
I don't see anybody or online any question on the issue of flu.
They're all going to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
I don't see any questions.
So thank you very much, Doctor Zhang.
Thanks, Christian, for bringing us this important subject.
And let's now go to the situation in Pakistan.
We have our own James and Matthew here with me on the on the podium.
James, you brought us Abdullah Fadil, who is the UNICEF's representative in Pakistan.
Mr Fadil, I understand you are talking from Islamabad and I'd like maybe to start with you and then we will give the floor to Matthew for the issue also of the flawed and refugees and and IDPS.
Unless James, you want to say something at the before, before and sorry, I should have asked.
I just returned yesterday actually from Balochistan.
If you recall, Balochistan was the first hardest.
Province so just James would have.
An embargoed statement and I think that is my official statement and I think you should take that as the as the official statement of of UNICEF.
But I just wanted to highlight few points maybe as as as a focus.
Pakistan already, and particularly these provinces, Balochistan, the most deprived, economically the poorest province, and then Sind, the southern and northern part of Sindh.
The worst indicators in terms of malnutrition, access to water, health and education have been hit by the by COVID and then now by the floods.
As a result of the floods, just to focus on what happened after the floods, as of now, we estimate.
520,000 children are today severely.
What do we call Sam or severe acute malnutrition?
Before the floods, the average global acute malnutrition in this climated districts already was around 40 some percent today is over 50% so.
Beyond starting rates, Sorry, the starting.
Rates are above 50% and the global.
Acute malnutrition in these areas are at least.
2 1/2 times to three times the emergency levels of 15%.
So in some cases it's 32%, some cases actually is even higher than that.
As a result of the floods, 2,000,000 more children are out of school because of their schools damage as a result of the floods.
As a result of the floods, 5 and a half million more people don't have access to.
As a result of the floods As a result of the floods, 7.6 million children more are actually now exposed to protection crisis.
As a result of the floods, 3.8 million children now who had held some sort of a modicum level of health facilities don't have health access and.
Don't have access to health services and given this situation exposure of all these people with waterborne diseases with the the environmental impact of not having proper shelter, what we're seeing actually is quite.
Really a severe situation so.
I just wanted to share that as the increase of already vulnerable population that now in larger numbers are even more exposed and this is what we're facing in Pakistan.
Registering as much as we would like to register.
So I don't want to take much.
Much time beyond this as the statement is officially submitted.
But we're ready to answer.
Any questions from any comment?
Thank you very much, Mr Fadil, and I'll give the floor on on the also in Pakistan to Matthew Southmarsh for the refugee agency.
Good morning, Alessandro.
Briefing note on a supplementary.
Appeal that we just launched also for the devastating floods.
Hit Pakistan UNHCR, the UN Refugee agency, is urgently seeking 65.8 million U.S.
dollars to help more than 650.
Refugees and host communities affected by the recent devastating floods.
In Pakistan, as Pakistan faces a colossal challenge to respond.
UNHCR reiterates it's call for more.
Support for the country and its people who have.
Generously hosted Afghan refugees.
For over 4 decades, the scale of the devastation.
From the monsoon on, people and infrastructure is hard to comprehend, according to the latest.
Estimates unprecedented rainfall and.
Flooding in late August resulted.
In at least 1700 deaths with 12,800 injured, including at least 4000.
Some 7.9 million people have been.
Displaced by the floods now according to the latest estimates, with nearly 600,000 living in relief.
Sites Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber.
Pakhtunkhwa provinces were most effective with 80.
Districts declared Calamity hit Of these calamity hit districts, 41 host an estimated.
Districts Peshawar, Quetta, Naoshera and.
Karachi affected people spoke to UNHCR.
About their traumatic experiences as rain and floodwaters.
In a matter of minutes, families rushed to safety on higher ground as dams.
Failed and rivers burst their banks.
They were forced to abandon a lifetime of belongings and sleep under open.
Skies In many cases, UNHCR supplementary appeal seeks additional funds to address immediate needs including protection, shelter, health, water and sanitation and.
Education for affected refugees and the host communities, of course.
It will also assist in the early recovery process, including.
Building the resilience of refugees and their host communities.
And rehabilitating damaged.
Public facilities like schools, health structures, and water supply, the overall.
Floods response plan first issued.
Revised and launched on the.
4th of October to support.
The government with relief and early recovery until May 2023.
UNHCR supplementary appeal will run to the.
The UNHCR remains alarmed.
About conditions on the ground that.
Months for floodwaters to recede.
In the hardest hit areas.
Fears rise over waterborne diseases.
And the safety of millions of affected people.
Course are women and children pre-existing inequalities have been exacerbated by the flooding and protection risks have of.
The protection activities and working to ensure that critical needs are identified and addressed through prevention, risk mitigation and other services by specialised.
In particular in gender based violence and child protection.
Remains timely aid for the most vulnerable.
And that it is delivered.
Manner, including by building partner capacity and strengthening accountability to affected communities.
With outreach on sexual exploitation and complaints mechanisms.
Outset, UNHCR has been supporting.
By the government in affected.
Areas with **** concentrations of refugees.
Mobilised over 10,000 metric tonnes of goods in LESS.
Than four weeks from our warehouses and supplies in Pakistan.
And our regional and global.
Contingency stocks in Telmez and.
Dubai deploying some 300.
Trucks and 23 airlifts working with Pakistan's disaster management authorities.
UNHCR completed the first.
Phase of its response, including.
Assisting Assisting flood affected families.
In Khyber, Patongqar, Balochistan and Sin provinces with tents, solar lamps, plastic sheeting, hygiene.
Kits and other life saving.
Items and let's also remember.
Pakistan is on the front.
Lines of the climate emergency, and it's essential that the response incorporates prevention and preparedness.
Avert and minimise the effects of extreme weather events in the future.
While also helping to build resilience, particularly.
Among the vulnerable communities, Environmental.
Remain central to the response.
Including connecting schools, water, sanitation and hygiene.
Facilities and health centres.
And the note, of course, as usual, has been sent.
Out to correspondence, Yes, yes, thank you very much to both colleague.
And I would just like to add that today the General Assembly will hold a plenary meeting on the situation in Pakistan for the floods and the Secretary General will make remark.
You of course can follow this on web TV, on UN Web TV.
So I'll open the floor to questions now, Robin.
So if the appeal runs until the end of next year, do you expect that there will still be?
People displaced by these floods.
And in need of assistance.
Well, we don't have an exact timeline, but.
Certainly colleagues on the ground.
Are saying that they're very concerned that it will take a long time for the floodwaters to recede.
There will still be huge.
As a result of the difficulties, the logistical difficulties.
In in getting to people at the moment and for the coming months.
Other questions to Matt or to our friends of UNICEF.
Good morning, Alessandra.
My question is addressed firstly to Yens, if he's still there and it concerns Haiti.
Unfortunately, he stepped out.
Anyone else on the podium?
I'm interested in the latest concerning the cholera outbreak in Haiti, understands some UN representatives on the ground have been warning of a spike in cases.
John, just just one second, Let me see if there are other questions from Pakistan, please, before we go to another subject.
I'd like to ask your colleagues on the line if there's any other question for Matt or for our colleagues of UNICEF on Pakistan.
So Mr Fadil, if you want to stay on the line, you're absolutely welcome.
I'll go now to John's question.
We have, of course, also WH Austin Online.
So, John ask, please go ahead on a hit.
Yes, I understand UN representatives on the ground have warned of a possible major spike in cholera cases in Haiti.
Has the latest on that if UNICEF or WHO or Archer WHO are on the ground, what they're getting from the Port-au-Prince operators.
Or HCR, I don't know if you have anything.
I don't see anybody nodding, but maybe Christian is that yes, Christian can can start answering on on this.
And and indeed and unfortunately, on five October, the.
Authorities have confirmed 11 cases.
But by now we should definitely expect.
There are more than 100 suspect cases already.
In in Haiti and if you see only two.
Confirmed cases last weekend and.
Ago where we had we're proudly talking about not having cases in Haiti.
Are talking about 100 suspected cases that just underlines again or highlights unfortunately.
We we see there right now the insecurity is.
One of the the biggest challenges on the ground hospitals since weeks have been closing doors.
People can simply not access hospitals anymore.
So it's not only about the physical structure of the of the hospital, it's about healthcare workers not being able to.
The to the hospitals because of the lack of of security on the roads, but also because of simple lack of material like fuel is is is a scarcity on the ground now our our.
Regional office in the Americas.
Been working with the authorities.
Frontier to supply cholera.
Set up a cholera tent inside city Soleil which can treat which can treat 50 up to 50 patients at at one time, which is highly necessary, of course, because the again to to underline the.
Situation is very precarious.
A cholera kit can treat up to 100 people depending on severity.
So that's that's the situation.
International coordination Group on on vaccines.
To we're waiting actually for the the the update.
Request from Haiti to deliver.
Vaccines are the oral cholera vaccines are are ready to be shipped, but having the vaccines is.
One thing getting the vaccination to.
People is the bigger challenge and mind you this is only a second step so cholera is a disease which.
Is the mediaeval disease which actually nobody in ours time and age should.
It's one of the easiest to treat.
If we have the right means for it and that.
Means we need first of all safe water access.
We need simple solutions like oral rehydration salts and for.
People, that already is is enough.
But for the severe cases, they.
Unfortunately, can can die in in a matter.
So if somebody catches severe cholera in the in the morning and it's already a a weaker person, they will not survive today.
Coming quick and and fast.
But it's the simplest means only harder cases need antibiotics.
So most of the cases can be treated with simple means, but we need access to the people.
And again, it's we are working with the UN on the ground.
We're working with our partners and MSF.
Thankfully, is on the ground.
Inside situation, other other places to be able to deliver help.
Time is of essence now, definitely before we see a larger crisis.
Thank you very much, Christian, for this.
And just like just to interrupt the runner down of our briefing to announce you that we have just received the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize to human rights advocate Alice BL sorry BL Yatsky from Belarus, the Russian human rights organisation Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organisation Centre for Civil Liberties.
I'd like to congratulate all these three awardees.
I think that this this prize confirms the very important role that the fight for human rights, that which is one of the pillar of the United Nations as in this particular circumstance.
And I'd like to really congratulate all of them.
I know that our colleagues at the Human Rights Office have spoken often about the situation of this particular organisation, in particular memorial.
I mean, you may remember that there were a few press releases in the recent past from our colleagues of OHCHR on on this organisation.
I think all of them, of course, deserve our praise and admiration for their courageous fight for human rights.
Let's go ahead with the our briefing.
Is there any other question on IIT Emma?
It's for WHO, but it's not on well.
There's one on Christian is on so you can you can go ahead.
On Haiti, could you just explain, you said that you're expecting an announcement very soon on the vaccines.
So that is the stockpile that The Who has.
What stage exactly are you at?
How many are left in that stockpile for this year and what portion of them could go to Haiti, if you could just update us on that?
And a question on Uganda as well.
Can The Who comment on its efforts to contain the spread of?
Ebola what containment measures are in place and how worried are you?
About imported or exported cases beyond the borders of Uganda, Thank you.
Yeah, let's, let's start with Haiti, of course.
The way such a request for vaccines.
Goes to the international coordination.
Group and the International.
Is it needs the country office to prepare this because.
Having the vaccines is again the least of of the.
Uh, the country has to provide, uh.
A plan for administering those vaccines to getting those vaccines.
Onto the ground, so it needs a much.
And that's most likely why we're still waiting for it.
And then it's the International Coordination Group is comprised of, of of.
For members, that's UNICEF.
IFRC and they will very quickly.
Decide on on the delivery.
The stockpile itself is each.
40 million doses and if you're looking at at the that the that.
You normally have to give.
Case or per Per per vaccination and the range of about six months or.
About six months apart that.
Means you would normally count.
As of yesterday, 28 countries.
Around the world, having ongoing cholera outbreaks, that is a.
Not so huge amount of vaccines, so stepping up this production would certainly be be a good thing.
But at this point in time.
Last night is for until the end of the.
About 1617 million still available, so it should definitely be enough to to supply Haiti with a with a good amount, whatever there is.
But mind you again, we possibly have to look at supplying 27 other crisis areas with vaccines.
To the to the original point again, the vaccine is only one part of it.
The access to safe water which is most important, and to have safe access to anything, to provide rapid diagnosis tests, to have people being able to even go to one of the treatment centres which are now being set up by the partners on the ground.
Oral rehydration salt which is nothing but a salt and sugar solution which basically could be made home home, at home at the kitchen yourself if you have access to safe water.
So only the severe cases need treatment.
And of course, in an outbreak, it's best to vaccinate.
Count the time that it needs.
To for people to be immunised, hence right now.
And keep them safe until any vaccination it's possible and then the the immunisation also takes effect.
Uganda Ebola I don't have.
Much on Ebola with me today.
But obviously the the fact that.
What we're monitoring carefully.
Is a possible spillover in other countries and right now the there are 4 suspect cases in Sudan.
These cases the tests have been sent to the probes have been sent to South Africa labs for confirmation.
We're monitoring this closely and please stand by for any further developments here.
Thank you very much, Christian.
John, I'll take your question and then we will go back to our briefing because we have got still a couple of guests.
So John, you have a follow up.
Christian on the following up to Emma's.
Question on the vaccines, do we know?
The other day you mentioned there's only one manufacturer at the moment in the world.
Do we know the price you're buying these vaccines?
I don't think cholera is of the cheapest vaccines.
By Gabby or UNICEF to step in and help out thank you John.
Actually there are two manufacturers right now.
It's a South Korean and it's it's an awful still this year.
And the price of the dose, I was told yesterday is below $2.00 a dose, which makes it one of the really cheaper vaccines and it needs us it's.
It's an easy to administer.
We were covered, at least for.
The current outbreak here, but production would be great if more manufacturers stepped up and and produced for the UNICEF and and ICG.
You would have to have some, sorry.
Okay, thank you very much.
Um, we have with us Apali Kalketi, Arachi Laje from FAO together with Adriano to tell us about the FAO food price index, which is becoming a recurrent issue here.
And I know you're very interested in that.
So I don't know if Upali would like to start.
And then we still have our colleague from ICRC who is talking from Nairobi and we will go to her just after FAO.
So Upali, would you like to give a few remarks and then we go to questions.
Thank you very much for having me.
This briefing is about the new FAO Food Price Index we released this morning at 10:00.
It reports on price development during September.
The index as we all know tracks monthly changes in world prices of basically 5 of Mariti groups, cereal, vegetable oil, meat, dairy products and sugar.
Now this month in September, not this month, September.
The key changes in the FFFPI included the the index continued to fall in September as well for the 6th consecutive month following an all time **** reached in March 2022.
This September's decline was driven by a sharp fall in vegetable oil and moderate declines in sugar, meat and dairy products.
But by contrast, the Cereal Price Index rebounded after falling for three consecutive months.
Now what this means is with this new decline in September, the Food Price Index has fallen about 14.6% from its peak in March, but remained about 5.5 year over year.
Now let me quickly touch upon some of the key drivers of price development in relation to the key to to commodity sectors, food commodity sectors that drove the price index for September downward and also made the adjustment partially compensated that is by serial price increase.
Now As for the vegetable oil index, vegetable oil price index, it fell to a 14 month low, down 9.5% and driven by lower prices of palm, soy, sunflower and red seed oil.
I mean the increased export availability from key producing countries and inventory build up.
Now if I can elaborate a little bit on some of the key development.
For example, if you take palm oil, the decline was mainly due to the lingering heavy inventories that coincided with seasonally rising production in Southeast Asia.
Soybean oil prices also increased primarily we think it was because of increased the sales by farmer groups in Argentina that raised the export availability from that country.
Now sunflower prices also declined to a 14 month lower due to increased export supplies from the Black Sea region and subdued the import demand.
Now in the interest of time, I will go to the cereal price index which consists of three components, that is wheat prices, course gain prices and rice.
Now the cereal price index as a whole rebounded 1.5% month on month with price increases in wheat, maize, Shogun and rice.
But partly prices fell now.
What this means is with this latest change, the serial price index is 5.5% year on year and 14.2% below its peak in March this year.
Now wheat prices interestingly rebounded by 2.2%.
It underpinned by number of variables #1 the heightened uncertainty about the black tea grain initiative continuation beyond November the 2nd concern regarding dry conditions in Argentina as well as the United States.
And the third one is the kind of we have seen past pace of exports from the European Union on top of the block, higher internal demand for wheat partly driven by tighter maize supplies there.
Now As for coarse grain, I will only touch upon the maize part since you all have the note.
You may raise any questions later to other food commodities in that component.
Coarse grain maize prices interestingly remain stable as strong U.S.
dollar counted some pressure from a tighter supply outlook.
We have seen and also further downgraded the production prospects in the United States and the European Union.
There is this uncertainty regarding Ukraine's exports as well.
Now we have discussed here about Pakistan flood rice price index also had an impact from the flood.
But the bigger impact as we have seen came from Indica price in in response to the banning of a broken rice export and a 20% export duty on non biasmati and non parboiled rice in India in a way which posted some anticipation that buyers would turn to other rice suppliers.
So these are the key changes that drove the vegetable oil price index as well as the cereal price index.
Now sugar price index had a big impact on increase the good production prospects in Brazil partly because of rains and we think that they would impact standing crops having better yields and gone and as well as lower ethanol prices prompting higher use of sugar cane to produce sugar.
Now for the meat price index, I believe the interesting part would be to note that three major meat types, the prices decline that is ovine, bovine and poultry meat.
Whereas the pig meat prices increase because of supply shortfall of slaughter ready pigs particularly in the European Union.
Now as of the dairy price index, all subcommodities within that index including butter, cheese, skin, milk powder and hot milk powder all declined to a greater extent due to the impact of weaker euro against the United States dollar expressed in the United States dollar.
Besides that, we have seen some decline for the import demand for the medium term deliveries.
Now with this, let me conclude my brief intervention saying that the reason decreases in world prices.
We of course, we all welcome given the current circumstances we see around the world, but they they do not necessarily mean that we have reached the market stability.
But markets are still subject to what a degree, a significant degree of volatility related to development elsewhere other than in agriculture, including the energy sector, fertiliser market, the extreme weather events that we discussed here and similar to what happened in Pakistan and elsewhere.
Now at the at at last point I may mention not not withstand in these studies and decline global energy prices and gas prices remain ****.
This we see as an important contribute or reduce the fertiliser affordability and increase in production costs all over the world which could further challenge food production in 20/22/23.
So this is the major concern for all of us who are concerned about food security in the world.
Thanks for this, the presentation of this report.
John Zaracosta, this is a question for you.
John is our correspondent of France, Mancat, English Channel and Lancet.
Thank you for that overview, I'm interested if FAO in your analysis.
Is factoring in how much?
Due to financial speculation in the commodity.
Week on that had a very detailed analysis I'd be interesting to hear what is the estimates by FAO on the impact on the index of that and secondly you.
Mentioned in your press release.
The change in export policy of India for the spike in the prices of rice.
Can you be more specific how?
We're talking about export restrictions.
And for which rice varieties has India imposed restriction and the volume?
Thank you for these two excellent questions.
With regard to the first question about the speculation, no, unfortunately we haven't done any particular analysis on the impact of speculation on global food prices.
But indeed we are aware that speculation plays the key role and to the extent that speculation plays AI would say healthy role even in our price discovery process.
When we discuss the prices in some of these cases, we take in to account the the quotations for future, future price quotations and but unfortunately we don't have any analysis to show the precise impact of this speculative.
I mean, I know sometimes we tend to argue that it has a damaging effect, but as far as we see it, it has a role to play in the price discovery process.
But we keep on monitoring the market situation.
And but what I could would like to emphasise is the key changes that we have seen in prices, food prices throughout.
Let's say if you start from 2000 and six 2008 crises, 2011, two 1012 crises and from 2019 onwards, we can identify key fundamental factors, fundamental market driven factors based on supply demand, including we have highlighted many times including in this forum, extreme weather events, energy situation, energy price volatility and related to issues related to affordability of fertiliser.
And during the pandemic, of course, we saw the disruptions to supply chain.
Likewise, we can identify and then pinpoint the identity telling that probably these are the key factors drove the prices or the increased or led to price volatility.
So I will stop on that question.
The second question is also extremely important.
Yes, the for the price price index, the bigger impact as we have seen came from the export ban introduced by India on broken rice.
It's broken rice and then also 20% duty on non biasmati, non parboiled rice.
Thank you very much, Opali.
Any other question for FAOI?
So let's start, Let's stay on the issue of the food crisis, but this time in a country, Sudan, we have with us Aliona Sinenko, who is the Public Relation Officer with the ICRC.
She is calling in from Nairobi to tell us about the situation in Sudan on the floods and the situation that followed the flood, including the food crisis.
Aleona, you have the floor.
Thank you very much for taking the time to listen to an update of the impacts of flood in Sudan following heavy rains and flash floods.
10s of thousands of homes, hundreds of boreholes and many.
Agricultural fields have been.
Destroyed or damaged over the past months 18,000 families need humanitarian.
Assistance according to the.
Estimates of the Sudanese Red Crescent society.
The floods have affected large.
Last week I returned from the South Darfur.
People I met there were telling me that they don't remember last time they experienced a flood of such magnitude.
They were describing terrifying scenes of water.
Entering through the windows, reaching 1.5 metres ****, damaging walls, destroying furniture and food stocks and carrying carrying away valuable.
Because houses were destroyed, they're now living in.
Temporary shelters and fear the upcoming winter when the night temperatures will drop.
Conflicts and displacement had weakened resilience of many affected.
Communities and they will likely need more time to rebuild their homes.
The damage to the essential infrastructure has considerably increased the risk of water borne diseases such as cholera.
Darfur showed us a borehole.
That collapsed after the heavy.
Rains, the men explained.
That this was the only source of clean water.
In the village of 25,000 inhabitants, the flooding of agricultural fields has increased the ****** of.
Hunger for millions of people.
Today, approximately 10 million people.
Are estimated to be highly.
Situation is getting worse.
Communities in different parts of the country are facing not only climate.
Shocks, but also increasing violence, displacement, poor harvest and skyrocketing food prices.
Over the past year, the ICSC has reported a 187% increase in the price of basic.
Food items in conflict and violence affected areas of Sudan where we work this.
Brutal inflation is still rising.
With support of Sudanese Red Crescent, we are planning to provide essential household items and cash.
To more than 45,000 people by end of October in September.
Chebul Mara already received essential items.
We're also working to improve access to clean water for.
30,000 people out of which.
70% are women and children.
We promote promote hygiene among the affected.
Communities and provide medical supplies.
For treatment of water borne.
And malaria, but emergency response is not sufficient.
Is severely exposed to the effects of climate change.
And extreme weather events are projected to increase in frequency and magnitude.
Situation of people already exposed.
To armed clashes skyrocketing.
Inflation, political instability, criminal violence in a country that also hosts over 1,000,000.
This means the challenge we face is not only responding to the immediate impact of extreme weather events.
People build resilience for the.
Example help them find sustainable.
Sources of income that do not.
Contribute to deforestation and further deterioration of their natural environment.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Thank you very much for this update.
Let me see if there's any question for you.
I don't see any on the platform.
Thank you very much for being with us and and for bringing us this this update.
I would also that sort of concludes our list of speakers.
I have a few announcements for you as usual.
First of all, I've been asked by WTO to inform you that there is an upcoming **** level event which will discuss bottlenecks in supply chain with a special focus on regulation and standards.
This event will be held on 14 October in a hybrid format.
Opening the symposium, W dot WTO Director General will be joined by the Deputy Director General of the European Commission, the Permanent Representative of the United States to the WTO and the Permanent Representative of China to the WTO.
They will discuss which type of multilateral cooperation is most effective in overcoming regulatory bottlenecks.
Speakers, We also offer views on what more the WTO could do to counter disruptions in supply chains that are linked to standards and regulations.
You can register and also find more information on this event and the rest of the panels on the WTO website under the page on Technical barriers to trade.
Also be reminded that on Monday, as we have already said, at 11:00, that is the Orchard NIFRC press conference on extreme heat.
But also on the same day, Monday, 10th of October, at 2:30 PM, we'll have a UNDP press conference on their new report, which is called Avoiding Too Little, Too Late on International Debt Relief.
Please note that the report, the press conference content and everything else are under embark until the 11th of October at 6:00 AM CET.
And Mr Steiner will be participating in this press conference together with the senior economist of GNDP, George Grey Molina.
Finally, our announcements on the treaty bodies, the Committee on the Elimination Discrimination against Women will open next Monday at 10 AM.
Countries to be reviewed under the session are Finland, Armenia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belgium, Ukraine, Honduras, Gambia and Switzerland.
If you would like to have the dates of this or the various countries to be the review of the various countries, just let us know.
The Human Rights Committee will also open next Monday at 10 AM it's 136th session which will last until the 4th of November in Para Wilson.
During this session they will review the reports of the Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Japan, Ethiopia, Nicaragua and Russian Federation.
Please note that the review of Haiti that had been initially scheduled for this session has been postponed.
And just for your information, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will conclude this afternoon the review of the report of Luxembourg.
These are all the announcements I had for you.
Just a reminder that today is World Cotton Day.
We have sent you the message of the Secretary General.
Tomorrow is World migratory birthday, very important.
And on the 9th of October, World Post Day, we've sent you the remark the the message of the Secretary General.
Sorry, no, that one is not under the embargo.
The World Mental Health Day, which is commemorating on the 10th of October is under embargo.
We've sent you all these messages in your e-mail box.
Any question to conclude, I don't see any on the platform or in the room.
So thank you very much and have a very nice weekend.
