I hope you can all hear me properly.
Welcome to this biweekly press briefing of the 24th of April.
We have quite a long list on our agenda this morning, so we'll try to be as expeditious as possible.
From my side, just a couple of a couple of messages.
Of course, you will have seen yesterday the Secretary General's message on the beginning of Ramadan.
So he extends his warmest wishes to the millions of Muslims around the world that begin observing the holy month of Ramadan.
He recognises, of course, that this is going to be a very different Ramadan, that many community activities will naturally be affected by measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, and also many, many people in conflict zones will once again be tragically marking this month with war and insecurity all around.
So he recalls his appeal that he made a few weeks ago for an immediate global ceasefire to focus on the common enemy, the the virus.
And he repeats that appeal today.
Martin Griffith, this UN special envoy for Yemen, reiterated a similar message just last evening.
He also extends his best wishes to the to everyone in Yemen and to the parties to the conflict in particular, He says to be guided by the spirit of the holy month and to put an end to the suffering of your people.
Put down the arms, release all those who lost their liberty due to the conflict.
Open humanitarian corridors.
Focus on coordinating your efforts to help your country respond to the pandemic outbreak and other emergency needs.
Very strong messages from the Secretary General and the Special Envoy for Yemen.
And just a reminder that today is the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace.
The Secretary General has issued a message, which we have shared with all of you, in which he says that the COVID-19 pandemic is, of course, a tragic reminder of how deeply connected we are.
The virus knows no borders and is a quintessential global challenge.
Combating it requires us to work together as one human family.
But he says that multilateralism is not the only a matter of confronting shared threats.
It's about seizing common opportunities.
And we now have the opportunity to build back better than in the past, aiming at inclusive and sustainable economies and societies.
International cooperation must adapt to changing times.
So he says that at this key moment for international cooperation and in this 75th anniversary, the year of the United Nations, let us strive as one to realise the founders vision of a healthy, equitable, peaceful and more sustainable future for all.
And as we speak, there is a a, an event that has just begun here in Geneva with a number of **** level speakers, including our own Director General, Tatiana Lolo Voya, but also includes several leaders from the UN Geneva community, including Martin Shengung, Secretary General of the Inter Parliamentary Union, Fabiola Giannotti from CERN, Walin Zhao from the ITU and Guy Ryder from the ILO, as well as Fabrizio Hotchild, who is looking after the preparations for the 75th anniversary.
This this event is being webcast and will be going on until 12:30 today, looking at how the world is responding to this International Crisis and how multilateralism can help provide a response to it.
So without further ado, let's go right into our agenda for the day.
And we're going to start on the topic of COVID-19 with Jens Lark from OCHA, who is going to talk about the broader humanitarian community's response to this crisis worldwide.
Thank you Real very much and good morning everyone.
The Corona virus pandemic has now reached every corner of the world with more than two and a half million confirmed cases.
The virus is in virtually all the countries we had already identified as humanitarian crisis or settings at the end of last year.
Today, lockdowns, curfews and restrictions on movement of cargo and personnel, which is part of the strategy to slow down transmission of the virus, are challenging the humanitarian response.
International responders, the non governmental organisations, the United Nations and the Red Cross and Red Crescent family need to reach people both with specific COVID-19 assistance but also to continue their life saving work for about 117 million women, men and children that are caught in conflict, poverty and climate related emergencies.
The Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock says in our press release today that humanitarian organisations large and small are already doing an enormous amount under extremely difficult circumstances.
Aid workers are installing hand washing stations, delivering drinking water and food, launching public information campaigns and ensuring other essential supplies reach vulnerable people.
To support the response, the UN is urging authorities everywhere to help by fast tracking access for health staff, aid workers and supplies at their borders and in country.
More than $625 million has been made available so far to the 2 billion COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan launched exactly one month ago.
This support includes $95 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.
We are urging more donor support across all operations and all humanitarian response plans.
In our release today, 14 non governmental organisations, UN agencies and the Red Cross and Red Crescent family highlights some of the things that they have achieved with the funding so far.
They are all available for interviews if interested.
Yens, Would do any journalists have any questions for Yens on this?
I don't see any hands up, but you will be around the end, so we can come back to you should there be a question.
Is Rupert Colville with us this morning from OHCHR?
He is here to talk to us about the clampdown on the independent media during COVID-19.
Good morning, Rupert, Please, over to you.
We just have an image of you.
All right, so the UN **** Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, is alarmed by the restricted measures imposed by several states against the independent media, as well as the arrest and intimidation of journalists, given how important the free flow of information is in fighting COVID-19.
To quote her words, some states have used the outbreak of the new coronavirus as a pretext to restrict information and stifle criticism.
A free media is always essential, but we've never depended on it more than we do during this pandemic, and so many people are isolated and fearing for their health and livelihoods.
Credible, accurate reporting is a lifeline for all of us.
The **** Commissioner also draws attention to how some political leaders have made statements about journalists and media workers that have created a hostile environment for their safety and their ability to do their work.
According to the International Press Institute, there have been over 130 alleged media violations since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, including more than fifty reported instances of restrictions on access to information, censorship, and excessive regulation of misinformation.
Nearly 40 journalists have reportedly been arrested or charged in the Asia Pacific, in the Americas, in Europe, in the Middle East, and in Africa for reports critical of the state response to the pandemic or simply for questioning the accuracy of official numbers of cases and deaths related to COVID-19.
The actual number of media violations and arrests is, we believe, probably far higher than that.
There have also been reports of journalists disappearing after publishing coverage critical of the COVID-19 response, and several news outlets have been closed by the authorities because of their reporting.
As the **** Commissioner says, there's no time.
This is no time to blame the messenger.
Rather than threatening journalists or stifling criticism, state should encourage healthy debate concerning the pandemic and its consequences.
People have a right to participate in decision making that affects their lives and an independent media is a vital medium for this.
Being open and transparent and involving those affected in decision making build public trust and helps ensure that people participate in measures designed to protect their own health and that of the wider population.
It also increases accountability.
In addition, independent media provide medical professionals and relevant experts a platform to speak freely and share information with each other and with the public.
The UN human rights chief is also echoing the concerns raised by the Secretary General about the dangerous epidemic.
And that was his, quote, dangerous epidemic of misinformation around the pandemic, which has generated confusion and more and more ill health.
She pays tribute to the journalists working in the independent media whose fact checking has helped provide truth and clarity, which is so essential.
Journalists are playing an indispensable role in our response to this pandemic.
And unlike the grave threats, sorry, but unlike the grave threats posed to other essential workers, the threats media workers face are entirely avoidable.
These are not caused by the pandemic itself.
It's caused by other people.
Protecting journalists from harassment, threats, detention, or censorship helps keep us all safe.
Thank you very much, Rupert.
And I think the Secretary General echoed many of those messages as well when in his statement and video message on COVID-19 and misinformation, which we issued on the 14th of April, where he talked about a misinfedemic spreading globally.
Uh, and this was the time for science and solidarity and to, uh, avoid filling the airwaves with falsehoods.
He also saluted the journalists, of course, and other, uh, others fact checking the mountain of misleading stories and social media posts.
Uh, it's, uh, very, very important for the public to have access to, uh, accurate information and, uh, be free to get that as well.
I see we have several journalists waiting with questions.
Jamil, good morning, You have the, the, the floor.
My question is obviously on Paulsonaro and his attacks on the press during this time of the pandemic is when you talk about attacks, are you considering his attacks as well, just to be a little bit more precise?
Because obviously we know your limitations in terms of of naming countries, but are we talking here about let's say attacks, verbal attacks or only arrests?
Would how, how would you define or what is the immediate ******?
Is it only the physical attack or closing Newswires or are you talking as well about verbal attacks and on Bolsonaro as well, if you could come.
Actually, no, I'm quite prepared to talk about individual countries if I have the information and I have I think information on 29 different countries in front of me if I can find it.
Unfortunately, I don't have Brazil.
But on the issue of leaders and on verbal *****, yes, I mean, I think it's incredibly important.
We've said this in the past as well.
You know, the, the, the messages the public get from political leaders can be very dangerous.
I mean, these can, these can lead to, to people being physically attacked.
So the, the messages they're putting out about journalists and, and so on in a number of countries are, are disturbing.
And, and that is very much part of the calculus of, of what we said today.
And we, you know, we are trying to trace a whole range of, of issues surrounding the freedom of expression and the treatment of, of the media.
I'm sorry, I don't have anything specific on, on what President Bolsonaro has said.
I would just say the, the kind of people who kind of leaders who are criticising journalists in a, in a way that's quite disturbing are in some ways the usual suspects.
This is the the leaders who've done it before who who don't tolerate criticism of their policies and and free debate and so on.
I see we have a question from Gabriela Sotomayor as well.
So Gabriela, good morning and please go ahead.
Thank you for giving me the floor.
My question is on Mexico.
The president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, directly attacked practically all independent media.
He has attacked journalist, columnist, including the the the weekly magazine for which I work.
So could you comment on Mexico specifically?
Because here we are talking about a country where there are murders, you know, the the assassinations and even in the government of Lopas Obrador have been already a killing of journalists.
So we are talking about a very serious issue in Mexico.
Could you comment on that?
Yeah, yeah, sure, Gabriela, that that's correct.
On the 22nd of April, President Lopez Obrador questioned the independence of the press as a whole, mentioning that in the country, and this is a quote from him, translation.
There's no longer a professional, independent or ethical press, which I'm sure you personally would dispute.
And this statement appears to be linked to, you know, various media organisations and journalists questioning the official figures the authorities were providing.
And that's been a bit of a pattern in some other countries, you know, there are there are governments, of course, under pressure.
Everyone's under pressure from COVID-19, but rather than, you know, dealing straight forward with the issue, some countries appear to be allergic to to criticism or questions or debate about their policies and their responses to the to the pandemic.
In Mexico, you know, whether the life of journalists has been, you know, incredibly difficult and dangerous for for many years now, one NGO, Article 19, has reported 14 incidents against journalists, including slander, physical ******* and death threats, most of which have been directly linked with with government or local government officials and so on.
So, so it's not just President Lopez Obrador, but it's also local officials, governors and so on who've been making remarks which potentially have have endangered journalists.
I see that Lisa Schlein from Voice of America is next on the line.
Good morning, Rayal, Nice to see you.
Nice to see everybody else as well.
Specifically for you, you say that you have information on 29 different countries.
I'm not going to ask you to name them all, but what are some of the worst violators?
And are they specific to certain regions, a particular region or what have you?
And then another question, please.
You talk about this isn't a time to blame the messenger.
I'd like you to be a little specific about the consequences of blaming the messenger on the pandemic And, and, and then specifically in the United States, we have a President Donald Trump, who has been accused of accusing journalists of propagating fake news.
Now, as far as I know, nobody has been killed yet, fortunately, But what are the consequences of the leader of the United States vilifying the news media of propagating fake news?
How does this impact trying to get control of the COVID-19 pandemic?
That was a lot of questions.
Let me start with the last one first, because it continues from the from the last one.
So the the issue of, of comments by leaders.
I mean, yeah, I'm sure many of you have watched the some of the Daily Press briefings by President Trump, which have contained quite a few direct attacks on, on the journalist attending the briefing or the media in general.
And as we've said in the past, that's that's a worrying trend when you're talking about, you know, mainstream serious media organisations under fire.
But it's not just President Trump.
I mean, in Turkey, for example, President Erdogan said, I think he said our country not only needs to be saved from the coronavirus, but also from all media and political viruses.
Instead of contributing to the fight against the pandemic, they throw out false information and falsehoods, making them more dangerous than the virus itself in Guatemala.
The president has also in press conference, national press conference, has been promoting a negative discourse towards journalists on at least three occasions that we're aware of and he's even accused them of sedition.
Moving on a bit to your more general question.
Look, there are lots of bad examples.
I'll just pick some somewhat at random.
In Bangladesh, journalists, including editors, have reportedly been subjected to threats, harassment, court cases and some of the physical attacks while covering the COVID-19 news.
These include eight arrests between the 1st and 20th of April.
And these are occurring under the Digital Security Act.
And at least one news outlet and our news website has been shut down in the also in Asia, in the Philippines, there's also a legal element to this.
So there's President Duterte signed the COVID-19 law on the 24th of March.
And then there was a very last minute addition to that law, criminalising the spread of false information with a penalty of up to two months in prison and a million peso fine.
Subsequent to that, cases have been filed against at least two journalists, so citing violations of that COVID-19 law and local government officials have also taken action against the critical journalists in the Philippines.
In Let Me See Jordan, on the 9th of April, the general manager and the news director of Royal News were arrested by the Public Prosecution of the State Security Court.
And their arrest appears to stem from a story that Royal News aired regarding government failures to support daily wage workers and others unable to work during the COVID-19 lockdown.
But they were released on bail on the 12th of April.
Egypt, we've spoken about before, but there are a lot of issues there.
Saudi Arabia The Saudi authorities have been conducting allegedly conducting arrests since the beginning of April and detaining people who are charged for violating our freedom of expression.
Don't have numbers for Saudi Arabia.
Newsier A couple of journalists have been arrested in Africa.
There have been serious issues in Tanzania.
On the 17th of April, the licence of an online newspaper Mananchi was suspended for six months and a fine of around Tanzanian, Tanzanian 5 million Tanzanian shillings.
It's not quite as much as it sounds.
In other currencies, it's about $1200, but that was imposed on them to be another other incidents in Tanzania we're as well including.
Journalist posting an article about the president and with a photo of him buying fish in his home village.
He was, he was dismissed by the newspaper.
There's another journalist in Tanzania suspended.
So there's quite, a, quite a lot of incidents in Tanzania and so on.
I mean, it's it's it's occurring in in many countries, yes, sizeable lists of incidents and all over the world.
I see we have Nick, Nick coming Bruce from the New York Times.
Nick, good morning and please go ahead.
Good morning and good morning to all.
Rupert, I'd like just to press you on the obvious candidate.
So what are you concerned that the attacks on the media in president from Trump's daily briefings are actually obscuring, helping to obscure the messages that need to get out and therefore a coordinated and coherent response?
And looking over to Asia, I wondered to what extent you've also been able to quantify to any degree the actions that have been taken against journalists in China, specifically in relation to COVID.
Yeah, I mean, in in the United States, you know, as the **** Commissioner says in the press statement issued earlier, you know, the journalists play a very important role.
We need to, we need governments to be questioned and, and to be there needs to be a debate about what's the best policy to take, particularly with these very difficult questions.
And nobody knows, you know, the perfect answer to in terms of when do you open up, you know, when is, when is it safe to relax the, the lockdowns and so on.
You know, these are issues that have to be, have to be debated in a, in a, in democratic societies and preferably in all societies.
So that means that means a public debate.
And the journalists, the journalists play a vital role there.
How does how is the public getting their information?
They get it through the media by and large.
The misinformation is another issue.
So, but that seems to be in some countries being used as an excuse to attack the more more honourable efforts to, to, to dig out the, the genuine information.
There's a lot of misinformation on social media, some of it really very dangerous.
And again, you need the mainstream media to be, to be exposing that and to be exposing the myths and distortions and so on.
So I think whether it's the United States or anyone else anywhere else, you say the same principles apply.
You need you need good, solid fact checking, journalism functioning more than ever during this situation.
We all need good information.
And and that's a health issue.
I mean, if we get bad information, that might lead to people taking the wrong decisions in their personal lives, which could lead to them catching COVID-19 or to giving, giving it to other people.
So it's absolutely vital we get good information.
In terms of China, yeah, I mean, there've been issues of, well, a number of issues in in China.
There's been the journalist, Chen Kushi, who's still missing.
According to his friends, he's been out of contact for 75 days now.
One of the other journalists who had been missing reappeared in the, I think 2 days ago after almost two months.
They've also been concerns.
There are I think one or two others who are missing.
We may do something on people who've disappeared in China in in the next few days.
There's also an issue of journalists being attacked by members of the population.
So that that's happened at the beginning in in China, in Wuhan.
That's also, of course, happened in India, and health workers have been attacked in India, which is also very disturbing.
So there are, yeah, as I said, many, many issues, some of them, you know, to do with the general public, some to do with social media, some to do with leaders.
But journalists, perhaps it's not getting enough focus because, you know, there's been a very healthy focus on the essential workers, on the on the health workers, on the people who are keeping, you know, society taking over while we're all in lockdowns.
But part of those essential workers are very clearly journalists.
Thank you very much, Rupert.
Any final questions for for Rupert on this issue?
I don't see any additional hands up.
Thank you very much, Rupert, for being with us this morning.
I see that John Zaracosta has just raised his hand.
So let's let's take his question.
Yes, good morning, Rupert.
I was listening to one of your responses to I think Liza's question and I was a bit taken aback.
You seen it's a worrying trend, the attacks because it's against mainstream media.
Does it make a difference whether someone is mainstream or writes for a small provincial paper?
Some of the Pulitzers in America have gone to small newspapers in tiny little towns.
I I was taken aback that that response is very worrying.
Well, John, I was responding to a specific question about about the United States and President Trump.
So and so I was talking about the, the Daily Press briefings there.
No, you're absolutely right.
I mean, attacking any, any, any persons, not even journalists, if it's a physical attack is, is not acceptable.
And, and you're absolutely right, there's some fantastic journalists who work for smaller outstrips outfits.
What I mean by mainstream media when I said that is I mean not the necessarily the kind of rabbit misinformation one seeing on on social media or on the Internet, but traditional media, if you like traditional print media, TV, radio and so on, these these have hugely added importance in in the current moment.
It's not to do down social media.
There's a lot of fantastic, the important information coming out on social media as well and and mainstream media, including small outlets, of course, operating on social media too.
So I wasn't intending to make some kind of nefarious distinction in terms of, you know, journalists who work for smaller outfits and journalists who work for bigger outfits.
It's more the journalists who are actually trying to do their job properly.
They're trying to report truthfully, they're trying to examine and question policies and so on in in a constructive fashion.
Thank you very much, Rupert.
John, do you have a follow up quickly?
But thanks for that clarification.
It puts me at ease now so I can enjoy my lunch.
You mentioned the concerns about misinformation.
Isn't that equally worrying in this current crisis, the withholding of information by authorities, whether the UN agencies and national governments or multilateral agencies, that sometimes for whatever policy reasons, information is withheld and days later it reaches the public domain when sometimes already damage has been done?
I think that can be worrying, but it depends a little bit on the on the motivation for withholding.
So, you know, you do want to perhaps not come running out with information when you're not quite sure if it's true or not, or it's accurate if it needs further verification.
So I think one has to be a little bit nuanced in that kind of that kind of generalisation.
But yes, I mean, in terms of solid information that we need to know, we do need transparency.
It's absolutely essential.
And, you know, it's, it's an incredibly different one shouldn't underestimate how difficult this is for everybody, including for governments, and how the risk is.
If you, you know, ***** from the hip with some information that seems to be more or less true, you think, you know, you can cause a real problem if it's that turns out it's not true.
And there is so much still not known about COVID-19 and how it functions and, and where we're heading.
And still there's so much known, not known about what the best policies really are in certain circumstances and what they will be in a month's time, in six months time.
And the the ways this thing is going to spread around the world at different speeds.
And just as some countries come out of emergencies, others go into them.
And you know, winter turns to summer and summer turns to winter, depending on where you are in different parts of the world.
So there's a lot that's very, very difficult, really, genuinely difficult.
We do need the transparency.
We do need the accurate reporting.
We do need the questioning, the debating, but we don't need, you know, kind of premature launching of important information that maybe causes fear and panic and has maybe not been sufficiently well verified and, and checked before it's made public.
So I think one has to be quite careful how you, how you tackle that issue of transparency.
There's a, there's a, a type of information and a time for transparency that that has to be, has to be a judgement call.
Rupert, I see we've gotten 2 new additional questions.
I will take these last two questions on this issue because then we have to move on with the, the agenda.
And Rupert, you will be coming back later on with other items.
I would like to to take it up of what John just said.
I would like to know if the your office is also looking very carefully about how the countries are using or not.
The information that is given by WHOWHO is given very clear guidances since day one and some countries are misinterpreting these guidances or misusing them or not giving them to the to the the population.
For us that are following The Who briefings every day and watching TV's, listening to radios in the world, we we hear and we see the difference.
So are you taking this also into consideration and are, have you sent some messages to, to the, the countries about really, I would say forwarding the guidances of this UN agency in, in charge of health?
And sorry, I, I, I took the briefing.
I took the briefing late, but I would like also to address, if it's not, it has not been done.
The fact that the, the, the access to information for journalists becomes more and more narrow.
And those virtual briefings that are very useful in certain cases are also a a possibility and a tool to mute us when when some questions are disturbing.
So thank you, Robert, for your answers.
Yeah, I think on the on the terms of whether we're tracking, you know, whether or not countries are are abiding by the advice WHOI suspect that would be going on at the country team level.
So as you know, in, in, in most countries in the world, the UN has different agencies operating.
We're in, I think it's around 60 countries.
We're not in every country by any means.
You've got UNHCR and countries, UNICEF and so on and so forth.
So in, in those countries, they are constantly talking with each other.
So I would imagine whether or not you know, in specific country X if, if the very clear advice of WHO is not being followed, that would be a discussion for the whole UN and not just for us, what we have done.
I mean, to me it was a real eye opener this, this story we've done today on the, on the media because we, we essentially asked all our offices around the world.
We thought we were talking, maybe, you know, 78910 countries where there were issues.
And then we discovered it was a much, much bigger problem than we realised, encompassing many countries in many different ways and and a more complex issue than we, we perhaps realised as well.
So I think over time you'll see a lot of information, you know, there's going to be, of course, huge post mortems.
It's an unfortunate word to, to use in, in metaphor, to use in these situations, but into, into how how things have been handled at all levels, including specifically particularly by governments.
And there will be, you know, ultimately governments will have to answer to their populations, to their electorates for, for how they handle this and whether they made the right decisions and whether they abided by the advice they were given and and what cost there was for not doing so.
And I might add in, I mean, this you were asking about how the UN is, is possibly countering some of these messages and supporting the messages of The Who.
This is really the work of many of our colleagues in the UN information centres around the world.
We are all closely monitoring what is being said and using the communications channel channels at our disposal, social media, press briefings etcetera, to, you know, provide or discount any misconceptions or myths around COVID-19.
This is really part of the communication response that the Secretary General also mentioned in his message on the 14th of April on when he delivered a message on misinformation and the need to trust in science, the need to trust in institutions and and the health authorities.
So our role as the UN is also to support the, the right messages and use the, the channels at our disposal to, to, to, to provide as accurate and to, to, to, to debunk the myths that are out there around COVID-19.
I see you have your hand up If you could as could you put A at OC Bravo's Absolutely Bonjour.
Donald Trump to repair a vested capacity of.
OK, we are going to Goki.
We mercy Goki on the, we're going to start on this particular issue now and move on because we still have quite a number of items.
Uh, we're going to move it to, uh, Shabi Amantu from the UNHCR who is with us this morning to talk about refugee health workers stepping up for the coronavirus coronavirus response in Latin America.
Good morning, Shabiya, please go ahead.
So today we're talking about refugee health workers stepping up for the response in Latin America.
So countries across Latin America are calling on refugee and migrant health workers to support their national responses to coronavirus.
Across the region, thousands are now working with health systems responding to the pandemic, while many more stand ready to support and give back to the communities that are sheltering them.
As the COVID-19 cases increase by the day and already overstretched health systems strain under mounting pressure, UNHCR is supporting these efforts that tap into the skills and resources that refugee medics can provide.
Several countries in the region are now putting in place special measures.
These authorise the hiring of foreign qualified health professionals and technicians, including those who are awaiting licencing or those whose certification is yet to be validated by host countries.
Other states have adopted expedited recognition processes to fast track their inclusion in National Health responses.
Peru has now authorised the hiring of foreign certified health professionals of any nationality to support with the response and as emergency measures.
Both Argentina and Chile have authorised the hiring of health professionals whose qualifications are yet to be validated by national authorities, with a number of refugees studying medicine on government supported scholarships in Cuba.
Refugee students in their third year of medical school or above are now also able to join the emergency response in Brazil.
Cuban doctors have also been exceptionally authorised to work on National Health responses across the country.
In Mexico, UNHCR is working with federal authorities to establish an expedited mechanism for the recognition of qualified and experienced refugee and asylum seeker health workers to join the country's emergency recruitment pool.
And in Colombia, the Ministry of Health is working with the Association of Health Professionals to draw in Venezuelan health workers into the national system.
Networks of foreign health professionals are also being formed across the region to offer their knowledge and support and experience for their host countries.
Through its contact with refugee and asylum seeker communities, UNHCR is aware of thousands of forcibly displaced health workers who are expressing their willingness to work alongside their peers in the COVID-19 response.
When national approaches permit, our teams are connecting qualified and experienced refugee medics with hospitals and clinics in additional need of staff to confront the health crisis.
Latin America has shown deep generosity in the face of an unprecedented force displacement crisis in Venezuela that has impacted nearly every country in the region.
The coronavirus pandemic is now compounding an already desperate situation for many refugees and their hosts.
UNH there has been advocating for and supporting refugee inclusion efforts to help with the response.
We are also continuing to advocate for all refugees and others in need of international protection to be fully included in National Health systems with equal access to health services.
Inclusion will not only help to protect the rights of refugees, but it will also serve to protect public health and stem the global spread of COVID-19.
Thank you very much, Savia.
I see we have a few questions waiting.
Let's go to Gabriela Sotomayor.
Just a couple of questions on the Cuban doctors.
According to the Observatory of Human Rights, the government of Cuba, you know, is keeping 90% of the salary of this of this doctors that goes to another countries.
For example, they now are in Mexico and I don't know where, where else.
So are you aware of this situation?
And then if you can elaborate a little bit on Mexico.
OK, thank you for your question.
Gabriella, I don't have an answer to the first question you mentioned.
But what I can tell you is that just in Brazil owing to the COVID emergency, the government exceptionally accepted to hire Cubans who worked on the previous most medicos programme and who had stayed in Brazil.
So it's basically extending their their basically entitlement to work in the country.
So that's the information I have on Brazil.
But in Mexico, basically when HR is working with authorities to try and ensure that refugees who have the experience can can support national efforts.
And so far we've identified 80 refugees and asylum seekers with a relevant professional academic experience in the public health sector who are able to work as part of the emergency response.
And we're also seeking to establish an expedited mechanism with federal authorities so that diplomas and conventionals of of health staff can basically be recognised and they can join the emergency recruitment pool.
So it's basically identifying refugees with the the skill sets and experience and qualifications, but also setting up what we call sort of like a fast track mechanism for recognition.
Thank you very much, Savia.
Let's go to Antonio Brotto from FA Antonio, good morning.
I wonder whether you have figures on how the pandemic has affected the refugee and migrant flows in Latin America in very known routes like Venezuela or Central America.
Thanks for that question.
Well, obviously with many borders in the region and also beyond being closed in response to the pandemic, you know, official, official crossings are, you know, very limited if not really happening.
So I mean the movements as you can imagine would be very, very minimal, probably be through informal networks.
But basically, I mean, there are decisions that states have had to take to control the the epidemic, the pandemic basically in accordance with, with with concerns.
So I think, you know, I think probably what we're what we'll be observing is just very sort of informal movements.
But yeah, not really of of the magnitude one would imagine as as before.
Paula Dupras Dobias is with us.
Paula, good morning and please go ahead.
I actually have a question with regards to your statements.
The whilst these countries are allowing, we'll be allowing these refugees to to operate as qualified medical staff.
Is there you know, is there any efforts to actually expedite the their processes for application to stay in these countries longer term?
And and if so, in which countries would that be the case?
Thanks for that question.
So this is also just to maybe to point out that in addition to this, I mean, in addition to this kind of current effort where we're seeing refugee, sorry, I think I just got disconnected for a bit.
So in addition to these current efforts, I mean, there are many, many refugees, asylum seekers and Venezuelans generally working within the health sector in many of these countries before coronavirus.
So they've probably had their credentials processed or recognised.
But this is basically sort of a fast track mechanism for those who are waiting or whose applications were pending.
But many of those in the in the countries either, you know, have their stay recognised and, or on some kind of arrangements.
So we're talking about people, refugees and asylum seekers and others who are already in the countries, in these very generous refugee host countries.
So they're already there and had their stay regularised.
But obviously there are many others who don't.
And we are, we continue to work with national authorities to, to facilitate that as well.
So, yeah, Lisa, Lisa, Slang from Voice of America, please go ahead.
I'm not sure whether this question is relevant for you because you're dealing with refugees, but I'm going to give it anyway.
And if Rupert is still around, since he deals with human rights and he might be able to respond to this.
I read just yesterday that, well, as you, as you know, Bolsonaro in Brazil wants to open the Amazon for commercial exploitation.
And this very troubling report was about indigenous people who are endangered and are really being threatened by all kinds of things and health being one of them, because Cuban doctors that had been there to help them with their health problems now apparently have been removed.
I don't remember whether it was because Cuba had requested that they come back because there wasn't enough money to pay them or whatever, or whether it was the Brazilian government.
But the fact is that they are no longer there to help the indigenous population.
And I'd like to get a reaction to what is a very troubling situation.
Look, Lisa, to be honest, I don't have a readout on that situation, but I'm happy to see in case we have information on that.
Then you have to follow up with you afterwards.
But at the moment I'm not really sort of aware of where we stand with that.
Rupert, do you have anything to add on this particular issue?
I don't have anything specific, but yeah, I mean, in general, Lisa's indigenous, indigenous peoples would be very much among the groups we're concerned of vulnerable groups.
So, you know, if if they have no access to medical care at all because of doctors withdrawing and so on, obviously that is a huge concern.
I think that'd be a huge medical concern to to the medical agencies as well.
It's also a human rights issue because it's the right to health and that applies to everybody.
So what happens to indigenous peoples, especially very remote communities where, you know, if somebody falls, I'll they absolutely depend on there being some kind of medical care available locally that that is that is a big concern for sure.
I wanted to end what Kim, is this question on this issue or another issue for Rapport because he's still around, but he's coming back as well on other issues.
So because I, if I may or colleague Beram Altuk from Anadolu Agency took about 10 minutes to attend the briefing because in fact, he was not in quote, recognised by the team.
And I mean, this is not acceptable that a journalist that is accredited at UN in Geneva and known by the team is denied to enter and attend the briefing.
When we ask you guys to please name yourselves properly, we need to know who is on the line and make sure that the that our accredited journalists are indeed participating to this press conference.
So it's just a matter of making sure that we had the proper identification.
I think he's signed in only as a A.
It was impossible to know who a A was.
So that's been clarified and Daihan has joined us and he is most welcome to take part in this press briefing.
OK, we are going to move on with the agenda.
Let's go to it is a bit BL from World Food Programme who has an update on the humanitarian situation in Haiti.
Elizabeth on a top, top with management.
Yes, today I would like to draw your attention on the food security situation in IT.
You know that this country is among the ten countries where the food situation is the worst in the world, and close to 4 million Haitian need urgent food assistance, of which at least 1,000,000 suffer from severe anger.
Severe anger is the last phase is 4 phase among the five phases classification, which means that the situation is very dire.
WFP is concerned about the the food security situation for Asian.
They have poor economic conditions, security condition, climate shocks.
They had several natural, major natural disaster if you if you recall.
And all these have worsened the acute food insecurity.
On top of that, now we have the COVID-19 pandemic and the government restriction which were taken on movement and gathering are expected to put a further strain on the poorest people, pushing even more Asian into severe anger.
It is vital at this time of crisis for WFP to maintain and scale up it's food assistance programme in the country.
WFP has now restarted it's emergency food and cash distributions in Artibonite, Nip, Grandon's West and N Department with all adaptive measures to protect health of communities, partners and staff.
Of course, in the first four months of this year, WFP has reached 200,000 people with emergency food assistance.
With the closure of school, WFP started to provide decoration of food, food relation to school children and their family.
In normal time, WFP provide the daily hot meal to approximately 300,000 school children.
We are also very concerned with the situation of the people in the city of Port au France, 850,000 people are food insecure in this capital.
We also concerned with the **** food prices and this is increasing the coping strategies of the people for instance and the migration.
And you know that people in IT sometimes when they have no food, they eat a kind of pancakes made with mud.
And the situation now is worsening for the most vulnerable WFP needs for that to continue in the next 12 months, we need $140 million for to provide emergency food assistance to 1.3 million Asian and also to provide common logistic services.
The logistic services support in AT is going on and provide and transport medical equipment for the humanitarian community.
We have an helicopter flying daily to provide what is needed regarding food, medical equipment to the population.
So I will I will stop here and if you have a question, Thank you.
Thank you very much, Elizabeth.
Antonio Brotto from FA has a question.
So I haven't been following the situation in Haiti in the in the recent months because COVID-19 is taking all my energy.
I would like to know if this is a long term problem or it has worsened in the recent months because of lack of crops or natural disasters.
Can you give us some details on this?
It is first of all, a long term situation.
This, the food security situation worsened in 2019.
But on top of that, now we have the COVID pandemic.
I don't mean the people who are sick for the moment, but the consequences of the closure of closure of schools, closure of ports, airports.
The President of Haiti on the 20 of April declared a state of food emergency.
So we are very concerned about the consequences of the the movement of the supply chain of the the restriction of the movement of goods.
We have seen that the price of staple food increased by 34% and we are concerned with the malnutrition of children in particular because with less movement of of food supply, these are the one who would suffer the most over.
OK, Thank you very much, Elizabeth.
OK, one final question on this from John Zaracosta.
Yes, good morning, Elizabeth, on on the crisis in Haiti.
This was already flagged in December by the head of Archer, Mr Lowcock, in his annual appeal.
And there were many, many reports in January.
Why the delay and why the crisis now?
Why didn't the food arrive there?
I think it's not a matter of the the food is that since 19 of March, the government has taken restriction and we are concerned about providing vital food assistance to the most vulnerable people in the, the, the condition which are prevailing now on the top, another layer on the top of the crisis you've just described.
And it's not new why, why we are ringing a bell.
It's because on this already dire situation, we will have the consequences and the impact of the measures taken because of the COVID-19 increased migration, people trying to find coping mechanism more and more difficult to find for them the and that's why we are, you know, send it singing, sending this alarm today.
And I'm sure that you are remain at the disposal of journalists.
Should they have other questions by phone?
Let's finish this segment on COVID-19 with Faidela.
Faidela Shahid, I think is with us from The Who, who is here to talk about a, a new COVID-19 partnership.
So Faidela, please go ahead.
Happy to see you all this afternoon.
We have the regular press conference of Doctor Tedros and others around 4:00 PM.
But before that at three, we have we are launching a global partnership.
The event is called A global collaboration to accelerate the development, production and equitable access to new COVID-19 tools.
The event is hosted Co hosted by WHO Doctor Tedros, President the French President Emmanuel Macron, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Belinda Gates Foundation.
We have other participants to attend this event.
The event is online, you can watch it.
We will be sending you as soon as I finish this briefing.
Updated media advisory with more information and also the dialling numbers.
The event will be translated in all UN languages, in all UN languages.
So what it is about, you know that today there is a real race to find a vaccine or vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostic tools to combat the COVID-19, very important.
And if we find this new health tools, it will be instrumental in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
But what is really important and the lessons from the past has shown this.
It's very important that now we work towards an equitable access to these tools, if we find them, if we produce them, if we develop them.
It's also very important to make sure that all synergies, all partners work together to make sure that no one is left behind, that everyone on this earth can benefit from this new tool.
So there is this collaboration, public, private, world leaders, UN organisation, big philanthropies to all come together to launch this call for to make sure that there is an equitable access to this new tools.
You know that alongside evidence based public health measures, innovative diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccine are needed in record time, but also at record scale.
As I said, listens to the past for H1N1 for example, have shown that even with the right tools at the word disposal, massive deficit in equitable access and fair allocation and the structure and system that support them have resulted in a disproportionate axis.
So it is very important that W2 takes the takes the lead in making sure that the world is ready to, to make at the disposal of everyone on this planet the right tools when we find them.
And it's good that public, private partners, UN heads of state come together to make this call.
As I said, it's a 3 from 3 to 4.
Each of the participant will speak for one or two minutes and you will be able to follow this event and it will be just after that the press conference of Doctor Tedros at around 4:00.
Thank you very much, Fadela.
Other questions for Fadela on this very specific partnership.
I see Jamil has his hands.
Hi Jamil, Fine, thank you.
I'm I'm going to put a question on this event itself, but also I wanted to put another question.
Could I put the question and then so I don't have to re re ask for for the floor.
Go ahead, go ahead, Jamil.
So on this event itself, you said two or three minutes per per person or per delegation.
Could you tell us who else will be there?
Because if it's one hour long, you mentioned 3 or 4, but who else is being planned to to speak?
Delegations in Geneva will also speak.
What is the rest of the plan for this one hour event?
And my question whenever you want to answer if now or or whenever we get to the other side of part of the press conference, it's about yesterday night, President Bolsonaro attacked Dr Tedros saying that he's not a doctor, thus why would I listen to him?
That's the basically the the what he mentioned he the correct line is, is the director of WHOA, Dr No, he's not.
So well, then it goes on basically to claim why he doesn't follow, why Brazil doesn't follow WHO recommendations.
Could you comment on that?
Could you also speak on how decision making is done at The Who with or without doctors?
Maybe I should have been more precise about the event itself.
It's one one hour long, as I said, it's Co hosted by four partners WHO the European Commission, President Macron, France and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
We have, believe me, a very long participant, Heads of states, Heads of Government, most of the principal of the UN organisations, some representative of public and private sector.
The list I gave the four people who are Co hosting the event is public because they have all confirmed their presence.
For the others the list is still being confirmed.
I can tell you that we will have, if confirmed, several heads of States and Chief of Governments from Latin America, Africa and other regions, the Mediterranean region.
So we have something like maybe 15 participant.
If I have it before the event, I will share it, of course, for the comment of President of Brazil, I think Jamil, you can.
You can see the biography of Doctor Tedros on the WTO website.
He has a public health background and he has a lot of experience in public health.
WTO is a big organisation.
We have the best experts on several aspects of health, but what is really the strength of WHO we can relay on the expertise and experience of thousands and thousands of experts around the world to help us guide our work and to help us in our guidelines on every aspect of public health.
But I really invite you to to see the biography of Doctor Tedros on the website.
I, I think you have very little time, but you still have time maybe for a question.
Ludias, could you please go ahead?
So I just wanted to know if you can comment on the the statements that were made earlier this week by the USCDC director regarding saying that the next season, winter season of the flu of the of COVID would be probably stronger than we see until now.
And then also how this may affect the Southern Hemisphere as as it goes into a colder season.
Paula, thank you for this question.
I will have to come back to you in a written form because I would need to discuss the this issue with our technical people.
What I can tell you is the I mean, no one really knows where this pandemic is, is going.
We, we, we, it, it, it affects every almost every country being in the north or the South.
But I will have to come back with more accurate information as soon as I finish this briefing.
We are going to take, I know there's several questions, but Fidela you have limited time.
John, let's take this question if it's on the on this COVID partnership that Fidela discussed.
Fidela, I was wondering before the meeting starts this afternoon, if you could mail out at least to me The Who guidelines concerning participation in such ventures and the terms of reference and at what conditions countries have to declare potential conflict of interest because they've been some major reports.
Some foundations are involved in decision making bodies and at the same time are investing in some pharmaceutical companies, which is a potential conflict of interest.
So if you could send us the latest guidelines of WHO and that would be great.
John, I mean, this is, this is a, a formal launch of a collaboration between several partners because you know, there are a lot of initiative taken to produce find therapeutics, diagnostics, vaccine all around the world, some done by the private sector, other by the public sector, other by countries.
So it's very important that there is a, a kind of one umbrella not to duplicate the effort and also to make sure that all these aspects are taking in place.
We have this is a a kind of a formal collaboration announced by people, organisations, countries, UN and I mean we have some guidelines about conflict of entrance when it comes to expert committees or other types of work.
If you send me an e-mail with more explanation, I will try to find you this.
We have several guidelines on staff gear doing from conflict of interest and invest interest.
But I would need more explanation from you.
What are you really looking for?
As I told you today is a kind of political commitment from all this partners to make sure that when we have all this new tools, no one is left behind, that those who can afford vaccines or or therapeutic can buy them and make them at the disposal of the population.
Others who cannot will be left behind.
It's very important to make sure that we have an equitable access to quality, efficient new tools for COVID-19.
OK, we're going to take this very last question from Robin Millard from AFP because he's been waiting.
This is a question which is outside the COVID partnership, but I was wondering if if you had any comment on what was emanating from President Trump's press conference overnight where he presented U.S.
government research that indicated that coronavirus appeared to weaken more quickly when exposed to sunlight and to heat.
And then he spoke about the possibility of injecting disinfectant word for word, he said, then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute, in one minute.
And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning?
So I was seeking some, if you have any, any comment on, on, on those things.
Robin Fadela, what can you tell us on that?
I have nothing to comment on that.
Of course we saw this press conference and for now I don't have any comment on that.
OK, Fadela, I understand you have to go and I, I really need to continue.
Yuki, I see that you have your hand up, but I'm going to have to continue because we're already at 11:45.
Fadela, thank you so much.
Good luck with your event at 3:00.
And then reminder, 4:00 PM is the press conference, the regular weekly WHO press conference?
Can I just maybe, yeah, real, can I just make clear that this event from 3 to 4 is open to all journalists.
It's with the interpretation.
But we will not have the possibility to take questions from the press.
So if you have a question you want to ask, please feel free to ask them during the pressure of Doctor Tedros at 4:00.
Thank you very much for this clarification and thank you for being here this morning.
OK, we're going to move to other issues.
Rupert, again from OHCHR.
You have something on Columbia and then the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Actually, just before that, I'd just like to advertise the press briefing we're doing on Monday morning at 10:30.
We've got two of our top directors and I hear in Geneva, the Georgia Canyon Director of Field Operations for the whole organisation, and Peggy Hicks, who's the director of thematic engagement.
We're launching some guidelines on Monday on states of emergency, on the issues relating to states of emergency and the exceptional measures that countries have been taking.
There are a lot of issues, of course, some of which I addressed earlier today involving the media, but many other different issues.
They will be quite happy to talk about individual country situations, which we know you like.
And so I would I would recommend that, you know, these are probably our two most knowledgeable people on on the whole gamut of issues that come under the emergency measures states are taking.
And that includes the repressive measures, but also positive measures in some cases.
Going back to today, actually what we were hoping to have on the Democratic Republic of Congo didn't didn't quite get together in time.
So I'm sorry, we're not coming without.
We may come back to it next week on Colombia, the situation in the Kalka Department of Colombia, where at least 13 human rights defenders are reported to have been killed so far this year, including three in just the past few days, is deeply worrying.
Although these latest cases are still being verified by our office in Colombia, we've received reports that on the 22nd of April, Hugo de Jesus Geraldo, who's a social media leader, was killed in the town of Santander, the Kilichau.
And last weekend two other social media leaders, Mario Chillwezo and Dale Domero Sotelo Anaconda were also killed, as well as the husband of 1/3 social media.
And apologies to Spanish speaking colleagues for my very poor pronunciation.
A growing number of armed groups as well as criminal groups fighting for the control of illicit economies in this part of Colombia are behind most of the attacks, which have been increasing in recent months.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions imposed by the government and by communities themselves to avoid the spread of the virus seem to have aggravated and already violent and volatile situation.
Armed groups and criminal groups appear to be taking advantage of the fact that most of the people are in lockdown to expand their presence and control over the territory.
In addition to what appeared to be targeted killings of human rights defenders and social leaders, our office has received daily reports of threats, including death threats and harassment against the local population, including against farmers, indigenous peoples and Afro descendant communities.
WHO are trying to ensure confinement and prevention measures are complied with and in some parts of Calcutta department, clashes between security forces and armed groups and criminal groups have intensified, including in Indigenous territories.
Civilians have been caught in the violence resulting in the death of an Indigenous child in Toribio and the forced displacement of rural communities in Argalia and El Tambo.
We're also worried about attacks against FARC EP form of competence.
And according to the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, 36 of them have been killed in caucus since the peace agreement was signed back in November 2016.
And we call on all those involved in this violence to halt the fighting in line with the UN Secretary General's call for a global ceasefire so the measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 can be properly implemented.
And we remind the authorities of their obligation to prevent attacks and protect the local population.
And any attack against human rights defenders undermines democratic space, including the right to participate.
And an integral response of civil and security authorities is particularly relevant in rural areas such as this.
We also, of course, call on the government to conduct thorough, prompt and impartial and independent investigations into all allegations of human rights violations and hold the perpetrators to account.
Sorry, just to go back to what I said earlier about the press conference on Monday.
We will send you some embargoed materials on that before the beginning of the weekend, just to make that a little bit easier for you to prepare for that press conference.
Rupert, I see there's a question from Antonio Barato from FA Antonio, please go ahead.
I just want to clarify if the figures you mention and the info are just referring the Department of Cauca?
And if so, do you have the information, more general information on, on deaths of all the country in Colombia?
And also if you can send us the notes on this because we, we had the the information on, on attacks to the press, but not this one.
Yes, the the numbers and stuff I just gave you was all focused on Kalka.
However, we do have some sort of overall figures, the mix are verified and unverified.
So since the beginning of 2020 up until the 8th of April, so a couple of weeks ago, we verified 19 cases of killings of human rights to defenders and social medias across Colombia and 34 other cases we're in the process of verifying.
So that's 53 in all, either either verified or in the process of verification since the beginning of the year across the whole country.
Thank you very much, Rupert.
We're going to close there with you.
Thank you for being with us this morning.
And we're going to move now to Edward Harris from the World Intellectual Property Organisation, who has new figures on patenting in the green energy sector.
And this Sunday, 26th of April will be World Intellectual Property Day.
And please tell us more about that.
Real good morning, everybody.
I hope everybody's safe and sane at home.
Just to underline, we put out a press communication about this yesterday, but I think it's still timely.
It's during the week that contains Earth Day as well in advance of World IP Day, which is on Sunday related to climate change this year.
So these new figures that we put out, which I hope some of you may find interesting, looks at innovation and green energy technologies.
So what are the things that innovators are doing as captured by patent applications, which are one very solid measure of innovation in the fight against climate change?
You will see that the these applications have shown a very slight increase during 2019, only 1.3%, and that's off a **** in 2016.
And so that's a bit worrisome because you see a trend that's a bit unwelcome, not as upward as we would like.
And that prompted a call from our director general for a green tech surge related to climate change.
If you guys have received this and would like to follow up, please let me know.
If you haven't and would like this information, I'll get that over to you.
Separately real if I may.
I just wanted to tip to everybody what's coming up on Tuesday, which is the entry into force of a new treaty at WIPO.
It's called the Beijing Treaty on Audio Visual Performances.
And what it does essentially is gives actors and other audio visual performers and television programmes, movies, other AV products more rights to their work, which of course translates into greater earnings.
And then this is actually very timely, unfortunately, due to the global pandemic, because of course, so much economic activity is being curtailed at the moment.
And that includes the kind of productions where a lot of these actors would be otherwise earning, you know, payments.
Many actors, of course, we think of them as Hollywood stars, that they're rich and famous.
But in fact, the vast majority of them are sort of almost like gig workers.
They move from one production to the next.
And so this is a way to get them better earnings in a more predictable manner, which is even more importance in these times when so many of their jobs are shelved like some of the others around the world.
That's coming on Tuesday.
If you want to try and interview any of our experts, I'd be happy to put you in touch with them.
And we'll be sending out a another press communication on Tuesday about that.
Thank you very much, Edward.
Are there any questions for White Poll?
So thanks very much for being with us this morning and Happy World Intellectual Property Day on Sunday.
OK, we move on to some announcements.
Catherine Lisu from UNKTAD is with us this morning with a few things that you'd like to discuss.
And Internet in the news.
Let me an accelerator for the measure for facility like say etcetera.
Well, as food texters Francais e-mail this expert, you don't have a year to ship forever Metro contact.
I said to Casio, I said to Hazard.
You can only give me a stroke like you said to be so rapport annual Dumin this nuf Kimon Traskin, some cap up.
The fair doesn't have a collective, SO rapport made particular more lumieres, so keep the fairness France project O de la delance certitude the key key Privo Georgie E como Alec you said multilateral the prosperity of publication of former electronic.
EP OFA New Zealand Public in Tribunal de la Directories de la Division de Commerce International.
Mercy's Imagine culture game is Ryan Conference, the press perfect.
OK, Mercy Boku Mercy Boku Katrina, Katrina.
So to I just have a couple of additional, we've come to the end of the official agenda, but let me just share a few additional items.
One on behalf of Roseland Yard from the International Labour Organisation.
As several countries around the world begin formulating plans to ease the COVID-19 lock down, the ILO will be holding an embargoed virtual press briefing on Monday, that's the 27th of April at 9:00 AM on the vital need to protect workers as they begin to go back to work.
Occupational Safety and health and business experts will be available for questions about the measures that enterprises need to take to ensure the safety of their workforces and in so doing prevent a second wave of the virus.
ILO will be issuing an embargoed press release in advance.
The embargo will lift at one minute after midnight GMT on the 28th of April, which will be the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
So they will send a media advisory later today with further information.
And then on the 29th of April next week, the ILO will be launching its third update on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global employment and labour markets.
These will include updated estimates and a focus on critical labour market issues that need to be addressed where the impact is being felt most.
There will be an embargoed virtual press conference with ILO Director General Guy Ryder at 11:30 on the 29th, and the embargo will lift an hour later at 12:30.
The report will be sent to you in advance and if you have any questions, of course, Rosalyn Yard from the ILO remains at your disposal.
Finally, in terms of press conferences next week, Rupert has already mentioned their press conference on Monday at 10:30 AM with Peggy Hicks, Director of Thematic Engagement and Georgette Gagnon, Director of Field Operations, to give an overview of human rights issues related to states of emergency.
And then also on Monday at 2:30 PM, the UNECE, the Economic Commission for Europe will have a press briefing with Olga Algayerova, the Executive Secretary on policy response to the socio economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UNECE region.
And finally, on my side, just one last thing.
I think Alessandra mentioned it on Tuesday, but I do want to remind you that today the UN Geneva has a new website www.ungeneva.org.
We will be, we are are migrating, transitioning towards this new website.
The current website continues to run in parallel, but we are directing people to the new website which is a work in progress and will continue to be updated and enriched with content over the next days and weeks and months.
But it's a new modern looking website which will feature some new things such as a news section and many other important aspects.
So we encourage you to all go check it out and provide the feedback as soon as you can on how you what you think and what you think might need to be improved or it could be better.
I think we have run long enough.
Thank you very much for everyone's participation today and your patience and I wish you all a very good weekend and we look forward to seeing you next week.
