Good morning and thank you very much for joining us at this press briefing at the UN office at Geneva.
Today, the 1st of December, we have another very packed agenda.
We have Gaza on the agenda and Ukraine, and we'll have an announcement from UNCTAD towards the end of this briefing.
We have a number of briefers on Gaza.
We start off immediately with James Elder of UNICEF, who joins us from Gaza and then we'll move on to Doctor Richard Peppercorn of WHO, who's also in Gaza.
So we'll start off with James.
Well, hi, thanks so much.
Today in Gaza start again.
Sorry, there's a lot of, there's a lot of bombardments nearby today.
Those in power decided that the killing of children in Gaza would recommence.
If you'll just allow me one minute to say what I'd prepared before these attacks started a few hours ago, it's what I was going to say.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is so perilous that anything other than sustained peace and and emergency aid at a scale will mean catastrophe for the children of Gaza.
I was then going to speak to the dire situation in health and nutrition, in water and sanitation and how it threatens a disaster of unparalleled magnitude for children of Gaza, such as the enormity of need.
That and because of the blocks on aid for so, so long here, and despite huge efforts this last week from WHO, UNRA, the biggest agency, from UNICEF, all of the United Nations.
Yeah, the health, the nutrition, sanitation situation, it has been worsening by the day.
Now, I was going to end by saying that a lasting ceasefire must be implemented.
The alternative is unthinkable for people who are, as a Palestinian, said to be already living in a nightmare.
Inaction at its core is an approval of the killing of children.
The bombs started just a few seconds after the ceasefire.
Immediately I went to NASA Hospital.
That's why I have this on.
Of course, the children and women at NASA Hospital do not have these.
As we approach NASA Hospital, they'd been a hit, a missile, rocket, something.
I'm not a military person.
Important to note that NASA is the largest functioning hospital in Gaza.
OK, now it's at around 200% capacity, Rob from who will give you, you know, granular expertise in just a moment, but it's full.
Children with the wounds of war are everywhere.
Children with the wounds of war are still in corridors.
Hundreds of women and children take refuge in the air.
There are families, families of five on a mattress for for two.
This is the place they seek refuge from the cold.
As we've learned from Shifa, nowhere is safe from the attacks.
I've been going to NASA, all NASA hospital all week.
I would go to see children, to see the brave and tireless Palestinian health workers, to talk to them, to listen to them.
Part of what I would do is just play with children to try and get that moment to see if I could ever so gently see a glimpse of childhood return.
And it had start started to happen.
Fear most certainly now has returned.
So the wounded as I was there, ambulances came, people ran with ****** bodies on stretchers.
It is reckless to think more attacks on the people of Gaza will lead to anything other than carnage.
There were 4 blasts nearby the hospital very close whilst I was there.
There've been many more in the last 30 minutes.
I I finished by almost an appeal.
It's what we've all been doing.
And then hoping in the corridors of power, those who have influence.
Surely any conversation around Gaza, around the children of Gaza, has to begin with empathy and with compassion.
It's deeply, deeply unsettling to hear how some have been able to overlook the tragic deaths of thousands and thousands of boys and girls in Gaza and are now seemingly comfortable with the horrors, the attacks starting again to accept the sacrifice of the children in Gaza.
Is is humanity giving up?
This is our last chance before we delve into yet again explaining why another entirely avoidable tragedy was not stopped whilst no one sought to stop what is a war on children.
I think we'll go right if you can stay with us for a few minutes, James.
So we're going to take questions immediately for you so we can relieve you and you can get to a safe place if, if that's OK.
So let's, let's have hands for questions to James and then we'll continue with the other briefers, including Doctor Peppercorn, who is also in in Gaza.
But let's let's take questions for UNICEF or James for the moment.
OK, We have a question for you from Catherine of Franz Foncat.
Thank you, James for briefing us from there.
I did catch the briefing a bit late, but I'd like to know if the the tracks that entered was there equipment from UNICEF and I suppose that it's not enough.
What are the urgent needs?
Yes, it's been a really good seven days of aid.
There are four things people ask for here, but let me address the three of them that are aid related, water, food and medicines.
And I've been on 2 convoys with UNICEF and WFP going north.
I know WHO has, has been supplying everything they possibly can.
And Onrah is, is getting fuel.
Fuel, of course, is water.
Fuel is Desalina tion plant.
So we know it's the right type of aid.
It's emergency medical kits.
It's kits for midwives because women are giving birth in this war zone.
It's, it's, it's nutrients for children because obviously there's not nearly enough food.
It's water, Katherine, that people drink immediately because they simply don't have enough.
It's blankets, it's tents, it's cold families who were sitting in their couches watching television, children on on computers, on beds and now on a mattress with four or five people out outside in the cold with everything they've got and 30,000 people around them.
It's the right type of aid.
It's not nearly enough and it was never going to be nearly enough in seven days, such as being the ferocity of these attacks, such as being the restrictions on aid north to South of Gaza.
So the United well aware of what is required.
But for so many reasons we needed this pause to continue to a ceasefire.
Obviously because we cannot possibly endure more child casualties, hospitals cannot, mothers and fathers cannot, but also because so much more aid is required.
Catherine, to give you a number, not forgetting before 7th of October, around 500 trucks, commercial and United Nations were coming in that went to zero on certain days.
Now we're back to 102 hundred.
So yes, the right types of aid not nearly enough.
And of course now, now we have chaos again.
We have a question from Nina AFP in the room here.
I was wondering if you could say a little bit about what the what the impact is for kids who have had a week of of some respite from from bombing and then to just have the bombs falling again in terms of the trauma that you're you're expecting to see here.
Unfortunately, that's what I see.
I mean, first hand in NASA hospital again, if you imagine a waiting room, it's now got 100 people in it.
And because I've gone every day, I now know the children.
And they're teaching me basic words in Arabic.
And slowly, slowly, as I say, glimpses of childhood have started to come back.
Children who wouldn't say a word or wouldn't come near me will now grab and run and grab my arm.
And we'll, we'll, we'll play in an instant.
This morning at 20 minutes past seven.
That's 20 minutes after the attack started again, you saw fear return and childhood retreat.
Some, some children would not even look would just nestled into their into their mother's chest.
The sounds are very clear, particularly because there were so many strikes so clear to NASA hospital.
There's a little girl, Shima, who I, I think it's SHAIMA, who I've been seeing each day in, in an attack a few weeks ago on her family home.
She lost her right leg and her right arm.
Now she's barely spoken for weeks.
You can imagine this is a girl who apparently was quite cheeky, always the one asking too many questions.
She has not spoken the last couple of days.
She's just starting to talk.
It's just a, it's a fear and a trauma.
And these are children in hospital with wounds of war.
The children in the camps will not be terribly different.
Rolo was nice enough to say, you know, go somewhere safe.
I was said someone said that to me in an interview at NASA Hospital.
It's not a cliche to say no where is safe.
The children in that hospital, as we've known from Shifa are not safe.
The the aid workers delivering aid somewhere are not safe.
The health workers are not.
The mum and child trying to cook some breakfast somewhere over over firewood now are not safe.
Where I stand with a glass window there is not safe.
There is nowhere safe in Gaza under the ferocity of these attacks.
Cath, is that the follow up question that you had?
You have no, your hand is not open, OK.
You you're talking about trauma and these horrific things that you you certainly seeing how many kids and mothers need to be evacuated and have any been able to be sent to Egypt.
Can you tell us more about the situation?
Yes, I I would have to ask and again, WHOI defer defer to them on some of these.
Catherine, anecdotally, I I know absolutely.
I've seen I've helped carry a child from a bus who had not received attention for several days and who's who, who whose leg was starting to decompose.
Most of the children with amputations are not most.
Some of the children with amputations, doctors have told me, have gone for medical care in Egypt.
There's no doubt that has been happening.
Obviously not to the number I had.
I did my best to get from the Ministry of Health.
Children have had an upper or lower limb or both amputated these past weeks around 1000.
Again, it's callous to think that we are now to know that we are now apparently returning to that.
So yes, children are being evacuated.
I don't know the number, maybe Rob does, but most children are very much, very much in the eye of the storm.
James, if we could stay, we have one more question for you from Yuri of Rio Novosti.
It's just a really quick question and thank you James for being here with us.
Can you send please your notes because you told a lot of powerful things and I think it will be great if we can retranslate it as you told it.
And and I will try to add a link there because I know UNICEF has a lot of footage and some of the people I've been speaking about have been good enough to do photos and videos.
So there is there is content for broadcasters as well, of course.
Thank you so much, James.
Catherine, is this specific for James?
If so, could you keep it short because.
We want, Yeah, I'm sorry.
I'm taking the opportunity to have him there.
James, what about the place where you are regarding narcosis?
We know that they run out of narcosis.
Did they get all the emergency, the most important medicine that they needed in order to, to, to, to undergo those amputations and other very, you know, very grave operations not only on kids but adults?
And we heard that bombing is starting again.
What do you know where you are?
Will tracks be able to, to reach the hospital today or or the region?
Will there be deliveries today or everything has been stopped?
Yeah, I get on the medical supplies.
I'd, I'd refer to the good doctor from WHO, who I know is about to speak.
Yes, at the start of the bridge we mentioned, yeah, the attacks have started very intensely.
They started seconds after the ceasefire ended.
As I mentioned, there was an attack where I saw very near the hospital and then several certainly within a within 100 metres.
That's in the first two hours.
It's it's been, it's been unabated since then.
Thanks for James, can't thank you enough.
This is your your intervention from where you are is supremely important for us here to get a better sense of how grave the situation truly is.
Of course, if you can stay on, please do.
But safety first, really.
We do have a number of other brief years.
So we have WHO who we're going to turn to now.
We also have Jens and Ravina will speak to the human rights situation.
So thank you once again, James.
We'll turn maybe to Margaret.
Yes, we have Doctor Richard Peepicorn, our representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and I think he's joined with by a couple of our other team in Gaza as well.
I also want to mention before, but I think we'll turn to them.
So because we never know how long the link will last, I want to draw your attention to some information about mortality statistics.
I'll talk about those after they've briefed over to you guys.
So my name is Doctor Rick Bevan.
I'm The Who exam Service of the Occupied Policy and Territory.
I'm joined here by Doctor Ahmad Dyer, who is The Who team lead in Gaza and Mr Rob Holland was The Who Senior Emergency Officer.
First of all, I want to underline everything what's what my UNICEF colleague just mentioned.
And, and so I think everywhere in Gaza, unfortunately it's unsafe violence resumes and, and, and we could hear that one more that's very close by.
So I'm not going to repeat everything you say.
I really, I really underline and score that.
I want to say something about the data.
So when you look at the exclusion data and that's the data from 2 days ago, we talk about over 15,000 fatalities.
And I want to underline Margaret might refer to that later.
The lenses last Monday they did an analysis on that and they confirmed the, the mortality statistics, you know, being brought to us by the Ministry of Health.
So if you think about it, you think about that the children, over six 6200 children died and, and, and over 4000 females and roughly 4850 males.
I'm not even talking about the more than 36,000 injuries now with WHO and I think of artists, but we are really concerned about it's about what we call hospital functionality.
So the gas health system has been crippled by the ongoing hostilities and I want to stress that it cannot afford to lose any more hospitals or hospital beds.
And we are extremely concerned about resumption of violence that might either damage or destroy health facilities etcetera, as it did in the north because we cannot afford to lose.
And let me give some data.
Currently there are 18 out of 36 hospitals are what we call partially functional and some of them are minimum functional.
The for example, the three in the north, relatively small hospitals, we can only say they're very frictional.
They are almost like first aid centres.
The total death capacity has gone the 90s.
Before the war we talked about 3500 deaths and currently we talk about 1500 deaths.
Now, given the needs and this what is called conflict has brought us, we probably would need 5000 deaths.
So including that the functional hospitals, they, they still, yes, a lot of things have happened, but they still lack supplies, fuel, water and food, etcetera.
And I want to go a little further part of the trauma care, which we of course always initially focus on, there's a complete need to to restore the Primary Health care functions to make sure that we protect the maternal and child health emerging of care, but also the treatment of non clinical diseases and mental health and psychosocial get started.
When you look at primary healthcare, 51 out of 72 primary care sensors are not functional and the other ones they are partly functional.
So we're and I just want to give you a few data and specifically where we are now on the on the on the South, in the South.
And I think it was also described by James that the short 12 hospitals, yeah, with 1.7 million people displaced, there's 12 hospitals which what we call poverty function and they are the backbone current system, they're extremely overwhelmed.
Just to mention the European Gas Hospital, one of the larger hospitals with a bed capacity is currently 370 beds, which already included the so-called COVID field hospital, which was established a couple of years ago that the hospitals have received substantial number of transfers from from the north of Chiba, Ashley and other places.
It's currently currently operating with 900 capacity, triplets capacity 900 patients.
Alexa Hospital 200 bed capacity currently 600 patients, National level complex or as in my using polyp was reported from 350 beds now over 700 patients and extra tenths etcetera.
For WHO we of course have been focusing on is actually threefold.
First to get supplies in, we have had nine let's say distributions all over and initially over the last number of weeks, over the last 6-7 weeks to the north, to the South etcetera.
It's not enough and we need to continue.
That's why we also assisted with the transfer of patients from number of hospitals in the north to the South.
And my colleagues who maybe refer to that and speak a little bit to to that.
We are busy in organising a more organised medical evacuation to make sure and of course we, we, we, we report as good as possible on the, on what's happening on the grounds, providing situation reports, including attacks on healthcare.
The last point I want to raise as part of my briefing, we are also extremely concerned on the disease outbreak that we already see a, a, a massive overcrowding in the shelters, unrushed shelters and all the makeshift shelters.
We have seen acute respiratory infections of over close to 120,000 cases of diarrhoea, over 85,000 cases and 20 fall higher in let's say the month of November.
What we've seen last year, we've seen cases of jaundice which we we have to examine better what exactly is happening and, and, and even cases of meningitis.
So the whole combination is, yeah, again, we cannot afford to lose any more hospital beds and we cannot afford any more of a displacement of people.
It will only increase the disaster.
I want to ask my colleagues, maybe Rob or APNAC, to comment with a few details on their recent missions up north over to them.
If you could, gentlemen, if you could introduce yourselves in your in your title, I think we have Mr Rob Holland W JS Emergency.
Good morning, good afternoon colleagues.
I think just to, you know, give a little bit of a bit more detail to both what Rick has outlined in terms of the, the devastation that has been heaped upon the healthcare sector and, and highlighted so passionately and with detail from James.
This morning we visited Alhani Hospital in Gaza City.
Over the last couple of days we were up there three times.
This is a, a relatively small hospital.
It's not a major receiving centre for trauma.
Yet now it finds itself as the only receiving centre for trauma for a large part of of Gaza City or north of Wadi Gaza.
Currently it has 30 beds that are available.
It has over 100 patients on that.
And you know, the the only way to describe it, it's like a horror movie when you walk in there and there are patients on the floor with the most traumatic injuries that you can imagine, essentially battlefield trauma.
You know, the patients are given the best possible care, but the number of staff available is relatively small.
Many of the staff have fleed with the fled with their families or have been killed.
The supplies are just not enough.
And there have been major problems of getting supplies to the north of Wali Gaza as well.
You know, So when you go in and you know, you're, you're, you know, as you drive into the hospital, you're met with bodies, deceased, who've who've died either on arrival at the hospital or or during their stay at the hospital, lined up outside waiting for family members to come and identify them.
It is done with the best possible dignity.
But still the the bodies are lined up in the car park outside as you go into the hospital.
There is no standing room.
The floor is just awash with blood and patients lying waiting to receive life saving care and the other doctors, the nurses, the lab technicians, the engineers who keep the the machinery running, the generator running are working essentially 22 hours a day just to give the most basic level of service.
Even during the the pause, there was a huge amount of work done by the United Nations, led by WHO, supported by UNICEF, supported by WFP, the security teams, UNRWA to try and one help with the Palestinian Crescent Society to relocate or transfer some of the more critically, I'll patients from the hospital to to take some pressure off beds so that, you know, more patients could actually be seen and given a better standard of care in beds.
But at the same time, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, Unruh, we delivered an integrated package.
So not only did we help transfer the patients to the South of Wadi Gaza into an already overflowing system, as Rick has outlined, but we were able to put some food, some water, some medical supplies and some fuel in.
You know, I woke up this morning and just after 7:00, when the bomb started again, my mind turned to the doctors I spent the last three or four days with, knowing full well what they will face this morning, which will be the most horrific scene as casualties, probably in their 10s, if not hundreds, turn up at that hospital today.
Knowing that they will do everything they can, but knowing that it will not be enough.
And so I think, you know, the bombs have got to stop.
The bombs have got to stop.
I mean, that's the simple message.
You know, we, you know, the, the, the healthcare service is on its knees.
It will continue to struggle to cope.
No matter what we do here now, it will continue to struggle to cope and the situation will only get worse on a daily basis.
Rick has clearly outlined, you know, the bank capacity situation, the vulnerability of the healthcare system in in South of Wadi Gaza.
You know, that's only going to get worse every day that the bombs fall.
And our ability to be able to provide a level of support that we need is, is getting further and further stretched on a daily basis as the supplies are just not enough.
And the and the access that we have is, is fragile and compromised at best.
Just to inform everyone that's a doctor, Mr Rob Holden, who's WHO senior emergency coordinator.
I think we'll, we'll go just to take questions from WHO before we turn to Jens.
Just to go into that before before we do so, though, I just wanted to recite a post that the secretary general just posted on ex Antonio Guterres said in terms of the resumption of of of bombing, he says, I deeply regret that military operations have started again in Gaza.
I still hope that it will be possible to renew the pause that was established to return.
The return to hostilities only shows how important it is to have a true humanitarian ceasefire.
That's the secretary general in a post on X just moments ago.
We have Yuri upper the left of Rio Navasti, over to you.
Rolando, I have a questions about Gaza and a question what is not about Gaza.
Let's stay on the subject of Gaza for the moment before we turn to another subject with.
So my first question, are there still amputations and births without anaesthesia or this practise is no longer revealed?
And my second questions is, have you got discussions with Israel to guarantee that the hospitals and the medicine will not be targeted when the military operations will restart?
OK, who wants to take that?
Yeah, I can start taking that.
So on the on your first question, I think there are, let's say, WHO and partners we brought supplies in.
So I think it's, it's moment minimum level of health services is definitely being implemented.
So I, I would expect and hope that this kind of situation like the lack of anaesthesia and WHO brought in anaesthesia drugs and and to make sure that that that well, it can function in a better way.
Your second point was on the.
Can I repeat your second question?
If you can repeat that, Yuri, I missed it myself, go ahead.
During this humanitarian polls that we had, did you speak with Israeli authorities to guarantee that hospitals will not be targeted one more time, as it was the case before the humanitarian polls?
I'm thinking about Al Shifa, but not only.
Yeah, well, during the humanitarian pause, of course, I think there there was, it was a humanitarian pause.
So hospitals and and and and everything was not targeted.
And I think of course we've raised this, I mean racing this in all fours.
That's now the hostilities.
Unfortunately, the violence has resumed.
We make it very clear the health system, as we, I think all of us have described is on a knees, It's cripples.
There is still a, what I would say partly functioning health system in the South, completely overwhelmed, undercapacitated, overwhelmed.
There is a few hospitals, 4 hospitals, what I would say barely, barely functional in the north and what we of course as WHL stress and we and Barnes, this health systems needs to be maintained and needs to be expanded.
So we are incredibly concerned about the vulnerability of the this health system.
So we cannot afford that this health system, any hospital get damaged or worse would become dysfunctional.
The the current system catering for 1500 hospital beds.
We need to expand it to 2000 beds.
We want to expand to 2 1/2 thousand to 3000.
That's why maybe that's a little bit of goody.
That's why some of the the emergency medical teams have come in and they are linked to certain to this to this hospitals and they will help to expand the bed capacity of these hospitals and and make sure they worked in close coordination.
So we need to rapidly expand the what we call the emergency medical teams and, and, and make sure they're coordinated and that we go from 1500, that's 2002 1/2 thousand back to 3000 and, and, and even more.
And, and another thing what we really have to get going at the moment, a lot of the medical referrals have been rather ad hoc.
You see this with the well the the 31 neonates for example and other other patients.
We know that in, in, in Gaza.
Well, first of all, there's there's, there's critical injured patient with multiple, multiple traumas and spinal injuries etcetera, etcetera, which need better care outside Gaza.
So we need to get the system to build up into Egypt.
And what we also know, I mean WHO working here for education that that's before the war.
On any given day, 50 to 100 patients would be referred to each Jerusalem and West Bank.
Yeah, 40% of that, we actually 40% of them related to oncology for example, that needs to be restored as well.
Currently The Who, we have been also working together with the UAE to help, I mean like evacuation of children, specifically oncology, oncology patients.
But the first and foremost they need to get to Egypt.
So we need a system in place where this is done in an orderly fashion.
Currently the violence has resumed.
So it's impossible and it's it's even impossible for us to carry out any mission.
We were having big plans today to, to, to, to actually discuss and help to coordinate the emergency medical teams that go outside.
Me coming here, arriving here yesterday night.
I'm a staff member and I want to meet my staff and to, to discuss and see how, how are they, how can we better support them etcetera.
Half of them are still fully operational for the WH in, in this incredible but rare circumstances.
So as has been said before, also by my UNICEF code week etcetera, this has to stop, bombardments needs to stop etcetera.
We need to get back to an to a ceasefire and we need to be doing what we should be doing, all of us, UN and partners etcetera to assist the system, to assist a a crippling health system which is still operational to a certain level.
I think we had a question in the room.
Yes, Gabrielle of Reuters.
We'll come back to you, Yuri, in a minute.
Just we'll take a question from, you know, Gabrielle.
Doctor Pipicorn, you've pointed to a lot of elements of this, but I'm just wondering, you know, how whether the six hospitals that are currently operating guys are in actually any shape to handle the uptake of the wounded right now?
I mean, we had the descriptions from Mr Holden, but if there's a, you know, if you could sum it up and is there any way that they can handle anything that's coming their way?
Well, I actually, I said to you, there were 36 hospitals in Gaza.
So 18 is what's called they are functional, but I would say all of them are partially functional and and four are barely functional, barely functional or the four in the in the North's water in Gaza in the South definitely I mean like in those hospitals there they are functioning including including here for trauma related cases etcetera.
But they are completely overwhelmed.
And I just mentioned some, I gave you some, some details that for example European Gaza, which is actually the largest hospital is at the moment has more than 900 patients and, and the maxim is 370, 200 patients, they have 600 etcetera.
Nasser Medical, Nasser Medical Complex, they have 350 beds, they have more than seven other patients.
They have patients in the corridors.
And, and my colleagues can't describe it.
Maybe Ahmed's doctor Ahmed wants to describe a little bit on their visits to their hospitals and, and discussing with the medical teams, etcetera.
So additional beds and inpatient beds are needed.
And, and that's why for example, in, in when we at COVID, we established some of those additional hospital beds and, and, and and tent hospitals, etcetera.
Now the that's why this emergency medical teams are important that they help to expand the number of beds and they really currently overwhelmed system.
I would like to hand it over to to doctor Ahmed Dahir, who can describe a little bit better the situation in the hospitals because he can visit them very regularly.
I'm I just arrived yesterday over to Ahmed.
OK, Doctor Dahir, go ahead, please.
Thanks and good morning colleagues.
So I've been visiting with my colleagues, Rob for the last weeks and, and this the, the, the, the hospitals, especially those which are in, in below of, of Wybaza.
So we have three main tertiary hospitals in, in, in, in the South.
The first one is Almasir Medical Complex, which the actual capacity is 350 beds.
But due to the influx of of patients, the last number which we've received is is from the medical staff is now they have 700 patients admitted right now.
And then the second is Alaska, which the actual capacity is is 200 bed and, and, and currently the hospitals has 600 patients.
The third main hospitals is, it's the European Raza hospitals, which the actual capacity is 370, but and that the admitted patients up to yesterday's are 900.
So when you go and see these hospitals, they are filled with patients and, and, and patients are everywhere.
It's, it's, it's, it's, it's I would, I would, I would, I would describe it as, as, as catastrophic.
And, and, and, and it's, it's really really very, very difficult for the medical Staffs to to to to manage such huge number of of patients.
We will find patients on the floor.
It is very difficult for the for the medical staff even to try to them and even to provide the quality care which, which which they which they they they deserve.
So, so so the situation is really in, in, in, in dire way.
And, and we are currently working just to see how, how we could expand these hospitals, bring more, more, more beds.
The, the, the actual figures which we are, we are discussing.
It is we, we required more than 707 hundred additional beds just just just to start, you know, like taking some, some influx of of the of patients from from from these hospitals.
So we are working very hard, but it's it's really, really, really very, very, very challenging in, in, in, in a complex emergency, I think.
Just for the record, that's Doctor Ahmed Dahir, who's WH OS team leader in in Gaza.
We have a question from Nina of AFP.
Yes, thank you for taking my question.
I, I'm sorry, the sun wasn't, it wasn't great.
So I'm not sure you may have already addressed this, but I was wondering on the, the need for transfers outside of Gaza, if there are any agreements or if you, how hopeful you are to be able to, to transfer the patients that actually need to get out for oncology reasons or, or or also for trauma.
Yeah, I think it's a, it's a good question.
It's, it's definitely part of the of the WH operational plan, which is actually 4 areas.
First, we need to get to to to strengthen, to strengthen and make sure the existing system comes operational again expands the number of deaths, including with emergency medical teams etcetera.
And if you fatigue located field hospitals.
The second one of course is outbreak everything rate outbreak response.
The third one is a consistent line of supplies.
I mentioned like you've seen I think over the past couple of weeks where WA shows assistance in, in, in the, in the transfer of patients first from the north to the South to a Sabre place including this 31 neonates which were then evacuated, almost all of them 28 to Egypt.
Now we we have seen an an, an an and not a number of patients being referred into Egypt as well.
So we of course as WHO have raised this as well with hospitals and hospital directors here, the technical people from the Ministry of Health, including with, with with Israeli authorities, that we need a sustained system for referral of patients.
We need an organised system.
So we have definitely a plan for for that.
Those are negotiations actually since the since the beginning and as I said, bilateral discussion with with the various authorities in an ongoing process.
On the Egypt side, it's The Who regional office and country office was actually working very closely together with Egyptian Red Crescents and the Ministry of Health and, and from the Egyptian side there's a principle of 15,000 deaths available, ambulances available to to transfer the patients.
I know that a number of third countries have offered also their services for referral from Egypt that should of course be discussed with Egyptian authorities.
And with respect, first thing what we get needs to having that is a better place of the the top priority patients and the one mostly needs for referral and and and we do not only talk about the complex travel patient burns etcetera, but also what I said the cancer patients would need to be need to be referred.
So yes, the process is ongoing very much in coordination with with I think our great partner at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
They are a big partner in this, in this process.
But for that again, I want to stress, it's not just planning.
We also need safe passengers need to be able to be done and and we would really look into this that over the next month that hundreds of patients and their families and companions.
It can be referred to Egypt or maybe from Egypt to other other places.
They will indeed get the the care they how much deserve over to you.
OK, If you could stay with me, we have one last question from John Zaracostas.
I would like if it's possible, top of that cup corn and your staff, if you could bring us up to date, give us an idea what is the situation with mental hair care and psychosocial support especially for children that have lived a horror for now seven weeks?
Are you able to provide some care and what are the shortfalls in the needs?
And secondly, if it's possible, I don't know if I came a bit late in this briefing.
James mentioned I had asked the other day if you have any information on a number of children who've had their limbs amputated to do well, trauma injuries.
Let me first your last questions on, on, on, on how many children's have lived appreciated.
We do, we don't have that whole view yet.
I mean like specifically at injuries and and we will look into that to get better data on on on all what type of injuries etcetera.
On your first point on mental health and psychosocial support, I want to actually start from a different angle, like before the war, I want to stress this again.
Gaza, West Bank, East Jerusalem OPT produced health indicators which were at par with the neighbouring countries.
So people always think, oh, health system was very poor and very bad.
I mean if you look for example on child vaccination, I mean Palestine produced one of the best figures in the whole region actually in the world close to 100% child vaccination.
Now when it comes to of course there were areas concerned before specifically the areas of non culminable diseases, etcetera.
And the area you took touch of, John, the mental health psychosocial support, we were already talking about close to 5000 patients, 5000 companies, clients which were in need and related to mental health psychosocial support in Gaza.
The only functioning mental health hospital is is dysfunctional.
So that's another serious issue.
And the Gazans haven't gone to to multiple escalations ward.
And this is probably the most horrific one where they currently go in there.
Of course, it's a huge impact.
So it always has and relatively and and **** number of mental health psychosocial support issues in both in Gaza and West Bank, East Jerusalem.
But of course it's sparsely increased because of the the war and the and those hostilities.
And we see this everywhere.
It's not just I think it was reflected by my own excuses for colleagues and children also by by by adolescents, women, men, I mean families, etcetera, very close to us, my own staff.
I mean like, like so from people are are they are all deeply affected.
And then you cannot just say, oh, that is a mental health issue.
No, but people of course are tremendously affected.
And as the people who lost family members, they lost their neighbours, they they see the houses destroyed, they had to be evacuated, they were relocated, they are IDs, etcetera.
I mean, like, as I said, I mean like including very close to us in in my own style, my 29 year old was professional, which was killed, including a baby boy, including husbands, including a brothers and and almost 50 people from extended families who were actually living in that house, only survived by father and mother.
I mean, like, OK, you mentioned what kind of impact it has on anyone.
So we have mental health, psychosocial supports definitely.
And if, if the conflict would stop and we can resume activities, it will be a huge component, I think for, for all, for children, adolescents, women, men, families and etcetera in all levels.
And I want to say there's some actually some excellence Palestinian NGOs who are working, who worked in these areas.
And we want to get them going as quickly as possible whether it's feasible.
But to to to ensure it's feasible, we of course need a ceasefire, A ceasefire with laws and a ceasefire with progresses to to to a recovery in future.
Thanks so very much Rick.
Of course so and we express our condolences to The Who family for your losses.
And I should note, John, that James did discuss the issue of children when speaking to us earlier at this briefing, as well as amputees and painting a very, very grim picture as as we just heard from our colleagues at WHO who I thank very much for joining us again.
So stay safe, gentlemen, and thanks again.
I'm going to now turn to Margaret, who has got an announcement from here.
Yeah, I, I didn't want to do it before because I wanted to make sure that my colleagues could finish and get to a safe place.
We just wanted to draw your attention to an important paper that was published in The Lancet.
It was an analysis conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
But the reason we consider it important is because they analysed a list of 7028 people reported dead released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Because as you will recall, there was a lot of questioning of those statistics a couple of weeks ago and they concluded that the assessments of the Palestinian Ministry of Health data validity in the 2014 in the conflict, sorry, not 2014 in the conflict had shown them to be accurate.
We saw no obvious reason to doubt the validity of the data.
And in fact, they said it's plausible that the current data actually under reports mortality because the direct effects of the war on the data, the ability to capture the data and reporting, for example, by missing people whose bodies could not be recovered, for instance, are still under the rubble, rubble or or could not be brought to the morgues.
And we're seeing this more and more with the disruption of the hospital system, the people who are dying and not dying necessarily in hospital or not being brought to hospital.
So again, and the disruption of reporting, it's the Ministry of Health is struggling now to report.
So now the data we're probably getting is more likely to be under reporting.
But it's very important to raise that paper and I'll send you the link so you can look at it.
Much appreciated, Margaret.
We'll turn out to Yens of OCHA, who's got a statement to read out.
It's difficult to hear these testimonies from from Gaza on this devastating morning.
After just one week of respite, fighting has resumed.
**** on earth has returned to Gaza.
I want to reiterate what our humanitarian coordinator Lynn Hastings just tweeted a short while ago.
She said today children, women and men in Gaza and Israel will go up to war again.
Parties to this conflict must protect civilians and provide access to humanitarian actors to deliver across Gaza and according to needs as per international humanitarian.
Humanitarian aid must continue unconditionally.
Hostages must be released unconditionally.
The UN will continue to stay and deliver food, water, medical and other critical supplies to save lives.
I want to add about the pause that yesterday, the 30th November, as in previous days, significantly larger convoys than prior to the pause entered Gaza from Egypt carrying a variety of humanitarian supplies, fuel.
These convoys also reached areas north of Wadi Gaza, which prior to the pause had received almost no supplies.
So during the pause, thousands of metric tonnes of food, blankets and mattresses, bottled water, medical supplies and fuel were delivered to UNWA shelters, hospitals and warehouses in the north.
About 88% of this assistance, important to say, was delivered by the Palestine Red Crescent Society in coordination and facilitation of the United Nations.
With the resumption of war, Of course, we fear that the continuation of this is now in doubt, so we need a resumption of a pause and not a return to war.
And of course, we echo that very much need for a pause.
I think we have a question.
I don't know if it's for you or for Margaret from John Zaracosta.
So I think maybe let's just find out.
I was wondering if you have any data on how much of the I think if I recall rightly it was 1.2 billion flash appeal for three months for this emergency.
How much funds have been provided by donor countries And if I recall rightly, Margaret, I think the ask for The Who was around of this appeal was around 200 million just to have a perspective if you're getting the funds to have this pipeline continuing.
Indeed, the the revised flash appeal for Gaza and the West Bank requiring 1.2 billion as of this morning, 29% funded, which means that it has received $353 million.
Nina, I note your question there, but perhaps let's just hear from Ravina of the Office of the **** Commissioner for Human Rights, and then we'll take a few more questions overall, Ravina, please.
I must echo loud and clear what our colleagues in Gaza have just stressed.
The bombs have got to stop again.
Civilians are living a nightmare again.
We are receiving reports of bombings in northern Gaza, in middle Gaza, reports of leaflets being dropped on Khan Unis telling civilians to flee, to evacuate.
But nowhere is safe in Gaza.
You've just received a statement from the UN **** Commissioner for Human Rights that I'll read out now.
The resumption of hostilities in Gaza is catastrophic.
We urge all parties and states with influence over them to redouble efforts immediately to ensure a ceasefire on humanitarian and human rights grounds.
Recent comments by Israeli political and military leaders indicating that they are planning to expand and intensify the military offensive are very troubling.
Since the 7th of October, thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more now face the same fate.
Others risk being forcibly displaced to already severely overcrowded and unsanitary parts of Gaza.
The situation is beyond crisis point.
Under international humanitarian law, Israel, as the occupying power, is required to ensure that the basic needs of the population in Gaza, such as food, water and medical care, are met.
We remind all parties of their obligation to ensure to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need throughout Gaza.
The way forward must be through an immediate end to the violence, the prompt and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, the cessation of firing of indiscriminate rockets and use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas.
Humanitarian aid commensurate to the immense need and rapid unimpeded access and end to practises of arbitrary detention by Israel and concrete steps to avert further disaster, founded on full respect and protection of the human rights of Palestinians and Israelis.
Thank you very much, Ravina.
OK, I think we'll go back to Nina for a question.
My question was first for Jens.
I was wondering if you have an overview of how much aid made it in during the pause and how much aid is perhaps is still waiting by the the border crossings waiting to go in and any indication from your discussions if aid will actually go through?
I mean there was aid going through prior to the pause.
So do you have any word from the Israelis on that on whether aid will be allowed in?
We have an update that we shared with you overnight and I'm happy to to send it to you again.
An update on how many metric tonnes very specifically went in of various commodities.
So I will not read all those numbers out here, but refer to that, but I can pull it out as well and and share with you and about the amounts that might be waiting on the other side of the border and agreements to let some of that through.
OK, Rick, Doctor Peppercorn has wants to chime in on this point I think.
No, I want to come in one other thing before actually we leave and that's actually on the question which was racial mental health.
And I want to be clear for WHO we are very much as we want to be as correct as possible on the figures.
And, and when you look at the mental health factors in Gaza, so before the war, we were talking about more over 485,000 people with, with mental health disorders and, and, and that seems like that **** number, you know, when you talk about population 2.2 and it's a reflection, it's a reflection which you see of course what, what Gaza's have gone through over over decades now many years.
And so it makes it even worse that the only mental health hospital actually dysfunctional.
And then indeed, of course, this, this current conflict, current crisis, I should call it, which of course will happen usually detrimental effects on mental health, psychosocial support, which will be needed and and that on all levels.
So we already been talking on a relatively **** level and it was, I want to stress that was one of the areas of concern already before this war.
It's one of the areas together which it's it's some of the non common diseases which we really want to help improve.
And, and let me tell you them and finish up with some of the figures on long term conditions in Gaza.
So we talk about over 2000 people diagnosed with cancer in each area, including one of the 22 children.
And this was what I said, hey, they need to be preferred, they need to get the care.
We talk about over 225,000 people with **** blood pressure, over 1000 patients in need of kidney dialysis to to maintain like over 60,000 patients with diabetes just need their their diabetes drugs and 45,000 patients with cardiovascular disease.
And last but not least what I mentioned over 485,000 people with mental health disorders.
And I think we often forget this group, what we call noncomical diseases and mental health cycle mental health and, and critically important.
So I thought that questions were really personal and this one of the areas we all will have to be working on and hopefully very soon in a better environment and without ongoing violence.
And I want to just make sure that I got the figures right before I check out.
That's that's very clear.
I appreciate that that addition.
Do we have further questions for any of our briefers?
Yeah, I meant also to ask a question of Ravina.
I was wondering if there's been any progress.
I know that the **** Commissioner has asked for access to both to Israel and to to Gaza.
Has he received any response?
And I, I wonder if this resumption in, in hostilities may increase the urgency, urgency of that.
No, unfortunately, Nina, we have not yet received a response to the **** Commissioner's request for access to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
And you're absolutely right, this resumption of hostilities makes it even more important that we are on the ground.
There is so much information circulating around the the what happened on the 7th and 8th of October and since then there's a real need for independent verification, a real need for objective verification and analysis of the information on the ground, also to combat the the disinformation that is being spread.
So we again reiterate how crucial it is for human rights officers to have access and for the **** Commissioner to also be granted access.
Thank you very much for reviewing it.
For that we have a quick Mustafa.
My question for Ravina or maybe just also can answer if you prefer.
Israel had previously declared the South part of Gaza as a safe zone and forced many Palestinian people to move there.
But now Israel preparing to attack order and declarate the largest settlement which is Khan Yunis battle fight.
Do you think that Israel's attack on South will bring a greater disaster for the region?
I could start and then perhaps the ends might want to come in on the the safe zones.
As I mentioned, there have been leaflets dropped in Kan Unis asking civilians to evacuate.
Where will they evacuate?
The South is being bombed.
Middle Gaza is being bombed.
It's also very important to note that under international humanitarian law, Israel has an obligation to respect the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution and attack and to ensure the protection of civilians.
Warning them to to leave a particular area or to to move to another area does not absolve them of the responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians.
They still need to comply by the principles of international humanitarian law.
And even if there are reports or allegations that other armed actors that Palestinian armed groups are locating military objectives in certain facilities, it still does not absolve the other side of their responsibility to protect civilians.
On safe sounds you'll have seen the the statement of of the 16th of November by the interagency stand committee which the heads of of the United Nations agencies.
Working in Humanitarian Affairs, where they stated very clearly, as humanitarian leaders, our position is clear.
We will not participate in the establishment of any safe zone in Gaza that is not set up without the agreement of all the parties and unless fundamental conditions are in place to ensure safety and other essential needs are met and that a mechanism is in place to supervise its implementation.
Do we have further questions on Gaza for any of our briefers?
I don't see that's the case.
Just add to yes, go ahead, Margaret, please.
Just to add to John, John asked for WH OS ask as well for our operational response plan which goes from October to January 2024.
Our ask is USA 110 million.
We've, it's, we've still got a 92% funding gap, but my team tells me that in fact.
So we're so far we have received 12.5 million, but there is a lot more in the pipeline and we are expecting to sign agreements for considerably more.
So that's the situation right now.
We have 50 million in the pipeline apparently over.
Thank you very much, Margaret.
Of course, colleagues, we continue to update you as soon as we get fresh information.
Don't hesitate to reach out to us as well.
So thank you all for briefing us here and in Gaza.
We'll turn now to our colleagues at the UN Refugee Agency.
We have Shabia online who's going to introduce a colleague, Philippe Leclerc, who's waiting patiently in the cold PF as snowfalls.
Thank you and good morning, everyone.
I do have the honour of introducing you to our UNHCRUN Refugee Agency Bureau Director for Europe, Philippe Leclerc, who is in Ukraine and who has been there given the humanitarian situation in the country.
So Philippe is actually briefing outside in the cold today.
So thanks for Philippe's patients that on the humanitarian needs especially as winter we're given the onset of winter rather.
You know, I have all the patients necessary with and the empathy that we share with the situation in Gaza.
Of course, I'm in in Ukraine, in Borodianka, 50 kilometres away from Kiev, a place which saw a very heavy fighting.
And you see still the consequences of that fighting in March 2022.
A sense of normalcy is slowly getting back to this area with a lot of repairs taking place around this place.
I have seen more than 5000 houses and apartments who have been supported with shelter and enable people to return to their houses, mostly people who were displaced to other parts of Ukraine.
I started my my journey to Ukraine Sunday last week in the middle of a snowstorm in Odessa.
And they managed to visit Kerson Zarafija Nico Oblas meeting people who have been benefiting from shelter support, enabling them, including in places like Visokopolmier in Kerson province to get back to places which were occupied by the Russian armed forces for seven months.
And thanks to the support women that I saw have their houses back at least part of their houses so that they can live again and be home again.
And I'm, I'm really pleasantly surprised and shocked by the willingness and the determination of people to go back to their homes, often close to still the the front lines in front lines in in Castron city.
So what is important right now, as you see, winter has started the it's to make sure that the vulnerable people have the place in their homes to to live and to be warm and to and This is why we are have begun our winter programmes.
Of course we are targeting 900,000 people who should benefit from winter assistance.
460,000 of them are already receiving cash assistance so that they can prepare by themselves for the winter through those through energy bills that they have to pay and the all this sense of normalcy and and bringing people to lead their lives is extremely important in Odessa.
I have also seen some the huge humanitarian hub of serving more than 500 families, which is led by communities of ID PS, including Tatas from Crimea, for example, are there with their communities and who are leading the response, the solidarity response with the support that UNACR, our partners and other UN agencies can provide.
Always with the leadership of the government, of the various ministries and the governors that were accompanying me in Hexon and Zaporige to together, and of course, under their leadership, support and identify the most vulnerable families so that they can be supported through the winter.
It is also important that we continue providing legal support.
It may sound as something not as important in the circumstances where a war is still taking place, but access to documentation, access to legal aid, which will enable people to be compensated for the loss of property or to have access to services is also key.
In addition, of course to the multi service centres that we are supporting throughout the provinces so that individual cash assistance can be provided to the most vulnerable.
Psychosocial support obviously as well as we see more and more the consequences of the ongoing war on children, on elderly, even in the context of more increased gender based violence in as a consequence of the prolonged war that is taking place on almost two years after the 24th February 2022.
So it is essential for me as new Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe to make sure that the unit CR is on the track is advocating for the necessary funds to be provided to enable people to go back home to for them to be to stay in the homes that where they want to stay.
And we have seen both internally displaced people going back to, you know, frontline zones, as well as some refugees also returning from various countries.
It is estimated up to 900,000 refugees have been going back and forth and for some of them returning in particular to the centre, West and of of the country.
So again at this time the our appeal, our joint, the UN appeal will will be launched most probably end of January or beginning of February.
It is important to to sustain that relief effort in a country still very much affected by war.
In particular in the various oblasts that I visited just last well this week.
And you see just behind me, I have seen while waiting girls in the middle of of this devastated area playing and with the snow.
So there's a very strange mix of normalcy, but one should not be, one should always be ready to know that missiles can fall, that attacks can take place.
Even in Kiev this morning we were in the bunker because of the possibility of of missile attacks.
So it's a very strange feeling to be in Ukraine with this mixed, mixed situations also in the frontline areas as well as in the region of Kiev.
So I'll stop here for if you have questions for for me here in near Kiev.
Thank you very much, Mr Leclerc.
We do have a question for you from Antonio Brotto of the Spanish.
Hearing me because I don't hear you.
OK, Can you hear me, Philippe?
Hello Philip, I hope you can hear me.
I'm a generally for a Spanish news.
11 moment Antonio, I just want to make sure that Mister Leclerc can hear you.
OK, If you can give us a few more details about this last figure that you told us 900,000 refugees coming back in, in which.
This has happened, from which countries have they come in and is still many trends of displacement inside the Ukraine?
Yes, well, you know, these, these figures are, are figures of both back and forth.
You know, this refugee situation has been characterised by the fact that people, mostly women and children and elderly have been seeking refuge and benefiting from asylum in in neighbouring states of Europe, mostly from the European Union, but also in Moldova where, where I was just recently.
So there's a lot of this back and forth movement.
At the same time, 900,000 people have asked for temporary protection in the last in in 2023.
So that's why I was referring to a strange situation where you have people still seeking international protection outside of their country, but at the same time others returning to places where it is safe for them as they believe for them to temporarily or definitely return.
And as I told you, most of the people who have returned, also IDP's who have returned to their places are mostly in the West, the central part of of Ukraine.
And we, we still see, as you were mentioning displacement within Ukraine.
We also see that the particularly in the conflict line provinces that many people I have met in these provinces do not want to go too far away from Donetsk, Luhansk and the other provinces that are under temporary occupation of, of the Russian armed forces.
So that they hope that they could return at one stage to their provinces which they are so separated.
I have met many people whose family is on the other side, with whom they have very many difficulties to, to communicate with, but with the hope that they will be able to, to live together again.
So against this, this very sense of, of, of hope, of determination, but at the same time the very dire consequences of the ongoing war.
Philippe Yuri from Rio Novosti has a question for you.
We mercy Michelle Le Claire in some queue of Parlez Francais.
Person may occur in for in a purpose very few a debt from contact direct malgree divisit Quisson organised on certain regime to the the the receipt we not particular I'm a school since he's refugee the.
The terms I would make we can carry the guarantee you know what the person keeps on.
Mayor Siboku, Mr Leclerc, do we have further questions for our colleague from UNHCR?
No, I don't see that's the case.
I would only add that, of course, as winter approaches and temperatures are dropping in Ukraine and in Northern Europe, of course, so the humanitarian needs will be magnified.
So we much, greatly appreciate you briefing us here.
Mr Clerk, stay safe and of course, stay warm.
That's it for the subjects.
We do have an announcement from Catherine of Young Turd about E Week taking place next week.
Yes, thank you very much.
It's very difficult to follow up now on with some logistical details because you had a lot of questions.
So I'm not going to come back to the the agenda, the programme of the of the E week starting on Monday at the CICG.
You have to register on the website, on the E week page.
I have to every ambassador's, ministers, whoever is going to come to the CICG needs to be registered.
It's a bit some administrative work, but you are used to that and I'm sure you can do that very quickly.
If you need any help, I'm happy I'm available.
I'm happy to help and I'm available in my office and anytime today.
I wanted to highlight too that the opening ceremony will be public and will be streamed on the UNTV, so it's open to everybody.
The rest of the special sessions, there are three or four per days during the week.
Those will be made available on the on the website of the E week so and only for people who have registered.
So if you want to follow from your desk, you need to register to otherwise I'm available if you need to meet any of the participants speakers of course.
And we managed to work over the over next week on the key issues and e-commerce and AI and so on.
Thanks to you, Catherine.
And of course, we at the UN Information Service will do what we can to expedite your registrations and on the platform.
I don't see any questions for you.
So that was very clear and thank you very much for that update.
Before we close, just a few updates from me.
I mentioned or actually I didn't mention, the secretary general is currently in Dubai, where he is taking part in the UN Climate Action Summit.
That's COP 28, which, as you know, got underway yesterday.
We shared with you a short while ago the remarks that Mister Gutedish delivered at the summit.
That was just about two hours ago.
From now, the Secretary General notes, among other things, how quote Earth's vital signs are failing.
Record emissions, ferocious fires, deadly droughts in the hottest year ever.
We can guarantee it even when we're still in November.
We are miles from the goals of the Paris Agreement and minutes to midnight of the 1.5° limit.
You can prevent planetary crash and burn, he states.
Secretary General goes on to highlight three areas which could lead to success of the COP.
First, drastically cutting emissions.
2nd, accelerating adjust equitable transition to renewables.
And third, more financing on climate action, including for adaptation and loss and damage.
Those are the points contained in his message, which we shared with you a couple of hours ago.
We have as well, I should mention, a few meetings taking place here.
We have the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination that started last week.
They are currently hold on a second.
On this coming Monday at 10 AM, the committee will actually have a public meeting with states parties and at the end of the week, a week from today, in fact Friday, they will the 8th of of December, they will conclude its session, at which point they will issue this concluding observations for the report.
It reviewed this session on Bolivia, Morocco, Germany, South Africa, Bulgaria and Vietnam.
The Committee on the Protection of Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families opened it's 37 session this past Monday and today it's concluding the review of it's the report on Sato May in Principe.
I should also mention a rather flag that yesterday we shared with you a nice lengthy calendar of meetings taking place in 2024, the various treaty bodies that we'll be meeting throughout the year.
This may be revised over the course should the schedule be adapted.
Turning to the Human Rights Council, I should say that this coming Monday, the 4th of December, the council will hold an intersessional meeting to mark the 75th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and to discuss the role of social media they're on.
That's taking place Monday in room 20, starting at 10:00.
It's a full day meeting, 10:00 to 6:00.
The **** Commissioner of Human Rights, Volcker Turk will deliver opening remarks, as will the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Nederitu.
More information is available on the HRC extranet press conferences.
We have Mr Turk, Volcker Turk, the **** Commissioner for Human Rights, who is going to be joining us here in this room on Wednesday 6th December at 11 AM for a press conference.
So that is just less than a week from now and we have a few observances before we close.
A Secretary of General's message which was shared with you, speaks to the fact that AIDS related deaths have fallen by almost 70% since their peak in 2004 and new HIV infections are at the lowest point since the 1980s.
But AIDS still takes a life every minute.
The Secretary of General mentions this must include the response to AIDS must include scaled up funding for local programmes led by people living with HIV and prevention initiatives led by communities.
Turning to tomorrow, the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery in the SGS message, which we also shared with you, speaks to members, the various victims of the past, particularly the millions of Africans ripped from their homes.
And he notes that there are some 50 million people trapped in modern slavery today.
We, and this is a quote we, must also move faster to stop this terrible crime.
Today, countries much legislate protect the rights of victims and eradicate the practises and conditions that allow modern slavery to flourish, from trafficking to debt ******* and economic marginalisation.
Lastly, on Sunday, the 3rd of December is another observance.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities and this year's International Day of Personal Disabilities reminds us that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the SDGS requires living up to the promise to leave no one behind, especially the 1.3 billion persons with disabilities worldwide.
So you have those messages at your disposal.
I don't have any further announcements.
Are there any questions you had something to add?
Yes, go ahead, of course.
Sorry, I just wanted to add that on Monday the at the COP the the the 4th of of December will be the first trade day in the the history of of the COP Ungtad will of course be present during that day.
With a lot of activities under the leadership of Rebecca Greenspan and the position of Ungtad that trade can not only boost the development but also fight climate change.
There are ways to for trade to play a key role in in the future of the planet.
I just wanted to highlight this.
Thank you very much for that, Catherine.
Is that a question for me?
No, it was a question for Margaret, but not on Gaza.
To you did say you had a follow up.
Margaret is still in the room and she's slowly making her way up to this podium, if you bear with us for a minute.
Right, I remember that, Yuri.
Had yes, you did OK Yuri, please go ahead.
Yes, it is about pneumonia, because after China, the French authorities are also noticing an unusual epidemic of pneumonia in the country.
For it's part, the Taiwanese media indicates that the island authorities are starting to check passengers coming from mainland China for respiratory diseases.
Are we talking about the same symptoms and disease in France and in China?
Are you monitoring this situation and at what level do you assess the risk that these new pneumonia epidemics will spread geographically and cause a pandemic because this is not only one country now, but two?
That's a lot of questions.
Some of those things I can't comment on because they're simply reports that we haven't seen.
But mycoplasma pneumonia is a normal.
Mycoplasma is a well known cause of pneumonia.
Now we are seeing more cases either being reported because more people are seeing them.
It's not clear whether that's because those who are getting them have what we call immunological naivety, that they were not exposed to the circulating viruses and bacterias because the world's been through a period where we've been very isolated from each other.
We are monitoring the situation now.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is not a notifiable disease because it is as I said, something that we do normally see during the winter.
It's it's treatable, it's treated with an antibiotics and normally it's often something that looks a lot worse on the X-ray than it does in the physical symptoms.
But it's clearly being picked up in a lot of different countries.
And again, we are monitoring the situation and we're also providing advice, of course, on treatment and and other issues.
But we're not, I think the, the, the, as with all respiratory infections, we monitor all of them.
But we're not looking at this at the moment as something that's of pandemic potential.
Thanks very much, Margaret, and thanks.
I'm glad you have a very good answer to your question.
Are there any further questions before you wrap up?
I don't see that's the case.
It's been a very long briefing, so I'd like to just wish you a nice weekend.
And of course, thank you very much for your reporting on the issues which we're spotlighting here at this briefing.
