UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : Bi-weekly press briefing

Good morning.

Welcome to the press briefing of the Information Service here in Geneva.

Today is Tuesday, 19th, December.

Um, we are going to hear from a few of our colleagues.

And I will also remind you before we we finish

the the rules on the arrangements for the next days.

And I really have a great pleasure to welcome James Elder,

spokesperson for UNICEF.

James, you are going to tell us about

the situation in Gaza. You've been there.

We've all seen, I think your posts.

And we've been really impressed with the work you've done. Thank you very much.

And thank you very much for witnessing on the situation. Please. You have the floor.

Very

thanks.

Good morning, everyone.

The Gaza Strip

remains the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.

Uh, and day after day, that brutal reality is reinforced.

Over the past 48 hours, the largest remaining fully functional hospital

uh, in Gaza has been shelled twice.

Now that hospital Al Nasser in Khan

Younis was a hospital. I was at on a daily basis.

It not only shelters large numbers of Children who have brutal wounds of war.

Ah,

but it also shelters hundreds and hundreds of women and Children

from across the Gaza Strip who are simply seeking safety.

Over the weekend, UNICEF had shared the story of a 13 year old girl called Dina. Uh,

now when Dina's house in

Kunis was completely destroyed,

her mother and her father and her two brothers were killed.

Dina survived, but she was badly injured and had her leg amputated.

Somehow,

um, Dina had not lost hope. She told us about her dreams.

Uh, about being a lawyer. Her quote was, I feel injustice.

When I grow up,

I'll become a lawyer so I can enjoy my rights and the rights of all Children.

Dina was one of those killed in the shelling of NASA hospital on Sunday.

Uh, the day after she shared her story of hope.

So where do Children and families go? They're not safe in hospitals.

They're not safe in shelters,

and they're certainly not safe in so-called safe zones.

So let me just spend a minute explaining why these safe zones are anything but

Parties to the conflict have an obligation to take

all feasible precautions to protect the civilian population.

In

this case,

one of those precautions they've chosen to take is

evacuation or moving to so called safe zones.

Now, as the United Nations said a month ago,

these zones cannot be humanitarian when they're unilaterally declared.

In addition, under international law, when you evacuate people to a place,

you must have sufficient resources. Surv

for survival, medical facilities, food and water

sounds very obvious.

We have not even heard lip service paid to medical facilities, food and water.

So that is that these so called safe zones

are only safe when they're not only free from bombardment,

but when those conditions food, water, medicine

and shelter are met.

However, under the current besieged conditions,

adequate supplies for such zones are impossible.

I I saw this for myself.

They are tiny patches of barren land, or they're street corners in neighbourhoods.

Or they're half built buildings with no water, no facilities,

no shelter from the cold and now the rain

and certainly no sanitation.

Currently in Gaza, there is a a toilet for around every 700 people.

You can imagine the three or four hours that means for an adolescent girl.

One toilet for 700 people

relocate people from these shelters to the so called safe zones.

And we're talking about tens of thousands of

people resorting to buckets or open defecation.

And so, without water, without sanitation nor shelter,

these so called safe zones have become zones of disease.

Diarrhoea cases in Children are now above 100,000

acute respiratory illness in civilians above 100 and 50,000.

Both these numbers will be gross undercounts of the woeful reality.

Malnutrition is also soaring in Gaza's Children.

Therefore, things like diarrheal diseases are now deadly.

Consider this.

More than 100 and 30,000 of um, Gaza's most vulnerable Children, that is,

newborns up to two years of age

are not receiving the critical life saving breastfeeding

or age appropriate complementary feeding that they absolutely require.

So that's our SS scenario without sufficient safe water,

food and sanitation that only a humanitarian ceasefire would bring,

child deaths due to disease could well

surpass those already killed in bombardments.

Now parents are painfully aware that hospitals are

not an option for their sick child,

both because hospitals are, as we've mentioned, being hit

and because hospitals are utterly overwhelmed

with Children and citizens with ghastly wounds of war.

As a parent who I became friends with who sent me a message

just a couple of days ago of a critically sick little child.

Told me quote,

Our situation is pure misery. I'm overwhelmed. My son is very sick.

I told my wife we have to lower expectations. All we have is hope.

I don't know if we will make it through this. Please tell the world

now as we speak, the delivery of aid is a matter of life and death for Children in Gaza.

And the conditions to provide that aid are simply not being met.

An immediate and long lasting humanitarian ceasefire is the

only way to end the killing and injuring of Children

and ensure the urgent delivery of desperately needed life saving aid.

So we do not see thousands of Children die from disease.

Thank you.

Thank you, James. Very, very dire situation.

So I'll start with the questions at S Emma.

Morning, James. I was wondering if you have, um,

any idea of the scope of, uh, the M?

Sorry. The scale of the malnutrition in Gaza among Children at the moment.

And how worried are you about starvation? Um,

and if you could comment about,

um whether you're able to reach people in in the north

at all now and what your concerns are for them.

Thanks a lot.

OK, so

yes. So the the North. Yes, some some trucks have made a a tiny fraction

of what is required.

and it is now a double problem with all aid deliveries, which is both

the quantity being coming in

and the conditions for aid delivery,

both because of rising in security because of pure desperation.

Yeah, you, your mother has not had clean water for two days.

Your five year old has not had clean water for two days. Somebody has clean water.

So the chaos that's been brought from the skies is panning out to chaos on the ground.

And in the South. There's just so many people on the move.

It's literally very difficult to navigate trucks through the streets.

II, I I'll let WFP if I may on starvation, because it's it's their it's their line.

I do know that we've seen a A

very quick survey. Seems like something like 4/5 of Children,

are are eating in insufficient amount of food that would put them in a category of,

you know, increased risk of malnutrition and illness.

I do think there'll be more on that in the coming days.

Yes, indeed. I think we can expect more numbers before the end of the day.

The week

on the situation of

hunger in Gaza. I think there will be new numbers released before the end of the week.

Let me see. Yes. Christian.

Yes. Thank you, James.

So the problem at this point is not the amount that is delivered,

but it's the distribution.

Do I understand that correctly,

Or is there also not enough coming in across the borders?

Absolutely. Both

if we

honestly, I find getting into the numbers of trucks perilous.

But there's been huge work done from, you know, the Egyptian Red Cross,

the Palestinian Red Cross.

UN

R, of course. WHO, UNICEF

WFP. Everyone has.

But it was Christiane before that's the atrocities of the seventh of October.

It was 500 commercial and

aid trucks a day,

and there are part. There have been periods where it's been none to the North.

And so now if it's around 100 it's 1/5 for a population absolutely on its knees.

And I think That's

part of,

um, the great challenge here because we consistently hear language that speaks to,

um that speaks to a sincerity of increasing aid from the

those people who have power.

if I can digress for a second

in 2007 8 when I was in Sri Lanka, you know, I learned a lot in that time,

and so did the United Nations.

We had the independent panel a review review, of course, on failings in

in Sri Lanka.

Uh, there was a quote that was used then by John F Kennedy,

which is sincerity is subject to proof.

II.

I wanna reflect on a few of the things the the

sincere statements we've heard with those who have the power to prevent

carnage of Children.

So we've been told in all sincerity

that the South would not possibly endure the indiscriminate attacks of the North.

Um Then I saw and I spoke to colleagues

with a military background who were in the north,

the south

enduring every bit as ferocious as those attacks.

The only difference being,

of course in the south that they had a million more civilians who'd been told to flee.

We were also told with all sincerity that precision in attacks was a priority.

Then last week, of course,

we were told of the the proof of the massive use of dumb bombs.

And now we're told in all sincerity of these so-called safe zones.

And we are telling you that without a ceasefire without sufficient food, water,

medicines and shelter,

then we will see many more Palestinian Children

killed because of wilful neglect and deathly disregard

to be frank.

The only things I can recall when sincerity and proof went hand in hand,

is when senior senior officials have said things like quote.

Our focus is on creating damage, not accuracy.

Gaza won't return to what it was before. We will eliminate everything.

The sincerity in those statements

has been proven with every additional child killed.

Thank you, James. Is there any other question in the room? I'll go to the platform.

OK, so let's go to Catherine B.

Catherine

Mon

Ali.

Sandra.

Good morning. Uh, James And and, uh, thank you so much for for covering, Uh, that, uh,

that topic with, uh, your expertise.

Um, it's very valuable for for the the press.

Um, Alessandra, I have

question for you and for James.

For you.

Could you tell us precisely at what time will the Security Council meet today

To vote on the second. I mean, the new

resolution.

That's number one.

And, um

also, is there anyone of human rights? Um, connected?

Because, um, I'd like also to, um, ask them a related question to the topic.

Uh, James, could you give us more details? Also, about the fact that, um

um, according a certain witnesses, the Israeli forces

are blocking ambulances,

Uh, in order for them to reach hospitals.

So I'd like to know, um, from the

from human rights. Is that a crime of war?

If it constitutes a crime of war

and if they're monitoring, uh, all of that And what are the decision taken,

uh, towards the parties that are violating

humanitarian law, and particularly, um,

to the crimes against Children.

Thank you.

Thank you, Catherine, For what concerns the Security Council.

It is listed on the live schedule of UN web TV for 4 p.m. Geneva time. But

what I cannot tell you is exactly the time, because they are going to speak.

They've got several items

on their

and the first one is that the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Then there will be two items on the Middle East,

so and then there will be some other items on their agenda. So

I would say connect at 4 p.m. Geneva time,

and then you will have to see when they take up the the item on Palestine.

What I can tell you is that there will be an open briefing,

but it will be followed by close consultation, so it won't be as usual.

It won't be. The whole session will not be

Webcast, but you can listen to the initial part.

Uh, James.

Katherine. Hi. Thanks. I mean, WHO, as you know, have been just stellar in

everything they've done on the ground.

But also, of course, in the in the way that they've been able to share

information and violation, so I would defer to them.

But we know that ambulances have been hit in aerial bombardments.

We know there have been delays that have led to the deaths of people.

Uh, I certainly saw a bus with Children with the most horrific injuries.

It took three days to get through various checkpoints,

but you're specific on the L in the last few days.

And ambulances as they continue to seek to move,

to move patients to wherever, maybe safe, which would be Egypt.

Um, I'd ask you to check with them.

Unfortunately, we don't have anybody from

this morning, but we have Margaret. So Margaret will have

news

on this subject.

Margaret. Thank you. Thank you, Catrin.

Yes. Obstruction of an ambulance.

Obstruction of healthcare personnel preventing healthcare

personnel from doing their job.

All of these things are considered are defined as a tax on health care. Now our job

is to verify those things report on them.

If they It's other agencies that actually then go

to the further step of looking at whether or not

criminality is involved. But

militarization.

Sorry.

Any the critical?

The the critical principle is neutrality of healthcare.

It doesn't matter who you're transporting. If they're injured, they're sick.

They're a patient.

They need care. Doesn't matter what their affiliation is.

Doesn't matter who you think they are.

If they are a sick person, they're an injured person.

They must have access to healthcare. That is the principle

indeed. Let's go

to Lisa. Mister

Schlein.

Uh, thank you. Yes.

Good morning. and good morning, James. It's it's nice to see you.

Uh, I was very moved by much of your reporting from Gaza.

It seemed very personal. And I'm wondering

how you felt when you were told that you had to leave Gaza. How you feel now,

Did you, in a sense, feel, uh, kind of abandon that you were,

in some ways abandoning the Children

that you should remain?

Hm?

Hi, Lisa. It's a very good question. Um, oddly, I was

trying to come to terms with that myself and was scribbling things down yesterday.

and I have been asked that several times what it's

like to be out of Gaza and and essentially,

yes,

the the predominant feeling or the answer I gave

was around the the guilt of having to leave.

I think I could expand on that and say,

because I wrote things down.

Truly, I I'm furious.

I'm furious that those with power shrug as the

humanitarian nightmares un unleashed on a million Children.

I'm furious that Children who are recovering from amputations

in hospitals are then killed in those hospitals.

I'm furious that there are more Children hiding as we speak somewhere.

Um, who will no doubt be hit and have amputations in the coming days.

Um, I'm furious that of all the senseless attacks, the only admittance of dumb

is the use of dumb bombs.

Uh, I'm furious that disease is as well armed as the warring parties, But no,

it gets absolutely no attention.

Um, I'm furious,

as I said that that that that little boy out of a friend I made is now worryingly sick,

and they have only hope and dirty water.

Um, uh,

Lisa,

I'm furious that Christmas is likely going to bring increased savagery

in attacks as the world is distracted with its own,

you know, love and goodwill.

I'm furious that now we're at 56, 7000 Children killed,

and they're becoming statistics.

And not

and and not stories. Um, I'm furious that the, you know,

hypocrisy is crushing empathy, and yeah, to To a degree,

I'm furious at myself for not being able to do more.

And we hear your grades and

and just recall the the the very strong calling for

a humanitarian ceasefire that the Secretary General has been consistently

asking for. And we all

I'll go now to Ui.

Yes. Thank you. Alexandra James. It is a very short question.

Can you please repeat the name of the hospital that was hit two time, Uh, in canyons.

Thank you.

Yes, it's

NASA

hospital.

I

mean,

Doctor Harris will have more details, but it is our NASA hospital, which was

the, um, in terms of capacity, the second largest hospital in the Gaza Strip.

So therefore the largest functioning now,

uh, given what had occurred with Shifa

Margaret

Uh,

yeah, I. I don't really have much more to add except that

we're seeing. We've only got eight of 36 hospitals functioning anyway.

And when we say functioning, it's really barely functioning.

Every hospital that our teams have visited find that

there's massive overcrowding, massive need.

They talk about not even being able to walk in

the emergency areas because for fear of stepping on people

and when they're not stepping on people, they're stepping on blood.

It's a scene that none of my colleagues,

all of whom are people experience with emergencies are are doctors.

They've never seen anything like it. And what I hear in meetings is

I have no words. I've run out of words.

I don't know how to even describe the horror I'm seeing

the people in the hospitals. Yes, they need everything they need.

Medical supplies. But what they ask for first is food and water.

The very basics. They do not have them.

One of my colleagues described people lying on the floor in

severe pain in agony,

but

they weren't asking for

pain relief. They were asking for water

that

it's beyond belief that the world is allowing this to continue.

I can only concur with James.

I haven't been there. But

just what I'm seeing and hearing from my colleagues is something that it's

unconscionable that the world allows this to continue.

Mohammed?

Yes.

Uh, thank you, Alexandra. Uh, my question also, about, uh uh, uh,

human rights, But, uh uh,

I couldn't see anyone, Uh, let my, uh, ask my question.

Uh, According to Israeli media,

most of the Palestinians detained by Israel in Gaza

since October 7 died in a detention centre

near the city of

Brei.

Is the United Nations aware of this situation?

I really called for an international investigation

into this incident. Thank you.

Uh, Mohammed. Thank you. I think really, this is really a question for human rights.

colleagues and maybe you want to send them a message, or I can relay or, uh,

your question, but I don't know if we we don't think any of us could comment on that.

It's really something we will have to ask

our colleagues. Um, let me go to John.

Yes.

Good morning. Uh, nice to see you back, James. And, uh, on behalf of

akanu just to reiterate, uh, in your absence, we awarded you the first OK,

au humanitarian award for field, uh, briefing from an emergency. So,

uh, congrats on that.

And I've got a question, uh, that I've asked many, many times

to Margaret and, uh, Rick Peppercorn and others.

Do we have an initial estimate of how many

Children have had their limbs amputated in this crisis

And, uh, what is happening with, uh, support for prostheses, et cetera,

which would be very difficult in this environment.

Thank you.

Congratulation, James

very much.

But I don't know who would like, uh, you would like to say something like that.

And I, um

uh, went

with a health colleague.

Yes, and we called every single hospital that was still functioning,

and but this was now two weeks ago,

and the number was approximately around the 1000 mark of Children who had lost, um,

one or more of their lower limbs.

Certainly, John.

Again, I don't have specific numbers,

but what I can tell you is that we had prior to

this war a very fine team doing limb reconstruction in Gaza.

Our our patient management,

staff member

Dina Dima

was killed in an airstrike. So not only

are we having the Children injured

the people there serving them are also being killed and dying.

Catherine?

Yes, Um,

a question for you.

Uh, Alessandra, I, um I think it's it's going to be a bit difficult for you to answer,

but I'm asking, um, to you,

uh you recall that in in 2011

In, In

in? Yes, it was in 2011.

Uh, the there was a UN resolution, uh, about Libya.

And at that time, um, there was a a multi state, NATO led coalition, Uh, that

took a decision to

make an intervention in Libya in order to implement the UN resolution.

Do you think that

in front of so

much horror

in front of so much violation

of human rights,

we will reach

that same situation in order to stop

the country

that is openly violating all humanitarian laws.

Katrin,

I don't think we are in the business of speculating on what's

going to come.

But what I can tell you is that

the fact that the secretary general so exceptionally used

Article 99

it says what it says. I mean, the secretariat is doing what we can.

Of course, I cannot prejudge what the

member states will decide and how the implementation of the resolution,

not only the latest one.

There are many resolutions, but the latest one, indeed, on the humanitarian

on stopping the guns in order to allow for humanitarian aid

will be implemented.

But definitely I think that on our side, we are really doing.

And the secretary general is doing what he can after the use of Article 99

and,

as you know, the non approval of the resolution by the Security Council.

He has been and his staff and been on the phone with everyone

that can have an influence on the situation in order to obtain this humanitarian

pa or ceasefire, as we have been asking for.

So we are not going to stop or continue to advocate for this,

and we will see how it

will develop.

Yes, of course.

James James would like to add something to John's questions, please.

Thank you,

John.

The Children with amputations.

One of the reasons that I think that as Margaret is

pointing to and what I found is that you know,

compa comparing, um, crisis zones is un unhelpful and

and not fair. Because, of course, we're well aware of what you know.

Children in Sudan right now are enduring

what struck and why.

Your question on amputations is so real, is just the sheer number.

It was in a hospital and you would turn in every corner

I would in I would speak to five or six Children with amputations

and have five or six other carers

we wanting me,

then to go and see other Children you were

talking about dozens in a in a single hospital,

much less in other hospitals in the north that I went to that were referral.

Hospitals

and Children with amputations were often outside awaiting care because

I guess they were seen as critical and stable,

not just critical,

and that then just segues to the trauma in that country.

Trauma, of course, being a psychological term. But let's say mental health stress.

It was four in five Children before October 7,

and I think it's safe to say, now it's every single child.

but of course,

Gaza is the worst place in the world to possibly recover from anything.

So you've got these families moving 345 times,

their their physical resolve,

being depleted every time but their psychological resolve.

They're meant to be dealing with the grief of a killed mother or brother.

And yet they're moving time and again

A.

And I think that's what makes this so remarkable and so bleak that

for almost every other crisis we can imagine

the place you go for safety is outside of that conflict zone.

There is no way to get outside of this conflict

zone apart from these cynically so called safe zones.

So I think that's what makes beyond the sheer

numbers of Children with amputations the sheer number of

Children with amputations who have not yet been told

that their parents also died in the attack.

And, of course,

that every single child is enduring this 10 weeks

of hell and not one of them can escape.

Indeed.

Uh,

sorry. Um, Eliza, Eliza has raised her hand first. Lisa?

Uh, yeah. Thanks. This is actually for anyone. For you also.

Uh, Alessandra, whoever can answer it,

I was wondering whether um,

uh, any proof has been found that these hospitals which have been attacked, uh,

have been

our

shield. Um, shielding Hamas

terrorists.

Um, also, um,

Margaret,

are you

in terms of supplies?

Are you lacking? Really? Still

unable to deliver

what is needed. I mean, it's, uh, so many supplies. Life saving supplies of all sorts

are unable to get in,

but I was wondering whether there was any sort of improvement or not.

Thank you.

Please. On your first question, I think I will, uh,

refer you to what Mr Lazzarini said at his press conference the other day.

But, uh, I will try to track track down what he said for you, but, uh,

I think ura has been answering these questions,

and I don't know if you have anything to add, Margaret.

Uh, well, certainly what we see when we go to the hospitals is healthcare. We see

doctors, nurses, paramedical staff,

desperately working to deal with people who are very sick, who are desperate,

who are in need.

That's what we see in all the hospitals that we go to

on the supplies.

Yes, some supplies are coming in,

but there are two issues, and James alluded to it before.

It's not just bringing them in across the crossings.

It's then getting them to where they're needed,

in volume and, uh, with safety. And that's

often impossible. We arrange. We organise missions every day

to or plan missions every day to the hospitals. We have to go through deconfliction.

We have to make sure that they can go safely,

but also the roads that any truck that's got bringing, um,

reasonable amounts of supplies can go on. There are very few of the such such roads.

You know,

some of the hospitals, we, um even the patients can't physically get there.

There's a maternity hospital in the north.

The the women in labour are arriving, either carried by relatives or on donkeys

that,

uh, and certainly vehicles just cannot access these hospitals. So so

just

bringing in the volumes are needed.

And remember, every day,

vast numbers of people are being injured vast numbers

of people are sick now from other diseases.

Vast numbers of people need healthcare way more

than was needed in normal times.

And yet so little, uh, is either coming across the border.

But then even less can actually get to

the hospitals because of the massive infrastructure damage.

I hope that helps.

Thank you, Katherine.

Uh, thank you, Margaret.

Uh, do you have any news from the medical doctors that have been arrested?

And are some medical doctors still arrested? As far as you know,

So I don't have the numbers, but certainly we are with partners, um,

very concerned about their welfare and continually, uh,

advocating to ensure that they are,

um uh, uh, uh. Protected and looked after.

But we I don't have any specific information. Sorry.

Last questions to Emma.

Thanks. It's sort of related. Margaret, um,

you've been reporting on detentions and deaths among health care workers.

I'm just wondering if you have any idea of sort of what portion

of health care workers, um, are still in their functions.

And if you have anything on Kamal

at

one hospital, there were horrific reports, um, of,

uh, bulldozing in the courtyard of people living in tents.

Do you have any confirmation of that at all? Thank you.

On your second. I don't have specific confirmation, but obviously every

report we we look to to verify,

uh,

the numbers I have and I'll have to give them to you separately.

But I think the reduction

is we've only got about 30% of healthcare workers now available to work. Uh, there.

Originally, there were something like 20,000 healthcare workers.

I'll have to get the numbers. I

should have got them up.

but there's been a massive reduction, and we've seen at least 200 doctors killed.

I don't have the specific numbers of nurses,

but you can presume that that that there is even more

numbers of nurses who've been killed.

and

many of the healthcare workers simply can't get to the hospitals to do the work.

They've already been displaced from wherever they were,

and now they're sheltering somewhere with their families. So again, even

though healthcare workers may have moved from the north to the south,

it's not necessarily possible for them to come to work.

We do know in Al

Shifa, which has restarted its work.

Um, there were 11. 0, you've got the numbers in front of me. That's superb.

Uh, yeah, yeah.

Uh, only house houses, 11

doctors and nurses.

So that was 56 doctors, five nurses, or it could be the other way around.

But basically 11,

there are 70 volunteers,

but they're not people who were trained to be doctors or nurses.

They are just people who are trying to help.

And there are tens of thousands of people sheltering there,

Um, at least 1000 patients. And

when I was describing before the my colleagues going in, it was our sheer

where they went into the emergency department

and

couldn't walk for people. Just people lying there,

desperate for help and

and again, you've got

It's a 750 bed hospital.

You've got 11 healthcare workers trying to deal with that, and

and you've got thousands more patients than those 750 beds.

So you've got many, many more patients than can actually go in the bed, so

but they are doing what they can, you know, they've got the dialysis, um,

the department working again.

They're working 24 hours to provide dialysis because

it's the only place that can provide dialysis.

And if you are a person with kidney failure, if you don't get dialysis every few days,

you die.

So despite

the impossible odds,

they are continuing to try to provide health care in what I would describe as

an impossibility. But they are doing what they can.

Thank you very much. Um,

Gabriela, it's really the last one. We have other other subjects to to touch upon.

Really? The last one. Go ahead.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Alexandra. Hi, James. Hi. Uh, Margaret,

my question is,

uh, you mentioned Alexandra that Secretary General General, uh,

used, uh, the Article 99 of the chart.

What else can he do?

What else can United Nations can do to

To to try to stop this

horror? Uh, going on. Uh, is

it the United Nations failing? I mean,

the the the situation is beyond words, but I just wanted to ask, uh,

what else can be done.

Thank you.

I think the answer to your questions is multiple, Gabriela.

First of all, not what else we can do. But what else we are doing.

And I think you heard from

our colleagues on the humanitarian

side that the UN is doing what it can

in terms of humanitarian support. And obviously,

as we have said, we need to have more access.

We need to have more humanitarian aid coming in. It is not sufficient

and we have said it several times.

But colleagues, as as Margaret said,

are doing impossible things and they are doing it now.

So it's not a question of what we are we are going to do. We are doing it now.

We are doing it as much as we can. I think UN W uh,

colleagues are working under incredible strain and they are there.

They are really physically there.

And, uh,

you have heard the commissioner General Lazzarini, saying,

you know

that

the humanitarian aid, whenever possible, is there in desperate situations.

And then, of course there is the political process.

And as we said before with Catrin,

there will be this discussion at the Security Council this afternoon.

Obviously, this is a decision of member states,

and what we can do as Secretariat in terms of political action

they will

work is being done, as I said by the Secretary General, who is

really all the time on the phone and in contact with these people with these

senior staff working with those who have an influence and who could eventually

help get into this humanitarian ceasefire and more access for humanitarian aid.

And I close here now, on this subject, I would like to really thank you very much,

James.

Thanks so much for for being there for being here for we are happy to see you back.

And, uh, thank you very much, Margaret, for this update,

I'll ask Jens to come to the podium.

Jens and William are going to talk to us about another dire situation.

Very dire humanitarian situation in Sudan.

And I understand, Margaret, if there are questions on the medical aspects,

you are also able to answer

on Sudan, so I'll start now with Jens, and then we will go to William.

Thank you, Alessandra. Good morning, everyone.

Indeed, from

one bleeding wound to another

in Sudan, we are alarmed by the ongoing fighting in

Wad Madani

in Al Jazeera state that started on Friday, the 15th

of December,

and have continued with airstrikes and

shootings still being reported late yesterday.

Eight months into the war,

this development dramatically affects the humanitarian situation

in the south eastern town of some

700,000 people and our ability to respond there and in the wider region.

Preliminary information from our IOM

colleagues in Al Jazeera indicates that at least 250,000 people have fled

Al Jazeera state, many in panic

and with no other option than fleeing on foot

wad.

Madani was considered a place of refuge and safety

for nearly half a million people who fled violence

and bloodshed elsewhere in the country earlier in the war

that has now ended

since April Wad

Madani has also operated as a key humanitarian hub,

but aid organisations have been forced to temporarily suspend operations

because of the fighting and relocate to neighbouring states.

Local authorities have announced a state of

emergency and introduced a nightly curfew.

A

similar curfew was introduced in neighbouring Garre

SAR and White Nile states.

All humanitarian field missions within and from Al

Jazeera state have been suspended until further notice.

If the fighting continues, aid distribution for some 2 million people,

about a third of the population in the state

will be compromised

and we need the fighting to stop so we

can restart our programmes for people in acute need.

National health authorities have also relocated outside of Al Jazeera

state and are working remotely to coordinate emergency health response.

This puts further strain on the health system in the middle

of a cholera outbreak in the state and neighbouring states.

Healthcare is already stretched to the limit.

70 per cent of hospitals are out of function in conflict defected states,

while facilities in non conflict

def states are overwhelmed by the influx of displaced people.

For context, almost 25 million people require humanitarian assistance in Sudan.

The UN and our partners have reached 5 million people with some form of assistance.

So the

fifth

that assistance includes food, health support,

shelter supplies and protection services.

The major response challenges in Sudan,

our lack of access

and that's due to insecurity but also bureaucratic impediments.

The humanitarian community engages continuously with

the conflict parties to address this.

Funding for the response is also a challenge.

The humanitarian plan for this year about to wrap up

is only 39% funded of the 2.6 billion required.

Thank you.

Thank you very much,

Jens. And I'll go now to win him.

Thank you, Alessandra.

to complement. What? Uh, Jens has, uh, uh told you about this, uh, deepening

crisis in Sudan as fighting spreads.

Uh, we'd like to, uh, say that, uh, UN AC R is, uh, also very concerned

about the deepening forced displacement crisis,

uh,

both in Sudan and in the neighbouring countries as

hundreds of thousands more people flee from the latest fighting

in Al Jazeera state,

uh, to other parts of Sudan.

We are also very concerned about the reports of an escalation

in the conflict in the Darfur

region.

On the 16th of December, renewed fighting in Al

Fasher

in North Darfur resulted in civilian casualties,

injuries and further displacement,

followed by looting of homes and shops

and arrests of youth.

In

Yala in South Darfur,

an aerial attack was reported, causing death,

injuries and destruction of civilian homes

as we heard from yens.

Heavy fighting, including airstrikes and shootings,

was reported on the outskirts of Wad Madani, the capital of the Al Jazeera state,

on Friday.

The fighting has now reached the town

after conflict first broke out in Sudan's capital in April.

Over half a million

people, including some 7000 refugees fled to wad Madani from Khartoum.

With this latest bout of fighting.

Panic has reportedly spread among the civilian population in Wad

Madani

and people were seen leaving the town on vehicles and on foot,

some for the second time in only a few months.

According to IOM,

between 550,000 people have fled Wad Madani

and surrounding areas since the clashes began.

UNHCR

is working to deliver and distribute urgently needed coal relief

items to the people newly displaced from Al Jazeera to SA

and Jed

states.

Despite efforts by national and international humanitarian

organisations and local actors to provide assistance,

the overall humanitarian situation remains dire.

Since the war broke out in April,

more than 7 million people have fled their homes in Sudan,

many of them moving repeatedly to find temporary safety.

This repeated

displacement shows how devastating this conflict

has been for the civilian population.

We are very worried that if the

fighting further escalates and spreads to white knight

state, it could significantly impact the work of UN, AC,

R and other humanitarian organisations

that provide critical assistance to over 437,000 south Sudanese refugees

and some 433,000 internally displaced Sudanese there.

Since the onset of the conflict in April,

Eurasia

has provided emergency shelter to approximately 42

families and coal relief items to nearly 12,000 vulnerable families.

There are also reports of people on the move towards south Sudan,

where the border town of rank is severely overcrowded and lacking enough

aid to meet the needs of the people who have already arrived.

Heavy rains have made the roads impassable,

hampering the relocation of refugees.

UNHCR and partners are doing what they can to prepare,

but resources were already severely overstretched.

We continue to strongly appeal to all parties to end the conflict,

to respect the safety of civilians in accordance with international law

and to allow humanitarian access so that critical

life saving aid and services can reach those in need.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, William.

Uh,

and

for this comprehensive update, I'll open the floor to question first in the room.

I don't see any hand up.

OK, so let's go to the platform. Peter.

Uh, thanks for taking my question.

Uh, this seems to be pretty dire in Sudan. Uh, Jens.

Um I'm just wondering, Is the situation worsening

and is the Is is it as bad as it has been?

You also mentioned impediments. Uh, UN, uh, problems for of impediments For UN.

Uh uh, personnel to to get to places. Could you elaborate on those, please?

Thank you. Uh, Peter, for for that question.

Without a doubt, the situation is getting worse.

We are getting into this territory where we're talking about protracted

conflict with very little

light at the end of the tunnel.

At

this

point,

it is,

as you know, started with a rivalry between two generals.

I recall Martin Griffith at the beginning

of this, asking them to knock it off.

Obviously, they haven't.

We continue, of course, to, um

to speak to the parties,

as as I mentioned for the for the purpose of gaining access to the people in need

we have, as I have read out to you.

And as you can read in our reports, we have some data from some places about

how bad it is. What really worries us are what we do not know.

A lot of Darfur, for example, is pretty much closed off.

There is very little information coming out from from from there.

And we are extremely concerned about what may be happening

that we are not seeing.

So it is

as bad

as

it gets

in terms of impediments.

So these are these are restrictions bureaucratic red

tape that are put in front of us.

We don't understand why, really.

But we can see clearly what the effect is, and that is

it slows down operations.

In some

instances, it stops it. It's kind of a stop start

thing

you get to

to one bureaucratic barrier.

You overcome that just to meet another one on the other side.

we are also having issues with getting the visas that we need.

Many aid workers are are trying to get in

to help beef up the operation. The visas are are not getting through,

so we we can't go in.

So those are these kind of

bureaucratic decisions

that ends up in

the death of people. Frankly,

because the operation is not

anywhere near at the scale it should be.

Thank you very much. Lisa.

Yeah? Hi. Uh, first William, I assume that your notes are on the way. Right?

Thank you.

Um, I'm wondering um,

has humanitarian aid essentially stopped in the,

conflict hotspots.

And then, uh, I. I hope James is there. I don't know if he is, he is

that

good? Ok, James, could you,

uh,

comment to, uh, tell us what the situation of Children is? Uh,

I'm not.

I know you prepared for Gaza,

so I don't know whether you have all the information ready, but

anything that you could tell us to enlighten us about the condition of Children

in Sudan would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Thank you. Um, James, maybe you wanna come to the podium.

And meanwhile, I don't know, maybe William

and

Jens.

Yeah, Go ahead,

William.

Thanks. Alessandra.

I I'm not sure what, uh, what? The question was, uh um,

but but, uh, if if it refers to the, uh, possibility of continuing, uh,

operations in South Sudan

that this has been going on for, uh, for for some time throughout, uh,

the conflict with, uh, very, uh,

difficult, Uh uh, circumstances.

But,

uh uh, We have been doing our best to reach, uh, the population, uh, with, uh, uh,

humanitarian aid.

And until very recently,

uh, what? Madani was a fairly stable place.

Uh, as Jens, uh, pointed out And, uh, it was a humanitarian hub,

and also a place where, uh, hundreds of thousands of people sought refuge because,

uh, the fighting had not reached there.

So there are areas of Sudan where

operations are ongoing and, uh,

where humanitarian assistance is being delivered.

Uh, but, uh, with the spreading of the fighting, these areas are becoming, um,

fewer and fewer.

Um, and the difficulties that we are facing are are, uh, getting, uh, more and more,

uh, challenging.

I saw you nodding when Lisa was asking for the notes, right?

Yes. The the notes will be sent there. The the notes will be sent, uh, straight away.

Thank you very much. James.

Hi. Thanks. Lisa. Yeah, It's a

It's something I do need to,

brief on and

in the early in the new year,

hopefully go into Sudan through Darfur.

What can we say now? Uh, it's the largest child displacement

in the world.

I think there's 3 million Children somewhere on the move from from as Jen said,

just the unrelenting ferocious attacks.

Sudan has always Lisa had one of the highest malnutrition rates.

The severest type, the type that will kill a child,

particularly if you're on the move.

Particularly if,

as we know, the, um, ready to use therapeutic food factory was burnt down.

So 600,000 Children,

um, with a

impossibility for many of them to access the kind of care,

be it therapeutic food or simply medical support that they need.

So whatever reported deaths we have.

And of course, the monitoring and reporting mechanism

takes time and is triangular verification. But you can

be assured that many times more that number of

Children will have been killed beyond grave violations.

Simply those Children who can't access,

uh, the care that they need because they are severely malnourished.

Um, I think it's 14 million Children need humanitarian assistance, Lisa.

And

not a single child is, um, accessing formal education.

Wow,

Katrine.

Yes. Thank you. Hi. Good morning, Jens.

Regarding Sudan as we know that the Security Council terminated the mandate

of the mission in Sudan

and you just spoke about restriction of visas.

Does it affect the humanitarian people that are still working from,

I think Is it port Sudan?

Could you please um, specify if they're able to still work. Thank you.

Yes, Thank you. Catherine. Yes. The hub remains in Port Sudan,

where the humanitarian coordinator is also

working. Working from

the visas are for getting into Sudan in the first place. So that's the first hurdle.

But there are also sometimes additional requirements

of moving between the states,

which which can also cause

delays.

Um, in moving humanitarian personnel around,

Thank you very much. And I don't see other questions on Sudan.

So I would like to thank all our humanitarian colleagues

and we have online. Oh,

sorry. You wanna add something?

Yeah. Go ahead. Sure, Sure.

Please.

So Margaret has something about cholera.

So just a quick ad while we're on the subject, we're very concerned, obviously,

about the news of the fighting, because there's an active cholera

outbreak and

a lot as has been mentioned by other

colleagues with a large number of displaced people sheltered

there.

So fighting displaced people, cholera is a very, very, very bad combination.

Um, we like others. You mentioned the hub. We've got a, um

we've got a, uh a big, um

uh, hub in Wad

madani

as well. It's been the backbone of our health response to K

toum.

So not only do you have cholera,

but you've got a disruption to the response to

all the other people who are desperately in need.

And this is a health system that was struggling before the conflict.

And it's just been,

really, really degraded. And

health. The health system's really sort of hanging in the balance

right now. Uh, you know, it's utterly dependent on a I DS. So

the fighting is only contributing to the greater misery of the people there.

Indeed. Thank you very much.

So I don't see other question.

So thank you very much to all the colleagues who've been briefing.

Um, I'd like to give the floor now to Claire. Newly for WMO. Uh,

who has to

answer

a news, which is not the news,

Claire, because we all know. But it's nice to hear

that. Um,

you'll tell us about your new boss.

Sure. Um, yes. Ok, you can see me and, um

and hear me. Um, sorry. I'm not with you in in the room. Um

um, but I am. I am obviously in the office. Um

uh,

so, as you know, uh, Professor Petri

tales,

uh, will be standing down at the end of this year. Um, he's completed his,

uh, maximum, uh, two term mandate.

So he's been with, uh, WMO for the past eight years.

You've met him, You know, during, uh,

during that time you've met him repeatedly on on many occasions.

Um, so it is the end of an era for for WMO. Uh, on the first of January.

Uh, we're delighted to welcome,

uh, a new secretary general. Uh, Professor Celeste

Saulo. She was elected,

uh, by the World Meteorological Congress back in June.

So it has been, you know, quite a long transition period.

Uh, she will take office on the first of January as

WM OS, first female secretary general. So we're especially glad about that.

And the first, um, the first Secretary General from From South America.

Um, I know that you will all be wanting to to meet her to interview her. Um, we will

send out a press release.

Hopefully, you know, the second or the third of January, just to

introduce you to her a little bit.

And then, um, I'm planning on having a press conference with her. It will probably be

the second week of January given that.

I know that quite a few people are away in in in the first week, so it'll probably be,

um, I'll I'll liaise with, uh, with Alexandra's team.

But as I said, it'll probably be the week commencing the the eighth, uh,

the eighth of January.

Uh, we'll try to avoid

doing it on a regular briefing day because I know UN TV is is busy. So,

you know, just, uh, be be bear with me.

But, uh, you know, we obviously will be giving the the

pet press corps, um, priority access to her, uh, in the, uh, in the opening days,

but thanks.

Thank you very much. Claire, is there any question?

Yes, Antonio.

Uh, thank you. Well, it's on another topic, but also for WMO. It's, uh,

this, uh, uh, volcano in Iceland that has erupted this morning.

Uh, I know it's very soon, but

do you have any

initial information on this?

And, uh, can this event, uh, trigger, uh,

some air traffic problems like it happened a few years ago?

Also in Iceland. Thank you.

Um, let me check on that. Um, the you know, as we all know,

Iceland has many very, very active, um,

volcanoes. Um, the ice.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office is actually

the organ the organisation within Iceland,

which is responsible for monitoring of volcanic activity and

eruptions. I will check with with them on the latest

in terms of disruption to, uh,

traffic.

Again I would need to check with with With With With our

With our experts on that we do have quite a well organised,

um, network. Um, the international Volcanic ash advisory network.

I think it it's called, um, who work together, you know, to to To to assess,

to assess the situation.

But let me let let me check.

And I can I can get back to you on that rather than, uh, speaking to the top of my head.

Ok, any other question to the

on the platform or in the room? No. OK, Claire, thank you very much. Yes.

Please coordinate with us for the

for the first press

of

your new secretary general Cest

de

solo.

Um, if there are no other questions, I'll give you a few updates on the,

uh I have been asked to to to state again

the arrangements for the next day. As we have said that

several times. Uh, now, the Paladin

as room will be closed as of tomorrow, so tomorrow is already closed.

Uh, and it will be closed until Sunday,

the seventh of October on the eighth of October.

Oh,

let me see

October.

Uh, that's

a

of course, January.

So on Monday, eighth of January, we will reopen the premises.

And as we have told you,

also is part disclosure is part of a series of energy saving

measures that we have been implementing since the month of October,

which is

so, um, I just repeat, you have access to all your, uh, offices located in building

two.

the entrance for this period will be made

through the nation gate by foot

and through prey

by car.

The, uh,

portal.

Sorry.

Bicycle. It will probably be

N

unless you wanna go up the hill. Um um

II I can ask. I think he he they will. They can open the door for, uh, bikes.

But let me let me confirm this.

Otherwise it would be pretty,

Uh, the port I the the

shaman de fair port.

I will be closed throughout the period, so don't use that, please.

Um as we have also told you, uh, the buildings will be heated, but, uh,

there will be no services available.

Um, we are going to hold the next press briefing virtually on. Only on on Friday.

Then we will make a pose.

The next one will be on the fifth of January, and it will also be fully virtual.

And then we will start again on nine of January from this room.

Of course, as we have said several times, anything should happen. We hope not.

But if we have a need to brief you, we will be back as usual in this room.

There are also a few colleagues who have told us that they want to hold

press conference or briefings during this period.

Uh, of course there will be high. Sorry. Be fully virtual.

Uh, we will continue coordinating as much as possible.

You will also receive the list of the focal points who are

on duty for each and every agency here in Geneva during the period of

the holidays. So, uh, don't hesitate to get in touch with all of us.

And if there are no questions, let me see. Yes,

Krin?

Yes. I'm sorry. Hi, Alexandra. again?

Yes. October. I mean, October next year. No,

of course. I mean

no.

Um, listen, I mean, in fact, you answer my question because of the situation,

and you mentioned that, uh, we will have briefings if needed.

So I suppose that if there is any improvement

of the situation in Gaza or any other places

you will tell us you will let us know.

Of course, improvement would be really great,

and we would definitely be happy to talk about it.

But I

was also referring to some,

um, briefings that are not maybe on, you know,

they're not necessarily breaking news.

But we've been told by colleagues that they

would like to brief you during this period.

And obviously, we will continue coordinating.

And although the the, uh,

briefings will be done virtually unless there is a reason for coming back in person,

which we will do with pleasure.

Uh,

especially if it's for giving good news. Absolutely

any other question.

I don't see any.

So, uh, bon appetit. Uh, well, not yet, but soon.

And, uh uh, I'll see you virtually on Friday. Thank you.

Bi-weekly press briefing - 19 December 2023