The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Bi-weekly press briefing -16 January 2024
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1:29:09
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MP4
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5.5 GB
PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE
16 January 2024
New Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization
Celeste Saulo, who had assumed her duty as the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) this month, stated that one of the most complex challenges faced by humanity was climate change, and it was her wish that the global community would come together to address this challenge. Support to regions and countries ought to be intensified, especially to those which were grappling with developmental challenges. This support should help nations become key players and shape the climate agenda at all levels. The Sustainable Development Goals were the guiding star, as inequalities intersected with climate change. WMO would work to make sure that those members with lower levels of development would receive particular attention. Ms. Saulo stressed that adapting to climate change was not a choice but a necessity and spoke about the importance of building resilient communities and early warning systems. Under her leadership, early warning systems would be fortified, and science and life-saving information would be made accessible to all. She stressed that every person on the planet should have access to life-saving information in real time.
Speaking of mitigation, SG Saulo said that WMO’s Global Greenhouse Gas Watch aimed at providing a comprehensive and accurate overview of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. In the pursuit of common objectives, international cooperation, accessible financial mechanisms, collaboration between science and education, public-private partnerships, inter-institutional agendas and other processes were not simply beneficial, but truly essential, she said. The World Economic Forum’s latest risk report highlighted the severity of extreme weather events as the second biggest threat, closely interlinked with other risks. To address the existing massive challenges, media support and professionalism were needed so that people around the world could understand what was at stake, and in order to help tackle misinformation and fake news. The road ahead would not be easy, but with determination progress was possible.
Responding to numerous questions from the media, SG Saulo said that the WMO needed to offer stronger support to its members on how they communicate on climate action. She hoped that she could work together with the press corps to produce clear, robust, authoritative communication, based on science, to reach people around the world with facts. Speaking on early warning systems, SG Saulo said that the Early Warnings for All initiative had thus far identified 30 countries who were mostly prone to hazards and less developed, where coordination had commenced at the national level. National meetings had begun to identify what the exact needs were and how each agency would attend to those priorities. By the end of 2024, concrete results were expected to be seen in these 30 countries (which included Mauritius, Haiti, Guyana), but activities were also underway in other countries.
SG Saulo emphasized that her priorities would be early warnings and greenhouse emissions monitoring, with the emphasis on helping regions and countries. While campaigning for this position, she had spoken to representatives of 168 countries in order to identify what their needs were. Implementation was a crucial aspect of everything the WMO did, she said. She explained that the world was already close to 1.5 degrees Celsius over the preindustrial temperatures. During 2024, it was expected that this threshold would be passed, especially as it was a El Niño year. The worrying trend was there, confirmed by the atmospheric data, and not enough action had been taken so far. Communication was at the heart of everything the WMO did, said Ms. Saulo, who was planning to have a series of meetings with a wide range of stakeholders, including donors and partners. Resource mobilization had to speed up, as many development actors were still way too bureaucratic, while there was no time to waste.
Responding to another question, SG Saulo underscored that women brought diversity and a different way of thinking to the WMO and other organizations. For her, family was a source of inspiration as she wanted to do her best to leave the best world possible to future generations. She also emphasized the importance of diversity, inclusivity, and openness. Finally, SG Saulo said that climate change could not be considered without considering inequalities; for example, Africa had contributed the least to global warming, but was suffering from many of its consequences. She hoped that, during her mandate, concrete results would be achieved for the most vulnerable countries and regions.
WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2030
Dr. Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion at the World Health Organization (WHO), stated that globally there were 1.25 billion adult tobacco users worldwide, which was good news as the number was 19 million lower than two years before. This was a first such decline, made even more important by the growth of the global population, which added some 149 million adults over the same period.
In total, 150 countries were now on a downward trend in tobacco use, with 56 among them already tracking towards the global target of a 30 percent reduction by 2025. Regulating tobacco sales, including tobacco taxes, worked well, along with measuring who exactly smoked in every country and helping those people quit. An average person tried to quit smoking ten times before succeeding, he said. While countries set themselves the ambitious voluntary target of a 30 percent reduction in tobacco use prevalence by 2025, the report showed that the world collectively would only make a 25 percent relative reduction in tobacco use unless more concerted efforts were made to adopt stronger tobacco control measures.
Currently the fastest decreases in tobacco use were happening in the lower middle-income group of countries, which showed that tobacco control could be done regardless of a country’s economic status. The European Region remained a challenge, where rates among women were more than double the global average for women and were reducing much slower than all other regions. The WHO region which currently had the lowest tobacco use prevalence was Africa, where the smoking population had already decreased from an average of 18 percent in 2000 to under 10 percent in 2022. Yet, due to population growth, there was likely to be more tobacco users in the African region come 2030 than there were now.
WHO urged countries to continue putting in place tobacco control policies and continue to fight against tobacco industry interference. The minute a government thought they were winning the fight against tobacco, the tobacco industry seized the opportunity to manipulate health policies to keep selling their deadly products. The ”Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023”, published by STOP and the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control, showed that efforts to protect health policy from increased tobacco industry interference had deteriorated around the world.
Dr. Krech informed that tobacco control was as much about protecting future generations as helping existing users to quit, and that the WHO would dedicate this year’s World No Tobacco Day to protecting children from tobacco industry interference. In February, countries were set to meet in Panama for the 10th Session of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Conference of Parties where the tobacco industry would try to influence global health policies by offering financial and in-kind incentives interfering with countries rights to protect the health of their populations. Strengthening the WHO FCTC was a global health priority outlined in the sustainable development goals. WHO stood ready to support countries in defending evidence-based tobacco control measures in the face of industry interference.
Answering questions from the press corps, Dr. Krech said that there was a lot of room for improvement for Switzerland, which hosted several major tobacco corporations and grew tobacco. In certain countries in Europe, smoking among women was increasing, partly because of the absence of regulation on advertisements and product placements. The tobacco industry presented women smoking as self-fulfillment and liberation, which could not be further from the truth. A large majority of women smokers would like to quit smoking, but nicotine, as it was known, was highly addictive.
Dr. Krech gave a concrete example of the Big Tobacco’s putting pressure on individual countries by purchasing first-class air tickets for their health delegations. He said that there was an unprecedented, stronger-than-ever push by the tobacco industry against the WHO and tobacco control efforts. If a country had not been banned e-cigarettes, at least strong regulatory measures had to be taken to ensure that children had no access to e-cigarettes, which could be very well concealed. E-cigarettes were hooking children to nicotine, which was highly addictive, and there were double-digit increases in certain countries with lax measures. There were thousands of flavors in the market, including vanilla ice cream and gummy bears, most of them attractive to children. All flavors ought to be banned.
On another question, Dr. Krech explained that the tobacco industry targeted Africa the most because the prevalence there was the lowest and people were young and would be smoking for a long time. He also pointed out that most studies showing that e-cigarettes were less harmful were funded by the tobacco industry. The industry was swamping markets with hundreds of new products and thousands of flavors, which were hard to all analyze and regulate. This had to be counteracted and the trend had to be reversed. E-cigarettes were not consumer goods and had to be regulated, stressed Dr. Krech. Finally, he informed that cigarette butts were the single most used plastic in the world; billions of those ended up in the oceans and ended up being eaten by the fish.
Execution by nitrogen asphyxiation in the US state of Alabama
Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the OHCHR was alarmed by the imminent execution, in Alabama, United States of America, of prisoner Kenneth Eugene Smith, through the use of a novel and untested method – suffocation by nitrogen gas, which could amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under international human rights law.
The UN Human Rights Office called on Alabama state authorities to halt Mr. Smith’s execution, scheduled for 25 January, and to refrain from taking steps towards any other executions in this manner. Alabama had already sought to execute Mr. Smith unsuccessfully by lethal injection in 2022. Mr. Smith also had ongoing proceedings in federal courts against his upcoming execution which had not been finally resolved.
Nitrogen gas has never been used in the United States to execute human beings. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommended giving even large animals a sedative when being euthanized in this manner, while Alabama’s protocol for execution by nitrogen asphyxiation made no provision for sedation of human beings prior to execution. Ms. Shamdasani reiterated that the death penalty was inconsistent with the fundamental right to life. There was an absence of proof that it deterred crime, while it created an unacceptable risk of executing innocent people.
Full statement can be found here.
Answering questions from the media, Ms. Shamdasani said that Mr. Smith had been found guilty for capital murder. There had already been one botched execution attempt with a lethal injection. On another question, she said that there had been difficulties to access lethal drugs in the USA, which was why Alabama had opted for this untested method. The OHCHR had raised the issue with the federal authorities of the United States but acknowledged the federal-state division of judicial responsibilities in the country. In the USA, 37 states had either abolished the death penalty or had not carried out one in more than a decade, which was a welcome development. Several other states had worryingly approved of this untested method of execution. Mr. Smith had a pending appeal in the federal court, informed Ms. Shamdasani. She said that this method had never been used in the United States but could not state definitely if it had been used anywhere else in the world.
Conflict in Sudan
Responding to a question, Ravina Shamdasani, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that the conflict in Sudan was now in its ninth month, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights had repeatedly appealed for the respect of the rules of war and protection of civilians. Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) said that the Emergency Relief Coordinator had allocated USD 10 million from the Central Emergency Relief Fund to support those fleeing the country. Some 60,000 people had fled from Sudan into South Sudan over the past month only.
Announcements
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service, informed that the Committee on the Rights of the Child had opened its 95th session on 15 January, and was concluding this morning its review of the report of Republic of Congo. The Committee would also review Bulgaria, Senegal, Russia, Lithuania, and South Africa.
Teleprompter
Good morning.
Welcome to this press briefing of the information service at the UN in Geneva.
Today is Tuesday, 16th of January
and we are very happy to start our briefing by welcoming
quite an exceptional speaker we have this morning.
That's why we have decided to give her a lead way of at
least half an hour.
We have with us, Celeste
Saulo
that, as you know,
is the new Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organisation
the first woman
to be elected to discharge
and the first Latin America. If I'm not wrong,
Mrs
Saulo
is from Argentina. As you know,
she will give you some introduction
remarks
and then we will open the floor to questions.
And then once we have finished with Mrs
So we will continue with the
with the regular press briefing and the other guests who are
on the agenda that you have received this morning from Solange.
So without further ado, I give the floor to Mrs Solo
for her introductory remarks. Thank you very much, madam.
Thank you very much.
Uh OK, well, we are friends from the media.
I'm very happy to stand before you today as the new Secretary general of the WMO.
Um I'm very happy to be here
not for me as a person,
but because humanity is facing one of its most complex challenges.
Climate change, of course.
From the bottom of my heart.
My wish
is that we will face this challenge together
as a global family bound by a shared responsibility,
a vision for the future of our Children
and, of course, a common purpose.
Over the next years, we have an opportunity,
a duty and a possibility
to shape the narrative on
climate action.
This is about empowering nations,
fostering inclusivity and creating sustainable pathways for shared prosperity.
We are not mere observers. We are architects of a sustainable future.
International Cooper operation
was largely born here in Geneva.
And this is an amazing tool to tackle the challenges of our time
as our forefathers and foremothers did before us.
To make a true impact, we must intensify our support to regions and countries,
especially those grappling with developmental challenges.
If we are a family,
no member should be left behind.
Our support should enable nations to be key
players in shaping climate agendas at all levels
in the realm of climate change, of climate action and climate change.
The sustainable development goals are our guiding stars. We stand
at the intersection
of inequality and climate change,
and our strategies must reflect the urgency of the times.
Our commitment to reducing inequality and development gaps are unwavering.
We will prioritise regional and on the ground activities.
Ensuring innovation reaches every member,
especially those with a relatively lower degree of development.
Adapting to climate change is not a choice but an essential necessity.
It is about building resilient communities,
especially in the most vulnerable regions
capable of resisting to
and recovering from climate related disasters.
Early warning systems will be the leap chain in
disaster risk reduction,
transforming threats into opportunities for sustainable development.
Under my leadership, we will fortify early warning systems,
enhance data accessibility
and make science and timely life saving information accessible to all.
The overarching
early warning for all initiative is committed to ensuring
that every person on earth has access to time laid
alternative and life saving weather and climate risk information.
Recognising that adaptation
must go hand in hand with mitigation,
WMO has another
big initiative which is
our global greenhouse gas watch
aimed at providing a comprehensive and accurate
overview of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
Understanding the impacts of human activities
is crucial for developing innovative solutions,
including the advancements of renewable energy across all countries and regions
in our pursuit of common objectives, international CO-OPERATION,
accessible financial mechanisms,
collaboration between science and education,
public private partnerships,
interinstitutional agendas and other processes are not simply beneficial
but are essential.
We will forge stronger ties with United Nations organisations and bodies,
development agencies, governments, the civil society,
the scientific community, the private sector and of course,
last but certainly not least the media.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As you know, the World Economic Forum is happening this week in Davos.
This forum just released its global risk Report.
What are the most threatening risks in the world today? According to their views,
the rampant spread of misinformation and disinformation is the first one
the growing severity of extreme weather events, the second one
and global economic downturns.
These threats are interlaced,
creating a complex web of challenges that
demand our immediate and decisive action.
Most of the action happens here in Geneva behind the scenes
and ripples throughout the world.
To address these gigantic challenges, we need you
to deliver reliable scientific information to the people.
We need you the media, to interpret what is coming our way.
We need your loyalty
and your professionalism
so people can better understand our world and how it goes.
We need you
to help us tackling disinformation and fake news.
I'm very much looking forward to embarking on this journey with you all.
It will not be an easy road.
But if we if we have the strength and determination,
we will write it for our global family and for the generations to come.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much. Uh uh, Secretary General
slo uh, for this introductory remarks
and I'll open the floor to questions now and I'll start with the room.
If there is any journalist who would like to ask a question.
Benjamin Luis from the Swiss radio.
Thank you very much.
Uh, Secretary General,
first question before everything. E.
Franco.
All right.
Um
great.
my question is about what you just said about misinformation and how to tackle that.
Um, we saw IN the last month that, uh, WMO,
uh, was
went very vocal. Very present IN the media,
but a T the sa me time we see a rise of for exa Mples heads of state, maybe one.
You know very well
who a RE more and more pushing another narrative,
which is, uh, for exa MP. Uh, global warming is a plot.
Something like that.
How do you intend to reinforce,
uh, the presence of WMOIN the media or something else?
Uh,
to combat, to To To really? To fight against this, uh, this type of, uh
uh of speech?
Yes. Sorry. Thank you very much for your question.
And of course, yes. We have to reinforce our our, uh, contact with, uh
I would say not only the media, but of course,
our members to support them in In In How they communicate climate action
and the priorities that the world has in terms of climate action.
Uh, so we will, of course. Uh, communication. Uh, you are experts on communication.
And, uh, I think it's a very complex, uh, issue, uh, having also many, uh,
channels.
And we have to cover all of them. So that's why I'm here, II.
I hope that we can work together
to make, uh, this, uh, clear,
robust and authoritative communication about what
is happening and what we expect.
We are an organisation that is based on science. That is our strength.
And we need to use science for the benefit of society.
So, yes, I will reinforce whatever is needed at the WMO level.
Also, I will help
the countries to have their own press system so that they can really, uh,
engage with better communications.
And I hope you that Geneva International will help us also,
indeed. Thank you very much. Emma Farge, Reuters.
Good morning, Secretary General. Welcome.
you mentioned early warning systems, uh,
which I suppose is gonna be a priority for you.
Um, this is obviously something that, uh, your predecessor also talked about.
Can you tell us, uh,
how much progress was already made before you came into this position
and how much work needs to be done?
How much has been done and and how challenging will it be going forward?
I know there were
UN estimates to have them everywhere by 2027 1.5 billion, uh, invested.
Could you give us an update on the progress and the challenges ahead? Thank you.
Cer Certainly. Thank you very much.
Uh, I think that early warning for all initiative is a great opportunity
and not only, uh, also to address
our community needs, but also
to put at the centre of this of this scene
the national meteorological and hydrological services and how they can help
their societies to to to be resilient and to adapt
to climate change in terms of what we have done,
uh, up to now, we, together with the other partner organisations, including UN,
DRRITU and, of course, Red Cross.
We have identified 30 countries, and we are that are mostly, uh, not only prone to,
uh,
hazards, but also are the less developed ones.
A small island states where we started, uh,
to coordinate at the national level and to address what are the their needs.
And, uh so,
uh, within those 30 countries we've launched, uh um
national, um, meetings
where
the,
uh, part of,
uh, including the Met services and the disaster.
Uh, response agencies sit together
to understand what
what their needs are
and how each agency will, uh, uh, attend, uh, those, uh, priorities.
So we expect that by the end of 2024 we will be, um,
doing We will showing you a concrete results at the level of of those 30 countries.
Besides, uh, those 30 countries, we are also moving, uh uh,
forward with other countries that
do are not perhaps so behind, but they with
just a small amount of support, They can really make a difference.
So we will not, uh, keep
just for those 30 countries, but we will try to enlarge this.
So I think that we are in a good shape.
Uh, for those that do do not know,
we started from half of the world not being covered by early warning system.
So we have to, uh, just
move from that, uh uh, number towards something
that shows that we are making progress. And we will do that during this year.
Yes, Go ahead. Follow
up quickly. If you could mention a few of the countries among the 30
say what sort of hazards they're vulnerable to.
Thank you.
Well, you are requesting, uh, um
uh I
my memory.
Uh, but I I will go for Mauritius, for example, that we It's a top of the news now.
Uh, of course.
Uh, we do have, uh Guyana, for example. We have Haiti.
We have, um, small island states. Mainly,
maybe, uh, we can complete that, at least with our experts.
But mostly, uh, of course, countries from Africa
and from the south western Pacific area.
Uh, where we we I identified that the needs are stronger.
Thank you very much. Uh, Christo
Vog,
the head of office of IFB,
the French
news
agency.
Thank you for taking my question. And, uh, welcome. Uh, Secretary General, Um,
uh,
So you talked about two main priorities,
which are the early warning systems everywhere in the world.
Also, better understanding of greenhouse gas effects and how much there are. Uh,
we were actually surprised last year when WMO told us that we don't
really know how much greenhouse gases there are in the in the atmosphere.
Um, but
what Those are things that are already worked on? What are you
How do you want to imprint? Uh, your
your, uh, leadership of the WMO. What's going to be,
uh, Celeste
Solo's priority for the agency?
Well, um, thank you for that question. And, uh,
you know that, um,
this, uh, the organisation is a member driven organisation.
So that means that our members tell us uh, what their priorities are.
And you you have synthesised very well. We have to go for early warnings.
We have to go for greenhouse gases watch. And we have to go
to, uh, improve, uh, our observing capacity capability all around the world,
because our network, our observational network, is not enough.
So
I would say that Celeste
slo could put a print or a signature on the how
not on the watch
and the, uh the how means for me that regions are at the centre of what we do.
And countries are at the centre of what we do.
And sometimes we, uh, pretend
to know
what the necessities of a country are. But actually, we don't know.
We need to speak with them.
And I. I just mentioned that, uh, when I was campaigning,
I had conversations with 168 countries,
uh, trying to understand
what their needs were.
And so,
uh, all in all, we we share a common understanding of what we need,
the issues, how we can implement.
And, uh, the implementation is for me the crucial aspect of all what we do.
If we fail at at implementation, we will be failing,
I would say the world
and And here is where my my my strength will be will be focused, Uh, in implementing,
uh, implementing the decisions that, uh, our member countries, uh, decided,
Uh so
yes.
Speaking with countries working horizontally and implementing
and showing concrete results of what we
are doing for me is at the centre of my of my mandate.
Thank you very much. If I don't see other hands in the room,
I go to the platform and I'll start with Antonio Broto, the Spanish news agency.
Uh, thank you very much.
Uh, mso, uh, last year, the rates of, uh uh temperatures was, uh,
1.4 degrees above the pre industrial levels.
Uh, do you think this year we will reach the 1.5 the this number that was set up by by,
uh,
uh, Paris agreement as the as the limit that we shouldn't cross.
And if this happens, uh,
do you think this is This would be a big defeat on the battle against climate change.
Thank you.
Thank you for your question.
Yes, indeed.
Our report on climate showed that we are close to
1.5 above pre industrial levels in 2023 and the science.
And it's not not just an opinion, and that is something I want to build on. We are.
We are building on. Science
tells
us that during linear years we have more possibilities to have a warmer
year. So we expect to be close or above the 1.5 degrees. Um,
anomaly.
So
if you exceed
a threshold one year,
it's, um it's a warning, I would say.
But it's not just that you are not there for the Paris agreement
you need, uh, uh, I would say
10 years
more or less Uh
uh,
records above 1.5
to really be above the Paris threshold. So
I think that what the atmosphere is telling us
is that the trend is there,
and we should
really be worried about this trend.
That is what the atmosphere, the atmosphere and the data is telling us,
uh, for for the global society, we must take action.
And that is, uh, what I'm most most concerned about and that we are
far from
having enough action
in terms of reducing greenhouse gases. And that is really a concern.
Thank you. very much. Paola
Deras, Geneva Solutions.
Uh
um I, um, wanted to ask you, you mentioned, um the, um the the issue of, uh,
access to fin the financial mechanisms that you're going to be trying to promote.
Um And I mean, your message has been really advocating,
uh, more for for these countries socially as well as, uh, financially, but,
uh, I'd like to to to understand a little bit more. You know how you
how you're going to be doing this, how you're going to be,
um, interacting with with those organisations and the,
uh, private sector and so forth.
Um and and this is actually one of the the the themes that, uh,
is being discussed, uh, this week at in Davos.
So I I'm just, uh, curious to to understand a little bit better
how you are going to put in place. Uh, these these ideas that you discussed.
Thank you for your question.
1st, 1st of all, a communication is is is a one a key part of all what we do.
And, uh, we have to be sure that, uh, make sure that, uh,
all the stakeholders and all the partnerships that we build
agree on on certain, uh,
uh,
commitments.
And I think that the private sector
developing agencies, uh, do agree on on on the necessity of of
taking action
as fast as possible.
So
my my my first approach, of course, is, uh, having meetings with all of them.
Uh, I will be going in an official mission to the UN, Uh, by the end of the this month,
uh, also meeting with the World Bank,
and I think that resource mobilisation is part of what we need,
but we not we need to speed up resource mobilisation.
Uh, I I'm I'm I have to say that, uh, we are too bureaucratic.
And then when I say we I, I would say the development agencies and and and, uh,
some actors are involved are really too bureaucratic.
And sometimes when they make a decision,
it takes
two or three years to have the money in place.
We cannot allow those time scales for action.
So
that is where I would like to really make a difference. So
speak with the donors, speak with the partners,
speak with our, uh, um, private, uh, sector and and and agree on
some common issues that we need to address if we want to have things
in place as soon as possible.
Thank you very much. Lisa Schlein, Voice of America.
Uh, thank you, Alessandra.
And, uh, welcome, Secretary General, Nice to see you on the podium.
Um, the, uh, world Meteorological Organisation has been around for about 74 years,
and it's been led by men.
I was wondering, uh, how you feel
as a woman having upended this old boys network
and, uh,
how this might change the direction
in which the World Meteorological Organisation
will go, That is, I'm interested in knowing whether you think you might have
a somewhat different perspective on what the priority needs are,
or at least on how to
how to, um, manage to get these priority needs
actually met. Uh, not just talked about. You just mentioned bureaucracy.
Right now, I'm wondering whether
that has been a hindrance. And if you're trying to get rid of that
and you also are talking about global families and I'm wondering,
actually what, uh,
whether you have a different perspective on how things should be run,
thank you very much.
And it would be appreciated if we could have your opening remarks sent to us.
Thank you.
Yes, of course I will share with my opening remarks. And,
uh, well, uh, thank you for this.
Uh, welcome as, uh, the new, uh, not only the new secretary General,
but particularly the first female.
I think that it's, um
I am I. I don't know. Some, uh,
had the opportunity to, uh, break many, uh, ceilings cry. Crystal ceilings.
Um uh, but we are, Uh uh. Yes. Witnessing new times here in Geneva and worldwide.
What?
Um, women bring, uh to to,
uh to organisations in particular particularly to the WMO.
I think that we will bring diversity. It's not only about women,
I would say it's it is about diversity.
And
we have
different ways of thinking the the problems, the issues and finding solutions.
I don't say that it's necessarily better, but it's I think it's different.
And And I for example, I highlighted for me how important family is
for me is a building block, something that moves me forward because I'm thinking,
uh, on the new generations all the time,
I, I cannot
I cannot do something without thinking
the impact for the future generations and and
I. I need to feel comfortable with what I live to the future generations.
I'm committed
for them. It's not about me.
I think it's not about me.
Uh, I'm old enough and and and And I think it it has to do with,
uh, how much I care. Because I have a son, a daughter and I. I do have a grandson
that was born
less than one month ago.
So I'm really moved by that.
And, uh and and And I feel huge responsibility because of of this new generation.
So I think I will bring that,
uh, I will bring also openness. I will be I will bring diversity and inclusivity
for me. Those are are key components of something that has been addressed
in a in A, I would say in a in a common perspective
and
moving all together.
Thank you very much. I have a last question from Peter Kenny. All africa media.
Yeah. Um, thanks for taking my question. Secretary General,
I wanted to ask you, you mentioned that, uh,
some of the countries that are top of the
priority list for early warning systems are in Africa,
and I think Africa is one of the
continents that, uh,
does actions that perhaps impact the climate the least.
But is Africa increasingly being impacted by
climate change and the effects of it? Thank you.
Oh, yes. You You have al already mentioned that that this, uh um,
this is a problem. And and and
and I always mentioned that we cannot discuss
or address climate change without considering inequality.
And there it comes Africa and all the developing world,
because, uh, we have, uh we have contributed the less.
But, uh, we are impacted the most.
And this is, uh, part of the inequality that I mentioned all the time.
And, uh uh, this is not a technicality.
Inequality is growing also
as climate change is increasing.
So we have to deal with this very complex situation, and we have to address
it in a systematic
and, uh uh, of, of course, Holi holistic way. So I hope
that the world understands that we need
to help those that are most vulnerable because
it is our responsibility in the end, because we are responsible also
of the inequality that the world
chairs now.
So
I hope that, uh,
during my mandate.
We can
really have concrete results.
Uh, in this, uh, most vulnerable countries and regions.
Thank you very much. Secretary General
Solo, this concludes the questions from the journalist.
I would really like to thank you for having come and
introduce yourself and brief our journalists.
And please feel free to come back any time.
Also with the specific press conferences.
Especially when you have your important report
being published.
So thank you very much. We will continue now with the press briefing.
Thank you again.
This
is Secretary General. I would like to ask
our
Tariq and
Dr Rudiger
Krech to come to the podium
and we make a short pause of a few seconds.
Erico
S.
Ok,
we have the pleasure to have with us, Tarik, together with Dr
Ruger
Krech, who is the director of health promotion at WHO
to brief you on the global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use.
Please You have the floor
just to remind journalists before that Thanks
that so we have sent embargoed press release yesterday
alongside with the report and the embargo is lifting
as we as we speak. So we will also be sending
remarks that
Dr
C will make
just now,
thank you very much. And a very good morning to all of you.
I have very good news
for you at
the start of this year. I think we need that. And
the good news is that
we have 1.25 billion
people still smoking.
That is the last figure we have from
the global trends report that we're releasing today.
But that also means that we have 19 million
less smokers than we had two years ago.
That is the first time that we see such a decline.
And that means that
this is also despite, of course,
the continuing growth of the world's population
which added approximately 149 million people.
So
the tobacco industry wanted to have about
35 million more smokers.
But we have 19 million less, and that is due to
very good
tobacco control measures. In many, many countries.
150 countries are now well on track with tobacco control,
and they see a downward trend
in tobacco use with 56 amongst those who actually meet the
almost meet the targets that we have for tobacco control until 2030
partners we work on
on a set of tobacco control measures, so we know that
individual measures don't really work as much and as effective
as if you have a full package.
And a full package means that you regulate the tobacco sales.
It means that you look at tobacco taxes
so that you're increasing the price of tobacco products
that you actually measure well,
who is smoking in your country so that you know which population groups
in your country you can reach best in order so that they quit.
Then you need to help people quit smoking.
You cannot just leave them alone and say, Oh, you just shouldn't smoke.
But it is an addiction.
Nicotine is a very addictive substance, as we all know,
and so therefore, people need very good support during
the phase of quitting.
We know that this needs a lot of support because on average,
people need about 10 attempts to quit smoking until they succeed.
So
to give you two examples, Brazil and the Netherlands,
they actually meet all those targets you have in
the full package of what we call empower.
And that's very good news for that.
And as I said there's 56 other countries who
are very close to reaching that target as well
and downward trends in 150 countries. As I said,
while countries have set themselves an ambitious target
in the sustainable development goals of 30% decrease,
if trends continue as they are, we will only reach 25.
So one could say, Well,
it is the glass half full or half empty but we see that there has been a really
change in the tide.
Tobacco industry has a difficult time because in a lot of member states
they don't want to see tobacco smoke in their countries any longer.
And that's really, really good news that we see in those countries. However,
the minute we
get a bit more easy about tobacco control the minute we actually think, Oh,
the trends are good so politically we can move to another area.
We see that the tobacco industry seizes that opportunity and gets in
the minute,
and they do this with very awkward.
Sometimes what I would call personally, I would call criminal
efforts and the more I'm in tobacco control, the more of these really very
puzzling
attempts there are. If you know
that your actions in the tobacco industry, your actions will cause death,
they are killing,
and they continue to do everything possible to undermine
the country's very good efforts.
We have seen this, for instance,
in what they call novel products on E cigarettes and vaping,
where they actually try to get our Children
as young as eight years old,
to actually use E cigarettes or vapours.
This is, I believe, criminal.
But they do. And in many countries these
use of E cigarettes and vaping are not yet regulated.
That is why late December we have looked at all the evidence and we have done so for
the last three years to see what the effects
of E cigarettes and vaping are on population health.
And we can safely say
that
countries need to take urgent action
to govern this better.
And that is what you can see also from
our statement that we have issued in late December
looking very quickly at what happens in different regions in the world.
We can see that currently the fastest decreases in
tobacco use are happening in lower and middle income
group countries,
so
that shows also that tobacco control can be done
regardless of your economic status in a country.
So even in lowest developed countries, you can do very good tobacco control.
The country that sorry the region
that is
a
bit of a problem is the European region,
where especially women
are
on the increase in some parts in some countries
or at very high levels still of tobacco users.
So that's
regrettable as they are more than double the global average for women
and are reducing much slower than in other regions. And that again
has causes in
effective tobacco control in some of the European
countries.
then if I look at the eastern Mediterranean region
that has about 27 per cent of the population of tobacco rates,
is not yet decreasing as much as we would like that to see.
It is, of course, the region with the highest
number of experiencing humanitarian crises
and difficulty in maintaining monitoring efforts. So we do understand that the
cause is for the slower decline in the eastern Mediterranean region
is due to the other humanitarian crisis that this region faces
more than one in three countries in the region of the Americas,
are on track and meet the 30 per cent reduction target,
making this region second only to the African region,
where we see the lowest prevalence of tobacco smoke of countries on
track with almost half and projecting the lowest prevalence by 2030.
And so we project
the American region
of about 14 to 8 per cent respectively in
tobacco use by the year 2030 also so therefore,
this is good news. But we do urge
countries to continue putting
in place tobacco control policies and to continue the fight against tobacco
industry interference at highest priorities.
The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023 published by the Stop
and the Global Centre for Good Governance in Tobacco Control,
show that efforts to protect health
policy from increased tobacco industry interference
have deteriorated around the world.
Tobacco control is much about protecting future generations
as helping existing users to quit now.
National service consistently show
that Children aged 13 to 15 years in most countries
are accessing and using tobacco and other nicotine products.
So therefore, who has chosen
the theme of protecting Children from tobacco industry interference
as the theme for 2024 tobacco control for us.
Next month, countries are set to meet in Panama for the 10th session of the
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Conference of Parties,
where the tobacco industry will try to influence global
health policies by offering financial and in kind incentives,
interfering countries' rights to protect the health of their population.
Take it.
The industry tries to pay for delegates to be at the conference of parties. We know
so with that, of course, they try to interfere
with what countries are going to say.
I think we need to stop that
and
absolutely, we need to be transparent. We need to talk about this.
This is a UN body.
It's one of the strongest
control bodies that we have in.
And tobacco industry tries to undermine this very effective body.
We need
together do something about this.
So with this, I end here and I'm very happy to take questions.
Thank you very much.
We hear your appeal. OK, so I'll start with
Ben Lewis. Swiss
Radio,
National Radio.
Thank you very much.
I'm sorry. My first question will be
country specific.
I work for the Swiss public media. So you see me
coming in the last month we have seen the release of the interference Tobacco
lobby Interference Interference index. I don't know if I translate that. Well.
Switzerland is ranking 89/90
of the countries that were observed.
I'm very eager to hear your observation in light of what you have just
told us.
Your observations of the very place where you live and
where you work and where you are right now.
Delivering all these results.
Thank you.
Thank you for this question.
Tough one. No.
So in
the UN, we would say there's a lot of room for improvement for Switzerland. Right?
And if we're looking outside of this hall just across the street,
we have Japan International Tobacco.
We have just in Lausanne, we have Philip Morris.
So
outside, if you walk outside of Geneva, you go to the euro.
You see tobacco growth growing,
lots of things to improve.
Thank you very much.
Jeremy launched
Radio France International.
Thank you, Dr
Craig.
Two questions. One on Europe. You said that Europe is performing poorly.
You mentioned
women in Europe, but you didn't exactly
specify why
Do we have this trend in Europe? Is there any
anything that is linked to what you said regarding the industry that fits
every time that we ease on the legislation and that the industry gets in.
Do you have a specific
example in Europe where this is happening?
And the second question would be on what you said about Panama and the meeting there?
Does it mean that you have
examples of industry
people that were paid or might have been paid? Or,
I mean, the industry tries
at least to pay those delegates. Is this thing happening right now?
And do you have names?
Yes, so thank you very much. So First of all, why is it that
in Europe specifically,
women's tobacco use is not declining?
On the contrary, in some countries it's actually increasing.
So from our analysis, we see that in quite a few countries. Still, you have
a non performance of what we call the regulatory mechanism, so that you,
for instance,
can have ads in cinemas
there actually different ways, how you can actually
promote
the image of smoking,
for instance, in product placement in filming,
in, in in discussions around women's rights and freedom.
So the old I mean colleagues,
it's really the old measures that tobacco industry has used for a long time.
So they
perceive women as
enjoying their freedom by smoking
and that you do today, perhaps not
through ads on TV
but in social media,
you know, with
a
lot of influences promoting
the self
fulfilment through smoking.
And nothing could be more
away from the truth
because you're getting addicted
and you're less free
if you're smoking.
And that shows that then 75% also of the women
would love to, to quit smoking,
but then
have difficulties in actually reaching that.
Because, as I said, nicotine is a highly
addictive substance.
So that is with regard to women,
where the societal image of women smoking needs urgently to be reversed,
that it's not the normal that it's not giving you additional joy.
But it is actually something that handcuffs you and
makes you less free than you were before.
So that is, I think, something that you have in Europe, where
our what we call empower measures need to be more stringently implemented.
So that is that you had a second question with regard
to whether I can name some examples for the cop of interference.
I can only do that once we have had the cop because at the moment
we
our colleagues in the FCTC
Secretariat, they take up the national nominations for the delegations.
But if you have delegations from very low income countries of 20 plus
you know where actually the
FCTC pays for one person due to
the rules and regulations,
we wonder where that money comes from.
So I think we can be more specific of what we see.
Also, during the negotiations of the cop,
which is really important for taking decisions in tobacco control worldwide,
we will tell you,
or I think we will be able to give you
a much more detailed picture than which countries we have seen
completely over
represented
the country's
political or economic power to be participating in
the conference of parties.
Yes,
but can you do the opposite?
You can't name a country, but can you name a company that might have tried it?
Oh, yeah. Uh uh,
Take the big take, the big five and you you have it
right? So,
I mean, that's very clear. No,
I can give you a very nice example. And I will not mention the country's name
so in
we have
a
way of working
with closed doors with countries. And that is
because we need to get the different sectors together trade, customs, education,
health and so on.
So we have these closed door discussions in Geneva because
we know that if we have them in the countries
after we get out of the minister's door,
the tobacco industry will have the next appointment.
So we actually get them here, closed door
and, um,
one country then said, Oh,
actually, in the programme that we confidentially shared with them before
they said, Oh, but could we have, like, three hours of free time?
Because we would, as a delegation, like to go to Lausanne.
And we said,
OK, Lausanne is a nice city. We know Geneva as well.
Is there anything you want to do in Lausanne?
And they said, Yeah, we just want to meet with Philip Morris
because they are paying first class air tickets for us
to come to Geneva.
Right?
So you see what the tobacco industry is doing
right?
We managed to say, Well, we pay you the travel.
But according to UN rules and regulations, if you are agreeing with that,
we are actually extending a day
where we actually give you access to all the civil society organisations here
in Switzerland who actually take very good measures to combat the industry.
As we said,
where there is a lot of room for improvement,
Very clear example. Emma Ford, Reuters.
Uh,
I just wanted to reiterate I'd also be really interested in more details
on on the Panama meeting when that actually happens and the infiltration attempts.
But is that the first time
that you've seen this happen for, uh, one of those meetings? Uh, I'm just curious.
Or or is that par for the course?
And then, more broadly, on the regulatory battle on, um vaping
I just wondering if you could kind of update
us on on where you are with that and whether
the WHO, um can use the framework on tobacco to tackle that.
Or are you sort of in a tobacco straitjacket?
Yeah, Thanks.
Thank you very much.
So
what we see is definitely a stronger wind by the tobacco industry against
us in,
but also
in tobacco control in general.
So we have seen it.
So the last C
was before covid
and we had seen already tendencies of that,
but not as much as we see it Now. That's why we're now the FCCFTC.
Secretariat has come up to say we need to make that transparent,
that we're seeing this trend.
And that is why we're announcing it now,
right? Why? Why? We saw a tendency before we now see much more of that this time.
So that is one thing. The other is
about the E cigarettes and the regulatory framework for this.
So what we're saying is if a country has not banned
So there's a few countries who have banned E cigarettes,
which we welcome.
If you have not banned it,
you should take very strong regulatory measures, meaning
that you need to ensure that Children
do not get access to E cigarettes.
Right? So,
you know, as as I said
in many countries there's no regulation.
That means that you really see 88 year old Children
using E cigarettes. And
the next thing is the advertisements, you know,
so you can have it in the string of your hoodie.
In the string of your hoodie, you can have an E cigarette.
You have it in a plastic toy.
Right?
So you have it,
Um, as a,
um
uh
you know, um um um, a stuffed animal.
You have E cigarettes in there,
so that means you have it as a lipstick.
You have it as a pencil.
So this could be an E cigarettes, and you wouldn't see it.
This is because Children want to hide that they are using E cigarettes
in front of their teachers and in front of their parents.
This is happening in many countries
if you're not regulating
the industry. And that's why I'm calling this
as a person, not as an organisation. I'm calling it criminal,
right? And so,
uh, I, I find this un
un
not understandable how you could do this, as you know, that you're hooking Children
to nicotine, which is highly addictive,
right?
And so we have teachers calling us, especially in the UK,
where you saw 100 50% increase in the last three years
of uptake of E
cret by Children.
Right.
So they call us to say Children cannot stay a whole 45 minute lesson anymore
because they need to step out to get
E cigarettes.
Right?
That is what's happening colleagues, and I think we really,
as a world community need to stand up and do something about this.
Another thing is, if you know there are a couple of countries who say well,
it could be used as a cessation device.
So if you decide to do that,
we
strongly recommend you to say there shouldn't be any flavours.
There's thousands of flavours around in the market,
most of them attractive to Children.
Vanilla ice cream,
gummy bears.
You know that is attractive to Children, less so for,
you know, older adults,
right? It speaks to my grandchild, not to me,
right? So therefore, we need to be clear
that this needs to be regulated. So if you as a member state, want to regulate
E cigarettes
and
say Well, let's see whether or not it has an impact on cessation,
then you should ban all the flavours
and
what it is also
is that 95% of these
devices you can manipulate
so
the quantity,
the percentage of nicotine
in the liquids
you can actually
actually manipulate the voltage,
right? So that means with what sort of strength do you inhale
the liquid?
You can also manipulate in many of the devices.
And there's actually patterns hold
by the tobacco industry
to manipulate those devices which are connected to an app to an app
by themselves.
So if you want to quit smoking and
you actually decrease the percentage of the nicotine,
the industry can say
up
and can manipulate your things, they are not doing it yet.
But they have declined to give up this patent.
So you can see
what potential is there by the tobacco industry.
So we believe that you need as a country
to regulate all these things better. And then the last thing is the control
because you might have very good national policies.
But the majority
of these E cigarettes and vapours
are bought and purchased through the Internet.
So how do you if you are regulating this?
You're banning, for instance, E cigarettes. How do you then control
that these devices are no longer available to Children?
That is something
what one can do.
But you have to do it as well. We relieve
quickly.
It was
just
it
was just the last part of the question.
You have the mandate on this regulation despite it being about tobacco
Thank you very much. Uh, Lisa Schlein, Voice of America on the on the platform.
Uh, thank you. Yeah, thanks
for this. Um,
this, uh,
learning that we're getting here. Um uh, about about the vaping. Do you have any, um,
statistics on how widespread this is among Children? Uh, globally, Uh,
and, um,
also, I read recently an article which suggested that,
uh, there should be a surgeon general for vaping in the United States,
as well as a surgeon general for cigarettes.
Do you believe that this is a good idea? Something like that.
And recently I've been, uh, shopping in supermarkets,
and I noticed that there are a lot of cigarettes
that are on sale,
And, uh so I'm wondering
why this is happening,
whether the cigarette smoking is going down or
shouldn't there be some kinds of shaming process
on merchants not to
lower the prices of cigarettes?
I mean, I personally was really kind of appalled by this,
um, and and now, regarding Africa,
I was sort of surprised that you said that smoking there is kind of low.
I thought that there were few regulations in Africa and that in fact,
the tobacco country was being very hard fisted in terms of trying to get
people to continue smoking and not to have laws passed in order to diminish this.
So if you could speak about that, thank you very much. Thank you for these questions.
Let me start with the last one on Africa.
Indeed, what we're seeing is
that the tobacco industry targets Africa the most at the moment because there's
the lowest prevalence and they are actually trying to increase the tobacco growth.
So farming in Africa the most and they're trying to
interfere with governments
and policies in Africa that is their target continent. At the moment,
it's also a very young continent. So
once they recruit their victims,
they know that they might have them for a longer period of time.
So indeed, we're working a lot with African governments to not let loose and
actually strengthen their
governance mechanisms in tobacco control.
What you said with regard to sales of cigarettes so that there's
discount prices. That's against
FCTC now the US You're coming from the US you're not party to the
FCTC, unfortunately
so, therefore, your government is not
legally bound by it,
and that is what you see. So
we urge, of course, the United States of America to be very,
very clear about that weakness that you can actually put discount prices on
cigarettes which you couldn't do if you were The US were party to the
FCTC.
So
else what you said about the question about the
increases in uptake of E cigarettes in Children.
Well, we do see, as I said, in a couple of countries,
we see huge increases 150 per cent in the UK
we see
in the US also a steep uptake of double digit numbers. I'm
we do not have the latest
increase measures
in 2023. It is an alarming trend in the last 4 to 5 years.
So as you know, I've been here quite a few times in
in these briefings and two years ago I could say, Well, we see this trend happening,
but we do not really have a clear understanding.
What we do see now is that from measures that we are not doing as
but a lot of academic institutions and civil society organisations are doing,
we see double digit increases in many countries, including
the US
and that again has to do with very lax regulation on E cigarettes
in those countries. So
that is why we're ringing the bell here. I think we need to get even more clear about
having concrete measures on E cigarettes.
However,
that has not been party of decisions in the
Framework Convention on tobacco Control as of yet.
And we need to see whether we need to take
this up at the World Health Assembly's decision making body
so that we're also bringing it to the
governing bodies.
OK, I've got two more questions. Nina Larson and
Peter
Kenny
Nina.
AFP
Yes? Uh, hi. Thank you for taking my question.
Um, I was wondering if you could address.
I mean, when it comes to the industry interference, uh,
the industry makes a lot of claims about their new the new, uh,
smokeless or smoke free products.
Um, and how how do you, um, counter that?
I mean, they they're always saying that it's, uh, more than
I guess, 90% safer or whatever, Whatever their numbers are
than, uh, traditional tobacco. So how? I mean, what's the WH OS? Um
uh, views on that. And how do you counter that? kind of, uh,
marketing. And also, I wanted to ask, um, when it comes to Children or young people,
Um, you mentioned the the different, um, flavours, um, that which obviously belie
the industry's claims that they're not targeting Children.
Um, I was also, if you say something about the designs, um,
they use that they're always being promoted here in Switzerland, especially, um,
you know, they look like iPhones or whatever. And, um
and
finally, just if you have anything to say about the puff sticks
that are also then not produced by the big tobacco companies themselves, I guess.
But there, you know, if you could say about that
problem as well. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Now, first of all,
the more we look, the more we find on E cigarettes and
the harmfulness of these products.
We have good reasons to believe that the study that you're quoting where
it says that you know there's 95 per cent less harm in E cigarettes
has been financed by the tobacco industry.
So what we find is completely different.
The tactics of the industry of the tobacco industry is to
swamp the market with new products 3000 new devices every month.
No regulatory authority in the world,
including the FDA, which is the biggest you know in the US,
could deal with 3000 plus new devices every month to
regulate because you need to regulate them one by one.
That's impossible.
You have thousands of flavours.
Each of these flavours contain different chemicals.
So the
toxicity of these liquids,
if you inhale them,
if you're not swallowing them but you inhale them is completely different.
So
the tactics of the of the tobacco industry is to swamp the market.
Then they sell it.
And if they if then
the regulatory authority picks out one to say. But that has not been regulated.
The industry just pays the due fees.
So that is the tactics
right, And that needs to be counteracted.
So we need to reverse
the trend.
And therefore we say This is not a consumer's good.
You know, an E cigarette cannot be the same as
a chocolate bar,
right?
So if you want to as a as a government say
we don't know, perhaps it helps some few people to quit smoking.
It should be regulated as a medicine.
You could get it through a pharmacy
and you need a prescription for it.
That's a different thing,
right? So I go to the doctor. I say I'm addicted to tobacco or to nicotine.
I want to quit.
Then the doctor has a good conversation with me about my habits. And
you know what? I what my goals are.
And then she might prescribe
an E cigarette
that I could get through a pharmacy without a
flavour without my ability to actually manipulate the device.
Right? So that is the way to go,
right?
And with your last question
on
now help me.
Sorry,
The plastics. Oh, yes, great. Great question,
because
I mean cigarettes. The cigarette butts
are the most
single
used plastic in the world.
It's billions and billions of cigarette butts that end up in our oceans
that are eaten by fish
that contaminate the fish with the toxicants.
That's really bad.
So we're working with our colleagues in the UN
on the Convention on Plastics
and again that needs to be regulated, we believe I mean again,
these filtered philtres in cigarettes is just
another tactics of the tobacco industry,
you know, like many years ago,
when they introduced that. They said, Oh, it's less harmful.
No, it's just that you can inhale deeper
the fumes
right, Which stay in
the below in the arterials, in your lungs.
Right. So
it's not less harmful to use Philtres.
So we believe that philtres should be also banned.
Thank you.
I see Christian also,
if we can
please because we really have to go ahead.
I'll give the floor to Peter. Kenny. All African media.
Yeah, thanks. Uh, Doctor re
You mentioned the
presence of Japan Tobacco International in Geneva
and Philip Morris in
Rosanne.
What is the distribution of the top five tobacco companies? You
three. Could you mention that to us, please? Thank you.
In terms of their global in terms of their global me.
Take it first.
Yes, so I mean the top top three. Of course. B,
Philip Morris International and Japan International Tobacco.
We have, of course, Chinese tobacco,
which is a big, big state run tobacco company.
And we have,
you know, conglomeration of tobacco industries as well. So
these are the top sellers in the world on tobacco.
Last question goes to Christian
Erik, the
German news agency DP.
I have a clarification. Question.
Um, we are talking about tobacco users, but we are also including the vaping.
So the figures that you mentioned, um,
1.25 billion tobacco users that would not include the E
cette users, is that correct?
I'm a bit confused as to whether we are talking about tobacco,
about smoking or about everything together.
Yes. Good
morning.
Yes, as you say. So the 1.25 billion is tobacco users. They don't.
This figure does not include vapours only.
Right? So the thing is, however, that we see that
most of the tobacco users who then they might
also use vaping or E cigarettes or other devices.
But they switch, they switch from tobacco to vapours. That is the majority of users.
There is a small fraction who have managed to
really switch completely over to E cigarettes and vaping.
But that's a minority.
Very clear. Thank you very much, Doctor Craig, for this extensive briefing. And,
uh, and for the report. And I'm sure Tariq will follow up with the with the notes.
Um, thanks again. And I will now turn
to my rights
to give the floor to Ravina
Shamdasani
for OHC HR
on the that sentence in Alabama.
Thanks a thanks, Alessandra. Good morning, everyone.
We are alarmed by the imminent execution in the United States of America
of Kenneth Eugene Smith through the use of a novel and untested method
suffocation by nitrogen gas.
This could amount to torture or other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
under international human rights law.
The UN Human Rights Office calls on
Alabama state authorities to halt Smith's execution,
which is scheduled for the 25th 26th of January,
and to refrain from taking steps towards any other executions in this manner.
Alabama already sought to execute Smith
unsuccessfully by lethal injection in 2022.
Smith also has ongoing proceedings in federal court against his
upcoming execution
proceedings, which have not been finally resolved.
Nitrogen gas has never been used in the United States to execute human beings.
The American Veterinary Medical Association
recommends giving even large animals a sedative
when being euthanized in this manner.
While Alabama's protocol for execution by nitrogen asphyxiation makes no
provision for sedation of human beings prior to execution,
the protocol also refers to the odourless and colourless
gas being administered for up to 15 minutes.
Smith has also advanced with expert evidence that such an execution by
gas asphyxiation in his case results in particular pain and suffering.
We have serious concerns that Smith's execution in these circumstances
could breach the prohibition on torture or other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
as well as his right to effective remedies.
These are rights that are set out in two international
human rights treaties that the US is bound by.
These include the International Convention International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The Human Rights Committee,
which is the UN body charged with monitoring implementation of the covenant,
has also criticised the use of asphyxiation by gas as an execution method,
the use of untested methods as well as widening the use
of the death penalty in states that continue to apply it.
The death penalty is inconsistent with the fundamental right to life.
There is an absence of proof that it deters crime
and it creates an unacceptable risk of executing innocent people
rather than inventing new ways to implement capital punishment.
We urge all states to put in place a moratorium
on its use as a step towards universal abolition.
Thank you very much. Uh, Ravina for this, uh, quite
chilling briefing I should say.
OK, let's start with Emma.
Emma Farge.
Hi, Ravina.
have you also written to US authorities saying this
And what have you said And which ones?
And I'm sorry. I don't know the back story, uh, of, um, his case, But
how can an execution fail? What happened there?
Thanks, Emma. The the details are
really sobering and and almost difficult to talk about. Um, they,
um
Well, Mr Smith was he was 22 years old when he was charged with capital murder.
Um, after, you know, trials and appeals.
He was finally convicted of capital murder.
A jury voted to recommend life sentence, but a judge overruled that, um, and,
you know, imposed the death penalty on him.
they attempted to execute him by lethal injection.
Um, and they spent more than an hour trying
and failed. It was a botched execution.
This is what had happened.
And now he is said to be subjected to this very untested method which could
amount to torture, cruel or inhuman degrading treatment under international law.
Uh,
yeah. Jeremy.
Hi, Ravina. Um,
I'd like to come back to the reason why someone
would use this this this gas for an execution,
Because I I'm I'm not sure I understand.
Exactly.
Why
would the the the authorities in Alabama would use this method?
Uh, precisely.
It's a good question. Now, the UN position is very clear.
We are against the death penalty. We are against people being killed,
you know, for having committed crimes.
There is an
absence of evidence that this deters crime in any way.
On the other side,
there is a lot of evidence that the death
penalty has been used in cases of miscarriages,
of justice, that it is used
against people who later turn out to be innocent,
that it's used disproportionately against minorities
in the US against people of African descent.
It's disproportionately used against people who don't have
the means to defend themselves with proper legal representation
of their choosing.
The
so any method of execution we are we are against.
For all those reasons, this particular method is untested. Um,
the reason,
perhaps that Alabama has resorted to this method
is that states have had increasing trouble accessing
the
drugs that are needed for lethal injections.
So they are resorting to looking for novel,
untested methods to execute people rather
than actually applying sanctions that work and
that are more humane and in line with international human rights law.
Uh, let me go to the platform, Liza.
Thanks. Um,
hi, Ravina.
Uh, I. I may have missed it.
What, uh, what date is the execution is supposed to take place. And then also,
uh, I'm not sure you answered, um,
Emma's question about whether you've had direct contact with
either the federal, the federal, um, authorities or, uh, the, uh, actually,
with the people in Alabama, those who are,
you know, the governor, governor's office and that sort of thing.
And ha, have you had direct contact with them?
And then I'm wondering, since since, uh, the United States has
has ratified the conventions against torture and
so forth these these international conventions,
then this is a federal power, and there is a separation in the United States between
the federal
authorities and the state authorities.
So does the United States government, federal government
have any power
to, um,
over the Alabama decision on what it is to do. Can it
actually tell it not to go ahead with this, uh, execution or not? Thank you.
Thanks, Lisa. So three questions. The execution is scheduled for the 25th.
26 January, depending on the time zone that we're talking about.
I
believe it's the 25 January in Alabama
on whether we've raised the issue. I'm sorry. Yes, indeed.
Emma, I didn't answer your question.
This is an issue that we have raised repeatedly with the government,
the federal authorities of the United States.
As you pointed out, Lisa,
there is the federal state distinction to make at the federal level.
There is actually an existing moratorium on the use of the death penalty,
which we welcome and which we would
encourage to actually
be a step towards universal abolition of the death penalty.
The death penalty still is applied in
I'm sorry.
37 states have abolished the death penalty or not
carried out an execution in more than a decade.
So this is also very welcome.
Unfortunately, we have, um in addition to Alabama, two other states,
Mississippi and Oklahoma that have approved this new,
untested method of using nitrogen to execute people.
Um, and a bill to approve this method has also been presented in Nebraska.
Um, so it is worrying that this is gaining ground. Um, as a method of execution.
we, uh I think I'm sorry on the appeal on on what the federal level can do. In fact,
Mr Smith has an appeal pending.
He has ongoing proceedings in a federal court against his upcoming execution.
And these are proceedings which not been fully resolved.
This is why we are also raising his right to an effective remedy. These
appeals need to be exhausted.
These proceedings in the federal court also need to be exhausted.
And the execution certainly should not be carried out until that
That has happened.
Make
Yeah. Thank you. Uh, rovina Just to be
clear, um,
when you say you've raised it with federal authorities
with who is that with the ministry of,
uh,
Department of Justice? Or
exactly which organisations have you discussed this with, And when you say also
that it's, um, tested. Um,
are you also saying then that it's never been used in any
other situations or any other countries? Um, so far as you're aware, thank you.
Thanks, Nick. It's clear.
I think The American Bar Association has said that
it has never been used in the United States,
whether it's been used anywhere in the world, to our knowledge, it has not now,
of course,
you know very well that the use of the
death penalty in many countries is mired in secrecy.
There's a real lack of transparency,
so I can't say definitively whether it's been used anywhere else or not.
But to our knowledge, it has not been used. It is untested
on how we raise our concerns and at which level and with which ministry
which department. In the case of the US,
it's complicated.
We have, for example, the UN Human Rights Committee that I referred to.
They raised this in the review of the US before the committee,
so that is raised with the delegation that's in the room.
It's raised at the federal level with
whoever is representing the government at that
at that moment.
We are, of course, in frequent contact with the permanent mission of the US Here now,
on this specific case of Mr Smith, I don't know, I'm not.
It's not clear to me whether that has been raised with the authorities.
But
generally this issue has been raised repeatedly with the US authorities.
Any other questions to Ravina?
I don't see any. So thank you very much.
Of course.
Just a flag.
You have all received a press release on Ukraine
that was put out by our office in Kiev.
If you have any further questions on that, please feel free to reach out to us.
You will have seen that there is a marked increase in civilian casualties
as the Russian Federation has intensified
missile and drone attacks across Ukraine.
Thanks.
Sorry I didn't see you.
Do you have any update on Sudan's situation?
Thanks for raising it.
This really is a conflict which has had such devastating impact
on civilians both in terms of people killed millions displaced,
ongoing concerns about sexual violence and many other human rights violations.
We are now in the ninth month. I believe yesterday was the
ninth month mark since this conflict began.
We, the High Commissioner,
has been very clear in his call to all parties
to seize hostilities and to ensure the protection of civilians
to
take all feasible precautions to minimise.
In any case,
harm including attacks on civilians and civilian objects
to release all those who are arbitrarily detained
to immediately seize the use of landmines and
other explosive ordinance that is clearly prohibited.
So no, thank you for raising
your question about the situation,
which I would encourage everyone to report on much more.
We're happy to provide more information
if you would like,
and just to add to that
that
the
emergency relief co ordinator USG Martin Griffiths
that was here yesterday and also mentioned
Sudan not to forget
it in the current dire situation,
Mr Griffiths
USG Griffiths has allocated $10 million from the
Central Emergency Response Fund to support men,
women and Children fleeing from Sudan
to the neighbouring country, south Sudan.
It also.
They also said that
we are anticipating thousands of additional people that
may cross the borders into south Sudan from Sudan
over the next six months, stressing a system that is already under stress
coming from Sudan.
In
just in the past month,
there were about 60,000 people who fled and arrived in south Sudan,
so this is this is a very large number of people crossing in a very short time
and starting Since mid April,
about half a million people have crossed into South Sudan from Sudan.
So it's a very dire situation. Also,
uh, for the refugees,
please.
Yeah, just very quickly. Ravina on the, uh, execution two things.
Uh, I. I received, uh, the, um, press release on Ukraine, but not on Alabama.
I don't know why,
but please, I need that.
And also, uh, there was, I think, within the past week or two
there was another expert committee that actually came out with a very strong,
uh, press release regarding this execution.
Uh, I I've lost that. I would be interested in getting that as well. If you
do. You do You know what that is? And can it be sent to me?
Absolutely.
Lisa, the, uh,
special procedures Mandate holders issued a press release on this as well.
We'll send you that and the briefing note should be following very shortly.
Ok, Any other questions to Ravina?
Don't see any hand up, so thank you very much. I just have one announcement for you.
We don't have press conferences to remind you about just the
committee on the Rights of the Child which opened yesterday.
Its 95th session
and is concluding this morning in the review of the report of the Republic of Congo.
The other countries to come up for review are Bulgaria,
Senegal, Russian Federation,
Lithuania, South Africa. That's going to be the last one.
And they will have also a meeting with the state parties on Thursday,
First of February in the afternoon.
That's what I had for you.
I don't see any hand up for me either,
so thank you very much.
Um, Bonna Petit
and I'll see you on Friday. Thank you.