Good morning again for those who were with us for the press conference of the Director General.
Good morning to everybody.
Thank you for being with us for this regular press briefing of Eunice Geneva.
I would like to start immediately as now customary with the announcements and maybe I will give the floor first to Aiello to Rosalyn.
Can she be please and muted?
I don't know if it's only me, but I think you're still a muted Rosalind.
Can Rosalind be a muted please?
Maybe you have to to click on your mic.
Now we can hear you, Rosalyn.
The ILO will be launching its fourth update on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global employment and labour markets on Wednesday 27th of May.
And this new report will include updated estimates on the number of working hours and equivalent jobs that will be lost due to the crisis and the and the devastating effect the crisis is having on youth employment, as well as touching on other major issues.
There'll be an embargoed virtual press conference with ILO Director General Guy Ryder at 11:30 Geneva time on the 27th.
And also it will also feature the director of the Employment Policy Department, Sangyon Lee.
And the embargo will lift up 1400 Geneva time on the 27th.
We'll be sending you a media advisory later today and are aiming to send you the embargoed press release and the report by Tuesday, 26 May.
And we'll also send you audio of the briefing after the press conference.
So please contact me for any interview requests at yard@ilo.org or newsroom@ilo.org.
Thank you very much, Rosaline.
Let me see if there's any question for you.
I can't see any request for the floor, so thank you very much.
Good luck with the press conference.
Fidela, you also have an announcement for us.
Can you hear me very well?
Today we will have the executive Board meeting from noon to three PMI was told it could be shorter.
This is a common practise after the World Health Assembly.
There is always a shorter executive board meeting.
We have the longer one on January and the shorter one following the assembly in May.
So it's from, as I said, noon to three.
It's, it's planned that this would this executive board meeting is going to discuss procedural, some managerial issues and all the technical issues will be pushed for the resumed session in later in the year.
As you know, we will, we, we had a short word that assembly and we will have a short executive board meeting and later in the year we will resume the session of the word that assembly and executive board meeting.
So the the agenda I sent you yesterday, all useful links and also how to follow this Executive Board meeting, It's webcast, so we are welcome to watch it.
It will start with a welcome address by the outgoing Chair of the EB, Doctor Nakatani from Japan, and then they will elect someone from the Southeast Asia region.
And then Dr Tedros is going to deliver a speech.
We will have, as I said, a lot of procedure items to discuss.
For example, they will elect the chair, the vice chair, the rapporteurs, They will agree on the agenda of the executive board.
They will hear reports about programme, budget, hosted partnerships.
They will also fill some vacancies in several committees that deal with the executive Board governing body work.
So as I said, we are planning to finish by three, but I was told it could be shorter over.
Thank you very much, Fidela.
I have a request for question from Moussa Moussa.
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Yemen on asset situation report.
Yeah, you know, you know, Redmi, regardless report the situation COVID O Yemen, you have the floor.
Alessandra Almosa, thanks for the question.
I I have a few points on Yemen that I can give you here.
Epidemiologists do estimate that the virus could spread faster, more widely and with deadlier consequences in Yemen than in many other countries.
We expect that although there is of course an an official indication from reported by by WHO of of the number of cases, the actual incidence is almost certainly much higher.
Tests remain in short supply.
Aid agencies in Yemen are operating on the basis that community transmission is taking place across the country and only half of the health facilities fully functioning.
Yemen's health system needs significant assistance to counter the spread of COVID-19.
Humanitarian agencies are scaling up outreach, prevention and case management.
However, preserving large scale existing aid programmes, which are currently underfunded in health, water and sanitation, nutrition and other sectors is an essential defence against infections for millions of people.
In terms of your your question about stars and rotation of stars, I can say that a number of international staff were provisionally rotated out of Yemen over the last few weeks.
These movements were based mainly on airspace closures in Yemen and neighbouring countries that have interrupted regular access for UN passenger flights.
Colleagues both in and out of the country are working together to deliver critical programmes.
This includes some international staff working remotely, as well as international staff who remained in Yemen and Yemeni national staff.
Yemeni national staff remained the large majority of aid workers in Yemen yesterday.
UN flight did arrive in Aiden with international staff.
As these flights hopefully resume more regularly, international staff rotations will also be able to return to normal.
Thank you very much for this complimentary information and I have a quite a few questions.
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Fidela, let's switch back to English with John.
Yes, good morning, Fidela.
Firstly, I would like to know if the Executive Board will discuss any aspects of the response report by the IOAC that was circulated on Monday.
And secondly, is Doctor Tedros likely to attend or participate in the pledging conference concerning Yemen on June 2nd?
I, I sent you a media advisory yesterday with the executive Board and you have all the agenda items that will be discussed.
As I said, it's more of a managerial meeting, procedural meeting.
I haven't seen any indication that this report will be discussed for the DG participating in the pledging conference.
I will have to check his agenda.
If it's not DG, it will be certainly someone else.
But let me check his agenda.
Mercy Fadela, there's another question from Oh, John, you, you wanted to add something the the IOAC report, was it circulated to member states on Monday or was it just posted on The Who website?
Padela I mean, we, we discussed several things at the word that assembly.
I don't have in mind all the document that have been circulated, you know that it was a virtual word, that assembly with it was an abridged agenda, mainly focusing on on COVID-19.
But I will have to see what was circulated to member state and everything that that is in relation to COVID is posted and certainly shared with the member state.
You know that every week the DG meets the ambassadors here in Geneva in what we call the mission briefing and he keep them informed about anything that could be of interest to them.
What we are doing reports financial needs.
He shares all the information with them and they share information about their experiences and best practises with COVID with the W22.
So let me just check for the precise question about this report and World Health Assembly.
It's a question to, to OSHA to Yens on the upcoming pledging conference for Yemen and Saudi Arabia on the 2nd of June.
I was wondering whether Saudi Arabia is the right host for pledging conference given its track records of war crimes and crimes against humanity in in Yemen.
I quote from an expert briefing of the United Nations from August 2018.
The report notes that coalition air strikes have caused most direct civil civilian casualties.
The air strikes have hit residential areas, markets, funerals, weddings, detention facilities, civilian boats and even medical facilities.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been by far the largest humanitarian donor in in Yemen.
Last year and the year before, as you know, they gave very large amounts of money.
They gave it unconditionally.
Unconditionally, no strings attached.
They gave it early in the year, they front loaded it, which is what we need in humanitarian response.
And partly through these very large amounts of money provided by KSA, we were able to avert the worst of a cholera pandemic.
We were able to beat back a looming famine many places in Yemen and we were able to implement what is in effect the largest humanitarian operation in the world.
I think KSA with the UN, which will be the two Co hosts for the for the pledging conference on the 2nd of June, which is a virtual event.
You will hear more about it next week when we get all the practical details together.
Is a normal choice based on that background.
I'm sorry of your of your question.
It is also true and the case, as you mentioned, that all the fighting parties in in Yemen, including the Kingdom, have been addressed in terms of the way that fighting has been conducted.
I think OCHA and others from the UN system over the years have pointed out forcefully and vocally when that has happened.
Whenever we have information that is reliable to, to, to that effect, we have raised consistently the need for adherence to international humanitarian law, which as you all know very well prohibits any kind of targeting of health facilities and the fact that all, in fact all civilian infrastructure and of course all civilians must be protected from the effects of the fighting.
So I think we have, we have certainly raised our voice.
It is important to make the the, the distinction that the the event, the **** level pledging event on the 2nd of June is a strictly humanitarian event.
We are urging the donors to pledge generously and those who have given indication of pledges to actually pay early because the the operation in Yemen is severely, severely underfunded.
And we are looking at about 3/4 of the programmes, which may close or significantly reduce in the coming weeks if we do not get an urgent injection of funds.
That is an operation that reaches some 14 million people every month in Yemen.
So it's critical that the funding comes forward next week.
As I mentioned, you'll hear more about that.
So the next question is from Lisa.
This is also for you, Jens.
I have a few short question, short questions, but you might want to note them.
Do you, do you have figures in terms of the number of cases and deaths in Yemen so far?
And if there's been any extrapolation on how serious this epidemic can get in, in Yemen, then I'd like to know whether there is, whether there are any provisions for taking care of any of these people or whether they're just completely hopeless.
They get sick and that's it and they die.
And then lastly, you still have aid workers there.
They are, I would imagine, in extreme danger.
Is there any way to protect them?
Some of the staff has left you say on a rotating basis.
If you could elaborate upon that.
So I guess both can answer and start with Fadela.
OK, I'm here, you're back.
Let me check on Yemen because I know that we, we have several information on the, on the situation in Yemen and other countries affected by emergencies.
I don't tell her in front of me.
No, no, I was going to give the figures that we had yesterday on Yemen, but we're ahead.
So let me just check and I hope to reverse back to you before the briefing and, and be able to to give you more, more information.
So let me check while we are talking, Lisa, what I can tell you already is that yesterday the UN spokesperson at the noon briefing said that we have we epidemiologist estimated the virus could spread faster, more widely and with deadlier consequences in Yemen than in many other countries, as Yen said.
And he gave the official figures which standard 184 cases and 30 deaths as of yesterday, although actual incidence is almost certainly much higher and tests remain in short supply.
This is the information he gave yesterday.
Would you like to add anything just now That is the case.
Yeah, just to add, of course, WHO will give you the the officially the officially reported figures and and that's very important.
But I want to to just just address that or to say that we are certainly also hearing from many of the of the organisations working on the ground, be it United Nations or NGOs.
There's a lot of NGOs, both international and working on the health response and also on the on the response in, for example, water and sanitation, which is critical to be able to wash your hands, you need to have to have water and sanitation and soap.
We hear from many of them that Yemen is really on the brake right now.
The situation is extremely alarming.
They are talking about that the health system has in effect collapsed.
They are talking about having to turn people away because they do not have enough oxygen, they do not have enough personal protective equipment, that the numbers that are officially reported are important.
But as I said, we are working on the assumption that there is already widespread communal transmissions going on.
It is very, very critical that we but the international community steps up now and at the pledging conference on the 2nd of June because we are heading towards a fiscal Cliff.
If we do not get the money coming in, the programmes that are keeping people alive and are very much essential to fight back against COVID will have to close and then the world will have to witness what happens in a country without a functioning health system battling COVID-19.
And I do not think the world wants to to see that.
So the we are raising the alarm.
It is very serious and we are getting very, very troubling reports from the field.
In terms of in terms of aid workers in in Yemen, there are rotations which are come back as I just mentioned there was an inbound flight with international workers coming in to Yemen yesterday.
The vast majority of aid workers are Yemeni nationals were working in their in their communities where they where they do have access and they're doing a fantastic job.
There are of course international staff still in Yemen, both in the north and in the South.
Those who are not able for whatever reason to work physically in Yemen continues to work remotely on implementing the programmes in Yemen.
Lisa, you wanted to add something?
Yes, just a quick follow up Yens, First of all, how much money will you be appealing for on this June 2nd pledging conference and how much money do you have now and before you spoke about and others too, that is you're going to have to close up shop.
I mean this sounds really absolutely horrific.
So how much money do you have and how much do you need?
OK, without having verified the numbers that the issue is we don't have any money right now for the remainder of the year.
We estimate that we will be appealing for $2 billion between now and and the end of the year with like with any other pledging conference, the 2 billion is not the target.
We never have targets for pledging A pledging conferences.
Because it is not pledging.
Sorry, funding does not begin or end with a pledging conference.
Fundraising is already ongoing.
Some pledges have come in, some money have come in and I will check the exact numbers and share with you and fundraising will certainly continue after the the pledging conference.
But the what we will need to maintain the, the operation for the remainder of the year is in the vicinity of $2 billion.
Thank you, Jens, I know that Fidela.
Well, I see that Babar would like to add something, but before he does, I would like to give the floor to John for if the question is for Fidela because Fidela has to leave us.
With reference to Yemen, is there any assessment by WHO whether the air strikes and bombings have exacerbated the health situation in the in in Yemen during the conflict and specifically cholera, did the bombing of water facilities aggravate or trigger the cholera outbreak?
And if there is an assessment by WHO would be grateful for a copy.
Yeah, John, interesting question.
I would need to go to the emergency department and get the latest about the situation in Yemen as there is a big interest and I will send you everything they find and find to the parade journalist as soon as the briefing is over.
You know, we are trying to keep, I mean to keep us out up to date on everything, but it's quite a little difficult.
But I know we have the information and I will share it with you as soon as I find it.
So to draw your attention to what we call the week ahead, every Friday, we send you what to expect for the the week after its media calendar event for WHO and we will have two or three important events not related to COVID that will which we that we will inform you about in this week ahead document that we send every Friday.
Thank you, Fidela, just just maybe if you can send to everybody because I think there is a a wide interest in what's happening in Yemen.
If can you still take Jamila before you go?
She, I think Jamila also has a question for you.
Over 1000 deaths in Brazil, not only the 24 hours, but the previous 24 hours, in the previous 24 hours, the case growing every day.
What is your situation, your evaluation about the case of Brazil?
I think I will also have to to check for for Brazil, Jamil and we'll come back to you.
As I said, we sent the situation report of yesterday because usually we receive it around 8:00 PM, but yesterday it was late.
It was sent to us at 3:00 AM this morning.
So first hour this morning we sent you the situation report with the latest figures for Brazil.
Let me check with the our expert here and come back to you with the information about the situation and the numbers in in Brazil.
Thanks for Della for being with us.
And before I turn to the other humanitarian colleagues who want to brief you about the Cyclone Amphon in Bangladesh, I would just like to add also a last announcement about the International Day for Biological Diversity, which is today.
As you know, we have distributed to you the statement, the message of the Secretary General for the International Day for Biological Diversity.
The Secretary General says that this year's message is clear.
Our solutions are in nature.
Preserving and sustainably managing biodiversity is necessary for mitigating climate disruption, guaranteeing water and food security, and even preventing pandemics.
And he says that as we seek to build back better from the current crisis, let us also work together to preserve biodiversity so that we can achieve our sustainable development goals.
And that is how we will protect health and well-being for the generations to come.
And on this particular issue of the biodiversity, the International Day for Biological Diversity, I would like to remind you that today at 3:00 PM you will have virtual joint FAO Unit press briefing on the launch of their State of the World's Forest Report 2020, Forest Biodiversity and People.
This press conference will see Met Wilkie, the Director of the Forestry Policy and Resource Division of the Forestry Department of FO and Will Ash, Director of the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre talking to you.
As I said, virtually they all will moderate this press conference.
And so that closes the announcements and I would like now to go to the various humanitarian agencies who are going to talk to us about this Acronanthan in Bangladesh.
I don't know who would like to start with OCHA, WFPW, MO and HCR.
You would like to start and give an A general update and then I go to the other colleagues.
If I could just catch up on one question on Yemen and then I'll go to all right.
So we have on record in total humanitarian funding, so that is against appeals and total humanitarian funding for this year nearly $677 million.
That compares to a total last year of a bit over 4 billion U.S.
So I'll leave you to do the math.
We, we know that typically donors disperse money on the second part of the year.
So one of our points right now is that please do it earlier.
So let's go to the section.
Cyclone Amphan, which made landfall yesterday between India and Bangladesh, have impacted some 10 million people in Bangladesh.
According to preliminary reports, at least 72 people have been killed in India and 25 have been killed in Bangladesh.
Half a million families may have lost their homes.
The storm came with strong winds and heavy rains that also damaged crops.
Power supply was cut off to cities and towns, many of which are working to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are more than 26,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh and nearly 400 deaths.
The Bangladesh government evacuated 2 million people before the storm hit and more than 12,000 cyclone shelters were set up with COVID-19 prevention equipment, including masks, sanitizers, soap and hand washing facilities.
About 1,000,000 people also evacuated in India.
Another issue, another problem from this is that salt water intrusion is expected to have a severe impact on livelihoods for the coming two to three years.
Humanitarian partners and government authorities are conducting joint assessments of the damage.
We expect the needs to be primarily in emergency shelter assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene support and also support to livelihoods.
Maybe I'll give the floor now to Elizabeth.
I will just add a few details regarding food assistance.
Of course, this cyclone Amfan impacted heavily impacted 19 district with more than 2.4 million people and 500,000 livestock evacuated.
2 cyclone shelters by the Government of Bangladesh.
WFP team misconducting a rapid needs assessment.
While most crops have been harvested already, early reports suggest that there is damage to fisheries, particularly small order shrimp farmers.
WFPS prepositioned food stocks including **** energy biscuits for 90,000 families in affected areas and extra food stocks can also be made available and ready for this distribution if needed.
To minimise risk infection, the authorities have set up separate rooms for people with COVID-19 symptoms and hand washing facilities in the cyclone shelters.
Bangladesh is vulnerable to severe weather events from March through December every year due to the monsoon and cyclone season.
The country has a strong early warning system and preparedness for disaster such as this.
The current cyclone and approaching monsoon season add an additional layer to vulnerability as heavy downpours threaten to displace families.
The Oringa camps were largely spared from damage when Cyclone Amfan made landfall in Bangladesh and India on in May.
However, a direct hit from a cyclone has the potential to be devastating.
Finally, WFP is providing extra food assistance to household impacted by the storms associated with the cyclone, as well as continuing critical monsoon and cyclone season preparation and maintenance in refugee camps.
These works include clearing drains and stabilising slopes that have the potential to cause landslide during the heavy rains.
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Now I will give the floor to Charlie also on the same subject for HCR.
Thank you, Alessandro and good morning, everyone.
Some further details on the situation in Cox's Bazaar.
118 shelters have been destroyed while another 1423 were damaged, affecting just over 7000 Rohingya refugees in the settlement.
Of that number, 555 have been moved to temporary shelters or are staying with relatives while their homes are repaired.
Important work was done ahead of the cyclone that has mitigated much of its damaging effects.
And a great deal of credit must go to the refugee volunteers who were given training beforehand and carried out much of the protection work.
And in addition there was a pre distribution of 90,000 tie down kits which helped prevent further damage.
And the last speaker, but definitely not the least on this subject, is Claire.
Claire, you have the floor for W Moore.
Yes, just to add to what my colleagues have have have said, at a time like this, you know, when dozens of people have lost their lives, there's been huge depth, you know, so socio economic devastation, loss of livelihood, loss of property.
It might seem insensitive to talk about a success story, but the the mobilisation, the disaster mobilisation for Cyclone Ompan really was a textbook example of how it should be done.
The forecasts provided by the Indian Meteorological Department which acts as the WM OS Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre provides.
So it provides forecasts for the entire basin.
They were spot on, even sort of 3 1/2 days ahead of time.
And so that did provide the basis for the massive, massive evacuations that we saw.
And the, you know, that the community, the community response.
Just to give you a couple of example of the tweets that I'm seeing today.
So this is the secretary of the Indian.
The Earth Sciences Ministry said hearty congratulations to the Indian Meteorological Department for accurate forecasts and warnings helped to save precious lives.
Perfect textbook predictions thanks to observations, models and expertise.
And then he went on to praise also the excellent work done by the Natural Disaster Response Force in India and Central and state state governments.
Then the Public Information Bureau of India also said the forecast by the India Meteorological Department was totally accurate.
So as bad as the losses may be, and yes, you know, it does take years to recover from a tropical cyclone of, of this size, of this, you know, this strength.
Bad as the damages and the casualties are, they could have been much, much worse.
And so this, as I said, it's it's a textbook example, especially at a time of COVID and in a very densely populated part of the world and in a part of the world with the large refugee, you know, populations in in Bangladesh.
You know, it really was it was very, very successful.
Thank you very much, Claire.
I'll open the floor to questions.
For the moment, I can't see any.
It doesn't seem like there's any request for the floor.
So thank you very much to all the colleagues who have briefed us from this on this subject and this important subject.
I think, Claire, you still have one point that you wanted to share with us.
I've been staying on the subject of of tropical cyclones.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration yesterday early evening issued its forecast for the forthcoming Atlantic hurricane season.
Theoretically, it starts on the 1st of June.
Although we've already had one one named storm already.
The outlook predicts a 60% chance of an above normal season, with a likely range of 13 to 19 named storms.
A storm gets named once, you know, it reaches its winds, you know, reach a certain level of which six of these named storms, 6 to sorry, 6 to 10 could become hurricanes with winds of 219 kilometres an hour or higher, including three to six major hurricanes.
So that's category 3 or above and they have winds of 178 kilometres an hour.
Obviously, it only takes one hurricane to 'cause, you know, huge destruction and set back a country, you know, for, for many, many years, as we saw last year with, with Dorian in the, in the Bahamas.
Again, it does underline the need for accurate forecasting and for, you know, concerted disaster mobilisation, especially in this era of, of COVID.
Also giving a little bit of time to colleagues to ask your question if any.
I can't see any requests for the floor.
So thank you very much to everybody for participating in this briefing.
I just feel like just as a housekeeping information for next week, we will continue with this future press briefing on this platform and you will receive the link to the meeting and password as usual by e-mail.
So thank you very much to you all.
I would like to remind everybody that on Monday, the United Nations office at Geneva is closed for an official holiday.
So I wish you a long weekend and thank you very much for being with us.
