Thank you for joining us for this hybrid press briefing.
Today is Friday, the 16th of February.
We've got a nice focused briefing today with our friends from IFRC.
Before we start, just a reminder, you should all have received the remarks under embargo for the Secretary General who's in Munich, Germany today for the security conference.
You can follow his remarks on UN Web TV live at 1:45 PM today.
He will deliver the remarks that you've received under embargo and in addition to which he will take part in a panel discussion with heads of state and government, which include the Prime Minister of Barbados, the President of Ghana and the President of Colombia.
So as I was saying, we we're joined here by Tomaso de la Longa and Bigita Bishop Ebison, who is the IFRC Regional Director for Europe.
I'm going to turn the floor over to them right away.
Please, Tomaso, take it away.
Thank you very much, Michele, and good morning, everyone.
So as Michele was saying, today, we'll have our regional Director for Europe, Burgid Bishop Epson, and she will give you a briefing I had almost a week ahead of the sad anniversary, 2nd anniversary of the international army conflict, Russia, Ukraine.
Our focus today will be a survey and to present the result of the survey, but also to raise the alarm of not giving up in supporting Ukrainians inside and outside the Ukraine.
And they need probably now more than ever to continue the support.
So I'll just leave it there and I'll leave it to Burgitta.
I think we cannot hear you.
If somebody if we can unblock the Getter's mic.
You still have an audio problem.
Can I get a signal from the studio?
Do we have audio from Bill Gates?
You need to unmute yourself.
We are asking you to mute.
It's it's unbelievable that that we're already sitting here after two years.
And I think one of the questions that the people in Ukraine are asking, will we have roof over our heads after two years?
That's precisely what millions of Ukrainians are finding themselves struggling with.
It's kind of unbelievable.
While people are not gathered on the borders of Ukraine as they were two years ago, the urgent needs are growing and are more and more intractable.
For every Ukrainian family, whether they are near the front lines in Ukraine, whether displaced throughout the country, or whether they have been forced to flee, these two years of lingering uncertainty have taken a major toll on both their finances and on their mental health.
That is true for the family in Donetsk, it is true for the elderly people who were forced to flee to Lithuania, but also for the young mother who is now raising her child alone in Slovakia after her husband died on the front line.
These are destinies that we are aware of and that we have been working with throughout these years as we are now entering into the third year of what clearly appears to be a protracted conflict with no end insight.
The humanitarian and the governmental actors, but also the private sector need to focus not just on the immediate aid that we know so well, but also on the frayed socio economic fabric and the growing psychosocial impact on Ukrainians both inside and outside the country.
Particularly the most vulnerable are children, they're the elderly and people with disabilities.
It's also worth noting that more than half of Ukrainians in Ukraine and around in Europe experience financial hardship, according to the survey that Tomaso just referred to.
We commissioned that at IFRC and after two years it has led to an increasing debt and to accepting jobs that are underpaid and also dangerous in nature.
In neighbouring countries, 1/3 of Ukrainians tell us that they had to borrow money to get by, and according to the survey that we have done for 10,000 people in total, families may spend more than 20% of their income on servicing debt.
The psychosocial impact of that financial situation is profound.
Nearly half of the Ukrainians tell us that they live with anxiety about their family's future, and also a third of them have sought for some form of mental health support already.
Meanwhile, in the hardest hits or blasts within Ukraine, people are facing food and water shortages.
They have little access to medicine and while experiencing regular from bombardments, the Ukraine Red Cross Society has, as we have heard many times, they have been at the forefront since day one, providing humanitarian assistance to people impacted by the conflict throughout all of Ukraine.
As we enter the year 3 of the escalation, we need to see further collaborations between government and humanitarian organisations and we need the private sector.
The message is we cannot do this alone.
But also we are extremely concerned that many donors, I think in the light of the decreasing funding situation, they are shifting their focus and their resources to the areas of conflict.
And they're not taking into account that millions of ID, PS and also an increasing number of returnees are in dire need of support in other parts of Ukraine.
So with this, I want to urge all actors to allocate continued funding and resources to help all of those impacted by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, to address what should be normal services like healthcare, infrastructure, emergency response capacities, but also vocational and social integration initiatives.
Two years ago, we saw humanitarian actors and governments and the private sector come together when millions of people left Ukraine in their cars, by train and even on foot.
The same commitment and collaboration to deliver aid is needed now just as much as it was then.
So let me say that now is not the time to turn a blind eye.
Thank you very much, Bigot.
A just just a reminder for those of you who are covering Ukraine.
These comments from IFRC come on the heels of the updated Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Needs assessment that was released yesterday and was a joint assessment of the World Bank Group, the European Commission, the United Nations and the Government of Ukraine.
And the estimate is that as of as of 31 December 2023, that that is the end of last year.
The total reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine is estimated at 486 billion over the next decade, up from 411 billion U.S.
dollars estimated one year ago.
Thank you questions for for bigoted presume go ahead.
Yes, thank you for taking my question Yuria Pradef from Renovasti Agency.
I have two questions about this topic.
What help does the IFSC provide to the millions of civilians that are in the other side of the front line in the territories under Russian control?
Because we never heard about them.
And in your according to AFRC, 1/3 of the Ukrainian refugees in neighbouring countries need to take debts to meet their primary needs.
And for the refugees in Russia that are about 3 million, do you know their economical situations?
And is this also 1/3 of them that need help for their primary needs?
Do I take the questions one by one?
Go ahead in order if you don't mind.
No, thank you very much for the question.
And let me emphasise that the Russian Red Cross is, is a part of our emergency appeal and has always been part of the activities that we're implementing for people from Ukraine.
And, and they have quite a large programme catering for the people that have arrived from Ukraine within Russia.
Let me just say that it's 20% that we are estimating out of the 10,000 that we have interviewed that are saying that they have debt.
And how many of these are from how the situation is within Russia?
I'm not, I cannot speak to that because the the survey has been done within European Union countries.
So, so I cannot respond to to that.
We are not, we don't have the same kind of data from within Russia, unfortunately.
Follow up question for me, Rihanna Vosti, go ahead.
Why you can't do the same thing in Russia?
You said unfortunately we don't have the data for the refugees in Russia.
What is the matter to have the same data for them?
I, I, we could do a similar exercise in Russia.
I just say that we haven't done that now.
Additional questions for Bigita.
I see a hand from Lisa Shine.
OK, we've got we've got Lisa.
If so, go ahead and then we'll go to another topic.
It is, it's on Ukraine and good morning to you all.
Please send us your notes, Brigitta, as soon as you can.
That would be most helpful.
My questions, I was wondering whether you are able to even access the Russian controlled territories in side Ukraine and what are the main obstructions that you encounter in terms of disseminating aid throughout the country?
Also what what are the priorities?
I mean, you talk about, you know, financial and mental and so on and so forth, but what are the greatest urgencies that you see that are not being met because somehow, or rather the world seems to is, is, is Ukraine becoming a forgotten country like unfortunately, some others are too.
It was **** on the agenda for a long time, but it seems to have slipped a lot.
Let me start with the, with the four territories, Luhansk, Heson, Zaporita and Donetsk.
As you know, the, the, the Red Cross family is, is big and a little bit complex.
We have a distribution of work meaning that inside those areas where the needs are indeed great, we, we work through the ICRC.
So ICSC has presence and and offices inside these four regions and the IFRC is working outside of the four region.
So when, when next time ICIC is, is at the press briefing, I suggest that the that the questions are more directed to them.
But I can just say that we work in in close collaboration with ICSE around the support to to those areas.
And then you said what are the greatest urgencies and, and what is what is the situation overall?
Indeed, we are seeing that many of the donors are going with more limited resources focusing on is especially the the areas of of heavier conflict.
While we from IFAC try to remind that many of the people that are living as internally displaced within Ukraine, they still need support.
And what we are seeing especially is that many that we have been able to support through cash assistance to the host family.
So they have been living more families together in in housing that service is is decreasing now.
So, so many will will have an, an extra burden and, and it may, it may be very challenging for them to, to keep supporting people that are living as internally displaced in, in local communities around in Ukraine, in the West and South.
So we're trying to remind that this cannot go away.
Shelter is, is still a big concern, but also paying for, for, for utilities, etcetera.
So very normal things in a normal society are still happening in Ukraine and, and with a, a decreasing financial, financial means to, to support that it, it is a big problem.
And then of course, I mean, the market within Ukraine is, is, is, is still working relatively well in, in most places.
But, but, but to pay for services is, is a problem.
So that's why we focus a lot on, on that and then focus on that people have taken loans to, to sustain themselves.
So, so that is a that is just a spiral going downwards.
We've got a couple more hands up online.
We'll go to Antonio Brotto from FA next.
But my question is for you.
And it's on another topic about Venezuela.
So I can't wait if John has.
Yeah, John, John, is this about Ukraine?
And also I've got a follow up on another topic for Tommaso, but I was wondering if you have some estimates on the damage to IFRC facilities in Ukraine from the conflict?
The updated report produced by the World Bank with input by the EU, the UN and the Government of Ukraine yesterday put the figure for 86 billion to reconstruct the country from the war damage.
And I was wondering if you have some estimates on the damage to the humanitarian facilities in the country.
And I've, I've got a clarification point with perhaps the UN can answer.
The report had an unusual disclaimer that the they cannot guarantee the accuracy of the data included in the report.
It would be helpful to highlight which data in the report they are confident with and which they're not because that confuses when we're writing the story, what is accurate and what is a rough approximation or projection.
So do I start and then, yeah.
And then and then we can go.
So this is a very interesting question.
I mean, we have had several times where infrastructure from the Ukraine Red Cross has been damaged, but I don't sit with an overview of that.
But we would like to come back to you when we when we have a better overview.
So I'll, I'll leave that with Tomaso to to come back to you on it.
No, thank you, John, and thanks for pointing that out.
I'm I'm not wasn't aware of that.
I'll it's a question we have to put to our counterparts in the UN office in Ukraine.
We'll we'll do that and get back to you.
I think least sorry, Nina Larson was first with a question on another topic and then we'll go to Antonio on a question on another topic.
I had a, I have a few questions on Gaza.
Actually, I saw that I think Jens and Matt might be online, so we could maybe help with that.
I was hoping you could say something about contingency planning for if or when people cross out of Rafah and into Egypt, because there are reports about the area near the border they're being levelled in preparation for large scale construction.
So I just want to know what you know about that and if the UN agencies are participating, sort of what the contingency planning looks like.
And then I had a question for Tarek on Al Nasser because we're hearing about patients dying from a lack of oxygen after the oxygen was cut off, if you have any details on that.
So both our colleagues are online.
Oh, Jens is actually there in the back.
I, I, he's, he's hiding behind Nina.
So we'll, we'll go in order, Jens first and then Tariq.
Nina, I'll have to disappoint you because I don't have any information on on that particular topic.
We have, like everyone else, seen the the reports, but that's about it at this point.
Do you have any information on the UNS contingency planning in case there is a spillover from into Egypt?
Our position is that people who are in need of humanitarian assistance, of which there are many in in Rafa should be and have a right to be assisted where they are and be protected where they are.
Nina, I think you had a question for Tarek as well, right.
Tarek, I don't know if you've you've heard the question.
Thanks and thanks, Michaela.
I mean, you've seen we had a, we had a tweet from DG and, and also colleagues from human rights **** Commissioner have have said it.
We are DP alarmed by reports from Al Nasser Medical Complex that this medical complex has been barely functional and there is now reported damage to the orthopaedic unit and that obviously reduces the ability to provide the urgent medical care.
So more degradation to the to the hospital means more lives being lost.
Now there are still critically injured and sick patients that are inside a hospital.
There is a an urgent need to deliver fuel and to ensure the continuation of the provision of life saving services.
We also need to do assessment to try to identify most critical patients and see how we can have their safe referral.
We are at at the UN coordinating to asking and looking for the urgently access to the hospital.
We have been saying all this time, you have heard me and then others from WH show that that patients, health workers and civilians who are seeking refuge in hospitals, they deserve safety and not a peril in those places of healing.
Also, the reports that some patients have been moved from from one building to another are concerning as as as as patients cannot easily be moved without putting their health health in danger.
So definitely we are trying to get more information.
We are trying to get access because people who are still in natural medical complex need need assistance.
So I know Antonio's question is on Venezuela.
We'll get to that in a minute.
Imogen, you have a hand up.
Is this on Gaza or Ukraine?
Yeah, I was just thinking about this the other night.
Where do you think the EU NS responsibility to protect would kick in, in this situation in Rafa?
So within the R2P framework, I, I believe that's within the Security Council, isn't it?
I'm not sure I I understand the question.
Yeah, clearly it's up to the Security Council, but I'm just wondering as humanitarians, at what point you think it perhaps should kick in?
It has already kicked in.
It's it's in, in terms of protection of civilians, it's enshrined in the Geneva Conventions.
And you know, which is the foundation on, on which we, we, we conduct our, our humanitarian work.
So of course, civilians in, in conflicts should, should be protected at all times.
I see John Zacosta as a hand up.
I don't know whether it's an old hand or a new one.
Is it on my question is Tommaso, I was wondering, Tommaso, if you can bring us up to speed on the casualties of IFRC volunteers and staff in the OPT, especially in Gaza.
I think your President yesterday briefed Member States and she had given a figure of 17 of your staff of volunteers having been killed.
What's the latest from your personnel on the ground there?
Yeah, Thanks, John, for the question.
I can just confirm what you just said and what our President, Kate Forbes said yesterday.
Sadly, the number is 1714 staff and volunteers of Palestine Crescent in the Gaza Strip and three staff and volunteers of them again Davida Dom in Israel since the beginning of of the conflict.
And of course, the last update from from from Gaza is what I think was already said many times here.
The more the conflict will go ahead, the more humanitarian needs will grow.
And of course, there is, as also our Secretary General said, Jagan, Jagan Chap again said couple of days ago, we are deeply concerned about the situation in Rafa and all the possible implication on the civilians in a highly densely populated area where needs are growing.
And then of course, as all the other agencies already said, already said, there is a huge need of protection.
We've kept Antonio waiting for quite a long, long while.
So, Antonio, why don't you go ahead and ask you a question, Michele?
So it's about the decision by Venezuelan government to spend the UN rights office in Caracas and giving the staff there only three days to leave the country.
So we have had a very brief reaction by the by the office.
But I wondered if you representing UN has also have also something to comment and also if UN is having contacts with Venezuelan authorities in order to solve the crisis.
At this stage we don't have any further comment.
We're we're aware of the situation.
I will refer you to our colleagues from OHCHR for any further comments or developments on that.
Lisa Schlein, Hi, thanks.
Unfortunately, whoever can answer this, I think probably Tariq and maybe you too.
And now I understand that one of the patients was killed.
I was wondering whether others were wounded and how many patients actually are in the hospital, or have they all been evacuated?
And then from what I've heard on the media, the Israelis are justifying the entry into the hospital, saying that terrorists have no immunity in the hospital.
And as I said, and so this is claimed to be a justification for the entry into the hospital.
Is that under international law correct or not?
Or is it a shaded situation?
I'm sorry, maybe is this the question for Tarek?
You know I will, I will leave the interpretation of international humanitarian law to colleagues from the **** Commissioner for Human Rights.
What we kept saying all along that health facilities should not be militarised and should be safeguarded from all acts of war.
What we are concerned is that as as as colleagues said, there is a the needs are getting bigger and bigger and, and that the, the, the availability of Healthcare is, is, is going down.
There are only 11 hospitals that are functioning out of 36.
When it comes to in particular, we have received the reports of deaths, we are trying to get more information and we really need to get there to, to bring fuel so hospital can continue to function and those patients who are still there can continue to receive medical care.
And if there is a need for safe referral that that should be done to.
I don't really have exact number, I've seen the number a few days ago there was about 400 patients in a, in a medical centre.
But I would, I would need to to to reconfirm that number if there were any changes to that.
I don't know if you have a follow up.
Otherwise we have Lisa, did you have a follow up?
Yeah, you have a follow up.
I mean, I didn't really get an answer in that specifically what they say.
I mean, I, I, I understand that hospitals are out of bounds under international law for conflict and so forth.
But the Israelis say that in this specific case that if there are terrorists that are inside a hospital that they should not have immunity, that in fact that this is, you know, is justifiable in terms of having that kind of an operation.
So what response do you have regarding that?
And I guess from what you said, you you don't know whether other patients have been wounded or how many there are or have been evacuated and so forth.
But, but the first question, please.
Well, I think, you know, Tarek was clear about, you know, you did on the interpretation of international humanitarian law.
We have to leave that to our colleagues from, you know, the the **** Commissioner for Human Rights.
I don't know if you have anything to add to that Tarek Not really.
But I believe that those definitions on those terms to, to, to, to colleagues.
What we are really trying to do is to make sure that that the little of what is left of health system in Gaza can continue to provide health services.
But but the the, the, the, the, the principle is clear that health facilities should not be militarised in any way, should be protected and patients and health workers should feel safe.
There's a question from Nina.
I was just wondering if you had any were able to confirm what the health ministry in Gaza is saying that that patients have died from a lack of oxygen after the oxygen was shut off at Nasser because of the incursion.
And I had a second question which was on on the contingency planning.
I'm just wondering also about owner was saying that they might not be able to function until further than the end of this month.
I wonder if there's contingency planning for what agencies could potentially take over the job that they're doing inside of Gaza.
You know, so, so as I said, we have seen the the reports of of patients dying because of a lack of fuel and because of lack of possibility to continue life serving life saving provision of healthcare.
Now we really are asking to get an access to hospital to bring fuel and to make an assessment.
So we hope this this can be done and on on on our own wrap as director general has said that there is no other entity that can replace owner in the scope of provision of humanitarian aid and we appeal to to donor to continue finding to continue funding of owner.
I'm going to, if I don't see any more hands up the present and at this stage, then I will read some announcements and you know, while you consider whether you have any more questions for the people who are here either in the room or online.
So it's it's announced today, but for next Wednesday, the 21st of February, 10 AM, there is a press conference on the 55th regular session of the Human Rights Council with the President of the Council, Oba Omar Zibna.
We also have another announcement to make on behalf of our friends from the Human Rights Council.
The 31st session of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee will take place from the 19th to the 23rd of February in Room 20.
These meetings are not being webcast, but they are open to accredited media.
As you probably know, the advisory committee is is sometimes known as the council's think tank and it will continue to its work on the following mandates.
1 is the impact, opportunities and challenges of newer technology and the second is the human rights implications of new and emerging technologies in the military domain.
For more information on this, please contact our colleagues Pascal SIM, Matthew Brown, or David Diaz Martin.
Terms of meetings Updates The Committee on the Elimination of Discretion Discrimination Against Women closes its 87th session this afternoon at 5:00 PM and issues its concluding observations on eight countries that were reviewed during the session there, Niger, Tajikistan, Italy, Turkmenistan, Greece, Oman, Djibouti and the Central African Republic.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is concluding this morning it's review of the report of Ireland.
The Committee on Enforced Disappearances will open next Monday at 10 AM.
It will go from the 19th of February to the 1st of March.
It will be a Pallet Wilson for the first week and here at Pallet de Nacion in room 23 for the second week.
And during this time it will review the reports of Cambodia, Burkina Faso.
It will also have a dialogue with Honduras.
The Conference on Disarmament this morning at 10 AM began a public plenary meeting under the presidency of Anupam Rai of India.
This is the last under the presidency of India and Indonesia will assume the presidency of the Conference of Disarmament as of next Monday.
That's, that's all I, I have for you this morning.
Wishing you a great weekend ahead.
