hitches. Today is Tuesday, 30th April.
We are in Geneva here at the United Nations for the press briefing,
and I'd like to start immediately with James Elder,
James is here with me and he has brought along
the deputy head of office of
And this is because they are launching a
new report called The Court in the Crossfire.
The impact of six months of conflicts on Children in Lebanon.
So we'll hear from James first and
will be there with us. James,
thanks so much. Good morning, everyone.
Yes, as soon as this ends, I will send the report and press releases in English,
We weren't going to be able to have
office. It's great that she is here to answer questions.
She's a real source of knowledge on Lebanon and was just down in the south.
Um, for I know we will have questions because, of course, whilst Gaza is
unprecedented, horrifying and somehow getting worse, uh, equally,
the situation for Children, particularly southern Lebanon, is deteriorating.
Which brings us to this new report,
which really underscores the the worsening suffering for Children
in Lebanon as the country is is faced with
um, cascade of crises. Um and they are now being compounded by conflict.
So the report Children caught in the crossfire the impact of
six months of conflict on Children in Lebanon finds a surge
in humanitarian needs across Lebanon on the back of airstrikes that
have progressively hit deeper and deeper
into a country already suffering protracted
economic and political crises.
Together with those Children killed and the scores who've been injured,
30,000 have now been displaced,
the infrastructure that they rely on,
including significant damage to water stations,
Thus, we now have around 100,000 people denied access to safe drinking water.
Uh, around 23 healthcare facilities are now closed due to the hostilities.
Should this conflict continue to escalate,
repercussions for Children
Now, even before this current
conflict, around 700,000 Children in Lebanon, um, were out of school,
thus not learning now today in southern Lebanon on the back of recent violence,
another 70 schools, um, have had to close
as a consequences as a consequence of the ongoing economic crisis.
It's estimated that around half of the Lebanese population
is living below the poverty line,
while an estimated 90% of, uh Syrian refugee households live in extreme poverty
having a profound toll on the mental health
and physical well-being of Children and their families.
Just one example. Report reports of trauma,
uh, and anxiety have surged due to displacement
and in response to the shelling and increase of air raids,
uh, among Palestinian parents and caregivers in Lebanon, almost one in 2. 47%.
Uh uh sh showing signs of anxiety in their Children
now caught in the crossfire also shows
UNICEF's response amid these multiple crises,
Um, but even with our greatest efforts, a permanent ceasefire
Without that ceasefire, Lebanon is at risk of a full scale war,
which will be utterly devastating
for the country's 1.3 million Children,
as well as as well, of course, for the region's Children.
I'm gonna send that report now. Thank you.
I think we just wait for questions. Exactly.
So there are questions in the room on this report
Yes. Let's start with Robin
Ty. Robin is our correspondent of a FP English language.
Thank you. Is there any distinction between the suffering
that's occurring in the south part of Lebanon and in other parts of Lebanon?
Come on. The back if necessary.
But I think let's throw to you for for all questions, if you can hear Well,
sie go ahead. You have to unmute. Yeah. Now you're on. Thanks.
Thanks. Can you hear me? Well,
Yeah. Thank you, Robin, for the question.
there is a distinction between those who have been displaced or
who have been suffering the the crisis in the South.
In terms of many, there's many, many the majority of those who have been displaced.
As James said, almost 100,000.
The majority are actually Lebanese,
and many of them have actually lost their entire livelihoods.
Um, we've been supporting families who, unfortunately, uh,
they had started small and micro enterprises.
We've helped them to get back on their feet since
the economic crisis began three or four years ago.
and they have again lost everything, um, many of them in particular,
have lost agricultural land.
Um, their, uh their minimal assets that they had established have been,
um, in some cases, destroyed.
Um, many who have been working in agriculture, such as in olive farms,
have also been destroyed.
Um, and even if they were
be able to go back even tomorrow,
um, the type of suffering that they're that they're that they're subject to
is going to be long term because of the huge amount of
unexploded ordinance that is now in many of these agricultural areas,
meaning that it would be very, very difficult for them to re-establish themselves.
In addition, as as my colleague, James
um, Children have really had their entire lives disrupted also,
um, and even if they have been placed in schools in different locations
around the country, many of those schools are already overwhelmed with need.
And with a huge number of Children, given that the country is already hosting,
um, over a million Syrian refugees.
Thank you very much. Other questions from the room
Ok, I think James has sent the report to all the journalists.
our representative, our correspondent of associate press.
I'm Associated Press correspondent.
Um, the I am, um I wanted to just know about, uh,
the conflict you're talking about. I mean,
obviously, we have conflict
between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Uh,
there's also con, uh, conflict next door in Syria.
Um, what conflict specifically are you talking about?
Are you talking about conflict in general? Are you talking about?
because there's obviously spill over as you mentioned the refugees from Syria.
when you say, caught in the crossfire, which conflict conflicts plural.
Yeah, Thanks, Jamie. No. In this specific incident,
we are talking about Southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
So we're talking about Israel and Hezbollah now.
as you well know is is on a tender hooks right now
with the overflow of refugees that have come from Syria with,
of course, what continues to happen in the last 24 hours in Gaza.
So But when we talk about a ceasefire,
we are talking about a ceasefire for the Gaza conflict, which we will hope we talk.
We'll speak to a ceasefire for Israel and Hezbollah as well.
And thank you for the press release that we just received in the press release.
You are not saying who killed these Children
Can we say that they were killed or wounded by Israeli strikes, or we can't say that.
The information as we've received from community groups on the ground,
is that these have been killed by ID F strikes?
Are there questions from the room?
I don't see any hands up or Ben. Was that a hand? No. OK, so let's go to the platform.
Lisa Schlein was of America.
Uh, thank you. Yes. Good morning, everybody.
to know how you would compare,
The situation between the Lebanese Children
and the refugee Children in particular.
Well, I imagine there are a fair number of Palestinian refugee Children,
but you must have You have an enormous number coming over from
the Syrian conflict and whether there's, uh, hostility, uh, growing
against the refugee population.
When you consider the amount of poverty, They, uh uh
I mean, apart from, uh, the wars which are going on, but then, including them,
making it even worse, Uh,
whether that is happening and how this will complicate your efforts
in order to try to improve, if you can.
The lives of Children. Thank you.
Yeah, a good one for Ty, who's a on the ground,
but also just back from Southern Lebanon.
Yeah. No, thank you, Lisa, for the question.
There there are some commonalities and some distinct situations between Syrian,
Lebanese and Palestinian Children on the ground.
And every child, of course, has their unique needs.
but what I can say is that the vast majority of
Children now in Lebanon are not having their needs met.
there are a massive spike in increase
in tension between communities and between nationalities because
of the strain that the country is under and the and the lack of resources.
We are facing a massive a massive collapse
in humanitarian funding over the past three months,
and this has forced us to cut back all of our virtually all of our services, including
the provision of safe drinking water and simple things,
like getting rid of sewage from communities that are already overburdened.
Many of these Lebanese villages
have very, very little resources and have welcomed,
refugees into their schools, their clinics, their, um,
their communities over the past number of years is
12 years now in the case for Syrian refugees,
fourth year into this massive economic catastrophe that has hit Lebanon.
we are seeing tensions really spike and having an
impact on on Children on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, and this has increased tension in the past number of weeks.
I would like to say that the there is
a huge amount of secondary trauma amongst Palestinian,
refugees who are living in really very terrible conditions in the
camps here in settlements for a long a very long time.
Now, um, and again, their resources and their access to services is also being cut.
And they have the secondary trauma of seeing
what is happening to fellow Palestinians in,
uh in Gaza and in the West Bank,
and indeed, family members, in some cases,
I. I see Lisa as a follow up,
Uh, Yes, I do. Thank you.
III I I'm wondering if you could talk a bit about the situation of malnutrition.
I remember I would imagine that if, uh
uh, the poverty is increasing and so forth that the access to food and
other essentials for, uh the, uh,
well being of Children must be cut back enormously.
And so what this is doing,
And whether you fear that, uh,
many of them will become extremely ill and possibly dying.
um, what is this doing in terms of, uh, the coping mechanisms pushing them into
begging in other things. If that even helps to them and exploitation of Children.
What are your fears in regard to
Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, Lisa. Indeed. The malnutrition.
We've just completed the data collection late last year for
one of the most comprehensive nutrition assessments that have been done in Lebanon
and that those results will be coming out next month, and it points to a very,
um, in particular for Children who are living in informal settlements,
informal tented settlements where the rates of stunting
and wasting are much higher than we unfortunately had
But we had indications that the crisis was getting worse in terms of nutrition
because we had seen a threefold increase to Children being
referred to our malnutrition programmes over the past 12 months.
And these are now programmes that in some cases we're suspending in
parts of the country because of the lack of humanitarian funding.
Um, so indeed we're seeing families now.
They're sending the entire family out for begging.
They're forcing Children as young as four to work in agriculture.
this means that their overall health and well being is being impacted.
I spoke to a doctor recently who said
he had seven year olds coming to him with back problems because of
the heavy loads of trash that they're carrying on a daily basis.
And this is to earn maybe $2 per day
just to be able to eat and to put a meal on the table.
So these stories, unfortunately,
are getting more and more frequent and more and more severe and tragic.
My appliance, The U brief.
Yes, thank you for taking my question.
My question is just regarding. I haven't received this report nor press release.
If you could please send to,
um, that's strange, because I understand, uh, our colleague Jim used, uh, the
list. So we'll, uh, we'll we'll check.
And I'll give the floor now to
Uh, just, uh, some questions earlier about the the massive collapse of, uh,
Uh, and I wanted to ask you, um, if you could elaborate more on that.
What has happened exactly Is there a specific country or a few countries who who has,
uh, um decided, uh, to to stop the funding or to
I How do you explain that?
it's a number of countries that have that have significantly reduced funding.
Um, some of them, um, explained to us. I mean, there's at least a half a dozen,
many of them have explained to us that they have a competing crisis that the Syria
crisis has gone on for 12 years now. And the impact so it's not only UNICEF
but it's across the different UN agencies,
and it's across the Syria crisis
Um, where we are seeing cuts to essential services.
so so I What we have donors have explained to us is that it's being diverted
for other crises and other priorities and domestic
priorities and other budgets that they are.
They simply do not have the resources anymore that are being allocated.
Yes, thank you. Just a follow up.
If you could quantify that, uh, decrease and give US, uh,
the the names of of the countries.
I would prefer not to name the countries
because we're still in negotiations to try to,
uh to, um help help us help them to understand the implications of the cuts.
but what I can say in some cases that we were told that it's
up to 60 up to 40 to 60% of what we received last year.
so we are hoping that those countries will reconsider those cuts
to our Syria crisis response appeal and the Lebanese appeal,
um, for for the crisis here. So,
right now I can share after this call the most updated figures so that you have them.
But it is a significant cut compared to last year. Unfortunately,
James, thank you very much, I think.
OK. Oh, sorry. Just the answer to John Zarro
Costa's question. This is important, I
so. It's a soft launch. John
Jonathan John was asking whether the report was launched from
Geneva, and it's a soft launch, so just go ahead with the news if you need.
no I don't see. I don't see other questions in the chat, either.
OK, so thank you very much to the colleague.
there is no precise location from which the report is launched.
You can launch it from. It's basically your decision. Whether you want to launch,
cover it from Geneva or from Lebanon or from New York or from wherever.
There is no main launch, as sometimes we do.
It is launched from Geneva and then, of course, for the agencies,
you have to know this for who's going to cover who's going to make the
coverage. OK, so thank you very much with this. Let's go to our next speaker.
We have online Christian Li Meyer,
global influenza programme
for an update on the avian influenza.
Christian, you want to start?
Yeah, let me say a few work. Thank you very much.
Alessandra, um, this is not a new a new assessment.
This is the assessment which we sent around over the weekend. The risk assessment.
will will specify that just to alert because we
have many questions over the the last days and,
you know, there there's quite some concerns going around.
Um, So we thought it should be useful to clarify and specify what we're talking about
with this, uh, fairly new or not so new
over to you, Doctor Chen.
Thank you very much, Christian, I hope, uh, you can hear me. Well,
yes, please. Thank you very much. Go ahead.
So good morning. Um, it is really a pleasure to be here again to give an update on a
On Friday, WHO jointly with
W, released an updated risk assessment
Avi a influenza H five N, one virus detected
and one person in the US.
Based on the information so far,
we assess the current overall public health risk posed by the H five N one to be low.
And for those with exposure to infected birds
or animals or contaminated environments,
is considered low to moderate.
It is important to underline that any influenza virus is evolving.
So is the risk associated with the virus.
Therefore, it is very important to keep a close watch
We must closely monitor and assess the spread and
changes in the virus and update our pre prepare
For all countries, we recommend,
enforcing disease surveillance in both animals and humans,
implementing strict biosecurity measures on farms
and ensuring farm workers are protected
with the P PE when they need
enhancing surveillance in people with potential occupational exposure,
through active case funding and serological studies
to identify cases and, if needed, to follow up on them systematically
rapidly share information and the genetic sequence data
rapidly share virus material with the WHO collecting
centres of the WHO Global influenza
surveillance and the Response System District.
As farm workers have have potential
occupational exposure to the zoonotic viruses,
we we need to prioritise protecting them.
As for the general public,
I already mentioned that the risk at the moment is considered low
reiterate our long standing advice to consume pasteurised milk.
A study conducted by FDA recently looking at the impact of
Pasteurisation on the survival of every influenza virus in milk,
so pasteurised milk is expected to be safe to consume
residents and travellers in places with known outbreaks of any influenza
in animals should avoid compact with animals in farms. And the live animal markets
should avoid entering areas
where animals may be slaughtered
and should avoid the compact with any surfaces that
appear to be contaminated with animal um with animal extra
and also should avoid um, consumption of raw or incompletely cooked meat,
Good food safety and hand hygiene practises should always be followed,
including regular and thorough hand washing.
WHO and partners are actively reviewing the situation and
we will update you as we learn more.
Thank you very much. Doctor
Zhang, I have a few questions for you, so I'll start with Emma Farge,
who is our correspondent for Reuters.
Good morning. Um, just a clarification.
Uh, which cows and in which countries please are currently affected by this.
And there's been some criticism that the US has not responded quickly enough.
Is that the WH OS view? Or how would you assess the response so far? Thank you.
Doctor Zhang, Do you wanna go ahead?
so at the moment, the H five N one virus talked about are detected in dairy cattle
in the US, and only in the US.
as of 24 April, there are the virus was detected in
kos, uh, in eight states,
but I think the figure is slightly increased in the past one week
with regards to your question about, uh, the response Um, the response in the US
We've been working very closely with our WHO Clubbing Centre
in US CDC and also with OIE and FA O.
We've been receiving information
and also from the website of the USDA and the CDC.
The response The response update has been updated routinely and in transparency.
So we've got the information.
And, uh uh uh when it's available and we update our risk assessment.
And I think this is all what, uh, what I can say at this moment, Thank you.
Just to add here Maybe, Um, if I can This is really This is an important point,
Uh, because it actually shows how the surveillance system works.
The fact that this got picked up the fact that we now know about it,
uh, about individual cases somewhere
Uh, that shows that the surveillance system works.
And for all those who may ask about the notes, the notes should be sent, uh,
yes. Sorry. Thank you very much.
I just wanted to follow up on Emma's question
because I just want to make sure I understand
WH OS position on this. I mean, are you saying
that you see no reason to believe that the United States should be
facing any criticism for its response or do you feel like there have been
any shortcomings in terms of the way that it has responded
to this outbreak in terms of sharing information. I just wanna make sure
I I You laid out very clearly what the US has do. Done. But
is it enough? Is it, uh, substantial? And, uh, is this, uh, criticism founded or not?
Yeah, Thank you very much. J,
Um the way we operate, we will share the information we have and the
the information we're given.
Um, again, it's a positive sign that this got picked up.
Um, I don't know if we have more facts to share,
but we will not go into details about what country X or Y or said are doing
or will be doing. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Christian.
Oh, sorry. You have a follow up, Jamie.
No, OK. Christian Erich, our correspondent of the German news agency.
Hello, Christiane. It's Christiane here.
I'm not familiar with the trade of dairy cows between the US and other countries.
But how? But as you are in touch with all the relevant authorities,
how big is the risk that the virus will spread from the US to other countries?
Or is there a risk that the virus might spread
by trading milk between the US and other countries?
so about this virus H five, N one.
Actually, this virus uh, it's, uh it's H five N one avian virus.
Uh, it's not, uh only, um
and in US, This is N Virus emerged in 2020. It is H five N one emerged.
this virus was spread across Atlantic to North America.
And in 2022 this virus was spread to South America.
But the unique feature of this event because this was
the first time that the virus was detected in cows
in all the past, this virus was detected in births
Since last year, this virus was also detected in certain mammals.
So this is the type of the global picture of the virus itself.
Of course, there is a possibility of this virus, uh, being spread
and it is being spread actually geographically and also in different species,
and it will continue to be spreading itself globally, so there's a possibility.
But, uh, your question about whether it will be spread by milk or not.
So, so far, the information we have is that although
PC R detection, the results was positive
in some of the milk in some of the milk,
But the virus isolation or in a different terminology,
is that virus cannot be grow grow
Which means that, uh, those contained in the milk is only, uh, virus particles
Is there no infectious power of those materials contained in milk?
So it is less likely that the virus will be able to spread
through milk itself based on the information. So far.
So I think I, I hope I've addressed your question.
Yeah, a quick follow up. Maybe. I rephrase that. How do you? Um
um how high is the risk that this virus will also develop in cows in other countries,
Yeah. Hi. Sorry for delay because I always need to unmute um
so the risk with regards.
Uh um this virus infecting cows in other in other countries.
So at the moment it is conceded that the virus is coming from birds to
and it in the US. It is still under investigation whether
it was a single entry point
or multiple entry point from births.
But but, uh, we can say it is from birds itself
many migratory birds, actually migratory.
So they are travelling around the world. They carry viruses.
Thirdly, there's a risk also spreading the virus to to other regions itself.
And also because at the moment, it is not clear how, actually, cow to cow,
whether there's cow to cow transmission and how it
is the virus is being transmitted among cows.
So there are a lot of uncertainties.
So with all this in mind and with the the
virus carrying carrying around the world by migratory birds,
suddenly there is a risk for for cows in other countries.
Uh uh. To be getting infected.
Thank you. Very clear. Uh, Jamie has it for
Yes, I I'd just like to come back to my question from before and directly ask,
uh um Doctor Zhang about this,
um, in the past, uh, WHO has called in.
uh, WHO on multiple occasions called for more information sharing from China
specifically to China. So I'm asking in this case
because it believed that there was not substantial or
S or significant enough significant, um,
information sharing from China
WHO, can you say, uh, Doctor Zhang,
whether or not you believe that the
information sharing from the United States is adequate
in your judgement Thank you,
from my from my perspective or in my daily working with, uh,
our counterparts in the US,
we've been receiving information and we've
been actually receiving almost daily updates
We know that, for example, the serology studies are being settled up,
and we also know that serology results
It will be very important to explain.
We address a lot of questions, but it it would,
uh it would need to go through a certain processes in the US
to get it to get it done and get the results out.
And we also know that the genetic sequence data also available
and some of the sequence data actually were available
very at a very early stage of the outbreak.
the GSD the human is the genetic sequence data of the human case.
It was immediately available when? When it comes out.
And we also know that the CDC is evaluating that, uh,
this virus with the exact existing candidate
vaccine virus to ensure that the existing candidates
candidates of the vaccines can work for the current viruses itself.
So I do think, uh, the the the collaboration with, uh with,
uh with US CDC and the information we've received so far enables
us to monitor the situation to update the the preparedness measures.
I don't know if the question you want to add.
Sorry, John. Good morning. Good morning. Can you hear me there?
Can Can you hear me there?
Uh, it's a follow up to Jamie's question.
I was wondering if you could, uh, just, uh, elaborate.
For us, the WHO receive information
within 48 hours, as required by the international health regulations
And secondly, if you could, uh, perhaps later email to us.
The reference labs that the WHO is using for
the material you're receiving from the United States.
Christian. You wanna take this?
Yeah. I don't think we have anything to add unless, uh, Doctor Wenjing
Zhang has has a specific information. Otherwise we've covered it, I think.
And we can follow up individually with John if there's more.
any other question to WHO
in the room or online? I don't see any,
Sorry if I could follow up on John's question.
I mean, it was a very simple yes or no question.
I mean, within 48 hours, can you answer that question or not? Thanks.
So I don't know if we have the information at hand.
Um, if we have it happy to share, obviously.
Thank you very much, Christian.
Sorry. And thanks very much to Doctor Zhang
for this update and answering all these questions.
Uh, good luck with this. Very important. Uh uh, Work.
I'll, um now So that that concludes our list of speakers for today.
First of all a reminder that at 12 o'clock so in 45
minutes we will have Philippe Lazzarini in this room the Commissioner General
und for a press conference where he will update
you on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Also today to other media event
will host a press conference
that will be via zoom. It will be hosted from
headquarters, not from here
And that will be an embargoed press conference
on the launch of the World Intellectual Property Report
called Making Innovation Policy Work for Development. The speakers will be Marco
the assistant director General of
IP and Innovation Ecosystem Sector,
and Caster Fink, the chief economist of
this report, is embargoed until 10 a.m. on Thursday.
2nd may I understand it's quite a complex report
and that is why if you're interested,
um, the YO colleague are organising a background briefing at YO
with one of their experts about this.
About this and also about the upcoming diplomatic conference.
This will be held as I said on Thursday at 1015 at YO.
I think you received the invitation in your mail.
And if you have any question about that Ed Harris is in charge
also today and it will be your last work of the day.
for an update on the humanitarian situation
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The speaker will be Bruno le Marquis,
UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator.
Vanessa will be with you because I think Jens is not in Geneva.
We have just announced a press conference for the first of May. So that's tomorrow at
and that will be for an update on mine action work in Ethiopia, Libya,
Mali occupied Palestinian territory,
and also launching the Man Action Standing capacity, which it will be based in,
The speakers will be the chief of the UN mass
man action programmes in Ethiopia. Francesca
and in the State of Palestine, Charles
You have just received the invitation to this press conference for tomorrow.
Just a reminder about the human rights treaty bodies the Committee Against Torture
This morning started the review of the report of North Macedonia
and the last Country they will examine will be Finland that will
be on the 2nd May morning and the third in the afternoon.
And a reminder that the conference on this armament will
open the second part of its 2024 session on 13
under the presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
And I think I've told you everything I had,
except that today is International International Jazz Day.
And I always try to remind you this because I think it's an important day
and yeah, I would love to.
I would love to be able to play you a little jazz.
Um, refrain here, but I can't.
But I remind you, because of the importance that the jazz music has had in a number of,
um, social and cultural fields,
do you have any question? I see Maya plans as a question online. Maya?
Uh, Alessandra again, it's about I have not received this, um,
press releases or invitations that you mentioned.
I don't know who is responsible for sending this.
Is the press officer directly, or is it your office, so
And I have the firm intention to check because I've got another message on the line.
Somebody else who had not received this.
So we will check if I've already informed Solange and I will check with Francois.
who prepares the list? He is in the room. So he has listened to you
and we will check immediately after this meeting.
says the same thing. We have a problem because
you are all accredited permanently. So you should all receive them.
Let us check and we will send you the latest announcements. We have circulated
any other questions for me in the room or online.
So if this is not the case, we have time for a coffee.
And I'll see you here at 12 o'clock with Mr Lazzarini. Thank you very much.
