UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : UN Geneva Press Briefing

Good morning.

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

Today is the fourth of June.

We have quite a brief briefing for once,

but I'm sure it will be extremely interesting.

Let me start. Also

leader.

The problem

Do you have these notes at all? Because if we wait until four or five o'clock

and you will send them

Yes, I can send you immediately the notes. Yes.

No

problem.

I don't know.

I don't know if the journalists online have the same questions, but I've got go

first.

Oh,

we

BD

mauu a

la

Premier

Kio.

Uh,

Pulak

said don

effective Ma

say

B

a

says

has

to not,

um

de

de de

de

a menage

in

que so mea

la prevalence de la democracy

the

le minist

de commerce

de de

de

la cote

d'Ivoire

de de

de la LT a

me

Kathy.

Um Isabel

The

Yes. Can you hear me? There

we can. Hello?

Yes. Good morning, Catherine.

I was just wondering on the 60th anniversary of, uh,

of

T A

If, um,

uh, doctors

and,

uh, Ambassador Ricupero

have been invited being former secretary generals of the organisation

and if you know if that confirmed if they're coming. Thank you.

I don't think they are coming.

Um, I'm pretty sure they've been invited, but I can confirm this to you,

Musa.

Then you have to

La la

la

OK,

the

the the

system

on

whose

own responsibility

it is one of the

subjects of the summit of the future. And the Secretary General speaks

constantly about this.

And now let me, uh we switch to English,

but you have You can speak in French, as you have seen.

Uh, we have also spoken a lot about in French this morning.

So I have the pleasure to have with us together with Shay

Vinson.

Kel,

you all know Vinson.

I think he is now the UN

special envoy for the Central Mediterranean situation.

And he comes with a briefing

on the situation of refugees and migrants en route from Africa to Europe.

We have the floor.

Thank you very much, Sean. Good morning, everyone.

As you know, I won't

teach you anything. Hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees

are embarking on dangerous journeys on

various African routes leading to the central

Mediterranean.

Those people are coming from various African countries,

about 20 different African countries.

But we also see an increase of people coming from outside the region

from the Middle East as well as from southwest Asia,

in particular from Bangladesh and from Pakistan.

The horror they face on the journey has been documented in a number of

reports and we will come up with a new report later on in June

with our partners from I

on the mixed migration Centre.

But what is important is that to keep

in mind that protection services along the routes

can help mitigate the risk those people face on

the route and can offer a dignified alternative.

I am hearing that in

many capitals, when we engage with government,

people should stay where they are,

find protection close to their country of origin.

Why do they need to embark on those dangerous journeys?

Well, there are many reasons why they embark on those dangerous journeys,

and one of the reasons is sometimes the

lack of effective protection services along the route.

So today we are publishing

and launching in different language a new report which is

a tool basically to map out what are the

protection services in 14 countries along those routes,

and

the main finding is that, well,

there is a huge discrepancy in the availability of those services

in the different countries.

And compared to the previous edition, this is the third edition of that report.

There are less services available,

so that narrative about where

people should stay, where they are, they are

there are ways to address their problem where they are. Actually it's not true.

In many countries, the services that were there

in 2022

2023 are no longer there.

This is the case in particular in Morocco, in Mauritania,

in Sudan, because of the conflict

in the northern part of *** in the southern part of Algeria.

So basically, these are in key

S key crossing roads that are used by migrants and refugees.

Many don't go through capital cities

where humanitarian actors are based well represented.

They embark in two secondary routes, reaching smaller cities,

smaller communities in

hard to reach areas

and that's where the services should be located

again. For us, that is an effort to be root based in our approach.

We need to look at the dynamic of those mixed movement of migrants and refugees.

And we also need to keep in mind that

those mixed movements are not just towards North Africa,

not just towards Europe. They are mainly within Africa.

There are a lot of South South Movement West east movement

on the African continent in terms of migrants and refugees.

What are the protection services lacking?

Essentially At this stage,

there is a lack of basic humanitarian

assistance along certain routes close to border areas

shelter, immediate shelter for people who have been exposed to violence and

access to justice, which is almost non existent.

There is something also that is concerning

when reading the report on comparing to previous editions is that

this idea of partnering with local authorities is not yet something we do. Well,

I'm not just talking about you.

I'm talking about all humanitarian actors about development actors,

about the way donors engage with local actors,

and we all committed to this agenda of localization

many years ago during the global humanitarian summit.

Yet our capacity to partner directly with local authorities is missing,

Yet those local authorities are there.

They are located on those routes that are used for migrants and refugees

They are located in places where humanitarian actors cannot be present,

either because of safety concern or because the

authorities don't want humanitarian actors to be present.

But the local authorities are there,

and they could be able to provide

those immediate protection service on quality referrals.

So for whom this report is destined, whether it is destined first two states,

they need to understand those gaps

and that as long as those gaps continue,

people will continue to transit in all directions

and continue to suffer on the territory of their states.

We hope that this report can help structure a meaningful dialogue between states

on local authorities and recognise the critical

importance they can play along those routes.

The report is also for humanitarian actors at a time where resources are limited.

I think we need to We need to co locate.

We need to take advantage of each other's presence. We need less competition

and certainly we need to be present where

the risks are the most acute along those routes

and again, not necessarily in capital cities where those problems are occurring.

The report is also for donors.

It's not the common comfort zone of donors to partner with local actors,

but I think we need that reflection. It's not just local.

It's the local authorities, as I said along those key routes.

Finally, the report is for migrants and refugees.

Also lost stranded abuse on those roads.

The report is not an academic piece of research. It's a simple guidebook

that explain a

bit where services are available that give the GPS co ordinate

the WhatsApp number of those providing services along the route.

So that's

a

useful tool for them.

And we will try to adapt all our

communication tools with refugees and migrants in their language

to make that information available. Thank you for your attention,

Mayor SIBO

van.

So

quite a few questions I'll start with, uh, Benjamin Luis,

who is our correspondent of the Swiss uh, radio French speaking.

Uh,

no, no, no.

The

frontier

to

the problem.

B,

I'm Jeremy.

Check

on my mom,

because

you,

uh, don't

say the park

facility

protege.

the

system

uh,

Jean

de

V

la dui

ch

um

Isabel

Sacco,

a Spanish news agency.

A

one

year

we have several

human

rights.

The the

let's try

What?

That

was a briefing. The Nazi

Ma

Mario

uh,

US.

Uh, Mister

Castel

uh,

Comal

de

la Migra

a

covo

dardo

Nalla

uh,

le

in,

um

is ample

MSAA

Ms

de la

tunis

But

can they

do what

they make

wrong?

A la

the imprisoned by

the president

TKJ

de

la de

da

Do

so

to do

P

la de

France de

de

me

SKKK

Fran.

the

volume

they move

more

to

the

responsibility

assist.

Um

S

human rights.

Since I had a look at the chat,

uh,

Lisa

was asking if you could send Vincent's notes as

soon as

it has been sent. OK, good.

OK,

Uh uh

uh

uh uh uh

uh uh

Europe.

Uh uh uh

uh uh

uh

the the refugee.

Uh

uh

uh uh de

la grace

and more.

Uh,

Ross,

uh,

in in,

uh,

le

uh

uh. The

se

Uh uh

uh

uh uh

uh uh la

ne

le,

uh, leg

is

Ramon

Verrio

uh,

international.

The

EPA.

I

don't

care

to be.

Don't

get

out

of

responsibility

to set

the

catastrophe.

Lucy Bun.

Dear

Emma

Farge.

Reuters.

Uh,

hello. Uh, I hope you don't mind if I switch back to English. Um,

the concept of desert rescue I thought was fascinating.

And I'm wondering, um what efforts are are currently underway.

What are the challenges and and which projects

are most advanced at this stage?

Thank you.

Concept is interesting.

It has been implemented in the past a bit by the Tunisian authorities north

of

a

who is the Gendarme Marie

National picking up people

stranded, abandoned

and traffickers.

We understand that today it is no longer implemented by La

Gendarme Marie

National.

There is no more search and rescue along that route.

It is implemented, the only country in the world.

I mean, the only country on the African continent where I know

that this concept is implemented is in Djibouti,

where the Djiboutian authorities are patrolling their coast,

but on the land side of the coast

to see people that have been abandoned by smugglers there in the

areas,

or people who have returned with the same smugglers from Yemen

and who are dropped in the middle of nowhere. So they bring them back to a

reception centre that

is managing in

obock

on one example of

of interaction with agencies that well, if I

is present in Obo,

we don't need

the issue doesn't need to be in. No,

we just partner and make sure referrals are working.

But we certainly need We need the development of such a concept in southern Nigeria,

in

South Morocco, in some parts of Mauritania,

we would we would need that to save more life

on bringing back to safety people stranded or abandoned there.

Jamie

Keaton,

Associated

Press

The

move

Concepts

the

refugees

Uh uh

uh

uh.

Alex

at

two o'clock

is giving this press conference on the annual

report on global Trends in force Displacement 2024.

This is under embargo

until the 13th of June at 501.

And Filippo Grandi will be with us that day

for this press conference together with Tareq

Abu

Shabak,

Chief Statistician So I take this opportunity to remind you of this

press conference and also to take the opportunity to say hello to Babar

Baro

who is back? He

is in the room. Babar

is here. Happy Tuesday, Babar,

We are very happy to see you back

and thank you very much to you.

And of course, William is also here.

Other colleagues of the UNHCR

I'd like to really thank them all and thank Vinson

for this extensive briefing. We haven't finished with the with the topics.

I have Claire on the line

and thank you very much,

I have to remind you. First of all, let me let me give the floor to Claire,

but before doing so

because the two things are related.

I like to remind you we have sent you several messages about this, but

I like to remind you that tomorrow 5th June, as we all know,

it's World Environment Day.

In this

current situation, we will hear more from Claire,

where climate records are shattered and emissions continue to rise.

The secretary general will deliver a pivotal speech called A Moment of Truth,

setting out some hard hitting

about the state of the climate.

The grotesque risk leaders are running and what companies and countries,

particularly the G7 and G 20 countries,

need to do over the next 18 months to salvage humanity's chances of a livable future.

And the Secretary general will also share data from the

the Copernicus Climate Change Service and

the indicators of global climate change.

This speech will be delivered at the American Museum of

Natural History,

and it will be at 10 o'clock

Geneva,

New York time. So four o'clock Geneva time,

it will be live on UN Web TV.

We have sent you a media advisory about it, but because it's pretty a technical

speech statement we have organised to day which is basically

4th June same time at 10 New York time.

4

p.m. Geneva time. A background briefing

with Selwin Hart,

as you know,

is the UN Assistant Secretary general and special advisor to the UN Secretariat

on Climate Action,

but also the deputy secretary general.

World Meteorological Organisation called Barrett and Julian Nicholas,

the senior climate scientist of the EU Copernicus Climate Change

Service. This is a background briefing. You are invited to it.

It's of course will be physically done in New York for the

journalist in New York. But

Geneva journalists are

invited to join. We have sent you the details. There is a lady Tyrone

Hall

who is to be contacted for registration so that

you get the link to this background briefing.

And

on this as I said, the S

will also speak about WMO

findings.

So I'll give the floor to Claire to tell us more

about this and about the press conference that they will also

hold tomorrow ahead of the speech of the Secretary General. Claire,

you are muted.

OK, thank you.

Yes. Uh, thanks, everybody. Uh, yes. Just to follow up on what?

Uh, Alexandra just said, uh,

the secretary general's, uh,

important speech tomorrow in New York will be making

use of data from the World Meteorological Organisation.

Um, so we've set up, um, an embargoed press briefing for you tomorrow afternoon.

Um, obviously, you know, we welcome cameras. It can be filmed.

It's it's on the record. Um

um and the embargo will lift when the UN secretary

general has has finished speaking in in New York.

So

the press briefing it is with our deputy Secretary General Co Barrett. Um,

I think it you know, it's an important opportunity, uh, to introduce her to you.

She is. She's quite new at WMO.

Um, it will be joined also by one of our scientists, Uh, Wira

Muka

Oia

and also by the director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Um

Carlo Bent Tempo.

So there's different elements here. The the WMO report.

Uh, and you should have received it

under embargo already. If you if you haven't.

Please let me know, and I'll send it to you.

So the WMO report looks ahead. Um, and then the

Copernicus climate change service

data that they will be looking, um, back at the previous previous 12 months. So it's,

you know, it is, uh, it it is a big, uh, It is a big package.

and obviously, as Alexandra said, there is AAA

sort of more of a technical background briefing that this afternoon.

Uh, you know which you are. Welcome to to join.

That's, uh that's it. Thanks.

Exactly. Thank you very much.

So just to summarise

four o'clock this afternoon, Geneva time, the background briefing.

So obviously, since it's a background

not for publication

with

Sin Hart

and W

and EU Copernicus experts.

Then tomorrow three o'clock press briefing by the deputy Secretary General of the W

with other experts at three

at for the speech the the statement of the Secretary General in

the American Museum of Natural History and at the end of it,

the at the end of the statement,

because there would be also questions and answers at the museum.

But at the end of the statement, the bar is lifted,

and you would be able to publish about that and

please register for the back and briefing. If you want to attend,

you'll have the possibility of asking questions there while obviously

tomorrow it will be live the secretary general's speech.

But

there will be no opportunities for asking

questions from here because it will be live

physically at the American Museum of Natural History.

Hope that this is clear. We've sent you abundant messages about it.

But please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions. And I see that Christo

is a question.

Yes, I just, um, this embargo thing.

Like how

it's just not possible to have the secretary general speaking for half an hour

about the topic and talking about numbers that are going to be in the report

and not being able to use the report in the same.

We're going to

Sorry, Maybe it's not clear.

Of course, you will be able to because it's embargoed until

the

embargo.

You will have background briefing today to explain.

Then tomorrow at three o'clock, the press conference by

that press conference is under embargo.

Until the end of it, you can prepare your work. You can do what you need to do.

As soon as the

is finished to speak, you can publish,

we get all the stuff in advance. So we,

um

uh, story out

possibility.

Why not Chris I?

I am not sure I understand your point because you will be able exactly to use

the We will also send you the speech of the Secretary General in advance.

You'll hear more today about it.

WHWMO makes a background briefing today today, together with Sin

Hart. So you'll be able to speak also about the report on background.

And then tomorrow you get the press conference.

So the possibility of asking question. But you have already had everything else.

The SG starts to speak when it finishes, it's it's the embargo is lifted.

I hope it's clearing up.

yeah, sure.

The the it is a little bit tricky to do that.

I mean, it's like three o'clock and then four o'clock.

It's a pretty tight window to get it all put together. I mean,

from purposes of Geneva, it would be, at least for me.

I mean, I'm speaking only for myself here.

It'd be better if we could get a briefing a little bit earlier than the speech

of the SG so that we can have time to digest and get it ready,

Of course.

And that is why we have the background briefing this afternoon.

Plus, the report

is sent to you. Plus, the speech is sent to you everything as

soon as

you

can.

Will the background briefing be usable for video and text and full purposes?

I mean, when I hear background briefing, I mean that it's not quotable.

What do you mean by that?

Yeah, I,

I believe background briefing is something you can

use the content you can use tomorrow,

but you cannot use the background.

Background for me means that you don't quote the person by name.

You're saying it's an embargoed briefing.

In other words, we can quote the people by name, right, that that is a good point.

Uh, everything is embargoed until the speech of the

everything, but you can use

whatever and you can you can. If I were a journalist, which I'm not,

I would go to the background briefing, understand what's in the report,

understanding what's in the speech of the Secretary General.

In the meantime, you get

as much embargo material as we can send you tomorrow,

you can ask questions at the WMO press briefing,

also under the embargo and then the

speaks end of the speech. You go out

as much as we can. We will give you beforehand.

I'm coming back. So

just to be clear, the S

is going to speak at four

and we'll be able to send out our stuff.

So that's a half an hour later, that

that's an eternity for a newswire

so we won't be able.

He's going to talk about stuff in his speech that is in the report,

which we cannot use in what we are going to do.

I'm not sure I'm quite clear, but we

we cover

reports in real time. Not

so when he says something and he is going to have very strong,

we are

going

to

send this

out. You mean if the speech

is not under embargo,

then you will have to wait until the end

of

the

speech

is not under

embargo, and we are not going to wait for the

to

speaking to file.

I

see

your

point. Now I

expect us

to let me check with New York as soon as they wake up.

Because this is clearly a point that we have to clarify. We will send it out.

I

suppose that in that case,

either the speech of the Secretary General is also under

embargo so that you can publish everything at 4.

30 or that the embargo is lifted. When he started to speak, let me check.

I think his speech is going to be transmitted live.

There is no way there is no embargo possible.

If it's

OK, we'll have to check. Check could

just change the embargo on the report for

an hour earlier,

and it's less complicated and you don't have to.

I

see

your point now. I couldn't understand,

but thank you very much to both of you.

Let me come back to you on this because

we have had extensive discussions about the embargo,

the background

so I don't want to take. Of course I have to consult with my colleagues in New York.

Let them wake up and we will come back to you.

We will send you a message together with Claire so

that everything is clear on this on this issue of when

the embargo is lifted for the WMO. And

of course, as you say, the SG speech.

You're right. It shouldn't

be. I mean, just just to say we are obviously

following the request that we've received from the UN in New York. So

I fully, you know, take take your point to Christoph,

Um, that, you know, whatever Alessandra agrees with her colleagues in in New York,

we will, we will adapt to We will adapt to that.

And on the timing of the WMO press conference at three.

That was, um, simply because of, um, kart's, um,

scheduling, uh, commitments as she, um there's the,

uh, UN climate conference in in Bonn taking place at the moment.

And CO originally was meant to be at that, um And so, um, now the plans changed.

Uh, but, uh, you know it It's because of her own calendar.

But hopefully, you know, you've got everything that you need, um,

ahead ahead of time.

Yeah, and and really, I'll,

I'll come back with a very clear answer to everyone in writing.

Lisa, Is that a question on this?

Yeah, Just the clarification. I think from

what everybody has had to say about this thing, it is my understanding

that a lot of the information that will be given

at the WMO press conference will actually be

used by the SECRETARY-GENERAL in his speech.

Is that correct?

I mean, so it will be, uh, duplicate.

I. I can't tell you how much will be used, but he he definitely will use some of the

data from the WMO from the Copernicus Climate Change Service

and also from the indicators of global climate change.

I think the WMO.

Report is just one relatively small part of the Secretary General's speech.

I haven't haven't seen it yet, but that's that's my understanding.

It's just some of the data will be will be used

this afternoon.

hopefully, of course. Of course.

We'll send it to you under embargo as soon as we have it.

And again, maybe that would be the occasion to specify the embargo issue. Can I just

I would just like to echo what Christophe said about being able

to get to lift the embargo at the top of the speech.

And the reason for that is is that

you know, there could be details in the report that we maybe want to use,

but we won't be able to use until after he's already finished, which makes

No, it's very clear. It's very

clear now. I understood the issue, and I come back with that as soon as possible.

As soon as my colleagues wake up. Thank you.

OK, so I have a couple of more, uh, announcement. There is another big, uh, uh,

launch which is coming up, Uh, which is the FA

O State of the world.

Fisheries and aquaculture. That's, uh, the report of 2024.

That's gonna be on Thursday.

So the day after Thursday, sixth of June 3.

30 the day after the speech, Uh, we were talking about,

um the speaker will be Manuel Barani, who is the FA

U assistant director general

and director of the Fisher is an aquaculture division.

He will be on Zoom, but there will be also colleagues here in the room.

So it's a hybrid press conference.

Uh, everything is under embargo until 7 June at eight.

P MC, C Central European summer time,

which is also Costa Rica.

Mid Uh uh, 12 of Costa Rica time. That's what I'm given.

Um, What you need to know is that you will get an advanced report. A copy of the report.

You can request this to key.

You have in the invitation to the press conference. You have contacts also.

Um, that is because there will be, in fact, two pres

taking place for the launch of this report that

they call Sophia state of the World Fisheries and Aqua

Culture

2024 1. It will be in Geneva, and one will be in Costa Rica. So that would be in Spanish.

Of course.

Uh,

they are kindly providing you with coffee from 3 p.m. here in front of the press room.

Uh, let him know if you plan to to come.

And,

um just to signal that the Geneva press conference will be the first one to happen.

And of course, if you have more questions,

he is available also there to explain about the embargo and what's coming up, Uh,

before and after.

I think I have one more announcement for you. Sorry.

Two. first of all, you have been asking

during the A

What is the time? What is the arrangement for the

Palais

access?

So I first of all would like to apologise to

all the journalists who have had a problem on Saturday,

I have been called by several of you asking

for a wondering why they didn't have access.

Uh, why we had said that for the WH A.

The restrictions were lowered.

And so we solve this problem,

and we have also sent you.

So I would like to apologise for those who had problems.

But I would also like to say that we have

the same arrangements now for the International Labour Conference.

We have sent you the

extended opening time yesterday I sent them to you

in writing.

So basically, prey

will be open at 6. 30

close at eight o'clock

for vehicles, and it will open at 6. 30

close at seven o'clock for pedestrians.

Chaman

de fair. There is no change. Peace gate. There is no change.

so that is for the two weeks until the

14th of June for the International Labour Conference.

And, um, I think that it's, uh,

just to tell you that today the committee on the protection

of the Rights of all migrants workers we've spoken about that.

Um

uh, we'll look this afternoon at the report of Senegal,

which will finish tomorrow and that will be followed by the Congo.

The Conference of Disarmament on Thursday will hold

the public meeting on its agenda Item six,

which is comprehensive programme of disarmament that would be at 10 a.m. in Tempus

and the meeting will be attended by the 2024 cohort of disarmament.

Fellows, I think I've really told you everything I had in my list.

Any any further question?

I don't see any.

And so as promised,

you'll have news for me this afternoon at the

beginning of the afternoon on the issue of the embargo

for the statement of the Secretary General. Thank you very much

and have a nice afternoon.

UN Geneva Press Briefing - 04 June 2024