OK, so sorry. First of all for being late Welcome to this press briefing.
Today is Tuesday, Second of July.
We have very long briefing,
So I will ask everybody's patient and above all to try and be a little bit brief.
And as Pascal is already on the podium,
I will start with him for an update from the council.
Thank you. Today the Human Rights Council will hear from two Semitic experts.
The first one will be Eliza Moger,
the new special rapporteur on climate change.
And the second one will be Olivier de
the special rapporteur on extreme poverty.
If you don't have time to read Mr Dos
you are advised that you read his opinion
article that was published today in the Guardian
on every decade poverty beyond growth.
Tomorrow, the council will start considering five country situations.
Belarus is the special rapporteur,
The Commission of Inquiry on Syria.
High Commissioner Turk will speak on Venezuela and you will hear from Tom Andrews,
the special rapporteur on Myanmar.
And on Thursday morning you will hear from fortune
the special rapporteur on Burundi.
late morning we should start considering the universal periodic review adoption
just to remind you that 14 countries should
have their reports adopted during this session.
These countries are Saudi Arabia, Senegal, China, Nigeria, Mauritius, Mexico,
Jordan, Malaysia, the Central African Republic, Monaco, Belize, Chad,
the Republic of the Congo and Malta.
And today is the deadline for member states who wish
that wish to submit a draught resolution proposal for adoption.
This is 1 p.m. this afternoon. Thank you.
I don't see questions on the council.
So let's go to the first of our topics just to explain a little bit. We have
talking according from Gaza,
she can only speak at 1130. So we'll have to play by ear with the timing.
Just just for your information, we'll see
how it goes. So I will start by asking our colleagues of UNICEF
James is here with an invitee that we welcome.
So James, you brought us me
Who is your representative in the Central African Republic?
Would you like to start or we
brief in English but can answer questions in French and Spanish.
Today the 3 million girls and boys of the Central African Republic face the
highest registered level of overlapping and interconnected
crisis and deprivation in the world.
We are talking about conflict.
We are talking about malnutrition, crisis, food insecurity,
possible water borne diseases, epidemics, floods, etcetera.
The Central African Republic now holds
the tragic distinction of being ranked first
among 191 countries as the most at risk for humanitarian crisis and disaster.
The dire status underscores the severe and
urgent challenges faced by its youngest citizens.
10 years of protracted conflict and instability in car
has left every single one of Children in car
There is a lot of distressing data that speaks to the lives of the Children in car.
But I will just mention four.
also the briefing the that James has has quite a lot of data.
So let me, let me tell you that one in two Children do not have access to health
Only one third of the Children, around 37% of them attend school regularly.
Nearly two in three young women were married before the age of 18.
and almost 40% of the Children in the country suffer from chronic malnutrition.
In addition, only 36% of the population has access to water.
So this weakened institutions and a very weak social services to provide water,
and nutrition compound the multiple risks to the rights of Children.
The fact that the crisis in car has been stretched out so over so many years and that,
sadly, so many other crises are
unfolding in parallel means that the Children
of car have become painfully invisible.
But their pain and loss are profoundly evident.
now is a critical moment.
Indeed, it is the moment for the international community to rally for a change.
Of course for the Children of car,
the government new national development plan that is going to be
published very soon alongside all other
major commitments to improve Children's rights
and its partners have a viable mechanism to push for a change, of course,
to chart a new future for the Children and the country.
Amid this rare moment of opportunity.
The greatest risk is that the champions these Children rely on
international donors. The global media
and informed public might turn their backs and look
away in the face of simultaneous global crisis.
And let me say, in my most clear and candid language,
this will mean many Children will unnecessarily die.
Many more will see their features destroyed.
And let me finish by saying that a child is a child.
it is imperative that the international community
does not forget the Children of car
Thank you very much, Meriel.
And I'll open now the floor to questions
first in the room if there is any
I don't see any hand up. So let's go to the platform. Lisa
Thank you. Good morning. Uh,
I'd like I'd like to know how many Children actually are you talking about?
Uh, they're up to age 18, I guess.
And you say there is a new national plan,
Uh, which will change the course of, uh, these Children's lives?
Could you be more specific about that? What is the national plan?
How will this change things? Are you getting the money that you need I.
I guess not from what I have heard. So,
uh uh I mean, from where will the improvements come? Thank you.
thank you very much for your question.
There is 3 million Children in the Central
African Republic is a very young population.
Half of the population is actually under the age of 18 years old.
And the moment the moment of truth is now because this is
the first time that the country has a national development plan.
This is the one that is going to guide investments
in human capital investments in the country for the first time
to improve also the social services for Children.
I'm talking about improving the health system,
substantially improving the education system,
making sure that all the Children can go to the school making sure that there is
a payment for all the teachers that are needed in the country. The health personnel.
So it's the first time after the last one, the
that the government is going to put in place and we believe
that the international community should rally
around this National plan development plan,
support the plan to make sure that the social services
in the country will be a reality for the Children,
especially those that are more in need, which are the majority.
thank you very much. Um, don't see other.
Yes, Liza has a follow up.
Just quickly you mentioned, uh, a lo. A lot of Children are malnourished.
more specific about this? How many Children are malnourished?
How many of them are at this stage of
severe acute malnourishment, which puts their lives at risk?
And, uh, what is it that you and other agencies are doing in order to try to,
uh, alleviate the situation? Thank you.
So 40% of the Children suffer from chronic malnutrition,
So this is basically more than one third of all the
3 million More than 1 million Children suffer from chronic malnutrition,
and then there is a 5.5% more or less that suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
uh, 80,000 Children in the country that, if not treated immediately, would die.
So those are the Children that you see in in in the media.
Unfortunately, that are barely bones and and and skin.
They are being treated with, uh, with the different, um um
treatment for malnutrition with the therapeutic milk
and ready to use therapeutic food.
by the by BH by the American government,
and we are we have a national programme
actually to support the treatment of malnutrition.
for the prevention of the malnutrition
for the prevention of chronic malnutrition,
we do need sustained investments
social protection to make sure that the families they have
the money that is required to buy the food,
we need to overcome food insecurity, which is quite high in the country.
We need to invest in the society for the families to be able to afford
the nutritious food that are needed for the Children
in order to prevent these cases of chronic malnutrition.
Thank you very much. Meriel.
Any other question? I don't see any,
Uh, thank you, Jim. I think you have maybe something else to
So beyond the briefing that we've just shared there are very thorough One page, uh,
advocacy briefs across all the sectors for Children in cars.
So I've emailed you all those as well.
They're good, sharp, succinct. and
Thank you very much to both, uh, colleagues. Um, let's go ahead with our thank you
with our next, uh, topic, which is DRC
um online. We have Fabian Sam
Who is the chief of mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Um, to talk about the humanitarian crisis in eastern New York C
and the vulnerable population.
Let me give you the floor,
OK, so I see your mic is open, but I don't have the image.
Maybe you can try to speak. We C. We can see if we can hear you.
I think there is a problem with the
OK, now you have the image. Can you go ahead, sir, please.
And thank you for briefing us here in Geneva.
I we can't hear in the room. Um, looking at my colleagues.
It's not It's not working. Right?
OK, so let's let's do this if it's possible, Um,
if you could just reconnect while we are going ahead with
the briefing on another subject and then I'll take you just after
because we we have the image, but we can't hear you and you are unmuted.
So that's not a question of, um, Mike Mix.
It's probably a question of the connection. If you can just
re, um, get out and and and re connect,
So I'm going to ask our colleagues,
to come to the podium for the briefing on Sudan.
And we will reconnect to you immediately after, if you can just
let's go. Let's stay in Africa and go to Sudan. This time
not to introduce you because you know Ian
as the new head of communi global communications for you and HCR,
everyone, uh, welcome. It's your first briefing with us.
Uh, we're really happy to have you here.
And you have been in Sudan recently. So you would like to brief on what you've seen
and then we will hear from Vanessa for
Alexandra. Thank you very much. And good morning, everybody.
Nice to be with you in my new role with the
I would like to talk to you
about Sudan and the repercussions in neighbouring countries
to say that today we are launching the regional refugee response plan
for those forced to flee Sudan
and we're looking for $1.5
billion which is required for our aid partners.
And that is up from 1.4 billion in January
to assist and protect up to 3.3 million people forced to flee
as well as the local communities that are hosting them.
This is currently under 20 per cent funded.
I have, as Alexandra said, just returned from Sudan,
where I was in White Nile state with the High
Commissioner Filippo Grandi and also in South Sudan around rank
Jang refugee camp in Unity State
and the situation there is incredibly difficult, confusing,
dangerous and appalling tragedy
for civilians both still in Sudan and those who have
had to leave the country due to the violence.
It's one of the most neglected crises globally and for us it is the most pressing
displacement crisis in the world Right now.
The people that I met there
were talking to me about horrendous violations of human rights
I think what's important here is just the complexity of factors facing people.
We are, as you all know, extremely close to famine like conditions
horrific though that is, it is not just about famine.
It's about brutal human rights violations. It's about
floods are expected to be the worst in many years this year,
and that not only hampers the delivery of humanitarian aid,
but it means that people are trapped where they are, with little aid
It's schools that have closed, leaving a generation in peril, if not lost
with schools that I visited in cost
having been converted essentially into makeshift shelters
and a classroom harbouring 80 people who are
who are sleeping in there in abysmal conditions.
So it is extremely difficult you have seen in White Nile State
alone a situation where the population in the state has doubled.
You've got 1 million internally displaced people
who have fled from other areas of Sudan
into white Nile state, and they're living in cramped conditions,
either in refugee camps or in these makeshift
shelters that I've talked to you about.
And of course, many people tragically fled war in south Sudan going north to Sudan
and have now had to go in the opposite direction. Many fleeing
Khartoum and other places back down to south Sudan,
where often they have no roots anymore.
and are once more displaced by war and conflict.
So it is an appalling situation
and humanitarian access in Sudan is brutally difficult
and the floods are not going to help that
less aid reaching people in Sudan is going to force more people to flee.
You're talking about 10 million people that have fled
either in the country or outside the country.
Outside the country is about 2 million people that have fled
into neighbouring countries
The person I met Samira in Jam
refugee camp just as an example, had fled Khartoum
had arrived in south Sudan,
had to leave her husband behind who who then had not been able to contact her.
So she has no idea where her husband is.
I'd rather my kids die here of hunger than in Khartoum
and that just gave me a snapshot of just
how horrific the choices that people are making,
the impossible choices that people have to make leaving Sudan.
I'm going to come back now to the regional refugee response plan.
news here, in a sense, is that this plan adds two new countries, Libya and Uganda,
into the different countries that are hosting refugees
from Sudan and who need international support.
And that is of course, in addition to other countries who are hosting many,
many refugees Central African Republic, Chad,
Egypt, Ethiopia and, of course,
south Sudan that I mentioned where upwards of 700,000 people
have fled since the war began in Sudan 14 months ago
we have registered 20,000 new arrivals from Sudan since the war broke out.
They are primarily fleeing
and we understand that thousands more have arrived in
Libya that are not registered and are in the east
Clearly, the situation is extremely difficult for these refugees.
Local services available in the country are really overstretched
refugees. Families are forced to sleep in the open
and medical facilities just cannot keep up with the growing needs that
that we are facing through there
which already is the is the largest refugee hosting country
More than 39,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived since the outbreak of the war,
with 70 per cent of those fleeing just this year,
which is three times more than was initially expected or predicted.
Most of them are arriving from Khartoum and have university
level education and are looking to rebuild their lives.
we will be working with host governments to support
access to territory and to asylum systems for these
Sudanese refugees fleeing the brutal war Through there
will be working to strengthen government
led efforts to deliver critical assistance
to provide services for gender based violence survivors
and to provide services such as mental health, food, transport,
healthcare, education services, among other critically needed
services for these people
and ultimately trying to help refugees build a normal place,
a normal life in the places where they've fled to finding jobs,
schooling for their Children
and other essential services that can help them
rebuild after this tragedy that's unfolding in Sudan.
Thanks for this reporting and I'll go to Vanessa, who's replacing Jens who's away?
So you also have a snapshot on the situation of the military situation?
Yes, thank you, Alexandra. After hearing Ian, I
think we kind of run out of work to qualify the situation
which is certain. It is that it is a man made
human tragedy. It continues to unfold in Sudan after more than 14 years of conflict,
with time running out for millions of people who are at
risk of famine are displaced from the land under bombardment.
The fighting continues to spread across the country
and we have received reports of new displacement
in recent days following clashes between the Sudanese
armed force and the rapid support forces in Sinja
town, which is in the state of Sanaa
in the southeast of the country.
Our latest figure indicates that more than 60,000
people have already fled the fighting in Sinjar,
but also in security in Abu
Adali Localities, which are nearby but still in Sinar
The fighting continues and more people are on the move as we speak,
so the situation is volatile in do
could as well increase in the coming days.
We and our partners are present
where most of the people are fleeing. We have food and
supplies. The World Food Programme has enough supplies in G
for 50,000 people and can bring more as needed.
What we need and this is not different in any other part of the countries,
is for the parties to de escalate,
immediately spare civilians and answer a safe passage for those
fleeing the fighting In Sinjar and again elsewhere in Sudan,
we need unimpeded access so that those in need
can receive the life saving support they rely on.
And we need to be able to reach people in need wherever they are in the country.
Once again, women, Children, entire families had to flee,
leaving everything behind.
The situation continued to be extremely dire across the country,
which is now facing the worst food in
food insecurity in 20 years,
and it bears reminding that all of this could have been avoided.
But the window of opportunity for us is still there.
But time is running out and we need funding and we need access.
And as my colleague said, it is especially critical as the rainy season arrives.
They are already flooding in the country. So time is really of the essence.
Absolutely. OK, let's open the floor to questions. Is there any question on Sudan?
on the expansion of the, uh, response plan. Um,
could you give us an idea of how recently
those refugees have arrived in those two new countries?
Is is that, um, recent or has that been over
a long period since the war began?
And what's your interpretation of, uh, why they're going to Libya?
I wouldn't imagine. It's a very
appealing country to go to. Are they headed on somewhere else? Thank you.
The, uh for Libya Refugees have been crossing really since the war began.
But it's true that since October of last year
a greater movement of people into Libya.
And I think in terms of the motivation here,
the fundamental point is that because war is continuing,
there is no safe space in Sudan.
what we're finding is that of course,
conditions are harsh. In some of those countries neighbouring Sudan,
we've seen an enormous amount of solidarity and support from host communities
in Chad in the central African public in south Sudan and elsewhere.
But ultimately, without the international support needed for those host states,
people will continue on looking for
a better life, a safe place.
And I think that's what's brought them there.
And it just speaks to the desperate
situation and desperate decisions that people are making
that they end up in a place like Libya, which is, of course, extremely,
extremely difficult for for refugees right now.
Thank you very much. Other questions.
I look at the room or the platform.
Don't see any other question on this. So thank you very much.
And very happy to have you with us.
And thanks, Vanessa, for this update.
Let me try and see if Fabien Sam
is back. And if we have the audio,
I can see you and see if we can hear you.
I can hear you now. Can you hear me?
Yes. It's a little bit far away, but I think we can We can go ahead. Let's try.
the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo
continues to face a complex and persistent humanitarian crisis,
which is seeing a rapid, sharp
and also alarming deterioration.
The situation today is not business as usual.
chief of mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
I'm extremely worried about the vulnerability space population.
We are bearing the brunt of this crisis.
The eastern provinces are characterised by the
presence of several active armed groups,
aggravating the ongoing cycle of violence,
causing significant displacements of population
and straining an already fragile humanitarian context.
As of October last year and the last
national round of the IUM dispersement tracking matrix,
6.9 million individuals were displaced around the country,
a figure that is expected to rise with the next report.
The data collection for the 2024 report is currently ongoing
Kula. At the end of May 2024 1.77 million people were displaced by the M 23 crisis,
making a 60% increase since the last report.
We are also receiving regular reports of attacks on displacement waves.
a massacre of around 42 individuals occurred in liberal territory
the strategically located town Kenya
Bonga has reportedly being seized by the N 23 rebelled groups.
The city of Goma is currently surrounded and isolated from its supply routes,
further deteriorating the SOCIO-ECONOMIC situation and living conditions.
Despite the authorities' continuous implementation of strategies
to reduce and crimes in the city,
theft, burglary, abuse and harassment continue to affect civilians,
including a large number of the displaced population.
We are witnessing an alarming increase in violation of protection of civilians.
The growing proximities of the front lines and the presence of weapons within and
significantly compromise the security of this space population.
Despite the advocacy of protection actors
and the broader international community,
these sites remain exposed to violence and violation of their civilian.
16 incidents have been reported in i DB side,
resulting in the death of at least 37 people
and injuring more than 50.
with an alarming increase in gender-based violence,
particularly sexual violence
and exploitation targeting women and girl in conflict areas,
the crisis is not confined to North
Almost 80,000 individuals have fled from North
since April 2024. Conflicts have intensified in Fiji territories, South
KU, causing repeated displacement of over 30,000 individuals.
The security situation in three provinces
remains also very volatile and unpredictable
with violation and abuse against civilians.
recent rising water levels in Lake Tanganyika,
heavy rains and overflowed rivers
have caused flooding and landside in several areas, especially across South Ku
and Tanganyika provinces,
This resulted in significant damages to infrastructure and agricultural lands,
displacing over 50,000 individuals.
humanitarian organisation remains committed to stay and deliver,
providing life saving support to people affected by the crisis.
the current response is not enough to meet the overwhelming needs.
The majority of this space population are staying with the whole family
while around 1 million are in site under
the Camp Coordinations and Camp Management umbrella.
421,000 resides in the 81 sites managed by IOM,
but we provided site and coordinate management,
shelter, water and sanitation facilities.
Both ID P in host communities and sites are experiencing overcrowding,
facing protection concerns and receiving limited assistance.
Access to essential resources such as food,
shelter and healthcare are the main needs, reported
the Humanitarian Response Plan 2024
which aims to assist 8.7 million people and requires $2.6
yet is nearly 16% funded as of May 2024
i UN as reflected in our crisis response plan, 2024
appeals for 190 million to target 2.4 million people.
Out of this, only 24.8 million have been receiving for humanitarian assistance.
as well as the humanitarian country team is looking
into improving efficiency and bringing durable solution to displacement.
But without an increase in humanitarian capacity and resources,
the catastrophic situation in the DC will continue to worsen.
the IUM Director General Henny Pope has been appointed as the advocate
of the Interagency Standing Committee for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
we will continue to advocate for continued support to the vulnerable population.
Provincial authorities and humanitarian peace Building
and development Organisation must collaborate to implement a stronger and
co ordinated response to provide immediate relief to this space
and to improve access to basic services.
we need to look for medium and long term job or solution,
including potential voluntary. I TB return when safe to do so
and addressing the underlying grievance and the root cause of the conflict.
Thank you very much, sir. Mercy
and on the platform. Not many questions this morning.
But thank you very much, sir, For this update,
I'm asking your colleagues in Geneva I'm looking at.
Uh, yes, you're on. You're nodding.
Um uh, the journalists are asking if you can share your notes and, um,
I'm sure your colleague in Geneva will do that.
Uh, so thanks again for this briefing
and let's move. We are still waiting. As I told you at the beginning
to join, we are not sure they'll make it, But in the meantime,
let me ask our colleagues of WMO to come to the podium.
who brought us and Claire Fontaine,
of officer of WMO on the tropical cyclone programme.
OK, so welcome. Colleagues from WMO I'll, uh, start with Claire.
two record breaking cyclones to talk about today.
One from last year and one unfortunately from now.
So to start with, the World Meteorological Organisation has
We had a very, very detailed, lengthy evaluation
with a team of experts from our Weather and climate
extremes archive who have said that
which crossed the entire Indian Ocean basin last February and January,
has set a new world record
as the longest lasting tropical cyclone on record at 36 days.
That was quite incredible.
It's always fascinating for weather geeks, people who love trivia.
But what we also need to bear in mind is the very real impacts
of this. So tropical Cyclone Freddy started
off the north west coast of Australia,
then made its way across to south eastern Africa where it had
It didn't make just one landfall,
which is what we normally see with the tropical cyclone.
in very vulnerable countries.
Mozambique, Madagascar also had big impacts in Malawi,
other southern African countries.
So the reason that we keep these records is
it's obviously of interest to
historians, but it's also really to inform
our changing climate and the impact of extreme weather.
Freddie was second only to Hurricane John
in terms of the number of days.
John still retains the record. John
travelled more than 13,000 kilometres
and to keep that in perspective,
that is nearly a third of the Earth's circumference.
Freddie travelled 12,785 kilometres, which is still not bad going.
So that's a new world record will be updated in the W
weather and climate extremes archive
and when we were preparing the briefing notes today,
I certainly was not expecting to
have to talk about another record breaking tropical cyclone. We are
the second of July. We do not normally talk about Category five hurricanes in July,
Hurricane Beryl is now at
Category five strength that is the top level on the Sapphire Simpson scale.
It developed very, very rapidly
over the weekend. It started the weekend as a tropical storm
within the space of 24 hours. It became a Category four storm first ever in June,
and now today it's intensified into a Category five storm.
Category five hurricane on record in the Atlantic,
Caribbean and Central American Basin,
sets a precedent for what we fear is going to be a very, very, very active, very,
very dangerous hurricane season which will impact the entire basin.
number of factors are involved here,
which my colleague Anne Claire Fontaine will elaborate on.
One of them is the very warm
ocean surface temperatures. Sea surface temperatures
have been at record level global level for 14 months. Now that is until the end of May.
We'll get the figures for June, hopefully later this week.
So we've got very, very warm waters
and we need to bear in mind that
it only takes one landfall hurricane
to set back decades of development.
fear what is happening with Hurricane Beryl, which has hit
very small islands in the Caribbean who are not used to this size of hurricane.
We fear that this is going to have a major knock on socio economic development
making our top priority the early warnings for all campaign,
just to make sure that people get those early warnings they need.
So with that, my voice is getting hoarse I'll pass over to Anne Claire Fontaine,
who is a scientific officer in the tropical cyclone programme who can elaborate.
Thank you for having me today.
Just a few more information regarding Hurricane Beryl
Claire mentioned about the rapid intensification,
but it is at this time of the year.
It is completely atypical to have a system going from
which is the basic to a major hurricane like that
in less than 48 hours precisely in 42 hours.
And there is as well the fact that it is.
the earliest Category four hurricane we have since
all the records we have in this area.
So one of the explanation is, of course, the fact that the oceans are very warm.
the area where it's warm. It's called the main development region.
It is the place in the ocean where the hurricanes are developing,
it's the warmest ever that we have currently.
So it's not the only reason, of course, but it's one of the reasons for this kind of,
for the potential of fueling this hurricane and becoming so intense.
is a kind of illustration of what the I
PC is predicting regarding the
evolution of the tropical cyclones within in a
it's really about rapid intensifying,
more intense, associated with more rainfall
and with storm surge that are exacerbated by the sea level rise.
So it's really a textbook case about this hurricane burial.
Now burial is a Category five. After having impacted Grenada,
it keeps on intensifying within the Caribbean Sea.
there should be some impact for the south coast of Hispaniola,
which is now in tropical Storm Warning
and, uh, for tomorrow on Wednesday uh, the National Hurricane Centre, who is uh
centre for the tropical cyclone. Forecasting is expecting
hurricane conditions for Jamaica,
so Jamaica there is some expectation of destructive winds.
Heavy rainfall 100 to 200 millimetres during the episodes
storm surge as well. It will be 1.5 to 2 metres higher than the normal tide
and further further during the week,
Cayman Islands will be on the target and they expect that
hurricane burial, while weakening,
will make a landfall in Belize in
So this is what I could tell. Now if you have any questions
just to say we have sent out the briefing notes,
there's a lot of quite detailed facts and figures, so if you haven't got them,
just let me know and I'll send them again.
But you should have them.
OK, so let's start with, uh, Christian Christian Erich, Uh,
our correspondent of the German news agency EPA.
This microphone is still not working on that side. So I'm
I have two questions. One is, uh, to clear on record means since when?
If we say this is the Freddie was the strongest on record. So since when?
And, uh, another question to the expert. Can you explain in layman's terms, why
warm surface ocean temperatures fuel a hurricane?
on record. Normally, for climate records, we talk about 1850. But for
for the weather and climate extremes archives,
we actually use different baselines.
According to the according to the according to the category.
So for the longevity of tropical cyclones, I will double check.
But I would imagine that it probably wouldn't go back much further than the middle
of the 20th century, I will double check. But I know as part of this
evaluation they also re evaluated the data for Tropical for Hurricane John,
And they said that one of the reasons was the information
we've got now is actually so much better than they had
Having said that, the heat record that we have, which is Death Valley,
that is from that dates back to, I think, 1912 or 1919, 14. So
it varies, according according to the category.
But they do take this very seriously,
painstaking in their evaluations,
I would say that about the records and the tropical cyclones.
since the satellite era. We can assess very precisely this kind of records.
Before the satellite era, we couldn't see all the planets, of course,
so we couldn't assess precisely what was going on regarding the tropical cyclones
regarding the ocean. It's basically the energy. It's like the
petrol you put in your car.
It's really the energy that fueled the hurricanes
really without the warmth of the ocean,
the energy they will not be able to develop.
And actually when when you have tropical cyclones
and when you follow on the satellite imagery
the difference of the city of
high temperature you can see there is a strong cooling down to
So it's really one of the ingredients for tropical cyclones to develop.
It's really the energy that is
within the 60 metres deep into the ocean.
That's not simple enough to a Christian
I'm writing for that would say to me The ocean is here and the hurricane is there.
How does that work? You know? Does the
ocean water is sucked into the air or what happens?
So really in layman terms, please.
Well, the hurricane is not up in the air.
It's through from the surface of the water, up to the very high, as high as the
evaporation from the ocean that feeds the tropical cyclones that feed the
air and the air goes into the spiralling into the tropical cyclones.
So everything is interconnected. This is why W
often talks about an earth system
approach. This is why, as an example, El Nino, La Nina.
It's not just the atmosphere. It's not just the ocean. It's a combination of the two.
So with hurricanes, it takes two to tango. You cannot have a very strong,
powerful Category five hurricane with cold ocean waters.
As Anne Claire said, it's like petrol into the car's engine.
There are other factors as well.
Wind shear and things. But one of the core ingredients is
this ocean, which is this ocean heat.
Thank you very much. If there are no other questions, let me see on the platform.
Sorry. Jamie Keaton is our Associated Press
I just Could you explain what, if any,
connection there is with global warming and human anthropogenic
global warming? For these, uh,
increased, uh, increasingly long, uh, or this increasingly long, uh, storm.
And the case with Beryl at the moment
on the longevity. And Claire can correct me.
I'm not aware of any literature which says that
climate change is making hurricanes longer,
and Claire can correct me, but certainly on intensification.
Uh, thank you. So yes. Regarding the IPCC
what they say at the last report. It's really about
the frequency of the tropical cyclones.
It's expected not to change or even decrease a little bit.
But there will be a shift towards more intense
tropical cyclones worldwide
and within a warmer atmosphere
It's a possibility for them to absorb more water so they
will be associated with a far more important amount of rain.
And so this is for this is the findings. The
findings now the storm surge as well,
When they are associated with tropical cyclones,
storm surges are posing a real threat as well because
you know the sea level rise
because of the expansion of the ocean because of the fact that glaciers are melting.
So this is a real threat as well, coming with the global
is thinking about her readers. I'm thinking about mine. What? What?
What is the message for people to take away from these kind of new storms?
does there need to be stepped up action to combat climate
change to help reduce these storm surges and help reduce?
I mean, do people need to start being even more concerned, um,
about global warming when they hear about storms like this.
more extreme weather and hurricanes is just one example
action. We need to take action is something our secretary general, Celeste
over and over again. The climate crisis is the overriding challenge
that humanity faces. It's connected with other crises, but it is the overriding
climate crisis. We need to
really take urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions to get to
carbon neutrality. Otherwise, we are going to be seeing more and more of these
individual government level
Governments obviously have made a lot of progress in
both in forecasts but also in preparedness. There's better co ordination now with
disaster risk management authorities in the US, for instance,
In many island nations you have weather ready
campaigns and this is really helping people.
How to spot the danger signals, how to act on them
and how to protect yourselves and your loved ones.
the mortality rate from tropical cyclones has really
fallen dramatically in the past 50 years,
success story. If we can call it a success story,
but we can do much more. And this is why
the World Meteorological Organisation. We are one of the partners in the UN
in the international early warnings for all campaign
initiated by the UN Secretary General. You know,
it's not good enough just to issue an early warning. We need to make sure
reaches the people who needs them and that they can act on that information.
Thank you very much. Uh, thanks for this briefing, Miss
Uh, let's now go to Gaza.
Uh, as I told you at the beginning, you've seen on the programme. We had to have a
um, the region of the letter for the eastern Mediterranean
and Rick Peppercorn, both from WH OS. You know,
however, apparently they are still in the hospital, so they have not yet
hit a place where they can talk to us. But, uh, we are very happy to have with us.
Um, Luis, as you know, because she spoke to you already
is the senior communications officer and spokesperson for UN
She's talking to us from Gaza.
I welcome her. So we will hear from Luis.
And then we will see with, uh with, uh, Margaret who is connected
whether you have questions for WHO and or if
the colleagues from WHO can can join, uh, while we are still connected.
So let me start with Louise and Margaret is appearing on our screens,
so she's ready to take answers in case
Louis welcome. And thank you very much for being with us.
Um, I'll give you the floor. Uh, because you wanted to give us an update
New evacuation orders from Easter canIs,
Yes, thank you. So, in Eastern
new evacuation orders. Uh, displacement orders issued last night.
Already on the ground, we have seen people moving families moving,
um, people starting to pack up their belongings, um,
and try and lead this area.
UNRWA estimates that around 250,000 people have been impacted by these orders.
Um, of course, as usual, we expect these numbers to grow, but,
you know, for us, this is,
uh it's another devastating blow to the humanitarian response here.
It's another devastating blow for the the people and the families on the ground.
It seems that they are forcibly being displaced.
you know, making these decisions is now impossible. How do parents
decide where to go? Where is there to go already?
In our drive this morning,
just through the middle Gaza area along the coastal road you
can see the makeshift shelters right up to the shoreline,
right up to the water coming in.
It is absolutely packed with family who have already had to move.
just a few weeks ago was a ghost town. I was there myself.
It was completely empty because there's so
much damage and destruction in this area.
There is so limited infrastructure
in terms of water availability in terms of resources.
incursion and military operation there that is
forced families back into this area.
And now already because of the orders last night,
these same families are having to move again.
We do not have this answer. There is absolutely no safe place in the Gaza Strip.
This is something we have maintained for the duration of this war,
but really physical space we're talking about. Now where do these families go?
Where can they physically go? Families in in the Gaza Strip are trapped here.
There is not an option to leave.
There is so much military operations in the north, from Beit Hanoun
to Gaza City in the middle area.
Last night we had bombardments All through the night
we had airstrikes very near to where we are.
We are staying ourselves in the Nusra
We have bombardments in Karas
With all of this military operation ongoing.
It is very difficult for families to make this decision. It's a very highly
military zone. There is no safety to leave.
reported earlier in the year, 17,000 Children are unaccompanied or separated.
What about these Children? What decisions are these Children making?
What about the elderly? What about the sick? It is over 30
°C here every day. There is very limited availability for fresh drinking water.
It is not easy for anyone of
full health to be able to be making such a move.
In the circumstances that we are facing now
there is trash everywhere. There is disease spreading
this The options on the ground are very,
very difficult for for families and and for people here to be making.
And and thank you for having me today and over to any questions.
Thank you very much, Louise, for coming and briefing us.
I'll open the floor to questions now
and again. As I said, Margaret is there. If you needed to ask her anything,
Hi, Louise. Thanks for briefing us again.
Um, you mentioned 250,000 had been impacted by these orders.
And and and do you have a account for the newly displaced within sort of 24 hours?
Do you know roughly how many
people have been newly displaced? Um, any update on the fuel situation? I.
I know your operations were grounded. Um, for a while over the last week.
in And can you operate? Thank you,
So, yes. Thank you. So these, um, recent orders came through overnight.
We mobilised teams almost immediately to the areas,
and we are trying to get some kind of count on.
So we will be reporting those counts if you keep watch of the UN
R, a Twitter feed that will update with the most recent numbers. 250,000.
Is our estimate for the entire area impacted.
But we will be updating regularly with the
the numbers of people moving
throughout the coming days in terms of the fuel. Yes, we did receive some fuel. It was
two days ago. We received some fuel.
So we have now some limited fuel for the vehicles.
Diesel and fuel is both still restricted. We're still,
you know, operating on a on a day by day basis.
And it really restricts the humanitarian response when we don't
have the ability to plan long term knowing when we will receive fuel,
knowing how much fuel will reach us.
in order to keep, you know, hospital generators, running desalination plants,
and, of course, the fuel for our vehicles as well.
So as always, we are We are really living hand to mouth.
in this humanitarian response and just to add that the the
most recent evacuation orders will severely impact our ability to reach
crossing as well. This area is is where we have been driving through.
Of course, we used to be based in Rafa
until the military operations there. We have now since been operating out of Nusa
crossing with the aid we do travel through Khan
So this evacuation order also impacts our ability to
receive aid and distribute aid to the population.
Uh, the question IN the room before I go to the platform.
So can you tell us which direction are these, Uh,
evacuees going and And are they going south to Rapa,
which also have some evacuation orders in recent weeks,
Or are they going to the coast?
Um, so, uh, if you have more information and also I know it's difficult, but
the total of people that have left uh,
is in in recent months. Thank you.
you know, a family by family basis. When the
Rafa military operation began,
people were making decisions based on what they could do,
how far they could move as family.
Like I said, there's people with the elderly people with the sick.
So for each family they will be making
decisions based on what they can do themselves,
maybe where they have other family.
Our understanding so far is people are going towards the West,
so that is towards the coast.
But we will have more information on this throughout the day and as this
unfolds and we also have a lack of as we have for eight months,
a severe lack of communication is on the ground.
So even to communicate with our own staff who are currently out reporting on this,
it's very difficult for us to to receive this information,
even those ourselves in Gaza in real time,
because the coms continuously cuts out because
of the fuel restrictions that we have.
So all of these things they're not only
impacting our ability to have the humanitarian response,
but also our reporting and communications
among each other becomes very difficult.
So, as I said as soon as we have more information on this,
we will be sharing across our platforms, Um,
in terms of the numbers from
this is something that I will be able to look up and get back to you on.
But there were 1.4 million people originally in in Ra
before May 6th. Um, these people, you know, relocated to various areas, including
Kunis. 250,000 people impacted by the current evacuation orders there.
Thank you very much, Louise.
I see Margaret wants to add something, and I see Richard Peppercorn is now just, uh,
Margaret, you wanna say something on the question of Antonio?
I was going to actually give a quick update on the health situation because
I was concerned that my colleagues would not make it in time given the
logistical difficulties. But
if if if doctor peppercorns joined already.
Uh, yeah, I was just going to give a very quick update on, uh, the situation in, uh
the health situation that that the system's lost 70% of its bed capacity
and there are no functioning hospitals in ruffell for the third consecutive week.
Um, except for the IC RC field hospital and fuel shortages, as as Antonio asked,
are impacting health functionality
The generators at the hospitals are barely
functioning as they've been operating over time
and the limited access to electricity fuel. And so,
hinders the proper functioning of health facilities and aid operations.
Uh, power blackouts particularly affect, uh, newborn and IC U,
uh, services and kidney dialysis,
putting people who are desperately or critically ill
at risk. But if doctor peppercorns joined and we've got,
Thank you very much. Uh, Margaret? Yes, I see. Richard, um,
don't see the other colleague, but maybe they're in the same room.
I don't know, But in any case, just before I give the floor to to Rick, um,
just if there is any other specific question to Louise,
uh, on on what you just told us
I don't see any. So, uh, Louis, if you can and want to stay uh, please do.
Uh, and now we will listen to,
uh, the other colleagues from, uh, WHO.
So we have Eric doesn't need to be introduced, of course, but I see also, uh,
another colleague who has joined, maybe, is Doctor
Balki. Is that Yes, I see her nodding.
Bakki, as I said, is the regional director for the eastern Mediterranean for
so I don't know who would like to start to give us an update on the health situation.
I think you were just coming out of the hospital right there.
thank you very much. Um, I will go first, Rick, and then I will hand over to you.
Thank you so much. Thank you very much.
And, uh, again sorry a little bit for the, uh, slight delay that we had.
Um, it's a pleasure to be with you today. Um,
we we can hear you, madam.
OK, I arrived, of course, to the occupied Palestinian territory on Sunday
with the goal of gaining some firsthand insights into the scale of the health
crisis most pronounced of course in Gaza and escalating in the West Bank.
When I took office as the regional director in February this year, the crisis in ASA
had already reached catastrophic levels.
Today the situation continues to deteriorate rapidly
in my meetings with partners and senior UN
S, UN officials, um, on Sunday and yesterday on one message was clear.
WHO and humanitarian and partners are committed to staying and delivering in Gaza.
We have the capacity and the resources needed to alleviate the
catastrophic suffering of the people in Raza and that are facing.
But lack and enabling environment to expand our
operations is one of our biggest challenges.
So we need peace and we need sustained humanitarian access
the WHO teams are working tirelessly to save lives
and resuscitate and restore the the health system.
Today, WHO has procured $30 million worth of medicines and medical supplies,
59% of which has already been delivered to the Raza
Uh, we have also provided and continue, uh,
efforts to provide fuel to hospitals in dire need.
International emergency medical teams co-ordinated by WHO have conducted
around 900,000 medical consultations and 25,000 surgical operations in 2024
medical evacuation of 4913 patients
have been supported by WHO and partners.
Together with them, we have also worked to
to restore NASA medical complex and ship a
hospital and specialised services such as dialysis, emergency care, surgery,
orthopaedics, burn care, laboratory services and maternity and paediatric care.
But these efforts, faced with obstructions, denials,
delays and great risk to the safety of our own teams cannot
replace a well functioning health system that is so desperately needed in
Until a sustainable solution to this crisis is found,
our work will continue to face challenges.
One key challenge is shortage of fuel,
which is needed to keep all humanitarian operations, including health
running the needed at the needed capacity.
Since the closure of the Rafah border,
which was the main entry point for fuel in Tereza,
our health response operations have been significantly compromised.
27th of June, only 195 200,000 litres of fuel entered Raza
Sharon border to be shared by all sectors, including health, wash,
Since then, no fuel has entered Raza
to maintain full operations. Health alone needs 80,000 litres of fuel a day.
The water and sanitation sector alone needs another 70,000 litres of fuel
a day to operate critical services that remain accessible that remain accessible.
As a result, hospitals are once again short on fuel,
risking disruption to critical services.
Injured people are dying because ambulance services
are facing delays due to shortage of fuel
fuel shortages are also affecting essential water and sanitation services such as
water delivery, sewage pumping, trash collection and trash collection.
So from June 15th to 23rd,
the water and sanitation cluster received less than 5% of the fuel needed each day
to keep these services running.
water services water service providers are forced to ration operations of
municipal groundwater wells and the two working water desalination plants,
reducing water production even more.
Lack of safe water and sanitation is
significantly contributing to the spread of diseases.
There are concerning increases in the number of adults and
Children suffering from waterborne diseases such as hepatitis A,
diarrheal illnesses, skin conditions and others.
This situation must be prevented from worsening,
potentially leading to devastating consequences.
Closure of the Rafah border crossing is also preventing critically
ill patients from receiving the specialised medical care they need outside
While a few patients were able to be evacuated recently via K
more than 10,000 patients remain stranded inside the strip,
Medical evacuation corridors must be urgently established for the sustained,
organised, safe and timely passage of critically ill patients from
Haza via all possible routes.
to Egypt, West Bank, East Jerusalem and from there to other countries
Hospital in east Jerusalem yesterday, where I visited,
the hospital director told me that the facility
is ready to receive up to 100 patients from
Haza as soon as they can be medically evacuated.
The hospital has the capacity today to provide
specialised services for even the most critical cases.
Patients in Gaza should have timely access to the medical care they need
and that can be provided and is available less than one hour away.
I saw triplets almost 10 months old who were born prematurely before the war in
Gaza. Their mother had to travel to Raza
to take care of her other Children since
the infants needed extended care in the incubator.
in the neonatal care area.
Once we, uh, we started, she was unable, Um,
once the war started, she was unable to return to Al
and has not seen her babies since.
And that was quite heartbreaking.
I also saw a baby, a boy scheduled for surgery for hydrocephalus,
which his parents and siblings remain in
Reza, unable to be with him.
There are just these are some of just the realities and not
the worst case realities on the restrictions of access and their consequences.
I hope to visit the West Bank
where the situation is becoming increasingly volatile.
Attacks on health care have reached alarming levels
and access to health care is further impacted,
health service and delivery.
The need for a sustainable solution in the
occupied Palestinian territory is more urgent than ever.
Despite the challenges, WHO
and our partners are unwavering in their
commitment to provide critical health services.
a long term solution to this crisis requires concerted effort from
all international communities to resume
and continue with political discussions,
to address the root causes of this conflict and to create peace.
the implications of the crisis extend beyond the
impacting regional health security as hostilities
also escalate in Lebanon and Syria.
Only through collective action can we ensure that people
receive the health care they desperately need and deserve.
we need peace today to secure access for all the people within Gaza, the West Bank,
and to save the fragile health care systems that exist in the
neighbouring countries and in money and in many within the region.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to this cause. And over to you.
Ok, thank you very much, madam. Thank you. And I understand. Uh, Rick Peppercorn
has something to add about the visit to the hospital right now.
Thank you very much. Um, and thank you very much. Also, Doctor
on three areas first, of course. Uh, European
So we've seen and and and and all of
you have witnessed the latest evacuation orders in K.
it includes the European Gaza hospital area.
And I want to stress, though the hospital itself
is not under evacuation order. A hospital like that is like an island.
And I think the health workers, unfortunately have witnessed several times that
that when the military activities expanse
around that hospital, first of all,
health workers live often closed cannot come now.
They are They have evacuated.
they cannot come to the, uh to the hospital.
Patients cannot access ambulance can access.
We WHO cannot come with medical supplies, fuel, water, et cetera, so very quickly
that hospitals have you seen over time they become from partly functional, non
functional and this time the the hospital staff and and the
the patients. They decided to already evacuate themselves.
Very sense that yesterday,
reportedly 270 patients self evacuated along with medical staff,
mainly to the NASA medical complex.
This morning more patients were evacuated and only three patients remain
at small European Gaza Hospital and three in the IC C
So the majority of the patients have been referred to NASA Medical Complex
and the the the the Hospital National
Health. They have requested
now valuable medical equipment and supplies out of the hospital.
So the HO will be trying to support and will be supporting this mission
whenever that is, Uh, uh,
feasible And again, European Gaza
was one of the few remaining
key referral hospitals south by
Gaza, where the majority of the population is 1.9 million
which we know became nonfunctional and then incredibly work resilience for the,
uh, the the Gazan health workers, together with WHO and partners,
make it partly functional again. The hospital is already all well needs more fuel.
We try to uh WHO is trying to resupply the hospital and also expand
how to ex at that capacity,
with another 100 beds on top of the current capacity of 450 beds,
to the hospital functionality.
Currently 16 out of 36 hospital partly functional 43 out of
99 primary healthcare centres are partly functional from the field hospitals.
Eight of the 10 field hospitals are functional, four fully four partially,
and I want to stress on the partly functional hospital,
12 are partially accessible due to insecurity, physical barriers and damage.
It even gives a better picture than it really is because the larger hospitals as
as we know they are, they are nonfunctional.
The only functional is the trauma stabilisation point,
and that's where most beds hospital beds are.
and and and this is important not only just for health, so from
the based on our data from 25 to 27 June
only 195,200 litres of fuel enter Gaza via
to be shared by all sectors so that
nutrition Think about bakeries and all that. So
since then, no fuel has, um,
has actually entered Gaza.
WHO actually delivered to
for it to remain part, uh, functional. All hospitals
in in some areas, part of the hospital.
Because of the lack of fuel, they have to save on fuel on, uh on
constantly the water and sanitation, or wash sector alone needs 70,000
litres of fuel a day, and the house
sector needs 80,000 fuel per day to operate critical services.
So, as a result, once again, short and full,
risking disruption of critical servers, injured people, et cetera, and
morbidity and unnecessary morbidity and mortality.
Ambulance services, of course, delays your shortage of fuel as well. So it's
WHO is trying to keep hospital resupply with fuel and medical supplies.
and is compromising our operation, actually compromising our
the latest fuel we delivered was on 29 of June.
The 10,000 litres of fuel come out at one.
And it is, of course, quite striking that nine months in this crisis.
We still talk about something basic as fuel.
Thank you very much for your attention. Over
Indeed. You're absolutely right.
OK, so let's see if there are any questions.
I think you've been extremely exhaustive. Um, don't see any
Uh uh, the Spanish news agency Antonio brought on the line. Antonio.
Thank you. Uh, my question is for Ms
if the attacks to health, uh, installations in Gaza have, uh,
been reduced in the recent weeks.
And, uh, if, uh, it happens, uh, that this this is the case.
If, uh, the situation, uh, on health services is also improving.
Yes, thank you very much. I'll take the beginning,
then I'll hand it over to Rick, Uh, for the, uh, for more details. Of course.
The health situation and the health, uh, infrastructure and services have been
extremely damaged and, uh, destructed,
but I will hand it over to Rick for the actual details of the numbers over to you, Rick.
So, um, of course, and and and
as well. We've seen the evacuation order, so that's very likely.
There will be military activities in that area around gas.
So we plea. I mean, that that
the European guys hospital
will be spared. There will be no damage. So
we I cannot say that over the last week we have have not seen more attacks on
We just I just want to say WHO because I it's always a little bit confusing about that.
Assembly by all member states
to analyse and to report on attacks on health care
and that we we doing that in all conflicts, the acute conflicts,
the chronic conflicts all over the the world.
the Gaza we reported, uh, 474
related to that so seven or 40 people were killed in those attacks.
961 people were injured in these attacks and
128 health workers remain detained and arrested.
We have seen 103 health facilities affected
and 32 hospitals damaged.
And besides that, one of 13 hospitals ambulances affected
Peppercorn. Just a clarification. Uh, on the European Gaza Hospital.
Did did the staff also leave, uh, along with the patients
And just more broadly, in middle and southern areas of Gaza.
How are the field hospitals? Um, coping?
Because it seems to me they're trying to do the job of
real hospitals with all of the equipment
and infrastructure and personnel that they have.
So how are they coping with this task of trying to
replace them? Do they have what they need, um, to do,
for example, complicated surgery from the injuries coming in.
How are they coping with that challenge?
Ok, thank you very much for the question.
yes. Most staff have left, uh, also the European guys hospital.
there are still three patients remaining with some staff and IC FC.
Uh, field Hospital also reported to us as, uh, three patients as well,
and and I think the IC C.
But I understand. At least that's what
I understood from yesterday evening. 10 IC C staff are also still remaining
in, uh, European Gaza or in the adjacent IC OC Field Hospital, which is part
of the European Gaza complex.
Now you raise a good point. So first of all, I still think that
what I said that the the partly function hospitals
and and and I describe them, uh um uh, to you
the focus on the health functionality
that the 16 out of the 36 hospital
most of the, uh of the secondary and referral care,
including the 43 out of 99 primary healthcare, uh, services.
The eight out of the 10 field hospitals are
unfortunately, increasingly important.
And eight out of 10 where four are working fully and four partially.
For example, if you look at
was used at three hospitals,
none of those three hospitals are functional.
field hospital IC UC Fields Hospital, which is functioning in that area.
and where you go to, Uh, so there's
others, uh, and UK met Field Hospital, which is in Khanun in
and the IC Hospital in DBA.
There's a few other places where there's, um, uh, field hospitals, P,
that's actually still one of the partly functioning hospitals as well.
So there's a small string of field hospitals, mainly along the coast
uh, and and and, uh, along the coast and and also assisting
and yeah, they they're becoming increasingly, uh, relevant.
And some of the like IC a sea hospital UK Medfield Hospital I MC Field Hospital,
which are, I would say, the bigger field hospitals.
They get a lot of referrals from other places.
Uh, and and we as well the EHO refer to that.
All the hospitals, including the field hospitals,
they suffer the same problems they suffer from the the lack of fuel as well,
because we will help to provide
and including some of the medical supplies, consumer
consumable and essential medicines
Thank you very much. I don't see other hands up, so thank you.
very, very much for this really fresh briefing out of, uh
oh, sorry. Sorry. I. I There is a There is a a
last minute hand from, uh, the A FP. Please.
Thanks for taking my question. It was about the
Doctor that has been liberated,
morning and has accused the Israelis of
being having been tortured with other prisoners.
if you had a chance to talk to him, to see him to contact him.
And can you give us any? If so, can you give us any idea
of the allegations If they're if they're true? Thanks.
Um, it's a question to me.
Yeah, I think he asked you or whoever else in W-2 wants to answer. I don't know if
I wanna say. Well, first of all, we welcome the release. Um
we welcome the release. Uh, no. None of the WHO staff have actually, uh, talked,
uh, to the director of, um,
about the well being of health workers
that remain in detention and and and And
we've been raising this, uh, for months and for months.
And of course, and not only we many other organisation UN has raised that,
not only concerned we also call for their immediate immediate release.
I think Chris has a follow up.
Ok, so that I think, was the last question. Thank you very much. Uh, really,
To Louise, Uh uh. To Margaret, Of course, to the
Um and that leads me to our last two briefers.
opportunity to develop more economic
online. Uh, turn to David. David
David. Thanks for your patience. You also have a a quick announcement
of an event, I think in July.
Yeah, Not at all. Thank you.
Thank you. All this under
the, um, just an announcement that, uh, Giga, the joint ITU UNICEF
initiative, which aims to connect every school
will hold the first Giga Connectivity Forum next week.
Uh, reporters are invited to cover the opening session
of the Giga Connectivity Forum in person
That runs from nine o'clock to about 1230.
Location is ITU headquarters.
Registration is required.
Um, but we will try to make that simple for you if we can. Uh, we would just request a,
uh, an email to press reg at itu.int to, um, request accreditation
High level representatives from government ministries
and experts from countries that are engaged
with Giga the initiative again that aims to connect schools to the Internet.
And they share experiences of their experiences of how
they've connected school their schools to the Internet.
Thank you very much. I see Emma as a question for you.
a meeting that took place at the ITU last week with the radio regulations board.
I I'm just curious now that, uh, that board has has found has condemned Russia
for its actions, its harmful interference in other countries, satellites.
I'm just wondering, what could it potentially do?
What tools does the IT US RR be have have at its disposal?
Could it potentially sanction Russia down the line or exclude Russia?
Are there any kind of things that it could actively any steps it could actively do
down the line. Thank you.
Yeah. So the the radio Regulations board did meet
last week, as it does up to about four times a year, 24th to the 28th of June. It met
The, uh, summary decisions of those meetings are available.
there's there's really not much that that that I would offer beyond that,
the the decisions that the RRB have presented
are are are are listed in
in the summary of decisions and those give you a sense of of how the RRB works
and how they could pursue these These, uh, matters
with the interest of ensuring that there's
radio communications are free of harmful interference.
Thank you very much, Jamie. Is that a question?
Yeah. I mean, I if I could just follow up on that.
I mean, I don't think you really answered Emma's question. She's trying to find out
what, uh, tools that ITU has at as it at its disposal
to possibly enforce those decisions.
Can you just tell us procedurally how that works?
Procedurally, the matters are raised before the board.
The contributions are made, and those are listed
on R RBS website. Uh, RB will take up matters that are presented to it, and
it's during its sessions.
And then it will release, uh through the summary of decisions.
one can tell how the RRB kind of considers these matters
and the types of provisions or that it tries to provide for
to to settle any sort of,
uh, matter between administrations.
So the some of your decisions are fairly complete,
and they do give a sense of of how the RB approaches its work to again
ensure that radio communications are run free of harmful interference.
You want to go ahead with it? No, it's OK. Ok, thank you very much. Thanks, David.
Thanks for your patience again.
Just a very quick couple of announcements for the end.
Just to remind you that the Human Rights Committee,
which opened yesterday its 141st session,
will begin the exam of the report of Croatia this afternoon and the other countries.
That's what I wanted to give you. I don't know if you have already
look at the list of countries to be examined.
We looked at this session are Croatia, as I said.
But Malta, Honduras, Maldives, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic and India.
And in terms of press conferences, I remind you of the background briefing
that the human rights High Commissioner for K
Turk will give on Wednesday on
Wednesday, the third of July at 1030. This is in Pale
Wilson. It's a background briefing again,
I think he will take a short
Q and a on record at the end of the briefing. So that is at 1030 at Pale,
and then on Thursday, Fourth of July at 2 p.m.
and the Mixed Migration Centre will launch their new report on
risk phase by refugees and migrants on the central Mediterranean route.
The title is on this journey. Nobody cares if you live or die.
Everything is under embargo until Friday, the fifth of July at 1030
the speakers will be Vinson
that you know well. The UN
for the Western and Central Mediterranean situation,
National Office for the Mediterranean
and chief of Mission for Italy,
Malta and representative for the Oly
the director of the Mixed Migration Centre.
And as you have heard from Catrin, there will be a press conference on 10. But
we don't have the time yet. She will keep us updated.
So if there are no other questions I'd like to
thank you all for following this very long briefing.
Very interesting briefing
and bona petit. And I'll see you on Friday. Thank you.
