Thank you for joining us here at the UN office at Geneva for this press briefing today, the 5th of July.
We have a couple of agenda items for you today.
We have updates from colleagues from OCHA and the IFRC on Hurricane Barrel.
We also have a colleague joining us from Rome from the FAO who will provide a monthly update on the global food commodity prices.
So immediately, I'll turn over to Vanessa of OCHA for an update from Ocha on Hurricane Barrel.
We have an update for you today on Hurricane burial, which as you've heard, is the strongest hurricane in history in the Atlantic Ocean during the months of June.
But it's also very unique in its rapid intensification.
So hurricane burial left a trail of destruction in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on Monday 1st July as a Category 4 hurricane.
And it then impacted Jamaica on Wednesday on July 3rd.
It could also impact Belize and Mexico today and over the weekend.
Humanities assessments are ongoing and will continue so that we can get a full picture of the extent of the damages.
But according to current estimates, some 40,000 people have been impacted in Saint Vincent and Grenadines, more than 100,000 in Grenada and 920,000 people in Jamaica.
But again we are still in the very early days of the emergency.
So these figures need to to be taken with cautious and we will continue assessment and hopefully we'll get a clearer picture as the assessment progress.
Also as we speak, we spoke to some colleagues and it seems that we have some limited information, for example on Jamaica.
So we hope that during the day we will be able to join colleagues and see how it is moving in that direction.
In Grenada, our partners say that hurricane caused extreme damage to the islands of Kariaku and Petit Martinique, where 70% and 97% of buildings were damaged respectively.
In Saint Vincent and Grenadines, 90% of homes on Union Islands were affected, while on the island of Kanwon, nearly all building sustained damages, with roofs ripped off and several shortages of water and electricity reported.
We continue to support and work closely with the authorities, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Agency and our partner to assess and respond to the devastation caused by hurricane burial.
We have deployed teams from Ocha's regional office who are already supporting from Barbados.
We are also deploying emergency managers from the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team and that teams, one and that team will go to Barbados and the other one will to support the response in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines while the other one will go to Jamaica.
We could also send an additional team if needed to Belize.
As you've heard, 4 million has been made available from the Central Emergency Response Fund to kick start a humanitarian response and our teams are also working on an appeal and we hope to give you more details during the day.
Just to add and after I will leave the floor to our colleagues on my FRC and I think they will agree with that.
We have been preparing for this hurricane season.
I would say that such a strong storm this early is extremely rare and it's also a warning for the anticipated very intense hurricane season that is coming.
Thank you very much for this all throwing out to Tomasso.
And we'll introduce his guest who I would like to thank for joining us from Port of Spain.
It's I think very early 4:30 in the morning there.
But you can introduce her.
Thank you, Rolando, and thank you, Vanessa for what you just said.
And I yes, we totally agree and we shared the concern for this Aricane, Aricane season.
So today with us, we have Reya Pierre, who is our IFRC disaster Manager for the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean.
And she will update journalists on the Red Cross response and needs that we have seen the different countries.
And let me just take also Rolando and thanking Reya for being with us such a early time for her in the middle of the night.
Hi, good morning everyone and thank you for having me.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is concerned about the severe impact of Hurricane BARREL, which rapidly developed and intensified into the earliest hurricane to reach a Category 5 intensity in the Atlantic Ocean.
Initially monitored as a tropical system, in 42 hours, BARREL escalated into a devastating hurricane that has affected several Caribbean islands.
Climate change has likely played a significant role in the rapid intensification of storms like BARREL.
The hotter than normal sea surface temperatures in the southern Atlantic and the Caribbean are acting as catalysts for storms, causing them to strengthen quickly into major hurricanes.
Unfortunately, this new reality of unprecedented hurricanes is becoming the annual and ever present reality for the Caribbean countries who are facing the brunt of climate change.
The severity of damages in the aftermath of Hurricane Barrel are tangible and devastating.
Red Cross teams on the ground have confirmed that Barrel's life threatening rains and winds have severely impacted the most vulnerable populations in Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados and Jamaica.
Barrel brushed Jamaica's southern coast on Wednesday, bringing heavy rainfall and damaging winds.
This is the strongest hurricane to strike Jamaica in almost 17 years since Hurricane Dean in 2007.
Red Cross volunteers pre positioned essential relief items at branches and distributed blankets, cots, hygiene kits, topplings to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and to vulnerable communities.
Social media was utilised to share early warning and risk communication messages ensuring public safety and preparedness in Saint Vincent's on the ground and beans.
The passage of Hurricane Barrel was felt across the entire country.
It is estimated that roughly 90% of Grenadine Islands have been impacted.
From critical infrastructure to housing, Barrel left no stone unturned.
Grenadians are reliving the traumas of Hurricane Ivan as Barrel meets landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, completely destroying the islands of Caricou and Piti Martinique.
A state of emergency remains in these islands where the official count of those in shelters is still unknown and communication channels are severely limited.
In both countries, Red Cross volunteers are supporting assessments and relief efforts, including supplies of hygiene kits, cleaning kits, blankets and kitchen sets, which have all been dispatched to the affected islands.
In Barbados, the fishing industry has been severely impacted with over 200 fishing boats damaged or destroyed.
Red Cross volunteers are supporting damage and needs assessments and collaborating with local authorities to aid shipments to neighbouring islands.
Yesterday, the Cayman Islands continued to feel the backs of the tail and as hurricane barrel as it charges towards the Yucatan Peninsula.
Right now, as we speak, it is making landfall in parts of Mexico and the real damage of picture and picture comes only hours and days after the event.
Events like these are no longer A1 off and highlight the need for local actors to lead the way in preparedness and anticipatory action.
We are seeing that action right now.
The value of the Red Cross network in the Caribbean is evident as our staff and volunteers are there before, during and after disasters, mobilising to prepare for the impact and helping communities to face the aftermath.
They are from the communities they sue and with the best understanding of the community's needs and contacts.
We cannot ignore the new reality that climate crisis poses to Caribbean nations.
It must be noted that we are only at the beginning of the hurricane season.
We still have a staggering 5 months to go.
Climate variations that shift like a pendulum swing takes countries like Grenada and Saint Vincent's on the Grenadines from ***** like condition.
Some mashes storms in the blink of a hurricane's eye.
Storms are more likely to rapidly intensify and become stronger, causing severe destruction and giving communities less and less time to recover between shocks.
This only further stresses the need for a coordinated, inclusive and non discriminatory approach to addressing critical humanitarian needs of affected population.
The IFRC will continue to support local Red Cross teams across the Caribbean and we call on the government's donors and stakeholders to support our response to early action efforts as humanitarian needs continue to grow.
Thank you very much, Ray.
Before we take questions, just wanted to make sure you did see the statement of the secretary general that we shared with you yesterday, through which he says he's deeply dismayed by the destruction wreaked by the hurricane barrel and expresses his solidarity with the people and governments of the nations affected by this disaster.
And also extending his sincere condolences to the families of the victims, wishing a swift recovery to those injured.
He also offers AUN support to countries of the region.
On that note, I should also mention on behalf of the World Food Programme, responding to government's request, the World Food Programme has started to provide emergency logistics coordination and is ready to support with food or cash assistance to those countries most affected or those communities most affected if need be.
I should mention also putting Claire on the.
I was just going to say, Claire, you have your hand up already, but just to say that Claire is available to take questions.
If you wanted to add something now, I'd note your hand was up.
Sorry I couldn't be with you in the in the room this morning as I'm moving office here at WMO.
Just to give the latest update, this is from the US National Hurricane Centre, which acts as the regional specialised centre for the World Meteorological Organisation.
Beryl sort of weakened a little bit then, you know, moved over warm water, so gathered strength again there.
It's now back as a major hurricane Category 3 status as it heads towards the Yucatan Peninsula in in in Mexico, the National Hurricane Centre says that the maximum winds are near 185 kilometres an hour.
Obviously higher gusts are possible.
And as we say time and time again, we, you know, we rate hurricanes by the strength of their winds, but quite often it's the water which poses the, you know, the, the real ******.
So it's very, very, very heavy rainfall is expected and obviously the risk of storm surge and coastal flooding in in, in vulnerable coastal communities.
So you know, we haven't heard, unfortunately we haven't heard the last of barrel for the next for the next few days.
It you know is going to carry on causing, causing damage.
And as my colleagues have said, we are at the start of what looks like it will be a very, very long and very dangerous hurricane season.
Thank you very much, Claire.
OK, we'll turn it over to your colleagues for questions.
Christophe from AFP over to you.
Christophe de Jean Francis.
Thanks for taking my questions.
I was just wondering if you could give us a sense as well or chairs, IFRC on how many people you you have on the ground.
And I'm working also, I was wondering if you could give us more details on Karaku and Petit Martinique.
I think our colleague from IFRC was saying that it was literally completely destroyed.
So I just wonder how many people were affected and how many victims there are.
And also what are the needs now?
What, what is it that you need?
Is it heavy machinery to to clear?
Is it if you can just give us a sense of that and I, I believe you will tell us how much money you need also.
So thanks a lot for for your question.
Maybe I started then to to Mazo just in terms of the team.
So as you we said we we were kind of prepared.
We have the regional office in Panama.
So we immediately deployed some colleagues from there and we are in the process of deploying this undec teams, emergency responders, which will be a team of maybe 1010 to 15 to the second one.
We will work closely with colleagues who have already been deployed on the ground.
In terms of kayak, the damages to kayak when you're an island, maybe I will let our colleague who is on site to, to to respond.
First thing, as I said, assessments are going, but we know from similar emergencies that have happened in the past what can be will be the need.
But of course, we'll cross check with assessment on the coming days.
But obviously people will need shelter, people will need water.
We don't know yet the damages to the portable network, for example, that's the first thing that come up.
We need to see where people will be staying.
Are they staying with with families, depending on which island, As we say in Karaiku, almost the island is almost entirely destroyed.
So that might be, as we discussed with our colleagues, a few amount of people, but they lost everything.
So they will need an immediate response now in support, but also in in the months to come.
And especially if we think about people being on the outside and we say that the hurricane season will continue, we need to think about that.
People will be in open shelter when the next hurricane come in.
We need to work on that, which is as urgent as food and water and the thing that we we we think would be the most urgent thing for people in terms of the appeal.
So that's what we are working in on the appeal.
An idea of an appeal is to be fast, of course, always, but we also really need to look at the needs, which are completely different on every island, as I said.
So that's why we are working 24 hours with our colleagues on the ground to be sure that we propose an appeal that will respond to the specific needs of people for now in the coming months.
And we hope that we will have more detail on that to share with you soon.
I mean, I can just take over what what your colleague was saying about assessment ongoing and also we are working on an emergency appeal which should be launched I think in the next coming hours possible one day or two.
And it's of course a link to the assessment done in every, in every country.
Then to speak about damages, needs and number of our teams, staff and volunteers.
I will turn it to Rea who is I'm sure knows better than me the situation.
So yes, I was actually on the ground in Barbados.
I only came back to Trinidad yesterday afternoon.
We also have personnel on the ground in Grenada.
They actually went into Carriacou yesterday.
So we anticipate that we'll have a full report in the coming hours, probably by the end of the day today.
Our teams on the ground in Jamaica are also conducting assessments and coordination with the national government as well as in Barbados.
All our national society has an incredibly strong relationship with the local national disaster organisations and every one of them has a representative from the Red Cross placed in the national emergency operating centres.
So we are getting information, sort of likely daily updates from these national emergency centres.
As we echoed with our colleagues, we need assessments need to be done first, but in areas that have been evacuated in particular.
So for example, yesterday we heard from our colleagues in Saint Vincent that people are literally coming from Union Island to the mainland of Saint Vincent with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
They are asking for the basic needs at this point, food, clothing, water.
The same time as well can be said of those who are evacuating from Caribou.
As our colleagues mentioned, we're not sure necessarily where people are staying because some of people are going with family members, so that support will be there.
But there are also several people who are going to government shelters.
In Saint Vincent in particular, even the government shelters have been damaged because there are schools and churches and other buildings that have been impacted.
The roofs have been blown off, so they have had to relocate people even within the shelters.
So we are really, really taking a look at the assessments that are incoming.
They are slow but steadily incoming for us to be able to inform, as some have said, the emergency appeal that hopefully will be a launch before the end of the day.
Thank you very much, Aria, for that, those notes.
Do we have further questions for our colleagues on Hurricane Beryl?
No, you go ahead, Christophe.
Yeah, my question is for Claire.
I was just wondering, so there's going to be landfall in Mexico.
Do you have any idea how long it can last there?
What I mean is, is it a slow hurricane?
Because that makes usually a big difference, especially with the with a lot of rain.
So I was just wondering and then it's probably a ****** question, but I'm going to ask it anyway.
Like do we have any sense of is there already another one like starting in the Atlantic right now?
Do you have you seen any, any signs of after next, next one?
I'm on the National Hurricane Centre website now.
And in the Atlantic, no, there's no sign of one at the moment.
There is a tropical depression, but that's in the eastern, eastern Pacific.
So hopefully we'll have a little bit of breathing space before the before the next one, before the next one hits as to that.
So the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Centre is that.
It's close to landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula and dangerous hurricane force winds, storm surge and waves are expected as Beryl moves moves onshore.
From what I understand, the terrain of the Yucatan Peninsula is not conducive to Beryl sort of sitting around for very, for very long.
It's quite, you know, it's, it's, it's quite, it's quite hilly.
So I think it will dissipate fairly, fairly rapidly.
I don't think it's going to be the type of hurricane, you know, that will just sort of sit and, you know, for a long time.
But I'm just looking at the rainfall potential.
We are still, you know, talking about very heavy rainfall.
So three day, three day total on the Yucatan Peninsula, we're talking about 6 to 8 inches, which is 150 to 200 to 200 millimetres.
So, you know, if you put that in, in the context of just think of the amount of rainfall we received, you know, last Saturday in Geneva in the storm.
And you know, you multiplied that by a by a, you know, by a factor of X.
And this is this is the the rainfall that they are that they're, you know, they're get, they're going to get.
So hopefully that that will answer.
Claire, further questions.
No, I don't see if you wanted to add something to muscle, please.
Yeah, just just to keep an eye on our social media accounts.
We will continue updating on the hurricane in Mexico and what's coming next.
And also we are trying to gather some AV material if you are interested from different teams in the different countries.
So feel free to reach out to us.
And we will also, of course, update on the launch of the emergency appeal once we have it.
That would be much appreciated.
Thank you very much, Tomaso.
And of course to you Vanessa, especially to Miss Pierre who's joining us very early in the morning from Port of Spain and Trinidad.
Stay safe and thank you very much.
And of course, we'll continue to track and support the people and of course report back to you as need be on this hurricane.
So thank you once again, colleagues.
OK, we'll shift gears now to FAO.
We have no stranger, Monica Totova, who is a senior economist for the food and agricultural organisations, joining us from Rome with a monthly update on the global food commodity prices.
Thank you, Sunny Brown, and thank you and good morning from Rome.
I would like to brief you about the latest developments on the global food commodity prices.
The food price index was released this morning.
The index remained unchanged in June after increasing for three consecutive months in a row in June.
What was at PRAY in the last month was that the **** vegetable, oil, sugar and dairy prices offset over cereal quotations did find stability.
The index remained 2.1% lower than its corresponding value one year ago and almost 25% below the peak reached in March 2022.
Focusing on specific commodity groups, the serial price index was down 3% from the previous months as global export prices of all major cereals decline.
For wheat and maize, the decline mostly restricted seasonal pressures from ongoing harvests.
For wheat, it was the harvest in the Northern Hemisphere.
For maize in the Southern hemisphere.
The Venture Turbo price on index, by contrast, rose by 3.1% from May due to reviving global import demand for palm oil and firm demand from the biofuel sector in the Americas for oil and some further oil.
Sugar price index also increased by 1.9% from May after three consecutive monthly declines due to a large part about concerns, advanced weather and monsoons impacting production in Brazil and India to major producers.
The daily price lost by 1.2% with international quotations for butter reaching a 24 months **** on the back of increased demand for near time deliveries Amid heavy retail sales, seasonally falling milk deliveries in Western Europe and long inventories in Oceania, the meat products meat price index virtually remain unchanged.
Getting a little bit into the supply and demand fundamentals, FAO also updated its forecast for global Syria production in 2024 and it's now packed at an all time ****.
Behind this increase are these projections for better harvest outlooks for mains in Argentina and Brazil as well as the year and Ukraine, which will offset downgrades in the outlooks for Indonesia and several Southern African countries.
The higher heat forecast is based on better prospects in Asia, notably Pakistan, which will outpace the declines due to interim and weather in parts of the Russian Federation early in the season.
On and on supply and demand situation of the Syrian markets globally, I would like to stress globally remains satisfactory with comfortable stock to use ratios.
However, the situation in specific countries might be different.
For example, as global commodity prices aren't denominated in the United States dollars, wrong, United States dollars does not necessarily translate into lower food import bills into many countries.
Finally, I would like to make a remark about the Agricultural Market Information System aimings, the G20 initiative aiming to improve transparency on the global markets, the secretariat of which is hosted by FAO, which also released its monthly monitor yesterday.
Among other, it highlighted that May 2024 was the 12th consecutive months of record-breaking global temperature.
Should this three spend $0.10, there will likely be negative impacts on agriculture from extreme heat, particularly if this heat occurs during periods of moisture stress on key reproductive stages that determine a final yield.
With that, I'm open to questions.
Monica, do we have questions for our colleague from FAO?
No, I don't see that's the case.
I think you were very comprehensive and detailed in your briefing.
So thank you very much for for that as usual, providing these important statistics.
In that case, I think we are near the end of this briefing.
I just have a few announcements of my own and then perhaps if you have any questions for me or actually colleagues online, just to mention that in terms of, well, I just wanted to flag that the SG is in Central Asia, I think currently in Tajikistan.
We did share with you yesterday a statement from the SG to the Shanghai, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, through which he stressed.
So I'll just get my notes here.
I highlighted EU NS common commitment to multilateralism based on the Charter, International Law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and spoke of the central goal of our multilateral system to must be peace.
Of course, this is overarching message and this is something that is contained in the statement we did share with you yesterday.
We also share with you a number of readouts of meetings that he held in the sidelines of of this summit, including with the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Belarus.
In terms of what's happening here in Geneva, we have the Human Rights Committee, which is concluding this morning its review of the report of Honduras.
And then starting this coming Monday, the Committee against Torture will open its 80th session during which it will review the reports for Ecuador, Republic of Korea, Cote d'Ivoire, and Turkey.
Turkey a sorry and then the Human Rights Council is still underway.
Another week left for this session we have today the Council is adopting outcomes of the reviews for the during the universal periodic reviews rather for the following countries, Nigeria, Mauritius, Jordan, that's this morning and this afternoon continue with Jordan, the Malaysia, the Central African Republic, Monaco and Belize.
And our colleagues at the Human Arts Council Secretariat have asked me to note that there is a total of 26 draught resolutions and decisions that have been submitted to the Council for its consideration.
Next starting next Wednesday, the 10th of July and will continue until the 12th when the session is due to conclude.
So 26 draught resolutions from Wednesday to Friday to be considered.
And of course, the Council of Media and Communication team will share with you the table of these draught resolutions and decisions.
As always, press conference to announce Wednesday, the 10th of July at 11 AM in this room, UN Trade and Development.
Will and Catherine was here just a minute ago.
There is a report if you have more questions.
Of course, Catherine is available.
We have a press conference with Rebecca Greenspan, the Secretary General of UN Trade and Development, together with Shamika Siremane, who's the UN Trade and Development Director of Technology and Logistics, who will speak to the publication of the Digital Economy Report for 2024, Shaping an Environmentally Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Future.
The report is under embargo until 12 noon on the 10th, but the press conference is just prior to that at 11.
If you have questions, I see John, you have your hand up.
I was asking if James, if he's still online or Margaret, if they have an update on the number of children that have been evacuated from Gaza for treatment for severe acute malnutrition.
There was some very moving news reports yesterday of children having been evacuated for Sam treatment from Gaza to neighbouring Egypt.
If they have the latest updates on that.
Well, Margaret, and why don't we start with you?
So Margaret, over to you.
I don't have updates on numbers.
I do know indeed that there has been an effort to move the children.
The children we were most involved with were children being treated for long term conditions for for cancer that they simply could not get the treatment for in Gaza.
But I would also underline as, as my colleagues have often said, we have 10,000 people, including many, many children who who will only survive their conditions and only have a chance of returning to full health if they are evacuated.
And we are pleading for all avenues, all gates, all possibilities to be opened so that those people can be evacuated.
James May have specific numbers on the children.
But of course, we could relay your message, John, to James and and colleagues at UNICEF, should they have additional information.
Thank you very much for that.
Margaret, do we have further questions?
No, I don't see that's the case.
So again, if you have any other current questions or comments to do, let us know.
And what can you do to update you as well as on the hurricane in the Caribbean?
Have a good weekend and bon appetit.
