Bonjour, We have a nervous point.
The press for us, Mar de Le van Tutto, I want to thank all of those of you who participated yesterday in, in honouring our colleagues and and all humanitarian workers for World Humanitarian Day.
Quick reminder that tomorrow, 21 August is International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
22nd of August is International Day for commemorating the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief.
We could just start right away with some announcements and our friends from WTO are here.
And so I'm going to let Fernando make the due introductions.
Thank you, Michelin, good morning.
Well, the month of September is quickly approaching and it's that time of the year when the WT organises the public forum.
As you know, it's the largest outreach event of the organisation will be meeting at WTO premises from the 13th, from the 10th, sorry, to the 13th of of September with quite an interesting list of events and and speakers.
And the person behind the organisation and the preparation of this important event is my colleague Javier Gutierrez, WTO councillor, who has kindly agreed to join us today to give us a bit more information about the public forum.
My name is Javier Gutierrez and I'm going to tell you a bit about what we can expect for the upcoming public forum.
The public forum is titled Reglobalization, Better Trade for a Better World, and it will be honing in on how trade can be more inclusive.
We want to look at how people can trade more within countries and amongst countries and members.
So not just between isolated members, but also how more people within members can actually start training trading.
Like Fernando said, this is our biggest outreach event.
Last year we broke the the the record number for participants and this year, a week before we close registration, which closes on the 23rd of August at midnight Geneva time, we have already broke the records.
This is a testament of the interest that people have in the WTO and the work that we are actually doing.
It's four days of discussions.
Like Fernando said, from the 10th to the 13th of September there will be over 120 independently organised discussions centred around how trade can become more inclusive and what reglobalization may look like.
On the 10th of September we will begin with the launch of the World Trade Report.
This is the flagship report of the WTO.
Fernando will be telling you a bit more about that.
And then in the evening we will have a plenary session organised by the Peterson Institute for International Economics on Trade and Geopolitics.
On the 11th of September we have the official opening of the pub of the forum itself, and it will be with a lecture by Jason Furman from Harvard University.
Jason was formerly the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers of President Obama.
It will then be followed by a plenary debate on the WTO turning 30, looking at the past 30 years of the WTO and what lies ahead.
And the second fennery will be on how to reinvigorate agriculture negotiations in the WTO.
On 12 September, there will be two plenaries, one on what is preventing more countries from trading more, and it will ask the question is it market access or is it a domestic policy issue.
And the second plenary will be on how to better use special and differential treatment provisions in the WTO.
Later that day there will be a Head of Agency panel which will bring together the Director General of the WTO.
It will also bring together the Secretary General of Ongtad, the President of the World Economic Forum, and we still have pending the Director General of The Who to discuss the economic case for inclusivity.
Then on 13 September we're going to have a plenary discussion with youth representatives on how globalisation can be improved.
The idea behind conceiving these panels is to provide WTO members food for thought or a different perspective on long standing issues to help them during the negotiations.
We are just emerging from a ministerial conference where some progress was made.
However, we want to use these public events to help members come up with more with a with a wider perspective.
During the four days, we will have over 600 speakers in the WTO, including ministers, CEOs and thought leaders from all around the world.
Some sessions may be followed online, mainly the plenaries.
However, if you wish to attend the public forum, please contact my colleagues at the media team and they will be able to provide you with some more information.
You want to add, if I may add, Javier was referring to the launch of the World Trade Report on on the 10th, the day before, on the 9th at 4:30 at the WTO, the chief economist Ralph Wosa will be giving a press conference and their embargo with the information related to the World Trade Report.
For you journalists, there's no need to do the registration before the the 23rd that that deadline.
That's for the for the public in general.
With your UN budgets, you will be able to access WTO premises as usual.
If there are any questions on this important announcement from WTO, please raise your hands now.
If not, you know whom to contact.
I don't see any in the room.
Good luck with your event.
We're going to give the floor now to our colleagues from WHO.
We've got Tariq Jasarevich online from WHO headquarters in Geneva and Doctor Hans Kluga, WHO Regional Director for Europe, who is joining us from France.
Tariq, perhaps you want to do the introductions and set the scene.
Thank you very much Mikhail and good morning to to to everyone.
So you have received yesterday temporary recommendations following the announcement of the public health immersive international concern regarding the surge of M Box.
So we had AEC meeting on Wednesday.
We made that announcement and as promised, we sent you the temporary recommendations issued by Director General for countries in African region experiencing outbreak, but also for other countries.
And you can see there that what is really recommended to countries, it's a coordination of emergency situation, then surveillance, diagnostics, clinical care.
So, so these, these recommendations are primarily for the countries that are experiencing outbreak, but also for other countries, because one of the goals of the, of the declaration of, of global health emergency is for countries to be on alert and be ready should any and books cases come to their, to their territory.
So that's really sets the scene.
And we are happy to have today our regional director, Doctor Hans Kluge, who will speak about that preparedness work that is being done in European region.
And you will, you will remember that there was an announcement by Sweden a few days ago about the first case of plague, one that has been detected outside, outside Africa.
Also with us is Doctor Katie Smallwood.
She's an emergency operations programme area manager in the regional office for Europe.
And she also may come in to answer some of the more technical questions With this.
I'll give the floor to Doctor Kluge for his opening remarks.
Thank you very much, Derek.
As we tackle mpox as a public health emergency of international concern for the second time in two years, I want to convey 3 basic messages today on behalf of WHO Europe.
Message Number one, mpox is not the new COVID, regardless of whether it's Mpox clade one behind the ongoing outbreak in East Central Africa or mpox Clade 2 behind the 2022 outbreak that initially impacted Europe and has continued to circulate in Europe.
Since we know quite a lot about Play 2 already, we still have to learn more about Play 1.
Based on what we do know, MBOX primarily transmits through skin to skin contact with MBOX lesions, including during sex.
This leads me to message number 2.
We know how to control impacts and in the European region, we know the steps needed to eliminate its transmission altogether.
2 years ago, we controlled impacts in Europe thanks to the direct engagement with the most affected communities of men who have sex with men.
We put in place robust surveillance.
We thoroughly investigated new cases, contacts and we provided sound public health advice.
Behaviour change, non discriminatory public health action and mpox vaccination contributed to controlling the outbreak.
Learning from our success, we urge governments and health authorities to sustain those measures to help eliminate mpox from Europe.
But through a lack of political commitment and the lack of resources, we failed to go the last mile.
And today we're seeing about 100 new M Box Clade 2 cases in the European region every single month.
However, the current state of alert due to Clade One gives Europe the opportunity to refocus on Clade 2.
A second chance, let's say, to strengthen M Box surveillance and diagnostics.
To issue public health advice, including to travellers grounded in science, not in fear, not using stigma and not through discrimination.
To procure vaccines and antivirus for those who may need them based on a strategic risk assessment.
In sum, even as we strengthen vigilance amongst against MBOX Clade One, we can and should strive to eliminate Clade 2 in Europe for once and for all.
And this brings me to message #3 the need for a coordinated response is now greatest in the African region.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared an mpox continental emergency shortly before WH OS global declaration.
Europe must choose to act in solidarity, solidarity with individuals and communities impacted by Mpox by working directly with them to take charge of their own health, and solidarity with The Who African Region and it's affected member States both at this critical time and in the long term.
In 2022, Mpocs showed us it can spread quickly around the world.
We can and must tackle Mpocs together across regions and continents.
So when we choose to put the systems in place to control and eliminate Mpocs globally, or we will enter another cycle of panic and then neglect, how we respond now and in the years to come will prove a critical test for Europe and the world.
Thank you for your important messages, Doctor Kluge.
I know that we have a lot of journalists here in Geneva who cover M pox, and I'm going to.
I'm going to give them a moment and see where they're.
Maybe just announce yourself.
Yes, Thank you very much.
I'm working for Kyodo News Japanese news agency.
I wanted to ask you like which country already promised to donate some vaccines to who, how many and if possible to have like a clear overview of the, the doses you already have and where these doses are are are going in.
I'm, I'm talking now for Europe, but especially for the world and for Africa.
Doctor Kluge, I don't know if you want to take that question if did you hear right as it is.
Yes, the question is very clear, very important as the global question.
I would like to give to Mr Tarek on that one.
This is this is more global question, so we'll try to answer it.
I just wanted to get your hand the hand down.
So basically as as you know, there are two vaccines that have been used in the last two years for the control of mpox, that's MVABN and LC-16.
WTO has been discussing the availability of these vaccines with the manufacturers.
As you know, Director General has triggered what we call emergency use listing process to accelerate the the availability and pre qualification of of these vaccines that already have been for example authorised for use in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
So for the MB A/B N vaccine, it's manufacturer, Bavarian Nordic, has the capacity to manufacture 10 million doses by the end of 2025 in addition to current orders, and could already supply up to 2,000,000 doses this year.
When it comes to LC-16, that's a vaccine that's produced on behalf of the government of Japan.
There's a considerable stockpile of this vaccine, and Japan has been very generous in the past with donations.
The Japanese government right now is currently preparing to provide supplies, vaccines and syringes in collaboration with the Government of Democratic Republic of the Congo, WTO and other partners.
So we're also working with partners like GAVI and UNICEF through what it's called Interim Medical Contra Measures Network to enable donations from countries with existing stockpiles.
We are building the donation scheme so that the limited vaccine are used where they are.
We have the biggest public health impact.
As you as you know, we are not recommending the the mass vaccination.
We are recommending to use vaccines in outbreak settings for the groups who are more at risk.
Thank you very much LFE, go ahead.
Yes, question for Doctor Kluger, I'd like to elaborate on the, the, the vaccine issue.
You, you're saying that mpox is not the new COVID yet.
Do you fear that in terms of solidarity and the, the donation of vaccines, it could be the new COVID in the sense that European countries could get the, the, the vaccines for themselves and we, we might see a, a lack of vaccines for, for African countries.
I mean, definitely it's a risk, but it's also an opportunity.
That's why the title of my press statement was this is a test for global equity.
The global international community will have to prove that we learned from the COVID-19.
So in that sense, it's promising that Hera, for example, for the European Union already is donating vaccines.
Belgium as well has been spoken out forcefully to donate vaccines.
So we're very optimistic we we see this.
But of course, the challenge will be if there would be a need for more and more vaccines in the WTO European region, what European countries will do in that sense.
So This is why it's very important, this link also between the European region, the African region.
We are in constant touch with Doctor Moriti, the region Director of The Who African region, as well as the African CDC under the guidance of WHO headquarter to strengthen the solidarity.
So this is the litmus test for global equity.
Thank you very much, Doctor Kluge.
We've got several questions from from journalists online.
I'll take them in the order that I received them.
First up, Catherine from Combo Conga.
Thank you, doctor for being with us this morning.
I'd like to ask a question related to the fact that it it could be an airborne disease.
What can you tell us about that?
Just to remind, I'm not speaking globally.
We have Tariq here for globally, but from The Who European Region, where actually the public health advice of the last two years still stands.
We are dealing in The Who European Region with Clade 2.
Yes, there is one case of clade one in Sweden, but the predominant route of transmission remains close skin to skin contact sexually, men having sex with men.
So very important to empower trusted messengers in **** risk groups and communities, avoid stigma and discrimination.
Now on your question, it is possible that someone, let's say in the acute phase of M box infection, especially when having blisters in the mouth, may transmit the virus to close contacts by droplets in certain circumstances such as in the home or the hospitals.
Some evidence in certain situations such as contaminated bedding or utensils in the hospital that may lead to transmission.
The new clate 1B appears to be more transmissible from person to person.
But again, I would like to stress that the mode of transmissions are still a bit unclear.
More research is required.
And in WHO European region, we follow the same public health advice as the last two years.
And I think a key message here is that the risk to the general population is low, because that's the question I'm getting, whether it's from family members or from neighbours here in France, or are we going to go in lockdown in WHO European Region is the low COVID-19?
So the answer is clearly no.
Of course, always with a caveat.
But the risk to the general population is low.
We know what to do and we need this time the political commitment to go for elimination.
Otherwise we'll always see neglect and then panic again.
So let's have a political commitment to go the last mile and especially stand in solidarity with the African region.
Catrine, I believe you have a follow up.
Thank you so much Michele.
OK, maybe this is more question to Tariq then globally.
Tariq Woods, WSWHO advising people to wear masks when they travel because if played one might be transmittable, airborne, an airborne disease.
It would be better for people that are travelling from certain regions, African regions and travelling in aeroplanes to different parts of the world to wear a mask.
Who is WHO advising to wear a mask to prevent any risk?
In relation to M Boxer, we do not recommend the masks as Doctor Kluger said that this virus is being transmitted to a close skin to skin contact or with a contact with infected animal or it could be also happen to the surface.
So obviously we don't know that the, the virus is mutating and changing and we have to be on on alert to see if there will be new claims that will be more transmissible or the transmission route would would change.
So we have to be, we have to be flexible for the time being.
What we know is that this virus is being transmitted through closer skin to, to skin contact.
That includes also sexual roles.
But there is something else.
And maybe also to, to, to, to answer to what what Jeremy was asking.
I mean, we learned a lot from COVID and, and I think the domain, the main lesson is that we need to have a strong health systems.
M pox, just like any other virus can be tackled with a basic public health response.
And that's to know where the virus is, to know who is infected and make sure that this person does not infect other people.
And for that, countries need to have a surveillance system.
They need to have testing capacities, they, they have to have a clinical care capacities to help those who are infected.
So I think, I think the, the, the biggest lesson is, is we need cooperation, global cooperation and we need strong health systems.
And I think that these recommendations that are being issued by EC and that complement those standing recommendations from 2023 that Doctor, Doctor Kluge was referring to speak exactly about, about preparedness.
And this really fits into into negotiations that countries are doing on a pandemic treaty.
Because again, that lesson is that we need to be collectively more ready and having more capacities to to tackle these sort of these sort of threats.
Next up, Yan from the Xinhua News Agency.
Go ahead, ask you a question.
My question is the first one.
How do you assess the severity of the clade 1B?
Can we say it's more deadlier than other clades, like a clade one or clade 2?
My second question is how do you assess the risk of circulation among animals?
And we will be like another avian flu.
Maybe maybe Doctor Smallwood can can help here.
From from what we know, we know that clade 1 is more severe than clade 2.
But we are now looking into whether there is a really difference between plate one and plate 1B.
It's it's been just recently that that we discovered played 1B.
It is spreading fast and we had countries that reported played that one BA couple of countries just in general in the past couple of weeks.
But we are still not sure about the severity.
But maybe doctor, Doctor Smallwood can can talk more about the the actual virus.
And as Doctor Kluger mentioned, in the European region, we've only had one case of Clade 1B reported to us.
That was from the Government of Sweden.
And we do know that that case presented with clinically mild signs and symptoms consistent with what we expect to see with mpox and what we've seen in the European Region of over 20,027 thousand mpox cases since 2022.
And we have the privilege of having extremely detailed case information on all of those 27,000 cases.
And in general, it does present with clinically mild signs and symptoms, but patients, especially those who have some immunodeficiencies can go on to have severe disease.
Now in the African context right now, as Tarek said, we've seen the emergence of this new clade 1B.
We do have information that clade one that we have some previous data of presented with more severe disease that.
But having said that, there will always still be a of clinical presentations.
Some patients will present with mild signs and symptoms, other will progress to have more severe disease.
For Clade 1B, which is this new clade that we've picked up and transmitting between humans, there's still some information and knowledge gaps to be filled.
So what's critical here is that we work together and we help understand each and every case as much as possible.
And in the European region, we've committed to doing extensive investigations into each case to very quickly understand when they are imported into our region and once they've been detected, what the clinical profile of these cases are.
Thank you very much, Doctor Smallwood.
Robin Jean, France Press, Thank you.
If if we start to see cases of Clade 1 be appearing and spreading in Europe, what do you think will be the likely way in which that will happen?
Do you think it will be just imported cases appearing or do you think it will likely start to spread through sexual networks?
Or do you think it may possibly come through another route if it's if it starts to spread in Europe?
I don't, I assume the question for Doctor Kluge or yes, I think Doctor Smallwood, will you take that one?
And it's a great question and it leads us to the point that at the clinician level we need to lower the bars suspicion for mpox because we don't actually know the answer to that question.
We have the experience of 2022 where we saw prior previously a change in the epidemiology in the African region, where we saw in West Africa disease change epidemiology in 2017.
And then five years later we saw a very significant outbreak across the world with with up to more than 2000 cases per week at its peak in the European region that that was initially imported and then was seeded into one particular population group, which was men who have sex with men, although we did see some limited number of cases outside of that group as well.
And we do continue to look beyond that group.
So we don't know the question.
So it's really the answer to that question.
It's really important that the clinician level that we're not only looking at presentations in men who have sex with men, of course, that we're still seeing transmission there anyway because MPOC still circulates in Europe, but that clinicians also consider other population groups and and do not discount patients because of their population group.
Thank you very much, Isabel FA Good morning, everyone.
So it's more it's a question for for Derek.
I, I mean to understand the, the, the first vaccine that you mentioned the the vaccine MBA, it has been used in Africa, I understand and in Europe, but the LC-16 produced by or by order of Japan, this vaccine has been already used.
And related to this, there are plans to proceed with vaccination campaign in in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Both of these vaccines have been used previously.
There's also a third vaccine, it's called a C AM/2000 that is also recommended by SAGE in case those two one those the previous two ones, MVABN and LC-16 are not available.
All these vaccines are being a newer vaccines that have been developed for, for, for smallpox and you know, smallpox have been eradicated, but these vaccines have been developed even after the eradication and, and smallpox is of the same family of viruses.
So for the, for the vaccination, it is really a necessary to see in a local context where, where there is the outbreak, who are the groups at risk and how to roll out the, the, the vaccination.
So Democratic Republic of the Congo has already authorised the use of these two vaccines.
And now as I said, there are discussions on donating vaccines by the government of Japan.
Then it's really in getting to to really to the to the local context to see to understand the transmission mode, to understand the groups at risk adapt to, to make really the decision at the local level on on how to roll out the vaccine and how to vaccine.
Just a question on on clade one, if you could explain the difference between clade one, which I understand is now renamed as clade 1A and clade B.
What what are the differences that you that you see between these two clades?
How do you clearly make that distinction?
I mean, maybe Doctor Smallwood, would you like to, to start, I can do so.
The split of clade one into 1A and 1B references the change in the evolution of the virus.
So it's a virological question.
And what we see is that Clade 1A is what used to be called the Congo Basin clade, which has circulated for a long time in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Central Africa and has traditionally been the clade that we understand has outbreaks resulting from zoonotic spillover, IE sick animals infect a child or an adult.
And then there's some limited transmission between humans at the household level or in communities.
Where the difference is with Clade 1B is that we have not isolated or detected zoonotic transmission of Clade B.
So it seems to be a strain of the virus that's circulating exclusively within the human population.
And some of the viral changes that the biologists have identified show us that it's likely that it transmits more effectively from human to human.
So that suggests a shift in the way that Clade 1 is circulating in the human population and hence the split between 1A and 1B.
Now we know that mpox can transmit between humans without the need for an animal population and we know that because for the past two years, mpox has been transmitting in countries where there is no animal reservoir.
So this is not completely new for mpox, but of course, there are some gaps that we need to fill the knowledge of and better understand in terms of what the additional difference is if there are any between 1 bee and the other clades that are circulating around the world and in Africa.
Doctor Small would have got two more questions announced so far, Francis and Katherine Kyodo.
Yes, thank you again for giving me the floor.
My question is related to vaccines.
What about the manufacturing, manufacturing of vaccines and also about the efficiency because I suppose that you need some months, years to better understand the differences between a clade 1, clade 2 and the efficiency of the vaccines towards those different the evolution of doctor Small Woods just spoke about.
Could you give us more details about that?
Voila, maybe I can, I can start.
I already provided the answer on on availability for two for two vaccines.
So I said, as I said that MVABN Bavaria Nordic has capacity to manufacture 10 million doses by end of 2025 and can already supply up to 2,000,000 doses this year.
And LC-16 is a vaccine produced on behalf of the government of Japan and there is a considerable stockpile of this vaccine.
Japan has been very generous in the past with the nation is currently negotiating with, with with the government of of Congo for the, for the, for the donation.
Now epox vaccines provide a level provide a level of protection against the infection and severe disease.
Results from vaccine effectiveness studies indicate that a good level of protection is provided against Amplex following vaccination.
Now further studies on the use of vaccines for Amplex will provide additional information on the effectiveness in different settings.
So we also recommend that people after being vaccinated continue to take care to avoid catching and spreading Amplex and that's because it takes several weeks to develop immunity after being vaccinated and also because some people may not to respond to vaccination.
Yeah, I can just add to to Tarek's contributions on effectiveness in in particular there's of course the vaccine efficacy itself.
And we're confident that the vaccine would be able to, to seek the, the benefits of immunisation across different clades of mpox because as we know this, these were vaccines that were actually developed for smallpox and, and are effective against different orthopox viruses.
But in terms of the overall effectiveness in a population sense, there's a lot more that needs to be considered.
And that's also the timing of the vaccination if administered after exposure and, and whether or not the the person goes on to, to develop the disease is really dependent on the early administration of, of the vaccine post exposure.
And then of course, there's also the preventive aspect of vaccination where we propose that people at **** risk of, of infection with mpox would be considered for vaccination.
And there's a lot of concerns or aspects around population acceptance and demands that need to be considered as well.
In the European region, as I said, we we've had a vaccine programme ongoing since 2022 and we are due to publish in the coming days a summary of the effectiveness of the vaccine programme in the European region for the 2022 M Box outbreak.
And so those results will be available shortly.
And again, just to maybe to reiterate that vaccines are just one of the tools to to to respond to to Amplex, contact tracing, strong surveillance, public health measures in preventing the spread of disease.
All of that should be put in place.
And again, as, as, as we have been saying, just really knowing where the virus is, knowing who is infected, making sure this person gets adequate clinical care and breaking those transmission chains, making sure that the person is not infecting anyone else.
We'll come back to the floor of the press room.
Thank you very much for taking my question.
Tarek, I just have a follow up regarding Isabel's question about the LC-16 vaccine.
I would like to know how many doses of MBOX vaccine have been provided by the government of Japan in the past to the African countries?
And what does it mean when you're saying that they have been generous?
So I guess the the vaccines are for free because it's it's in that they are produced by the grounds of Japan and offered.
Is it a good understanding?
And then is it correct to say that the LC-16 vaccines are more numerous than the vaccine produced by Ankara Bavarian Nordic vaccines to MBA?
I didn't say that they're more efficient.
So I don't have exact exact number, maybe this is the question for government of Japan to, to say how much they have already done it because I don't really have that that that answer.
But again, as I say, the government of Japan is currently preparing to provide supplies through vaccine and syringes in cooperation with the government of DRC double H1, other departments.
Thank you and yes, go ahead.
This is a question to to Tariq on, on vaccines.
You mentioned before 3rd vaccine, I think maybe I missed that, but I think you didn't say who is producing, producing this third vaccine and in which country, if you could say is that and a question I would like to know if you you plan to do some?
Website as you did with the the COVID with the number of cases by countries and specifying the clade 1A1B2B all that so we have a better idea of the numbers.
I really have to come back to you on who is producing exactly this ACAM 2000 vaccine that is is recommended for use if those are not not available.
So I'll come back to you on that.
Now there is a dashboard so you can, we can share, we can share with you the dashboard that already exists that that gives really the overview of numbers.
And it's just like always important to, to to make sure to, to make a difference because we've got several questions lately about different numbers that we had on the on the dashboard about lab confirmed cases and reported cases.
For for example, when, when we talk about more than 15,000 cases this year in Democratic Republic of the Congo alone, we talk about reported cases that include suspected cases.
But yes, there is a, there is a dashboard and obviously we are trying to update you.
You got over the weekend updated Q&A S so we try really to to to to have all the old information and the products and public health advice on our on our website.
And Parek, I can help you out.
A CHEM 2000 vaccine is a second generation smallpox vaccine that has been produced in the United States.
Thank you very much, colleagues.
I've got two more questions online.
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We'll give we'll give a minute to see if if he's able to perhaps text his question in the chat because we do not have an audio connection with them.
But I do not also do not see, I also do not see a question coming in on the chat.
So you know, perhaps unless we see this coming in shortly, I would say most of do you know, feel free to put your question in writing.
I'm sure you know, targets available as our, our other, you know, colleagues from WTO.
And I'd like to thank all of you WTO colleagues for this very timely and comprehensive briefing.
And thank you for your time and for, for answering all the questions from the journalists here today.
We may still get something in by writing, in which case we'll, we'll, we'll pass those on to you.
I think we'll, we'll move on to some announcements then if there's nothing forthcoming, we've got the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is concluding its session next Friday, and it's going to issue its concluding observations on the reports of seven countries reviewed during the session, Venezuela, Iran, Pakistan, Bosnia Herzegovina, the United Kingdom, Iraq and Belarus.
They will be in this room for a press conference on Friday, the 23rd of August at 9:15 AM.
So you'll have the the Chair, the Vice Chair and two of the committee members here briefing you on their work.
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disability is concluding its review this morning of the reports on Ghana and on Belarus, and the Conference on Disarmament is holding this morning in The Tempest plenary meeting under the Presidency of Daniel Marron of Israel.
I think that probably concludes, I think I have no further announcements to make and oh, OK, we've got questions there and yes, go ahead.
This is a question on Sudan to which UN agency could answer to that.
I'm not sure if OCHA is is there, but maybe other agencies or OCHA can step in.
the US special envoy said on his 2nd that the humanitarian actors plan to move through the Adri crossing today in Sudan.
So I wanted to to ask UN agencies if they could comment on that, if they could let us know what are their plan for, for today.
I think it's a good question.
And yes, and I know that as of as of, you know, a few hours ago, we had no updates on that.
I don't know that there's anybody online who might be able to answer that.
Possibly UNHCR may have some information, but I don't know.
I don't see, I don't see Archer online, but we hello, can you hear me?
Yeah, just just to confirm what you're saying, like we don't have any, any last minute update, but just to confirm that at least from you and ATR side, we plan to transport our tracks with about 1200 relief, corn relief items, emergency relief item kids, two of them hopefully will, will depart from Partana to Adria today as part of the interagency convoy and the 2 remaining tracks will be scheduled for tomorrow.
But yeah, as Megan, I said, no, no updates on how that is going at the moment.
We can follow up on it and let you know as soon as it happens.
And yes, it's probably not very much to go on, but I think there are a lot of people waiting for this information and if we have anything, we'll make sure to share it with you.
There's a thank you, Tarek, for answering online the question about how to identify Doctor Catherine Smallwood.
She's the emergency operations and the programme area manager in The Who Regional Office for Europe, in case others were interested in knowing.
I'm lifting my head now out of my papers to look and see if there are any questions from the floor, but I don't think we have any more and I don't see any online.
So with that, I wish you a very good afternoon.
