Good morning. Welcome to the press briefing of the UN in Geneva.
Today is Tuesday, 24th of September. We have
list of briefers connected to what's happening in the Middle East.
So I've asked the colleagues who are on the Po
with me to give you their announcements, and then we go into the topics
I start with Ed, who has to leave.
Sorry about that. Morning, everyone.
Um, yeah, real fast Before you jump into your very long and sombre agenda.
Um, just a few more words on the launch of the Global Innovation index.
Uh, the embargo will be dropping at 9. 30 on Thursday.
Uh, we have a press briefing tomorrow.
Uh, everybody is willing, uh, most welcome to join.
It's at 3 p.m. that's also, um, under embargo.
I'll be sending around all of the materials this afternoon.
you know about the GI I It ranks 100 and
30 countries around the world and the state of innovation,
but also gives a lot more, uh,
information on the state of innovation, which helps stimulate, uh,
So, um, expect the press material later this afternoon 3 p.m. tomorrow, uh,
30 on Thursday morning. Thanks very much.
That was really perfectly fast and clear. Do you have any questions for wo?
I don't see any on the room. Let me look at the platform. Yes, there is. Maya.
Maya, you have the floor.
Yes. Good morning. Thank you, Alexandra, for taking my question.
Uh, Mister Harris, my question is related to the methodology.
If you can actually give us more information about the
methodology and you said 30 countries only are examined.
Uh, sorry. 100 and 30 countries. Uh, the methodology is quite interesting.
Uh, it measures a mix of innovation inputs, uh,
which can be venture capital activity,
research and development as well as outputs, which is, you know,
Uh, there's 78 indicators.
Um, and, uh, it's brought into five,
different columns that kind of create this matrix through which you can understand
the level of innovation in 100 and 30 economies around the world.
please join tomorrow and hear from our experts. Thanks a lot. Thank you.
Thank you very much. That was the only question for you so thank you very much.
is the director of the UN Women Liaison Office in Geneva.
I'll give you the floor. Thank you very much.
And head of human Rights and Development, Representing women's work
in the Human Rights Council.
We're very proud today to welcome indigenous women
human rights defenders from Guatemala who have worked
for 30 years to achieve justice from sexual
related gender based violence in the armed conflict.
Over 25 years, they have struggled to get the only sentence existing in the world
for sexual violence. Uh, with 18 measures of reparations
they are coming the indigenous women themselves who speak their
Mayan languages with a high level delegation from government.
There will be two high level events.
Uh, tomorrow Wednesday at 2 p.m. in room 22 of the
we will hear their testimonies as it is our goal as UN women to bring
the voices of women and girls and to
institutionalise the lessons learned of victim and survivors
Um Her Excellency Ambassador Michelle Taylor of the US
mission will be the moderator for this event,
along with the participation of Spain, Sierra Leone,
the special rapporteur on indigenous peoples and the CO Committee.
Also on Thursday, we will have an exhibition in the
of pictures of their trajectory in the search for truth, justice and reparation.
Thank you very much, Adriana. Any question to young women in the room?
I don't see any. Gabriela has one for you on the platform. Gabriela. Welcome back.
Yes, thank you very much. Hola. Alessandra, I'm very happy, too.
And I'm happy that Adriana is here because she she should come more often.
Um, my question is, if, um
uh, we is it possible to to interview,
uh, these, uh, women, indigenous women that are coming.
Uh, are they gonna be available? Thank you.
Yes, we will have them here until Friday morning.
So we will welcome any opportunity to to disseminate their voices and all that.
They have to contribute to
justice, reconciliation and peace.
Thank you very much, Adrian. And as Gabriela says, come more often.
Uh, Thomas, You also have an announcement by the meeting of the mayors.
city leaders from across the globe will come together for
the fourth Forum of Mayors here at the Palais.
This will take place in room 17 from the 30th of September to the first of October,
with over 45 mayors and deputy mayors attending the
forum from all world regions Europe and North America,
from New Orleans to London, Vienna, Italian, Sophia and Mikola
To also mayors from other regions
and several others from the Middle East, from Latin America and from Asia.
Mayors will be discussing the implications for local governments
of the pact for the future,
which was agreed upon at the summit of the future over the weekend.
we draught an outcome statement on the future of
cities aiming to strengthen the engagement of local governments
in the work of the United Nations and UN intergovernmental bodies and processes.
And the forum of mayors, we remind you, is an example of that vision
in practise. It's a pioneering initiative in the UN
and there's certainly a lot of interest from the
cities in being involved in this and shaping,
shaping the dialogue and discourse into governmental work.
We will share with you a full list of participating cities shortly,
so please look out for that.
We will facilitate contact with cities as desired.
Just a quick note that there will be a full day meeting on housing affordability,
the housing affordability crisis affecting
Europe and North America.
This will be informed by a report that we will be releasing on housing stress,
which is experienced by many households in the region,
40 with many facing housing costs exceeding 45 per cent of their income,
which is much greater than the 30% rule which is advised
just to remind you that the right to adequate housing
is a human right recognised in international human rights law
as part of the right to an adequate standard of living.
We'll share that report with you under embargo and, of course,
stand ready to facilitate contact.
Thank you very much. Thomas, Any question to you
I don't see any. So thank you very much. And I turn to
thank you very much, Alessandra. Good morning. Another
Another conference to announce this time for parliamentarians that the 149th
IPU Assembly will take place from 13 to 17 October
in a few weeks time at the International Conference Centre Rbe
we're expecting hundreds of parliamentarians and
experts from some 150 countries.
The overall theme is harnessing science, technology and innovation
for a more peaceful and sustainable future. So on the back of the
was announced by my colleague, from
there will be a particular focus on artificial intelligence.
How to regulate how to legislate to mitigate the risks of a I,
while at the same time reaping the benefits.
You should have received a media adviser in
four languages this morning with more details.
You are most welcome to come to the Assembly,
which is open to all UN accredited media and journalists with a UN badge.
It's a good opportunity, of course,
to meet some of the leading parliamentarians and politicians,
including from countries at war or in conflict situations and the many countries
who are in the news today we have delegations already registered from Russia,
the Russian Federation from Palestine.
And we're also expecting delegations from Ukraine, Israel, Lebanon
and many other countries from around the world.
We'll also have both the speakers of parliament from Armenia
who will also meet for the third time under the good offices of the IP
as part of overall peace and reconciliation efforts in the region.
Thank you, Thomas. Thank you very much. Questions to Ip
on the platform there is Zuri who wants to ask you a question.
do you know which day the the head of
the Parliament of Azerbaijan and Armenia will meet?
Definitely. They will definitely be here on 18 October, which is just the day after
the assembly. But we expect them to arrive a few days before.
But I can get back to you with the specific dates.
Thank you very much. Please do it. Maybe for everybody's information.
thanks to our colleagues for this brief briefings.
to our main subject of today just for housekeeping reasons.
Please remember that at the end of Lebanon we also have a guest from Nairobi who
will speak to you about Sudan and the food situation. She comes from the
World Food Programme Lenny Kinsley.
But let me go now into what's happening at the moment in Lebanon
yesterday evening. You probably have received the statement
of the spokesperson for the secretary general who
stated that the secretary general is gravely alarmed
by the escalating situation along the blue line
and a large number of civilian casualties,
including Children and women
being reported by the Lebanese authorities as well as thousands of displaced
persons amidst the most intense Israeli bombing campaign since last October.
The secretary general is also gravely alarmed by the continued strikes
by Hezbollah into Israel.
He expresses grave concern for the safety of
civilians on both sides of the Blue Line,
including UN personnel, and strongly condemns the loss of lives.
The secretary general notes the ongoing efforts by UN
UNIFIL to reduce tensions
and reiterates the urgent need for an immediate de escalation
and that all efforts be devoted to a diplomatic solution.
The secretary general reiterates his call for
all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure
and ensure they are not put in harm's way.
He also reminds all actors of their responsibility to ensure
the safety and security of all UN personnel and assets.
The Secretary general urges the parties to recommit
full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701,
and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities to restore stability.
yes, indeed very, very grave,
We'll hear now from Ravina for the Office of the Human Rights High Commissioner.
And then we will have online
deputy representative in Lebanon, to understand better.
What is the impact of the situation on Children?
representative in Lebanon who will connect from Beirut.
And Margaret should be in the room. Although I don't see her, maybe she is connected.
Uh and then we will hear from Matthew, uh, salmar
situation of the refugees in Lebanon. So let me start with Rabina.
Thanks, Alexandra. Good morning, everyone.
We are extremely alarmed by the sharp escalation
of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and call
on all parties to immediately seize the violence
and to ensure the protection of civilians.
Yesterday marked the deadliest day of violence in years,
with reports of at least 492 killed and 1645 injured
following a series of Israeli air strikes across Lebanon.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said that 35 Children
and 58 women were among those killed,
as well as a number of medical workers.
one of our UN human rights colleagues in
Beirut lost seven of her family members yesterday,
including two Children aged eight and one in an Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon.
Roads in southern Lebanon are crammed with people in cars fleeing the violence.
This latest violence follows last week's deadly
pager and two way radio attacks in Lebanon
and Syria and the firing of hundreds of
rockets by Hezbollah into Israel from Lebanon.
International humanitarian law is very clear.
All parties to an armed conflict must at
all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants
and between civilian objects and military objectives,
constant care must be taken to spare the civilian population and civilian objects.
The laws of war also oblige all parties to observe the principle of proportionality
incidents in which any civilians, including Children and medical workers,
are killed or seriously injured, potentially in violation of international law
must be subject to independent,
thorough and transparent investigations into the circumstances of the attacks.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Walker Turk,
calls on all states and actors with influence
in the region and beyond to avert further escalation
and to do everything they can to ensure full respect for international law.
Thank you very much. Uh, Ravina.
And now I give the floor to Etsy Higgins, UNICEF deputy representative in Lebanon.
Welcome to the press briefing in Geneva. You have the floor,
And, uh and, uh, it's a very, very difficult morning here in Beirut.
Indeed, as my colleague has just mentioned, we're seeing,
uh, tragically the the first hand. Um,
and as my team are currently on the ground, the UIF team are currently on the ground
supporting Children who have been displaced and injured.
I would like to really draw the highlight of the terrible and dangerous escalation
that the situation has had and the adverse effects
on on Children's physical and overall mental well being.
So as we have heard yesterday, um, at least 35 Children have been killed,
reportedly, but this is more
than the number of Children killed in Lebanon in the past 11 months, which was 22.
Um, In addition, we still have more Children who are missing under the rubble.
Um, and this is 11 months.
In one day, 35 Children killed in one day among close to 500 killed,
492 as reported by the Ministry of Health.
Um, we also have, unfortunately, almost 1700 people who were injured yesterday,
including Children and women.
Um, that's again, according to the Ministry of Public Health,
and countless more Children are in danger. As I speak today,
they're exposed to ongoing attacks.
They're displaced from their homes in some cases multiple times,
and they are unable to rely on an overstretched and very much
If we return to a conflict like those dark days of 2006,
we really fear as UNICEF that this time it
could be even worse for the Children of Lebanon.
Lebanon has recently been devastated by
a protracted economic and political crisis
and the massive port of Beirut explosion, the impact of COVID-19
and the fifth year of a crippling economic
downturn that has sent poverty rates soaring.
Many families are already at the brink,
and now this conflict is making every one of those factors many magnitudes worse.
So we are warning today that any further escalation in this
conflict will be absolutely catastrophic for all Children in Lebanon,
and especially families from towns and villages in the south and
Beqaa in eastern Lebanon, where they have been forced to leave their homes.
These newly displaced adds to the 112,000 people
who have already been displaced since last October.
As of this morning, and the numbers are changing by the minute,
we have 87 new shelters that have been opened.
Many of them are in schools accommodating the
increasing number of displaced people in the south,
in Beirut, in Mount Lebanon, in Baalbek,
and the northern governance.
Um, so, of course, because many of the shelters are now schools,
schools have been closed today across the country
and in fact the public schools have not
yet even had the opportunity to reopen for the new school year due to the conflict
and this is leaving. Many Children at home
in total fear. We're also getting reports that hundreds of Children are caught
en route across dangerous roads across the country
and their caregivers are themselves very afraid
of the uncertainty of the situation.
And this fear cannot be overstated as the barrage
of shelling and air raids continue and increase daily.
UNICEF has worked to support and protect the Children of Lebanon for the
last 76 years and we are ramping up our response as we speak.
We are preparing to deliver food, water and essential supplies such as mattresses,
blankets, hygiene kits to displaced and shattered families,
especially those in collective shelters.
We have already procured and delivered 100 metric tonnes
of emergency medical supplies to hospitals facing severe shortages
and supply stock outs and have more medical supplies set to arrive
by air, hopefully later this week.
UNICEF urgently calls for an immediate de escalation
and for all parties to uphold
their obligations under international humanitarian law
to ensure the protection of civilian infrastructure and civilians,
including Children, humanitarian workers and medical personnel.
This includes facilitating the safe movement of
civilians and especially Children seeking safety.
Yesterday was Lebanon's worst day in 18 years.
This violence has to stop immediately or the consequences will be unconscionable.
Thank you very much indeed.
And I'd like to go now to Dr Abd Nasir Abu
the WHO representative in Lebanon.
And Margaret is indeed with us, but online also ready to answer your questions,
Doctor, you have the floor.
I think since the crisis started, um,
the WHO has been working very closely with the
Minister of Health to prepare for the Lebanese health
system for the management of possible mass casualty event
while maintaining the delivery of essential health services.
We have now seen how much this preparedness
was needed and how much return that we have received.
Some of my colleagues have alluded that
the Minister of Health have reported approximately
including Children, but also for healthcare workers.
And we have close to 6500 people injured in total, including 16 paramedics
in total. Also, I have to say that 2078 surgeries has been performed
only for those who are wounded on the 17th, 18th and the 20th of September.
Currently, we have almost 1000
people that are still receiving treatment
in the hospitals across the country,
and that is overwhelming the health system.
And of course, we have thousands of displaced people who are in need of services.
I have to say that the hospitals have been greatly challenged
in managing the number of injuries since last week,
and with thousands of wounded bandages and surgery to perform.
Over 90% of the major wounds are in the face and limbs, especially hands,
have both eyes and hand injuries with
the required two different sets of operations.
And I have visited one or two hospitalists during after the the the be
explosion and I have seen
how the healthcare brave healthcare workers are really working around the
clock to help and serve all the people who are wounded.
But all I've seen how the hospitalists are managing,
some of them have overwhelmed and they have saturated into that.
But at least the minister of health has
really played a very important role to coordinate
and how they are referring.
The patients from one hospital to another hospital and almost 100 hospitals were
involved with managing those wounded patients for October September 17 and 18.
WHO has been supporting with the health system for
Rather 51 coordinations of the national response
continue to essential health services through the
primary health care and secondary healthy care,
mass casualty management, disease surveillance
and also proposition is essential supplies for the hospitals as well as
WHO continue to support the minister to establish
the and operationalize the Health Emergency Operation Centre,
which has a primary responsibility to
coordinate and support the emergency response.
Since October 8th last year, the WHO has provided
over 60 metric terms of essential emergency medical supplies,
including surgical supplies,
essential medicine, medical consumer,
laboratory and blood transmission supplies and
personal protection equipment for healthcare workers.
We deliver more over the recent days,
the WHO also has delivered the blood bank supplies to the
Lebanese head cross in the first quarter of this year.
The WHO has earlier worked with the
ministers to conduct mass casualty management training,
and those training were provided to more than 5500 surgical and nursing staff
and over 118 hospitals across the country.
This stuff and their skills has proven to be critical in recent days,
especially yesterday and also October September 17 and 18.
During the WWHO also is working with the minister of Health
in updating the GIGIS data for better coordinations and referral services
and for better mapping of hospital capacity and the occupants
during the times of war and uncertainty.
Mental health and psychosocial support services
are also priority and it's very critical
and WHO has worked with the partners and the minister
of health to integrate these services into the hospital,
make it easier for people to access the mental health and psychosocial
we call the health care to be protected
and yesterday several health responders were killed unfortunately,
and this is a strategy upon tragedy not only for the loss of their family,
but also the entire health system and health sector in Lebanon.
WHOV stressed again that healthcare workers, facilities and supplies
and that transport must be protected at all times and always. Thank you.
Thank you very much. And I go now to our colleague of UN HCR Mat, Uh, Salma
for an update on the institution of refugees.
And good morning, everyone, Uh, very much like our colleagues.
As you've heard, we are gravely concerned
about the serious escalation in the attacks that we saw
Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes yesterday and overnight,
and the numbers continue to grow. This is a region
that has already been devastated by war and
a country that knows suffering all too well.
The toll on civilians is unacceptable, and the protection
of civilians and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon is paramount.
International humanitarian law
An end to the hostilities is urgently needed.
And now is the time for the international community
to step up its support for Lebanon
Uh, UN HCR is working tirelessly to provide urgent assistance and protection
to all those affected whether they are Lebanese
Even prior to the latest escalation,
over 100,000 people had been displaced from the southern,
Um, and UN HCR had intervened to support them, whether they be ID, PS or refugees,
up to 100 and 20,000 emergency relief items,
uh, and cash assistance for around 60,000 people. That was
Uh, also, we've been supporting collective shelters,
uh, and ensuring safe access to health care
and psychosocial support.
Now, more recently, UN HCR is the lead on what's called the basic assistance sector.
uh, assessments of, uh, potential shelter sites
in Mount Lebanon. Uh, and in Beirut to look at, um,
the ability for people to stay there and the water and sanitation,
uh, access to those sites.
to move into other areas around Beirut
Uh, we've been working with, uh,
uh, collective shelters in those regions.
Um, and when we have the green light from them, we're ready to move in
core assistance items, uh, and also provide cash assistance,
We're also working with the health ministry, uh,
on the procurement of trauma kits. And, of course, we will make available to them,
uh, the supplies that we have, uh,
for health and for to support, um, Lebanese and refugees in terms of
the refugees in the country. I'm sure,
uh, most people are aware.
It has for many years been a generous host, primarily to Syrian refugees.
The government estimates there is now currently 1.5 million Syrian refugees
in the country, as well as 87,000 refugees,
area before the latest events.
Uh, they now, of course, those refugees face, uh, displacement once again.
Uh, and that double displacement, of course, exacerbates, uh,
And indeed, those vulnerabilities were already very acute.
Having come through covid,
uh, the economic downturn
and the impacts of the Beirut blast.
there has been some movement of refugees into the northern areas.
We don't have exact figures on that, as we don't have exact figures on
the movement of Lebanese from overnight, but we can update those hopefully, uh,
Since the start of the crisis back in October 2023
we are aware of 33 Syrian nationals who have been killed by aerial strikes
and 100 and 13 who have been injured.
And like our colleague at UNICEF, we expect those figures, uh, will climb
In terms of health coverage for Syrian refugees,
we will continue to cover injuries sustained
by Syrian refugees and hospitalisation costs.
Overall, we stand ready to further support the people of Lebanon,
and the refugees that they have so generously hosted for so many years. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Uh, Matz.
And now I will open the two questions before you are asking, Um
notes are in your mailbox. Uh,
Solange is sending the UNICEF
if they haven't done so yet
So I'll start now. And I see Musa Musa
for our colleagues in the field. Musa
Can you get closer to the mic?
OK, maybe just for our colleagues. A quick translation for
The colleague is asking whether what are the capacity in the Lebanon hospitals?
the hospitals have got the capacity to manage these flocks of
wounded people and also, in view of the next possible next fighting.
You understand French, right?
Yeah, OK, so you will answer about the people fleeing north Lebanon,
people fleeing north and these elderly people that were caught
their cars as I understand.
So I'll give the floor to Doctor
Well, thank you very much for the question.
I think in Lebanon, you know, of course, the country has been,
uh, uh, going through a very difficult time for the last few years.
And I think in that crisis, financial crisis, you know, the Beirut blast.
You know, the pandemic and many others have impacted the health system in general.
But I have to say that you know, Lebanon has 165 hospitals,
and with 8900 in bed capacity
and majority of them are the private sector.
But both private and public sector actually
have been responding to the current crisis
and I think capacity wise there are adequate number of hospitals.
They are healthcare workers
But of course they are lacking the means to facilitate.
You know, the to support the you know, the patient that's been wounded, for example,
the supplies, for example,
the operational cost and the fuel for the hospitals to run.
As you know, that in Lebanon, energy is a major, major challenge to have
but WHO as well as other partners. We have been trying to see how we can
you know, uh, prepare for the
unity and that's why we train the healthcare workers.
We enhance the capacity of the hospitals to to manage.
And I think what we have seen in September 17 was unprecedented
where all where almost 3000 injured patients
were actually, you know, admitted to the hospital.
And that has overwhelmed almost 100 hospitals across the country.
So that kind of a major event
it can overwhelm any health system, even developed health system.
In the case of Lebanon, I think we managed
to respond for that crisis as well as the one for yesterday.
in order for us to prepare in the future,
we really need to do more to capacitate
some of those hospitals where they need staffing,
They need emergency supplies, the energy and many other things that they need. That
especially including the blood transmission
that we really we need to provide the testing as well as the blood bags into that.
But there is a support to complement, so at least they can deal with any eventuality,
especially like what happened for the last few days.
Thank you very much, Matt.
I think Moa's question was, was around.
People who are stuck in transport trying to get out of the South move, move north.
fact that some people, apparently especially
people, got sick in their cars and cannot get to safety.
Yeah, absolutely. And and I can't provide really specific details on those cases.
we work with the Lebanese authorities, Um,
and we provide access where we can and support, uh, to refugees.
But we also also support the Lebanese authorities where we can
we're ready to step up and do that. We have contingency planning for the country
that is now just starting to to roll out,
and we really are in that initial
assessment phase where We're supporting the government
access to health facilities,
but also in assessing collective shelters and how we can
can bring in support there.
So I think it's quite early days in that regard,
but we're ready to do as much as we can to support
the government, the Lebanese people,
refugees and ensure that refugees have access initially
now to health support and other essential items.
I was wondering if you could elaborate a little bit more on on the contingency plan.
any exact number on how many have fled? I know you said tens of thousands, but, um,
do you have Do you have a account? Uh, and for the representative from the WHO.
Um what type of injuries? Uh,
sorry. You mentioned that you were seeing injuries to the eyes and face.
Um, could you just explain why
there were so many of of those types of injuries? Thanks very much,
in terms of contingency plans, you know,
we've been working with the authorities with other UN agencies
for just this eventuality. And
you know the time has come now to to start rolling that out.
It's around the provision of supplies that are in country core relief items, uh,
protection assessments and then protection interventions.
Obviously, the immediate priority is shelter. It's healthcare.
Uh, and it's gonna be food.
can give you a little bit more detail, uh, later on in the day, Uh, Emma on that.
At the moment, that's what I have. And in terms of the displacement of people,
we just know what we see from the government at this stage, which is that, you know,
we're looking at tens of thousands,
but we expect that those figures will start to rise.
And as I said earlier on,
there was already significant displacement from the
South even before this latest escalation.
So the situation is extremely alarming.
It's very chaotic, and we are doing what we can to support the government.
Yeah. Uh, as I said earlier, you know the wound.
We are referring to the events that happened on September 17 and 18.
So most of those you know,
injuries were related to the hands and the face and the head, actually.
And the reason why is because of the
pas and the and the hand held devices people were using, actually,
either to look the number that has dialled, or maybe to speak to the
to the VHF radio. And that's why most of the wounds actually are related to the eye
And I think subsequently, most of the people who are still in admission in the
these are people who are still waiting for surgery but
also waiting for amputation and related element in the hospitals
please note that this is one of the unprecedented incidents because we have
never seen so much of injuries related to the hands and face and es
and requires more specialised doctors actually to handle into that into that.
And that's why many of them are still in the hospital waiting for this surgery.
Thank you very much. Um, Mohammed, our
correspondent from the Turkish News Agency.
Thank you so much. Alessandra, my question is for rovina
rovina you already mentioned
Israel has intensified its attack on the south part of Lebanon.
You know, these attacks carry the risk of Lebanon turning into
How do you evaluate this possibility? And can the region, which is all the tens,
handle this action by Israel? Thank you.
everything that you've heard from our colleagues
about the impact on health care on Children
on people who are already refugees who are already displaced,
having to be red displaced.
We're seeing schools turning into shelters.
We're seeing churches turning into shelters.
Have we not learned anything from what has been happening in Gaza over the past year?
We are extremely concerned about this spill over. This is not normal.
This is extremely abnormal when you have people
losing their eyes and when you have hospitals
not able to cope with the amount of amputations that they need to carry out.
We've heard all this before, haven't we? Last year and throughout the past year.
This is not normal, and this needs to stop.
The High Commissioner is calling for an immediate de escalation.
The United Nations General Assembly is meeting.
World leaders are gathering in New York.
They need to prioritise bringing this conflict to an end.
There needs to be a ceasefire in Gaza.
The hostages need to be released and this new front of the conflict.
The escalating rhetoric and the escalating attacks need to stop,
and the international community and all states with leverage
over the parties to the conflict need to exercise this leverage. Now,
really, the message is we need to come back from the brink.
We need all the parties to the conflict to come back from the brink.
We need everybody to push them to do so.
I think the Secretary General has been extremely adamant on that. Also,
he needs messages, Several messages. Nina
So, uh, first for Regina.
I was wondering about the the messages that were sent
out to Lebanese yesterday or that they reportedly received,
um from the Israelis, warning them to move away from Hezbollah
target potential Hezbollah targets.
it's been described as po potentially psychological warfare.
Uh, given that people don't necessarily know where those targets are.
And it's, uh So I was just wondering if you could say a little bit about that,
that use of of, of sending messages like that,
Um, and then I for that, I just had a question.
I think you mentioned the Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
I was also wondering about the Palestinian refugees who
have also been obviously, uh,
following what's been going on in Gaza to other Palestinians there.
UN HCR doesn't it doesn't have Palestinians under its mandate,
but maybe you could say something about them as well.
As you pointed out, these, you know,
tens of thousands of messages that arrived on people's cell phones.
Uh, spread panic, fear and and absolute chaos.
Um, there was the assumption that, uh,
civilians know where the where any weapons may have been stored.
Um, And to be clear, international humanitarian law,
If you warn people of an imminent attack
absolve you of the responsibility to protect civilians,
the obligation to protect civilians is paramount.
So whether you've sent out a warning telling civilians to
flee doesn't make it OK to then strike those areas,
knowing full well that the impact on civilians will be huge.
All feasible precautions must be taken to spare civilians and attacks have to
remain proportional to the wider damage that they inflict that they inflict.
And it is also important to note that those who
may be members of a particular group but are not
actively taking a direct part in hostilities cannot be targeted at
The rules of international humanitarian law
are there to effectively protect civilians,
and thus our our common humanity.
what we a RE seeing here raises fundamental
questions about respect for international humanitarian law.
Ah, that's right. That's right, Matt. Yeah.
And then I also saw the doctor putting his hand up.
So if you want to intervene, doctor,
no worries. Just just keep your hand up and I'll I'll give you the floor,
Uh, so in, in terms of our role, Nina, as you mentioned, you know,
we don't formally have the mandate, uh, to assist Palestinian refugees,
of which I believe there are some 400,000 registered in the country.
we would make our available assistance our assistance available
across the country to those most in need.
So that's our position right now.
if there's any update on that or any or any further development on that,
I can get back to you in the course of the today, but that's the position,
Thank you very much. So, Doctor Uh
uh, no, it's, uh it's Mrs Higgins. Also. Who wants the floor?
Yes, I just wanted to maybe say a few words on the Palestinian camps because
is working closely with the with the, um
with UNRWA in particular on the Palestinian camps
and on the population that are impacted there.
And what I can say is that we have seen a huge crisis over the past,
six months and since the beginning of the war,
on Children's mental health in particular,
and on their access to services as well. Um,
we've had a lot of forced displacement of people
coming in and out of the Palestinian camps,
and we've seen real increases in tension there also,
and seeing that this psychological toll is really having
an impact and triggering really overwhelming levels of stress and
anxiety and fear across the community.
And so we've mobilised large numbers of psychologists and front line workers,
and we provide psycho social
first aid in the Palestinian camps. But
there is, of course, intergenerational trauma of them
now seeing what is happening, of course,
in in Gaza and the West Bank to their extended family members.
And now, in addition, with the increase in violence in Lebanon,
the Children that are coming to our kindergartens and our nurseries in the camps
to be showing signs of a lot of trauma
as well as their mothers and caregivers and family members
Extended family members also coming for support to our
centres that we that we operate across Palestinian camps.
we were due to release, uh, depending on the institution here, Um uh,
a report on the situation on mental health in particular of, um,
Thank you very much. I don't see other hands in the room, so I'll go to the platform.
There are many questions.
Um OK, so I'll start with Yuri, who has been patiently waiting.
Sorry. I am not. Everybody knows about our correspondent. Yura Pera
is the correspondent of RV.
Uh, yes. Thank you, Alessandra.
Uh, my question is for I think Ravina almost for them.
The first one is that your office have access to Lebanon.
So are you already investigating these bombings?
Um, and during your opening remarks, uh,
I noted that you didn't name directly Israel in, uh, in the statement.
Can you, uh Why? Just to understand why is it a political reason or why?
And, uh thirdly, my question is about the fact that we at least 500 death dead about 1,
501,600 wounded in a single day.
Can we talk about war crime in this situation
and the last? But I think maybe it's more for who,
but I'm not sure if someone has this information.
Do you know if the majority of these dead
and wounded are civilians or members of Hezbollah?
Because this is quite hard to understand.
When you're talking about death and injured,
if we're talking about combatants or if we're talking about
OK, Robina, maybe Then I'll ask
presence in Lebanon. Yes.
We have seven international staff in Lebanon and some national staff as well.
They have very limited ability to be able to monitor the situation.
They are producing regular monitoring reports to inform us to inform,
um, the Office on advocacy on on reaching out to member states,
speaking publicly about the issues.
It is a limited capacity, though,
and what they are also trying to do is to try to verify
civilian casualties. But again, this will. This will take time.
Um, on your misunderstanding that we didn't name Israel. Well, of course we did.
The Israeli defence forces themselves have made
it clear that these are Israeli strikes
and our note makes that clear as well. We speak of a
series of Israeli strikes across Lebanon
and on whether this would amount to war crimes.
the methods and means of warfare that are being used raise serious concerns
about whether this is compliant with international humanitarian law.
The fact that there is a large number of casualties and a large number of injuries,
large number of displacement.
some civilian facilities also that have been hit raises serious
questions about compliance with international
human rights and humanitarian law.
Thank you, Doctor. Uh, do you have any more detail on that? I
Well, thank you very much. I think.
First of all, I think we don't have the breakdown of, uh
uh who is civilian and who is the competent.
And that's not our role and a mandate, actually, uh, to to classify, you know,
the wounded vision where they belong to.
I think we rely on the Minister of health reports. But what's important is
humanitarian law, all injuries have the right for treatment,
and our job is to save lives.
And I think that's the most important element that we are dealing with.
I think we are working with the minister of Health.
And I think the report that we're getting from
the Ministry of Health is the majority of these people
you know, are likely to be civilian, as we have seen the 35 Children.
and also there are a number of women, actually, uh, included into that.
So based on what we have the Minister of Health,
I think what we can see there are more civilians
who have been wounded and those who have died.
I think our you know position is that all injuries will come to the hospitalist.
They have the right to be to be treated as part of international
Thank you very much. Jeremy Lange,
correspondent of Radio France International.
I'd like to go back to what Ravina said about the
the fact that you cannot strike.
Uh, um, members of a group that are not, uh, active combatants.
Uh, I'd like to know if you can elaborate a bit more on that.
what we're seeing in Lebanon is is do you fear that what
we're seeing in Lebanon is actually what we saw in in haza,
Israel consider it OK to strike any building. That's as long as you have a a Hamas or
militants in the building. Is that what we're heading to
now? The first question and maybe a second question of,
uh, O on on, um, the closure of Al Jazeera bureau in, um
in the West Bank in a territory that is
normally under the control of the the Palestinian Authority.
Do you have a comment on on that subject? Thank you, Ravina.
Thank you, Jeremy. Um, on the law,
armed force can only be used against a legitimate
military target to achieve a valid military objective.
Even when you do identify a valid military objective,
a legitimate military target,
the fundamental distinction between civilian and military
targets needs to be front and centre.
And even where you have identified a target,
all feasible precautions need to be taken to ensure that civilians are spared.
The attacks have to be remained proportional to the wider impact that they inflict
on civilian lives and civilian infrastructure,
and people who are not exercising a continuous combat function in an
armed group can only be targeted when they are taking direct part
So international humanitarian law is very clear on this, and
the interpretation has to first and foremost place
the protection of civilians at its core.
That was the basis the spirit of international humanitarian law.
What we are worried about is that we are
seeing a stretching of these boundaries and an expansive
view of the interpretation of international humanitarian law which
is straying from the spirit of the law.
And this is why the High Commissioner,
when he spoke to the Security Council on Friday regarding the situation,
expressed serious concern
about the erosion of international law and you know to its core.
and he stressed that the preservation and
protection and respect for international law,
um, is a matter of international peace and security.
So it should raise alarm bells for every member state.
Um, that's that's part of the United Nations.
And then sorry on your separate question on Al Jazeera.
No, of course, we we're very concerned about what happened.
Palestine office, which is based in Amman,
issued a tweet on this yesterday and I will share with you our concerns.
We are deeply alarmed by Israel's misuse of counter
terrorism laws to close Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah,
which is one more measure in the systemic suppression of freedom
of the press and expression in the occupied Palestinian territory.
And on this particular issue, I will also refer you to the state.
What the spokesperson of the secretary general
said yesterday the noon briefing where
he also expressed extreme concern about this event.
He said that this probably placed
think this places, he says,
to a bigger picture in limiting media coverage of what is going on in the region,
where we see that new international journalists are allowed
are allowed in unless they come in with the idea from the North.
It's also a reflection of a trend that we are seeing globally,
which hampers the work of journalists.
And he underlined the importance
of having free and unimpeded work of the press, especially in conflict areas.
I'll go now to Who's the next John John Zaro
Um, our correspondent of Franco
Yes. Good morning. Can you hear me there?
Uh, my first question is to the WHO. Representative.
I was wondering, sir, if you have details on reports that, uh,
health facilities and ambulances have also been attacked,
Uh, I've got a question from Matt
the, uh uh if you could bring us up to speed,
do you have the number of Iraqi refugees that are still in Lebanon?
And if if they're protected as well
the procurement of the medical supplies are you doing it through
the WHO as the lead in the health cluster or independently
if you could send us the links to
the relevant international humanitarian law that you mentioned
is being breached in this situation because there's so many agreements.
It would be nice to send us a a fact sheet of which clauses you're referring to.
Thank you very much. Let's start with Doctor
Yes, well, yes, thank you very much.
I think you know, the soon as the crisis has started, we have witnessed
a repeated attack of health facilities and
health care workers and ambulances as well.
Has mandated. As part of the we are collecting that information, we have a very
effective surveillance system to monitor and also to comment.
And what happened? You know, uh, yesterday and, uh, I think what we have seen is 16.
4 healthcare workers were killed and 16 paramedics, mostly working in ambulances,
not to mention the healthy facilities that has been attacked as well. So I think it
Yes, we have some evidence,
and we have some documentation that shows that at
least there were some attacks of healthy facilities,
you know, the the the the ambulances as well as the healthcare workers.
And this will impact you know,
the overall health sector because we cannot afford
to lose any life in this conflict.
is advocating that the protection of
healthcare workers and healthy facilities is paramount
and we have to protect. And we have to always advocate
the protection of those because it's very critical,
especially in the context of Lebanon when we
have a crisis of the healthcare workers.
Um, you know the number of healthcare workers, uh,
the shortage of healthcare workers so we cannot afford to lose anyone in the crisis.
to John's question on Iraqi refugees.
Yes, there are still Iraqi refugees in the country.
We currently have 4850 registered in the country and indeed
other nationalities as well.
And all of those nationalities are
included in the Interagency Response Programme.
In terms of John's question on the procurement,
and co coordinator in the health sector.
and we are maximising our efforts to respond to
the current needs in terms of the details of how
I'll I'll check on that, John, and let me get back to you.
I don't have details right now,
so I wouldn't want to give you some misinformation on that.
Uh, yes, John. Definitely. We can share with you the relevant excerpts
Gabriela, I know you had another question for Ravina,
but I understand this one is on Lebanon.
So I'll give you the floor now.
Yes, thank you very much. Uh, Alexandra,
um, we saw in Gaza that Israel does not have much respect for civilians.
Uh, I would say that they don't care at all,
But my question is, if in Lebanon,
Hezbollah is protecting civilians, that's one question. And the second one,
uh, to Adriana of UN woman If she's if she's still there or UNICEF,
what is the situation of women and girls in Lebanon?
Thank you. No, Unfortunately, Adriana has left, but I'll give the fruit to Ravina.
ATI can answer on this, uh,
on this issue, she also put a note in the chat. Maybe you can also say it's, uh, uh live.
Because people not not everybody has access to the chat. So I'll start with Ravina.
Thanks, Gabriella. Let us be clear.
Hezbollah has been firing hundreds of
So there are serious concerns there as well regarding the
conduct of the means and methods used in warfare.
The indiscriminate nature of the attacks as well. Let's be very clear on that.
And our calls for the respect for international humanitarian
law go to all parties to the conflict.
And this, of course, includes Hezbollah.
Absolutely. And the Secretary General has also spoken about both,
You want to say something about women and girls and
and then read what you put in the chat?
Yes, very quickly. Uh, thank you.
Um, two points that I put in the chat one is that we have, uh,
as of this morning in the last half an hour, 16.5 1000 displaced.
And as per the government figures,
um, and this is likely to increase drastically in the in the coming hours.
Um, on, uh, on medical supplies. I think somebody asked medical supplies
We've procured and delivered 100 tonnes
of emergency medical supplies to hospitals
who are facing severe shortages and supply stock outs and
have more medical supplies set to arrive this week.
That's depending on the airport remaining open and
our ability to actually have aircraft to come in and deliver the goods.
uh, What I will also say is that as of this morning as well, um,
we're getting reports as I've been speaking to you of Children arriving,
um, with basically only the
closet there that they left in in a hurry.
that there many Children slept in cars and on the side of roads last night across
the country in Beirut, but also in sa
I wanted to flag it hasn't come up, but, uh,
a lot of the first front line responders in Lebanon have themselves suffered.
So our NGO partners and our own staff and
their own family members have also been injured,
and have been displaced. So
what will really complicate the response in Lebanon?
Is that the scale of the displacement? Last night, speaking to some of our
NGO partners and front line workers,
they themselves were fleeing and looking for areas of safety.
They said that the bombardment was all around them when I spoke to one
wanted to mention as well that
we're getting reports as well of of,
of young women and girls who have lacking access
to things like sanitary pads and hygiene kits,
and as well as that in the shelters that
have been open and operating for quite some time.
Um, since the start of the crisis, we really witnessed an increase of, uh
um DB V cases and a lot of girls getting involved in child labour and really
putting them at higher risk of sexual harassment
and sexual abuse as well in the shelters.
So this is something that we're very, very highly
aware of, as well that these shelters need to be
made safe from the very beginning
when families vulnerable families arrive with nothing
that we put the prevention of sexual
exploitation and abuse mechanisms in place immediately.
Given that these families, and especially women and girls,
are at their most their most most vulnerable.
The Jamie Kitchen, Associated Press.
Thanks. Alessandra, Um, I had a question. I guess this is for either doctor Abu
Abubakar or, uh, Ms Higgins,
Um, about the, um, impact of the uh, pager and, um, walkie talkie strikes last week.
Is there any time that you have seen that
the evacuations or other communications,
um, in Lebanon, Um, after yesterday's events were impeded
because of the, uh, strikes last week. In other words,
um, did those, uh, did those attacks, um, on the
wart or impede people from being told about what was happening yesterday,
Um, in the military action?
or I don't know. Who would like to to take this one
from the ground from the field.
Well, I have to say that unfortunately,
I'm not in a position to answer because I'm not the one managing the patient, tra,
uh, transportation from the field to the hospital.
These are the emergency medical services and the Lebanese
who are dealing with that.
So I think maybe the Minister of Health and those emergency medical services
will be in a better position to to to answer that question.
Do you have anything to complement?
I mean, you talked about the the question was about the impact on on on Children.
mean, I could talk about the Children that were injured in the attack last week.
a little girl who was handing.
Um and I think it was widely reported in the media when she was
handing the device to her to her father and it exploded and killed her.
Um, but we also have cases that have not been covered by the media where
Children have lost their sight and have, um, have sustained
severe damage to their hands, as Dr
Abdi has mentioned as well, um, and these are really, uh,
life threatening in some cases and life changing, uh,
disabilities that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives.
Dr Abdi has also mentioned,
the health system is just not set up to deal with the severity and massive
influx of these influx of these of these cases of severe injuries and also deaths.
UNICEF has a as I've mentioned, a long standing support to the Ministry of Health.
But for the first time yesterday, we were asked to provide refrigerated trucks,
and we were asked to provide
a storage space for the for the remains of those who were killed,
including the women and Children. 35 Children, at least killed yesterday.
And I had reports this morning. Of course.
Unfortunately, we weren't able to support with a
with a, um, a mobile mortuary or or or cold storage
vehicles for the remains of those who were killed.
But we all we also have, um,
family members who are who staff members who
are trying to find family members that are still
Um, one staff member this morning has lost over seven members of her family,
and we expect that number to rise in the in the hours ahead.
I'm really sorry for that.
So I have a last question. And then Gabriela, um, we will go to Sudan, but, uh um,
Regina would say to answer your question on another subject. Oh, sorry. I see Yuri as
Ok, let me give the fruit to Nick and Yuri,
and then we will go to Sudan because our colleague has been patiently waiting.
And then I go back to Regina.
Mirus, Uh, our correspondent of the new York Times.
Yeah. Thank you. The question for Doctor Abdi.
I wonder if you could just give us more details
specifically about the deaths of the four healthcare workers.
Were they working in fixed sites in medical clinics at the time?
And were they struck, uh, by shells or or our aircraft, or were they out on the road?
Uh, was there any evidence that you said that there had been some, uh,
healthcare facilities that were
these clinics were they targeted?
Could you give us a bit more detail on this, please?
Thank you very much, Nick. Uh, Nick, I know that, you know, uh,
you know, some of those healthcare workers actually were in the ambulances,
and they were actually doing the emergency services.
But the details of how and where and why I
think I would be able to provide you in written
to that, because I need to get more detailed information from the,
uh from the Minister of Health as well as the
our team who are doing the surveillance.
Thank you very much, Doctor.
Yi's question is not on Lebanon, I will now close
this item of the briefing.
I would like to really thank everyone who has spoken has intervened,
especially our colleagues
Well, for the next days and in this very dire situation,
I like to go now to our colleague of the World Food Programme, Lenny Kinsley.
Thank you very much for your patience, Lenny.
You have an update on the food situation in Sudan
and it's, uh, been very tragic to hear everything that's been happening in Lebanon.
But it's just as important that we keep also attention on Saddam as the situation
is extremely critical there, especially after now 18 months of fighting. Um,
and today, uh, the United Nations World Food Programme
is announcing that we're in a race against time to save lives
As 1.5 million people are either facing famine or at risk of famine,
and without urgent assistance, hundreds of thousands could die,
and we are working tirelessly to get aid into
the hands of people who are facing starvation.
But we are saving thousands of lives every single day in Sudan.
we've supported 5.4 million people with
life saving food and nutrition assistance.
we are urgently getting basic staple foods into the
hands of 100 80,000 people facing famine In Zam
Zam camp in North Darfur,
vulnerable communities are receiving a package of wheat flour, lentils,
and meanwhile, in Khartoum,
WFP is supporting community kitchens to provide 100
75,000 hot meals on a daily basis.
We've also just started in kind food distributions for around 100 55,000 people
Urman neighbourhoods of Khartoum,
where people will receive two month rations
and 16,000 people in the metropolitan area received
mobile money transfers in July and August.
As WFP plans to increase this number.
Uh, throughout the course of this month,
we've also launched self registration pilots to expand
mobile money transfers to North and South Darfur,
and WFP is also taking advantage of the reopening
of the Adri border from Chad into the conflict.
Trucks carrying vital food and nutrition supplies
are crossing that border every single day
despite facing delays due to flooded seasonal rivers and muddy road conditions,
where aid convoys are getting stuck.
Since Andre reopened one month ago,
we've transported 2800 metric tonnes of food
and nutrition supplies into the Darfur region,
and that's enough aid for over 250,000 people.
Of that, 100,000 people in risk of famine areas in West
Darfur have also received emergency food and nutrition supplies.
Even though we are doing everything we can,
it's just a drop in the ocean compared to the needs
not just in Sudan, but regionally.
Around 36 million people have been pushed into hunger because of this ongoing war.
I was recently in Andre Chad, where around 800,000 people have fled to
after enduring unimaginable violence.
People are only met with hunger and destitution.
Despite receiving food assistance,
many are struggling to get by eating once a day if they are lucky.
Like a teenage girl I met called
Toraya, who lost her parents and is taking care of her younger siblings.
Sometimes she's only able to offer them water instead of a meal.
If that is the situation for people in a comparably safe and stable place,
it is hard to imagine what people facing famine or at risk of famine
in Sudan are going through.
though speaking with women who recently fled from areas of risk at famine.
Like a woman I met called
she, along with other new arrivals,
risked their lives to get to safety and Chad
because there was nothing to le left to eat
and all their crops had been destroyed by floods.
Others said they could not even farm because it was too unsafe to go to their fields,
which is also why they fled to Chad.
Health and nutrition workers in the Adra camp told me that over half of their
malnutrition cases there were from new arrivals coming
from risk of famine areas in Sudan.
It is exactly for people like
Najwa, who are among tens of millions bearing the brunt of the brutal war in Sudan,
that world leaders need to pay attention
and step up for during this high level week in New York.
WFP and other agencies cannot tackle these challenges alone.
We are doing everything we can,
but we cannot stop widespread starvation and hunger related deaths
without the support and attention of the international community.
World leaders need to give this humanitarian catastrophe
the attention it requires.
That attention then needs to be translated into concerted diplomatic efforts
at the highest levels to push for a humanitarian
ceasefire and ultimately an end to the conflict.
We also need the international community to step up in demanding that the warring
parties guarantee safe and unfettered humanitarian access
and adhere to international humanitarian law.
Lastly, we need a surge in funding to address the extraordinary level of need
over 600 million in the coming six months to provide urgent aid
to people in the most severe levels of hunger across the region.
We would require even more to help all those millions who need help.
For over 500 days, the Sudanese people had been bearing the brunt of this war,
feeling forgotten and abandoned by the world,
they are still holding on to the hope that
one day they can return to their lives together.
We owe it to the Sudanese people to step up collective action
and prevent mass scale starvation.
The hopes of the Sudanese people, their future, are riding on what we do next.
and over to any questions.
You are absolutely right.
We need to keep focusing on crisis so important, Like Sudan.
And I am looking at the journalists. Now, if there's any question for you on this, uh,
very dire situation, I don't see any in the room.
And I don't see any in the platform because
Gabriel and Uri are waiting to ask other questions.
But please share your notes with our correspondents, and we will do it for you
this important information is kept and used.
So I'll go now to Gabriela. You have a question for Ravina.
Ravina has been waiting here
Yes, thank you very much.
Alessandra, My question is on militarization of public security in Mexico.
It's kind of complicated. I will try to explain it.
Um, last week, the National Guard was transferred to the army to ceda
that is the ministry of, uh of the army in Mexico.
When it was created, it was said that it would be led by a civilian
and the nature of Guardia National would be civilian,
but that was never fulfilled.
On April 2019, the government signed a collaboration and advisory agreement
with the Human Rights Office of the United
Nations with the presence of Michelle Bachelet,
former UN High commissioner for human rights,
and the president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The
the this agreement was signed
Civil Society said that a military commander was in charge of Guardian National
and not a civilian, as had been agreed.
So Lopez Obrador reiterated,
the National Guard promised to maintain a
line of respect for individual guarantees.
integrating the National Guard into secretary
of defence increases human rights violations.
That is what civil society say.
So my question is, are you concerned of this?
What will happen with your
memorandum with the government?
Is your office supporting militarization of public security in Mexico?
are you concerned that militarization will affect especially women and girls?
Thanks to you, Gabriel, For this long question,
I'll give the fruit to Ravina on UNICEF.
I'm not sure that we have because James is travelling to the Middle East.
So I think maybe you would want to ask this in writing
Thank you Gabriella, are we concerned? Yes, we are.
As you know, we have been addressing
this issue for a long time.
We, our office as well as other UN human rights mechanisms,
have consistently cautioned against expanding the
armed forces role in security tasks.
And we have pointed out that this approach has not sustainably reduced violence,
and instead it has led to serious human rights violations.
We reiterate the importance of ensuring that the civilian nature of the
National Guard is prioritised and that
there are robust accountability mechanisms.
And we remind that the armed forces should only
be deployed temporarily for security tasks in exceptional circumstances,
subordinate to civilian authorities
and always under the effective supervision of independent civilian bodies.
We acknowledge Mexico's complex challenges in addressing violence.
But it is important that our consistent caution against
the expanding the armed forces role in security tasks is
Thank you very much. Uh, Gabrielle, you have a follow up?
Yes. Uh, So what will happen with your agreement
with the government of Mexico on Guardia National?
I mean, I. I can't get into any details on that.
we have an office in Mexico that's been long
standing and working on a variety of issues,
so yeah, on that I, I won't be able to go any further.
You You also have a question to Regina?
Yes, thank you. This is a question. So far, not on Lebanon.
one of the representatives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
told that Russia has a nominative list of civilians from the
has been arrested by the Ukrainian army.
He said also that between 7100 and 20 civilians
were also detained in a building in Suja.
just wondering if you have any information on that or if you're working
to know what is happening and just to verify this information. Thank you.
I'll have to check with my colleagues if this list has been shared with our office,
uh, our our office has of course,
reached out to to the Russian authorities on the situation,
kan elsewhere. So I'll just have to check if we have received this list or not.
And we can get back to you.
Thank you. Ravina Uh, Satoko,
has a question for Margaret.
I just wondered, could you give us some update on the plural
campaign in Gaza, specifically the second round of the campaign. Thank you.
Margaret. Good mor. Good morning.
Yes, the polio campaign is there is in the planning stages.
Uh, it is hoped that it could be done mid October.
And just as with the previous, uh, round,
and it's really important that we do do this second round.
But just as with the previous round, we need for, uh,
the pauses pause in fighting to hold.
Ideally, of course, what we all want is a ceasefire,
And it can't go ahead unless we also get those
forces in fighting that currently we don't have a date,
but we're hoping for mid October.
Thank you very much, Margaret, And please keep us updated on this issue.
There are quite a few journalists who have asked questions about that.
So thank you to everyone.
I just have a few announcements for you. First of all, very quickly.
Two international days, I think. Quite important ones. On
The message the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
We've sent you the statements,
the messages of the Secretary General on these matters
the Human Rights Committee.
We have the Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights which will conclude Friday its session,
and the Committee on Enforced Disappearing Disappearances which
is concluding this morning the review of Ukraine.
And this afternoon we will start the consideration of the report of Morocco
A word about what's going to happen today in New York at 9 a.m. New York time
the General Assembly Hall,
the general debate of the 70 Nth session of the General Assembly will begin.
The theme for the 79th session is leaving no
one behind acting together for the advancement of peace,
sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations,
the Secretary General and the president of
the General Assembly will address the session.
There will be a very long list of speakers including uh uh, many presidents,
heads of state governments
and today on the first day, among other participants,
we see the presidents of Brazil and the United States all The debates, as you know,
there are also a list of high level
events which are organised by the General Assembly,
which is available on the Internet.
Don't hesitate to ask us in particular
there are three high level meetings that I wanted to mention the one on sea level rise
on Thursday, the high level meeting on antimicrobial resistance.
And I'm sure that Margaret can answer a question on that That will be with the
and the high level meeting on support for UN
which will also happen on the 26th at 1 p.m. New York time
and will also be available for you on the Web and finally,
the high level meeting on the International Day of Total Elimination of Nuclear
Weapons that I have just mentioned
just also to remind you that this afternoon
the Security Council this afternoon New York time
will hold a debate on the situation of peace and security in Ukraine
and a very last point to remind you that
I think we have sent you any information on that
that the secretary general has convened
2024. This is going to happen today
and it will show our transformation is not only possible
but essential building on the momentum from the 2023 S
the outcomes of the summit of the Future. Again, everything is on UN Web TV
I see Gabriela is a question. I don't know if it's for me.
is it for Robbie Knife? She's still there.
Uh, thank you so much. Rabina. Maybe to you as well. Alexandra,
why? Human Rights Council
is at the same time the General Assembly.
It could be more to October or something like that.
we we have to cover sometimes New York and Human Rights Council at the same time,
and it's it's really hard.
don't know what you think, Ravina As you know, uh, Gabriela,
the Human Rights Council meets three times a year
and for ever long periods, they are expanding us slowly, slowly but steadily.
I don't know if we can make any difference to that, but, uh, you know why?
It's just two different locations uh,
two different sets of delegates.
Maybe it can be a little bit difficult sometimes for the press, but, um,
maybe you can bring this to the attention of the
I can certainly bring it to Pascal's attention.
I'm not sure how much power he has over the scheduling of these meetings either.
Gabriela, just to share your frustration, we are completely overwhelmed.
There's a lot of demands on the UN Human rights office,
and we just hope that member states will give us the commensurate funds to be able to
cover all the requests increasing requests that are
coming through the increasing meetings of these bodies.
do you have an idea of how much money do you need
we We have various appeals that the High Commissioner has made to member states, Um,
on the the budget shortfalls resulting from
the liquidity crisis and also generally.
But we'll be happy to share the figures with you. And I can do those by email
Any other question for me, Ravina or anybody else
in the room or on the platform.
So Thank you very much. It's time to tell you bona, petit
and tell you and and and, uh, I'll see you on Friday. Thank you.
