The United Nations Office at Geneva
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UN Geneva Press Briefing - 08 October 2024
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UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING
8 October 2024
War in Lebanon
Matthew Hollingworth, World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director in Lebanon, speaking from Beirut, said that Lebanon was facing extraordinary times. What had happened over the past weeks had been astonishing in terms of destruction and displacement. More than 1.2 million people were now affected by the crisis, with hundreds of thousands displaced, mostly from the south of Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. Horrific cases of forced evacuations, sometimes only at a few hours’ notice, were way too numerous, said Mr. Hollingworth. There were currently 973 formal shelters in Beirut and the north, with over 200,000 people residing there; many of these shelters had reached full capacity. Displaced families had spoken of moving because they were extraordinarily fearful of what was yet to come. People in Lebanon had watched over a year how neighborhoods in Gaza had been decimated, which had also affected their decision to flee. WFP was managing to reach about 150,000 people per day with food rations; cash transfers were also being made daily, but as many as one million people might soon need help. There was an extraordinary concern of Lebanon being able to continue to feed itself, with large swathes of agricultural land in the south being bombed, damaged, and abandoned.
Moving forward, the WFP was building up to reach at least one million people, explained Mr. Hollingworth. For that to be possible, the current funding gap of USD 115 million would have to be filled. De-escalation was necessary. A diplomatic and political solution had to be found. Lebanon had already been very fragile, not least because of having hosted so many refugees. The country was tired, people were scared, and trauma was palpable. Prevention and de-escalation were absolutely needed now.
Ian Clarke, World Health Organization’s (WHO) Deputy Incident Manager, also connecting from Beirut, stated that the WHO was deeply concerned by the impact of the recent escalation of violence on the health system in Lebanon, including the rising number of attacks on health workers and facilities. Since 17 September, 16 attacks on health care had been recorded leaving behind 65 deaths and 40 injuries among health staff. Health facilities had been greatly impacted: 96 primary health care centres and health facilities had been forced to close in the south due to rising hostilities, five hospitals were reported non-functional due to physical or infrastructural damage, and an additional hospitals had been partially evacuated and requiring the transfer of patients, including critical dialysis and cancer patients, to other hospitals while maintaining emergency services, albeit with very limited capacity. As the number of displaced people increased and the population was left with limited access to emergency and trauma care, as well as access to essential health services, including routine vaccination and essential child and maternal health services, Lebanon was facing a situation where there was a much higher risk of disease outbreaks, such as acute watery diarrhea, hepatitis A, and a number of vaccine preventable diseases.
Lebanon’s health system had been impacted by years of economic and political instability, said Mr. Clarke. Over the past five years, Lebanon had suffered the departure of many its health workforce, limitations in essential health supplies, expensive out-of-pocket services, and lack of steady access to electricity impacting service delivery. All these challenges had deepened the risk of disease and poverty. WHO continued to support the Ministry of Public Health of Lebanon, working to conduct a rapid assessment of the IDPs access to health care to better mainstream essential services. The assessment was ongoing in parallel with the work to support the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit at the Ministry to expand and improve early warning surveillance capacities. Since the escalation of violence in September, the WHO had procured over 116 metric tons of supplies including surgical trauma supplies enough to perform 4,000 surgical interventions, and cholera and mental health medicines enough to treat around 100,000 patients. Mr. Clarke stressed that the only solution was de-escalation and peace.
Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), quoted from the joint statement of UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro. In the statement, the two officials stressed that a negotiated solution was the only pathway to restore the security and stability that civilians on both sides so desperately wanted and deserved.
Replying to numerous questions from the media, Matthew Hollingworth, for the WFP, said that the Beirut airport was critical for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and movement of emergency medical teams in and out of the country. It was also vital that the ports and the land corridors remain open. Ian Clarke, for the WHO, spoke of the impact of the overnight bombing attacks on mental and physical health of people who had to endure it. People could no longer sleep at night because of the attacks. This would all have a longer-term impact on the affected populations.
Mr. Hollingworth also explained that the WFP aimed to be able to assist for up to one million people per day; right now, the WFP was helping some 150,000 per day. There were between two weeks and two and a half months of food stocks in Lebanon, depending on the commodity, said Mr. Hollingworth. The challenge was accessibility as more and more people found it difficult to afford the food they needed. Replying to another question, he said that a notification procedure with the IDF was already in place and a deconfliction process was being implemented to ensure that humanitarian actors’ mission and working premises were safe. Having witnessed numerous incidents in Gaza, the humanitarian actors in Lebanon wanted to make sure such deadly occurrences would be avoided in Lebanon. Lebanese people were afraid that their country could become another Gaza, which was why so many had left the southern regions and moved to Beirut and the north.
Mr. Hollingworth himself was worried that there was a risk of Lebanon entering the same spiral of doom witnessed in Gaza, where he had worked before. This should not be allowed to happen; it was up to diplomats and political leaders to prevent the worst outcome. While farming and food production in the rest of the country continued, large portions of the south were not usable, including citrus fruits, bananas, olive trees, and vegetables. In many cases, farmers would eventually return to the lands there were no longer farmable.
Also answering questions, Jeremy Laurence, for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stressed the three principles of international humanitarian law: distinction, proportionality, and military necessity. Civilians and civilian objects had to be spared. The situation in Lebanon was critical, and so was the situation in Gaza. The same patterns from Gaza were being now observed in Lebanon, having horrendous impact on civilians in Lebanon.
James Elder, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), noted that the language being used over “limited” attacks on Lebanon were reminiscent of that used in Gaza. The commonalities were unfortunately way too many, and it might be getting more challenging to disentangle the two conflicts. An estimated 400,000 children were currently in need of humanitarian aid in Lebanon, said Mr. Elder.
The Lebanon Flash Appeal was currently only 12.5 percent funded, informed Alessandra Vellucci of the UN Information Service.
Hurricane Milton
Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), stated that hurricane Milton posed an extremely serious threat to Florida, which was still reeling from hurricane Helene less than two weeks earlier. Milton would likely make landfall in Florida on 9 October. Maximum sustained winds were near 250 km/h with higher gusts, according to the latest update from the US National Hurricane Center. Milton was a powerful category 4 hurricane. Ms. Nullis explained that Milton had intensified at an explosive rate, an increasingly common occurrence. Ocean heat was playing a role here because warm sea surface temperatures provided the energy necessary for hurricanes to intensify. The deeper the warmer water, the more energy a storm could draw. Milton was also a large hurricane, with hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 45 km from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 130 km. It was expected to grow in size. A storm surge would raise water levels by as much as 1.2 – 1.8 meters above ground level along the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in areas of onshore winds.
Ms. Nullis further informed that there were currently three hurricanes spinning in the Atlantic – Milton, Leslie, and Kirk, which was exceptional for the month of October. Kirk was currently a category 1 hurricane but would weaken and become an ex-tropical cyclone as it hit Europe on 9 October. The major impacts was expected on France. Meteo-France was forecasting that Kirk will be a dangerous storm, with wind gusts up to 100 km/h and heavy rainfall, especially in the Loire region and Paris area.
WMO was working closely with the weather forecasting community, said Ms. Nullis responding to a question. She spoke of John Morales, a veteran meteorologist in the US, who had been brought to tears while reporting about hurricane Milton. Ms. Nullis warned that this abnormal situation was becoming the “new normal”. The problem with hurricane Helene was that people could not believe it would be as intense as it was, and had thus not heeded the warning from the authorities.
Human Rights Council
Pascal Sim, for the Human Rights Council (HRC), informed that this was the final week of the 57th regular session of the Human Rights Council. This morning, the High Commissioner was providing an update on Ukraine, and this afternoon he would address the situation in Haiti. The Secretary-General’s report on Cambodia and an OHCHR report on Yemen would also be presented. Mr. Sim said that action on 37 draft resolutions would begin on 9 October and continue till 11 October. On 9-10 October, the UN General Assembly would elect 18 members of the Council to serve for three years starting in January 2025, for which they were 19 candidates. A simple majority of votes of 193 Member States, or at least 97 votes, were needed for a State to be elected.
Announcements
Speaking on behalf of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Alessandra Vellucci reminded of the upcoming World Trade Organization embargoed press conference on the "Global Trade Outlook and Statistics – October Update," on 10 October 2024 at 2 pm, under embargo until 3 pm that day. The conference can be attended in person in Room D at the WTO, or via Zoom.
Ms. Vellucci, for the UN Information Service, informed that the the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which had opened its 89th session the previous day, was reviewing today the report of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
On 9 October, the international community would mark World Post Day, a special one this year as it coincided with the 150 years of the Universal Postal Union.
Teleprompter
Good morning.
Welcome to the press briefing, uh, of the information service here in Geneva.
Today
is Tuesday, 8 October. I want to apologise for my voice.
I guess this is the season of the flus.
Let's start immediately by hearing the update on the council from Pascal.
Thank you, Alexandra. Good morning, everyone.
First I want to apologise because last Friday I lied to you twice.
I mentioned that the additional report of the fact finding mission on Sudan
will be released yesterday. It will actually be published this coming Friday.
And I also mentioned that the request for the renewal of the mandate
of the special rapporteur on climate Change was for an additional year,
but it's actually for three years.
So
apologies for that.
This morning,
the High Commissioner will give an update on the human rights situation in Ukraine.
This update is based on the findings of his office quarterly reports,
the one that Liz Truss
briefed you on last week.
And in the afternoon, Volker
Turk
will update you on the situation in Haiti
Based on the report that Ravina
presented to you last month
his designated experts on the human rights situation in Haiti
William O'Neill will also participate remotely to this meeting.
He recently conducted a mission to the country a two week mission there
and then you will hear a presentation of
the Secretary General's Report on Cambodia and another
report on Yemen
resolutions and amendments for these 57 sessions.
So as mentioned to you last Friday, we have a total of 5037 draught resolutions.
The council secretary had also received seven amendments yesterday
for resolutions pertaining to Venezuela, you and human rights and climate change.
And we expect also three additional oral amendments
by Cuba on the resolution on Venezuela.
So action on these draught resolutions will begin
tomorrow afternoon and will continue until Friday.
I'm very sorry.
I don't have yet the running order for this, uh,
for the consideration of these resolutions.
But I'll share it with you as soon as I have it.
And as you are all aware,
we have important elections coming up on the other side of the Atlantic tomorrow.
On Wednesday at 10 a.m. New York time.
The UN General Assembly will elect 18 members of the
Human Rights Council to serve a three year term,
starting on January 1st 2025.
There are actually 19 candidates for 18 seats.
So let me just remind you who the candidates are.
Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia,
Kenya and the Gambia for the African group
Cyprus, the Marshall Islands, Qatar, the Republic of Korea,
Saudi Arabia and Thailand for the Asia Pacific Group
Czechia and North Macedonia for the Eastern European group Bolivia,
Colombia and Mexico for the Latin American and Caribbean group
Iceland, Spain and Switzerland for the group of Western states and other states.
So a reminder that a simple majority of the 193 member states of the U,
which
is actually 97 votes,
are necessary to be elected as a member of the Human Rights Council.
And if there are more candidates in a regional group
than the number of allocated seats in this group,
the candidates will get the highest number of votes
and at least 97 votes will get elected.
And unlike other elections,
you will get the results quite early in the afternoon
around 5 p.m. so you will have to stay late
and the president of the General Assembly will announce the results.
It will be a Webcast election. Thank you.
Thank you, Pascal. Is that a hand? Uh, Nina? No. So I'll go to the platform.
Emma has a question for you.
Uh, thanks, Pascal.
I just wanted to ask a bit more about the fact finding mission report.
What is this report called? Um, And what
will it look at? Cause I thought we already had that report. Thank you.
Thank you.
I don't have the details yet on the content of the report,
but it's an annex to the main report that
the fact finding mission presented to the council at
the beginning of this session.
Usually when the reports, the official reports that are presented to the Council
has a world limit.
And if an investigative body wants to provide additional information,
it then issues what we call a conference room paper,
which is an annex to the main report in
which you find more details, mostly statistics,
figures that they could not include
in their main report. But we will have most likely a press release
that will accompany the release of this additional report.
Thank you.
Any other question for Pascal? Oh, so that was a hint. Nina
on that. So, will you get that under embargo in advance?
Or is it will it just be published?
I'm not sure. I will check with my colleague to
Pitman if we will have an embargo version shared with you. So
I'll let you know.
Yep. Jamie
Pascal,
how common is it to release a report of the
fact finding mission on the last day of the council?
I
don't know. But, you know, investigative bodies are facing
a
lot of issues, including the liquidity crisis. So it hasn't been an easy
moment for them to conduct properly their investigation on time. But
the fact finding mission is also expected to present
a report to the General Assembly later in October.
So they want to make sure that at least this
annex to the report is shared with the member states
before the end of this session.
No other hands.
I didn't see
any
Pascal.
Thank you very much.
So let's turn now to
the first subject. The
first topic this morning,
which is indeed Lebanon.
We have a couple of colleagues online from Beirut
to believe
we have with us Matthew
Ingor,
the WFP
country director in Lebanon
and Tarik, who is connected also has brought us Ian Clark,
who is the deputy incident manager for Lebanon, who is also in Beirut.
We will hear
from both colleagues. Now,
before we open the
question, Matthew, would you like to start?
Thank you very much. And good morning to everybody.
clearly, we are facing
extraordinary times in Lebanon. Um, currently not that were
not expected. Unfortunately, and for some time we have We knew,
um, this, uh, escalation would be coming in place.
But what is happening and has happened over the past few weeks,
um, has been astonishing in its,
um, significance in terms of destruction.
Um, and the speed in which people have been displaced,
we have
upwards of 1.2 million people affected. Now by this crisis,
hundreds of thousands of people displaced from the seven districts
in the front line areas of the south of this country bordering Israel.
Um, and, of course, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Um, emptied.
And many of these towns, villages and suburbs now little more than rubble.
we have in this fast moving emergency now seen, um, you know, horrific.
cases of forced evacuation notices coming out with
few hours for people to prepare and depart.
So many of the families that were displaced over the past year, um,
who have prepared themselves taken their family belongings
are far, far better off than the much greater majority today who have left, um,
in some cases, with only hours to spare before their areas have become under, um,
under bombardment.
And so we're seeing
families, uh, in, um, shelters. There's now 973 formal shelters,
uh, inside, uh, Beirut, in the north of the country,
with more than 200,000 and people living there registered.
773 of those shelters are absolutely chock a block full.
Uh,
these are shelters that have that were
typically schools or academies or government buildings.
Um, where there's insufficient,
you know,
toilets and bathrooms and infrastructure to cope with the
sheer numbers who are now living there 24 7,
as opposed to the Children or students,
uh, or workers who would normally only be there for a number of hours of a day.
Um, many of the families that I've met and I was in the south of the country earlier.
Uh, last week. Um, talk about the fact that they are moving not just because of fear of
destruction, of their land and their homes and their neighbourhoods,
but also because they've lost people.
They've lost family and friends, uh, and communities.
And they are extraordinarily fearful of what comes next. Trauma,
Uh, in terms of mental as well as physical trauma is key to this.
Um, people have watched over the last year as the war in Gaza has continued and and
neighbourhoods have been decimated and pounded while over and over and over again.
And that is deep in their gut in their hearts, in their minds when they move on.
what what are we trying to do about all of this?
Um, well,
we we have been from from the very first days able to reach around
100 and 50,000 people each day with hot meals with ready to eat rations,
sort of a five day to 15 day rations, depending on people's ability to cook, um,
fresh bread
sandwiches.
And indeed, very importantly in Lebanon in this in this, uh, environment,
cash transfers. So, um, 100 and 50,000 people helped daily at the moment,
but that needs to increase.
We are always playing catch up, Um, because we need to be reaching
at this point
almost a million people per day right now,
we've distributed half a million hot meals being prepared through 10 kitchens,
Um, as well as those uh, uh, other forms of aid and assistance as well.
Um, but there's massive work to be done. 200,000 people in formal shelters.
There's many, many hundreds of thousands,
thousands of more living in informal sites, unfinished buildings,
falling down buildings and and indeed, unfortunately, sleeping out rough.
Um, currently the weather's good. Last night it rained.
Every night we hear explosions, uh, as missiles land in the southern suburbs.
agriculture wise food production wise,
extraordinary concern for for Lebanon's ability to continue to feed itself,
1900 hectares of agricultural land have been burned
in the south of the country over the past year, primarily in the last few weeks,
12,000 hectares of farmland in what is one of the
most productive areas of the country have been abandoned.
46,000 farmers impacted
heavily by this this crisis,
olive, uh, harvests in the South will not happen.
Bananas, Citrus harvest will not happen. Vegetables rot in fields.
Uh, and a country that is already dependent on imports, um,
has a harder time because what they could provide, uh,
for their own food security and food system needs is being, uh,
decimated in the South.
Um, we have very significant
needs moving forward.
Um, over the next three months, as I said,
we are building up to reach at least a million people, um, who have been, uh,
impacted working within a system of organisations, uh,
that provide food systems and food security.
Uh uh. Support. Um, we have a a funding gap of 100 and $15 million over that time.
Um, we are, we believe, um, starting to receive positive,
uh, pledges against that. Um, but we've we at the moment we are working based upon
the anticipatory action, the preparedness we put in place,
thankfully funded by some of our key donors ahead of the escalation where we were
able to preposition some food around the country
and put some cash aside for emergency.
Uh uh. Emergency transfers,
key messages right now, um are clearly
de escalate. Deescalated deescalated
Diplomatic,
political solutions must be found because the
significance of the humanitarian need in a
country that has already been racked by
accumulated problems over the last few years,
not least the, uh, the economic crisis, but also the fragility that comes
from hosting,
um, the equivalent of 25% of their population, uh, in in refugees, um,
and and really a country which is already on its knees and that cannot
cope with an extended period of of crisis such as we're facing right now.
The country is tired, people are scared,
the trauma is palpable.
Um, and obviously we're all concerned, um,
that what started a year and a day ago with those horrific events in Gaza,
um now will continue into what could be a more regional crisis.
Um, let's prevent prevent prevent and deescalated. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Matthew. Um and now I'll go to WHO.
I don't know if Tarik you wanna say something at the beginning or we go straight to
Ian.
Go ahead. So you are the deputy incident manager for Lebanon for
and you are calling in from Beirut?
Yes, that that that's correct.
Uh, and apologies from the WHO country representative UH doctor
Ati Nasir,
who's not able to join to other commitments. But he's asked me to
to give a short statement on on his behalf
and then to stand ready to to take questions.
So I mean WHO it.
It's deeply concerned by the impact of the recent
escalation of violence on health systems in Lebanon,
including the rising number of attacks on healthcare workers and facilities.
Since September, the 16th attacks on healthcare have recorded,
leaving behind 65 deaths and 40 injuries. Among health staff,
health facilities have been greatly impacted. More than 96 primary healthcare,
healthcare centres and health facilities have been forced to
close in the south due to the rising facilities.
Five hospitals were reported nonfunctioning either
due to physical or infrastructural damage,
and an additional four hospitals have been partially evacuated
and have required the transfer of patients,
including critical dialysis and cancer patients,
to other hospitals, while continuing to try to maintain emergency services,
albeit with very limited uh, capability.
With the present rising tensions in the south and across many parts of the country,
including in the suburbs of Beirut,
Lebanon has witnessed a sudden and massive displacement
with an estimated 100 and 65,000 people
becoming internally displaced in a single week.
And as Matthew had mentioned
in many cases, these are people who have left their houses their homes
within minutes, uh, of being warned,
and therefore have left everything behind
their chronic their critical medicines,
uh, their whole coping mechanisms
as the number of displaced people increases and the population
is left with limited access to emergency and trauma care,
as well as to access to essential health services, including routine vaccine
and essential child and maternal healthcare services.
We're facing a situation where there is a much higher
risk of disease outbreak such as acute watery diarrhoea,
hepatitis A
and a number of other vaccine preventable diseases.
It's important to remember that Lebanon's health system has been impacted not just
in the last few months but by years of economic and political instability.
Over the past five years,
Lebanon has suffered the departure of a large number of its health workforce,
limitations in essential health supplies,
expensive out of pocket services and the lack
of steady access to electricity impacting service delivery.
All of these challenges have deepened the risk of
disease and poverty which go hand in hand.
We cannot ignore that.
Lebanon is also host to the highest number of refugees per capita,
including an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees
and at least 11,000 refugees of another of other nationalities.
The compound effect of economical challenges, instability, migration,
displacement have resulted in significant challenges for
health system and its ability to deliver.
Despite the challenges,
WHO Conti continues to support the Ministry of Public Health of Lebanon
in
response to the rising ITP challenges.
WHO is working with the Ministry of Public Health and Partners to conduct a
rapid assessment of the ID PS access
to healthcare to better mainstream essential services.
The assessment is ongoing in parallel with
work to support the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit
as the Ministry of Public Health looks to
expand and improve early warning surveillance capacities,
especially at the ID P shelters.
Special attention is given to the protection of
acute watery diarrheal diseases and vaccine preventable diseases,
lice and scabies, among other potential outbreak threats.
Surveillance is also enhanced through
the continued support to reference laboratories
to the delivery of stocks and of testing agents.
WHO is also supporting the ministry through the procurement
and delivery of essential medical and surgical supplies.
Since the escalation of violence in September,
WHO has procured over 100 and 16 metric tonnes of supplies,
including surgical trauma supplies,
enough to perform 4000 surgical interventions,
and cholera and mental health medicines enough to treat around 100,000 patients.
WHO is also supporting with the co ordination of the deployment of
emergency medical teams to help to train and capacitate local surgeons,
Uh at the referral hospitals
never le. Nevertheless, the the needs keep mounting as the war goes on.
And as Matthew mentioned,
the only solution is deescalating and peace.
WHO will continue to work to respond to the emergency whilst
we also advocate for peace and for health for all.
Thank you,
thank you very much. Before I open the floor to question,
I would just like to call the attention of our reporters on the joint statement
that we have just distributed
and which has been
issued by the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon
Janine Hanni
Blaser
and the
UNIFIL head of Mission and Force Commander Lieutenant General
Aroldo Lazzaro.
In
this statement,
The two officials say
one year,
one year since
the daily exchanges of fire commenced across the
blue line initiated by Hezbollah propelling rockets into Shabab
farms
in violation of the Decision of Hostility and Security Council resolution 1701.
One year in which far too many lives have been lost,
uprooted and devastated,
while civilians on both sides of the blue
line are left wanting for security and stability.
One year in which our repeated appeals for restraints,
the protection of civilians and adherence to international humanitarian law, a
return to the cessation of hostility and a
political process anchored in their implementation of 1017 01
have gone unheeded
is more in the joint statement, which concludes
by saying that
further violence and destruction will neither solve the underlying
issues nor make anyone safer in the long run.
Quite the opposite.
A negotiated solution is the only pathway to restore the security and step
that civilians on both sides
so desperately want and deserve. The time to act accordingly is now
and you have the full statement in your mailing box
and I would like to also ask
if possible, Tariq
and Ishita,
who is on the line to
send the journalist the notes of our two briefings.
So
let me now open the floor to question in the room. I start with Nina Larson.
Nina is our correspondent of
AFP.
Uh, thank you for taking my question.
Uh, I guess questions for both of you and also other, uh, others who might be online.
Sorry.
Is that me?
there is. There is a, uh, some computers who are open.
I could ask colleagues of checking their computer or telephone. Please
Go ahead. OK?
No, my question was about the attacks, Uh,
or the strikes near Beirut airport and the calls to avoid,
um, hitting the airport.
I'm wondering what impact it would have for delivery of aid.
Uh uh, if if that airport is
is hit and also sort of in terms of of, uh, human rights, maybe.
I think Jeremy's online.
if you could say something about about the strikes
in Beirut and and around the airport and how that
Yes, thank you.
Ok, so, um, just let me know who would like to take this one.
And as Nina said, we do indeed have
ians,
Jeremy
and, um James online.
So just show your hand. I'll, uh I'll give you the floor. I don't know if Matthew or
Ian would like to take this up.
Actually, I can't see
much.
The line.
Ian,
can you see me?
Oh, yeah. Now you can see you. Go ahead.
Thank you. I mean,
we we throughout, uh, the last few weeks, we have consistently asked
that,
uh, unlike, for example, in 2006,
uh, in the summer war, we we do not see these critical corridors for assistance.
Close.
Um, so the airport is is very important for the delivery of,
um, humanitarian assistance,
but also for the movement of humanitarian and emergency medical teams, uh,
in and out of the country as well.
So, um, it it's also important because it's a conduit to allow
people to leave. Um, if they wish to evacuate themselves.
So it's it's important that the airport remains open.
It's absolutely critical the ports remain open,
and it's also critical that the overland corridors, uh, into, uh, Lebanon O,
remain open. This is a country that relies on imports to cover most if not
all of its, uh, needs in terms of fuel.
Uh, in terms of, uh uh in terms of food and in terms of other
materials.
If it stops,
um, the country doesn't produce enough and does not have enough in stock, uh,
to keep managing, um, hospitals to run generators, electricity, uh,
heating as the winter comes in,
um, the movement of goods around the country aid and assistance and aid workers.
So they are all critical, uh, entry points for materials aid workers,
uh, emergency management, uh, medical teams and others. So they are vital.
Yeah. Anything to add?
Yeah, thanks. M. Maybe just to add on the the the kind of the human impact. I mean, Y,
you know, over the last, uh, week or so longer
the attacks, you know, pretty much begin late afternoon, early evening,
and run on right the way through through the night at a a kind of a regular phase.
And, of course,
this has a massive impact on the as Matthew mentioned on the the mental
and and psychosocial health of of people.
Uh,
I was just literally this morning visiting a couple of the displacement centres,
Um, just outside, uh, to the north of
Bahia.
And, you know,
people are now sleeping mainly during the day because
they cannot sleep at night because of you know,
the blast, the buildings shaking,
and and this will have a long and and lasting impact on on people's mental.
Our Children,
you know, all night being awake with these explosions.
So the the psychosocial impact,
let alone to the the the physical infrastructural damages.
Uh, even for people who have moved and are in, we would hope,
uh, a safe area.
They are still exposed to the psychosocial impact of of of the, uh,
the the attacks and and the bombing.
Thank you.
Thank you very much. Jeremy, would you like to answer or to make a comment
following, um, Nina's, uh,
question?
Yes.
Thanks.
go ahead.
So, uh, we would always revert back to the the paramount importance of, uh,
international humanitarian law. And that is the the the three principles.
So your distinction, precaution and proportionality.
But moreover, I would say that the importance here is that that all parties
must respect not only civilians, but civilian objects.
Um, so the in in the as our colleagues from WFP and WHO noted, uh,
the attacks on whether it be medical, uh, facilities, uh, and the like,
uh just over yesterday, we we even heard of 10 firefighters,
uh, killed in a strike in the in the south of Lebanon.
it's it's imperative here that in the conduct of military operations,
constant care is is taken to spare
to spare the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects.
Thank you very much.
Looking at the room. I've got
plenty of questions online, but
that's a It's a hand. Jamie. OK. Jamie Keaton, Associated Press.
Thank you. Yes, Um,
I wanted my question is for Mr Hollingsworth.
Um, particularly Mr Hollingworth.
Um, you mentioned a lot of numbers, and I appreciate, um that thank you very much.
I wanted to just make sure. Um I understood the, um
the you you mentioned that the goal is to have a million people um uh uh helped per day.
Um, I didn't quite understand what the current level is on.
That in terms of getting to reach,
uh uh a million. I mean, just in comparison to what the current state of play is.
And then the second, uh, question, uh, has to do you mentioned also that, um
uh, 1900 hectares of agricultural land have been burned in the South.
Um, could you put that into perspective?
I mean, I was doing the maths as you as we spoke,
and that looks like about 20 square miles or 20 square kilometres.
Sorry. It's like eight square miles.
So is that a lot of land that's being hit?
And just if you could just kind of put that into perspective to the
agricultural land in the entire country. Thanks,
Matthew.
Yep. Thanks for the question.
So it's indeed we are We want to S to build up to the point where anybody
that is displaced and in need of support food
assistance can be their needs can be met.
So at the moment, worst case scenario, that's going up to a million people a day.
Um, right now, uh,
we are able just as the World Food Programme
to serve around 100 and 50,000 people each day.
there are other partners in the food sector that
bring that number up in excess of 200,000.
But we've got a long way to go, and the numbers rose so quickly.
So there is a lot to be done.
Uh, and and a and a lot more people than we are currently able to reach, uh, and and
actually know exactly where they are. A lot of that's to do with the fact that,
where when people have not gone to areas that
they are yet registered to to receive support,
we are having to chase them down and find them
in order to see who is most vulnerable and who needs that support.
in addition to that 150,000, I should mention there is also cash programming.
So we we have been able to provide, um, 45,000 people with a cash transfer as well.
So it's it. It is rising. But we are playing catch up.
Um, in terms of of the agricultural land,
uh, damaged, um, through burning and that's that's through,
um, through white phosphorus, that's through other, uh um uh
uh, missiles and and and And explosions that have that lit up land.
Um, what is very significant, significant in the South is the the long term impact,
the long term impact in particular because a lot of the land which has been,
uh targeted is olive farms and the olive trees are decades,
if not more old and they will take many,
many, many years to be, uh, to be, uh, productive. Once again,
um, if the if the forests have to be, um, replanted and grown. So it's
it's, uh, in the in the grand scheme of things.
It's not a huge territory at this point,
but it's the long term impact, because replacing them will take decades.
Thank you.
Can you hear me? Thank you. I thank you for that. Those answers. Um,
you just you also mentioned you've got extraordinary concern
for Lebanon's ability to continue to feed itself.
Is Lebanon facing a
a
food crisis right now? Or is it in the sort of
what kind of time horizon?
Uh, if things continue the way they are now, um,
will Lebanon be facing AAA serious food crunch?
So typically, um, in terms of food stocks in the country,
depending on the commodity, there's between, you know,
two weeks and and 2.5 months of stock.
So while
um, there are stocks available?
Um, the bigger issue is for the families that have, uh, have been made homeless,
have been dis
possessed who have lost their livelihoods, their their jobs, their income
um, and can't actually afford to procure and buy the food that is available.
So we have time.
There is time to prevent this.
the bigger issue is about people's availability
to access because they can't afford,
um And because they've they've lost,
they've lost their own, uh, livelihoods and homes, uh, and means to to, uh,
to afford what is available.
Thank you very much. Any other questions in the room?
No. So let's go to the platform,
as are with John Zarro.
Costas. Franz
Van K.
John. Good morning.
Yes. Uh, good morning. Uh, got a couple of questions first to the,
uh, S, uh, representative from WHO in in Lebanon. Uh,
Mr Clark OK. Can you give us some, uh, more details?
Uh, the names of the four hospitals that have been partially
evacuated, And, uh, you said five
have are not functioning. So is that a total of nine hospitals
that are out of service? Uh, if you can send us the name of each hospital and how
they've been impacted,
and I've got a also a question concerning, uh, to any of the participants.
Is there the confliction in place between the UN agencies and the
ID F forces concerning humanitarian movements of aid in Lebanon At the moment
has that system in place and functioning on a daily basis or not. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Ian.
I think you have to unmute yourself.
I thought I thought you were doing it for me.
Sorry, John. Um, I.
I don't have the the actual names of the the the hospitals in in case, but, um,
I I I'll follow up through Tariq and and make sure that those are shared with you.
But just just to be clear on the numbers,
What What we are reporting at the moment is five hospitals
are reported nonfunctional now and then four hospitals are semi functional.
So
in the case of nonfunctional, these hos
hospitals are no longer able to work.
And that could be through a number of of, uh reasons.
Either because the healthcare workers are no
longer there and and have have have evacuated
because or they're in areas which are impacted
by the the fighting in the south and therefore
the the ministry has deemed them to be, um, to to evacuate.
And then the four hospitals that are semi
functional These are the hospitals where the ministry has removed
all of the chronically ill patients on cancer dialysis,
uh,
and receiving medicines for, um, for chronic illnesses.
And those patients have been moved to other referral hospitals.
But they remain partially functional for immediate trauma care.
So they're being more focused onto the the trauma.
Now, again, the five that are nonfunctional.
This doesn't mean those five hospitals have been
targeted or have been destroyed through bombing.
Um, and where those have happened, uh, and again, I don't have the specifics.
We do report that within the the WHO attack on healthcare, um, system.
So that detail is is available online, uh,
for for colleagues who who who would like to look at
And maybe I think Matthew because, you know,
he's been here longer and was down south earlier on.
It's probably a better place to to talk about Deconfliction.
We have discussed it with the ministry. They are keen
that we declare through the the the
deconfliction process all of the medical facilities.
So that's something we are looking to do.
But maybe Matthew might say a few words on that as well.
Yes, thank you, Matthew.
maybe on the confliction or any other colleague from the humanitarian agencies.
Matthew.
Thank you.
Um, so our our colleagues from, um,
the Office for the Coordinations of Humanitarian Affairs,
um, are working with the agency's funds and programmes to put
in place and manage on a daily basis the notification procedure
to ensure that our movements into front line
areas are notified to the Israeli defence forces,
uh, and all other parties to the conflict.
So to ensure, um,
safe and consistent humanitarian access so that
notification for movement process is being utilised
the deconfliction process, which is,
um, II.
I is related, but slightly different is, uh, for the deconfliction of static sites.
So,
um, UN and humanitarian facilities that is also being put in place, um,
to ensure that, uh, that, uh
uh, our our working space, our working environments are also safe from,
uh um from targeting.
it it is. It is functioning currently. Um, it
it the the The difficulty, of course, is, uh,
with the numbers of missions increasing
and the sheer number of, uh, teams going out into the field, um, that's complicated.
We, uh,
are and have consi consistently advocated
for a a very,
um, significant engagement and
and, uh, investment on making sure Deconfliction and notification works.
We we have had too many
too many issues in the Gaza, uh,
area of operations where the notification procedure and the deconfliction
uh, process has not been respected appropriately.
Um, we don't want that to happen in Lebanon.
Um, and and as such, continue to advocate for,
um, the respect for this process, which is, uh,
covered under international humanitarian law.
I think, John, as a follow up.
Yes. Uh uh um I.
I think I need some clarity. Here is the notification and de confliction
between the UN agencies and and the ID F forces operational at the moment,
or it's in the process of being set up.
It is operational at the at the moment, John.
That's how we're getting into into the south and front
line areas and into the south of the Litani.
Very clear, Matthew. Thank you,
Gabriella Sotomayor.
Thank you. Thank you very much. Alexandra,
Um, my question is for WHO or or uh, with
Ian or Matthew.
Uh, do you fear that Lebanon could become another Gaza?
And are you capable to deal with that? scenario.
And also, I have another question. How is Hezbollah
helping their own people? If you can give us some details, Thank you very much.
Who would like to take that?
I can't see, uh, on the line.
I can I can't see Ian anymore.
Hm.
Matthew, you want to start?
Um, so the electricity's just gone off in part of the city,
so that might be affecting Ian's connection as well.
But, uh, our our generators got kicked in.
the first question, um, could this be another Gaza and we Are we ready for it?
Obviously, that's what we would like to avoid.
Um, that's why we are consistently and we will continue to call for deescalating
and for diplomatic channels to to be more successful.
Uh, in terms of
of ensuring that does not happen.
Can tell you
that in all of my missions to shelters, uh, in Beirut, in the north of the country,
but also into areas in the south, Uh,
where people are still being displaced from that is the concern.
That is the fear, um, of every Lebanese citizen that is is moving.
It's one of the reasons why so many people are moving.
They have seen what happened has happened in Gaza over this past year,
and and they are fearful that it could happen to them.
and you know, I, I think from from our readiness to respond,
um, you know, we we are
we we we have gone through a great deal of
preparedness and anticipation of OO of an unfortunate escalation,
um, which has, uh, now, uh, which is now being tested.
And I think we are able to to respond. And we have responded to that test,
um, but clearly,
um, the scale and speed in which,
um, people have been displaced because of this, this current escalation
is is enormous.
Um, and, you know, we will need to ensure that the resources,
um that we've called for in the flash appeal that came out last week.
Um, are met.
Um, if we are to do this because I mean, quite simply,
it's impossible to to meet the needs of more
than a million people who have been suddenly uprooted,
displaced,
uh, and dispossessed without additional resources coming in. And this was not
a country that was well prepared.
Um, because of of all of the challenges that it's faced over the past years.
Um, so it it's going to be a struggle.
I Ian, I see you again on the screen. Would you like to add anything?
Sorry. My connection died, and I and I didn't, um, get the question.
So II, I don't have anything to add, Uh, unless there's a a comeback question,
OK. And
well, actually so, Gabriella,
but no, she's gone. She's, uh, uh, put down her hand. So let's go to Imogen.
Imogen, folks. BBC.
Yeah, Good morning. Thanks for taking my question.
It's it's similar to Gabriella's. It's just that listening to you,
this morning I summed up my notes from a U the UN briefing of about this time last year.
Maybe a little bit later. November,
forced evacuation. Few hours to leave. Overcrowded shelters, very few toilets.
Attacks on health care. Uh,
health workers killed.
Fears of
illnesses, related displacement, lice, scabies, respiratory disease,
fears of, uh, food shortages. This was all Gaza,
and my notes today are almost exactly the same.
Um, and I do. I do wonder
how you we've heard a little bit from Matthew about the you know,
the response and you need diplomacy and so on.
But,
I mean,
how are you going to to cope
if this continues? And it does show no sign of ST of stopping at the moment.
Who would like to answer also the other colleagues online?
I repeat, just raise your hand if you want.
Matthew
Yan, who wants to take this?
Yeah. Matthew, go ahead.
um
I mean II.
I spent six months as the acting World Food Programme country director
in Gaza from January through the end of June this year.
Um, before I moved to Lebanon.
Um, it is, uh, in my mind, uh, from the time I wake until the time I sleep
that we could go into the same,
um, sort of spiral of of doom. Um, and we we need to do everything we can,
um, to stop that from happening in in in this particular, uh, crisis.
Um, we we need the world to be,
um, more impactful and able to
to make the arguments that this cannot go on.
I mean, what has happened in Gaza over the past year?
What caused or began the Gaza crisis in the first place?
That that they're all horrific stains on our on our, you know, global conscience.
Um, and we shouldn't
allow that to happen, but that's for Di
diplomats. That's for politicians,
um, to to deal and work on,
um, in these coming weeks and, you know, days and weeks and months,
um, from the humanitarian side,
we need to focus on the people who are impacted
and to try and provide them with respite confidence hope,
uh, and their basic needs and to support, you know,
the Lebanese to help the Lebanese at this time.
Um, And of that,
I am not concerned. I'm not
concerned that the that the agencies funds the
programmes the international and the national humanitarian actors who
are working in Lebanon today I'm not concerned that they will not be able to do that.
we will need resources. We need We'll need support. But obviously
the the the the only logical and humane
Um, uh, way to approach this is T is to prevent,
uh and to stop this from getting worse. Um, so that we can actually,
um, be spending our time, effort,
money resources on on creating a more stable region.
Uh, and stable relationships between those that come from this region.
Thank you very much.
I see Jan, you had, uh, open your mic. Is that something you want to add?
Oh,
he's blocked.
I think he's frozen.
Uh,
James,
I guess that James is jam. Uh, yeah, James, go ahead. So, James, for
UNICEF.
Thanks so much. Alexandra. Hi, everyone.
Yeah, I mean, Matthew, it's a nails it, I think, uh, Imogen, though it's a very,
very valid, valid question.
And it should be concerning everyone and every It's not like
we need to look back five years or 10 years.
Uh, for historical precedent, we're still living through that.
So if we look at the ferocity of the early attacks,
if we look at the language being used, look at the language being used around Rafa.
A limited offence.
Rafa
is basically now empty. Look at the mass displacement.
Look at the sheer number of people being forced to move. Look at Children in she
all of a sudden in shelters Look at the lack of safety in shelters, as we see in Gaza,
I think, uh, shelters or schools in Gaza have been hit, uh,
10 times in the last in the last two weeks.
So the commonalities are everywhere,
as our colleagues spoke previously around proportionality.
And
of course, Ah,
look at the sheer overwhelming sense of what's happening in hospitals right now,
Um, in Lebanon.
So I the the
the the commonalities are unfortunately absolutely there to be seen,
whether it is displacement on the ground,
impact upon Children or language being used, um,
to to some somewhat soften what the realities are on the ground.
And I think that whilst in the last
X number of months,
it's felt somewhat futile to continue to push for the right thing,
which is a ceasefire in Gaza.
Because, of course, a ceasefire, as we all know, gets hostages home.
You know,
it was it was that humanitarian pause slash ceasefire in late
November early December that got more than 100 hostages home.
I don't think more than 10 have been,
uh, able to get back to Israel in any other form since then.
So all those things lead to a ceasefire.
But perhaps now more than ever, it's, um,
impossible to disentangle these two conflicts.
So surely those people with that level of influence that
small handful of people with that influence know that,
Um, a ceasefire in Gaza
will be key to deescalating What's occurring now in Lebanon and elsewhere?
I give the floor to Jeremy to also answer, but just Gabriela is put in the chat.
In fact, there was a second part to her question which was
about
Hezbollah, and now they are helping their own people.
But Jeremy,
maybe you want to answer first this and then I'll
take if anybody can answer the second question from Gabriela.
Yes, Thank you. So, just to echo, more or less what? Uh, James has just said,
uh, it's It's, uh,
here we are again in a in a situation. You talk about Gaza, but the situation
is critical today
in Lebanon as it is in Gaza. Uh, it's
there, and there is only one way forward out of this
situation, and that is to immediately stop the violence.
Um, that will save civilian lives that will prevent the destruction
at the moment. Sadly, our situation is that
we are seeing the same same patterns that we saw in Gaza the same means and methods of,
uh, warfare that have been used.
And as a result, we're seeing civilians pay the ultimate price.
Whether it be the hospitals being closed,
a million people displaced, civilians killed, schools impacted.
The devastation is beyond belief for all people in Lebanon as it is in Gaza.
We can't let this happen again.
Absolutely. Um,
Gabriela, did I interpret well what you wanted to ask, Um
and then I'll take Maya's question, and then we go to Claire,
who's been patiently waiting, Gabriela,
because it
is, uh, they
they mentioned about 1 million people displaced.
Well, my question on
Jesus,
but,
uh
uh, what is the estimate of the of the number of Children,
if you if you can have if you have any,
uh, estimate from that million of people that has been displaced. Thank you.
OK, so maybe, uh, if anybody wants to speak about Hezbollah, uh, and then, yeah,
Matthew And then maybe
James on, uh, on the number of Children.
Matthew,
I mean, I I on on the Hezbollah question to, to be honest with you, Uh uh, Gabriella,
I don't know,
uh, I'm not sure if anybody of us any of us knows.
Um exactly,
uh,
how Hezbollah is is is working on on on supporting
its its communities or or those that it represents.
Um
what is clear, of course, is that there are There's Hezbollah and Hezbollah.
There is the Hezbollah, which is a military or or or a militia.
Um, and there is Hezbollah, which has ministers in the government and the ministry,
and the government is trying to res respond.
Um, writ large, all ministries are in,
you know, emergency mode and are trying to do, uh, uh to to continue their work.
Albeit,
um, in
very challenging circumstances.
Um, but in terms of how Hezbollah is helping, uh, in in, uh, social,
uh, services provision, et cetera. I couldn't tell you I don't know
James
Gabri Elliot. The estimate is 400,000
Children.
and unfortunately,
Esa's colleagues are speaking so many parallels to displacements
in Gaza leaving under bombardment,
leaving amidst that all the terror that that brings, uh,
leaving with very few possessions very frequently.
That's what we're encountering when,
uh when families arrive in shelters
and remembering.
Of course, as you will Gabriella and Orwell, that this already comes on of a
very fragile situation in Lebanon.
A whole range of different crises,
whether it was covid whether it was the explosion?
Certainly what we've seen And we briefed here
before on high increases in the poverty rate.
Um, in Lebanon for the last last two years,
all those things have added to a layer of stress.
And, of course, yes.
For those 400,000 Children no longer sleeping in their homes, things just got, um,
immeasurably worse.
Absolutely. Last question from Maya. Plans Day in brief.
Yes. Good morning. Thank you for taking my question. Alessandra.
My question is to for James I'm seeing here
this surveillance system for attacks on health care.
This, um,
database that the World Health Organisation has
does, uh, UNICEF
has anything similar in terms of the attacks you suffer
when you are delivering services and goods to the populations.
Uh, in in, in distress.
Sorry. One more. One more time. Does UNICEF
have any things similar to To what? In terms of delivering
to populations
to the W-2. Go ahead, man.
Sorry. Yeah, it is.
the the World Health Organisation has a database
where they compile the number of attacks they
receive when they are trying to deliver services in conflict zones or other uh uh,
distressful situations.
Uh, do you have something similar at UNICEF that we could take
can look at. Perhaps you don't have the answer right now, but it's called the TE.
Put it in the chat next, uh, to
to the zoom call. Uh, and it's called for the World Health Organisation.
The database is called surveillance system for attacks on health care.
So they compile the number.
So, for instance, yesterday,
they have time and all confirmed that there were X amount of place times that, uh,
convoys or people trying to deliver goods or services were attacked.
And then the resulting deaths injuries. And
I think we know which one you're referring to. My
No,
Liz, I might.
Tara
can clarify, or a colleague in Lebanon can clarify. But of course,
because of WH OS mandate.
So they would be talking about healthcare workers healthcare facilities.
Um, so I do understand
that database for UNICEF, any attacks on you know, UNICEF,
um, vehicles. UNICEF
staff would always be co-ordinated through oa.
Who would have a who have an ongoing tally.
Whether we are talking about in, you know, Afghanistan, Ukraine,
you know, Gaza or or Lebanon. So not our own individual database.
No,
it would be Coordinate through the O
office for the coordinations of humanitarian affairs.
Yeah, Thank you. Absolutely. And I see you nodding.
Jeremy,
look,
it's OK.
Ok, Sorry. We have a last after the last question by Jeremy,
I promise for
W.
It's
it's open
a quick one for WFP.
You mentioned the land that was burned
and abandoned in the south of Lebanon. I was just wondering,
Can you cope? I mean, can the north of Lebanon cope with what's been left in the south?
I mean, they all
basically all the food is coming at the airport
in Beirut. So how much surface do you have left? Basically in the north,
Matthew,
thanks to,
um, no farming agriculture, Um, whether it's dairy farming or or, um,
cattle rearing for meat or vegetables, olives.
All forms of farming in the remainder of the country continue.
Um, but,
we have lost a very significant amount in terms of
the South that fed the the population of the south.
Um, and, uh, it was also,
um, exported,
um, to create, uh, you know, or to provide the living for farmers in the south. Um, so
it it is it is very much an impact on on Southerners.
Uh uh, on on one part of the community, that is, that makes up Lebanon.
when it when you look at basic commodities into the country,
the country is still very much reliant on imports.
Um, for things like wheat,
um, for bread, et cetera.
Um, and that still needs to come from outside. So,
um, the the what we've lost in the South and what we continue to lose are are the, uh,
the Citrus orchards, the banana plantations,
the the olive trees that aren't being harvested,
the olive trees which have now burnt down in in the
in the hinterland
and all of the vegetable growing areas.
Um, that's definitely a big concern when you are looking at,
um, what we hope will be a return of farmers to their land,
um, in in in as soon as possible, As soon as this can be deescalated.
Um, but returning to what?
Uh, and in many cases, they will be returning to
to land, which is not farmable for many years to come.
Thank you very much. Uh
oh. Ian. Sorry. You wanted to add something.
Sorry. My my connection went? Um, II.
I just wanted to go back very quickly to the question that, um Imogen from BBC
I
we lost you again.
Go ahead, try. But we lost you. I don't know if now I think he's
yeah, I'm sorry, but you come completely broken. Maybe Maybe you can just,
um
as tariq or Or Or Or or send him an answer to Imogen
directly because we can't hear you. Sorry,
I'm sorry.
And before we leave the subject of the Middle East,
I just wanted to tell you two things.
First of all,
I think it's really important to remind that the plan
the Lebanon Flash appeal that some of the speakers referred to
today is only funded 12.1%. This is 551.4 million.
87.9% need to be funded. It's very important to remind you
and the other thing I wanted to say is that at 6:45 p.m. Geneva time,
the Secretary general is expected to hold a media stakeout in New York, which,
of course,
you can watch on Web TV and he is expected to
speak about the Middle East and take a few questions.
So thank you very much to all our speakers here and in Beirut.
Good luck with this so important work. I'll
turn now to Claire for her briefing. Claire,
you tell us about hurricanes.
The weather outside is not just hurricanes, but it's really bad.
So let's hear about the hurricane season.
Good morning, everybody. So turning to our
weather and climate,
we're also running out of adjectives. Unfortunately, we're hearing words such as
unprecedented catastrophic
historic record breaking more and more to
describe what we're seeing with the weather
we're now in October.
This is after the historic peak of the Atlantic hurricane season.
And yet today we're seeing all the reports about Hurricane Milton,
which is posing an extremely serious threat to Florida, which,
obviously is a state is
still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. Less than
two weeks ago,
Hurricane Helene caused a death toll of more than 101 160.
Milton, according to the latest forecasts from the US National Hurricane Centre,
will likely make landfall in Florida Wednesday night local time.
The maximum sustained winds at the moment are 250 kilometres, an hour
and this is a powerful Category four
it.
Milton reached a Category five yesterday,
and the National Hurricane Centre is saying that
fluctuations in the strength
are likely. But whatever regardless, Milton and I quote
is forecast to remain an extremely
dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida,
as we've seen with a number of tropical cyclones recently,
Milton intensified at an explosive rate.
It was very, very fast
again. This is an increasingly common occurrence.
We saw it with Hurricane Beryl at the start of the year. We saw it with the
major hurricane hit
Acapulco last year that hurricanes suddenly go from
tropical storm status to
warmth a major hurricane status in a matter of hours.
According to the US National Hurricane Centre, it was the third most rapid
intensification in the Atlantic basin.
Why, as we've said before, ocean heat is playing a role.
Warm sea surface temperatures provide the energy that hurricane needs for growth.
The deeper the heat,
the more
the more energy a storm can draw
in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida area.
We are seeing very warm ocean waters at the moment.
Another factor to bear in mind Milton is a large hurricane.
Hurricane force winds extend outwards up to 45 kilometres, 30 miles
and it's expected to grow in size. So that means it's
impacts will be expanded.
It might weaken in intensity, but the impacts will be larger. A wider area.
The US National Hurricane Centre and the National Weather Service,
obviously who are both members of the World Meteorological Organisation,
are warning that
a large area of destructive storm surge will
occur along parts of the west coast of Florida
and that this is an extremely life threatening situation
in the Tampa Bay area, which is quite a built up area.
The National Weather Service is predicting a storm surge of about 10 to 15 ft.
That's huge.
If you look at the illustrations, you compare that to a house size,
it gets it in proportion.
The danger and the risks of this of this hurricane.
We're expecting also very heavy rainfall, which will exacerbate the situation
important to bear in mind that this is the state of Florida.
But the trajectory of Milton compared to Helene
is different. Milton is going to cross Florida, whereas Helene
sort of meandered upwards through the Carolinas and got stuck there
Milton is following a similar track to Hurricane Ian,
which caused devastation two years ago in Florida,
and Ian also peaked as a Category five.
There are currently three hurricanes spinning in the Atlantic. Milton.
We've just heard about Leslie somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic and Kirk,
which we in Europe are going to hear about in the next couple of days.
Kirk is
heading towards Europe from the US It's currently a Category one status.
It will weaken and
become what in the meteorological community is called
an extratropical cyclone or an ex tropical cyclone.
The forecast tracks have varied in the past couple of days.
The latest forecast has that the major impacts will be in France
and metier.
France is forecasting that Kirk
will be a dangerous storm.
Wind gusts of up to 100 kilometres an hour and very, very heavy rainfall.
That's it. Sorry, I will send you the notes after this. We were compiling it until I
came on
pretty worrying situation. Jamie.
Hello, Claire. Thank you for that.
Uh,
is there any way to interpret the decline from category five to Category four?
Is that indicative of anything in terms of the trend line.
You mentioned that the swath of of land that's
gonna be affected is clearly gonna be broad.
But
in terms of the intensity,
is there any way to sort of interpret the the the trend line?
Um, and if and then my second question is, um, of course,
Milton here has started sort of in the western part of the Caribbean over, you know,
off of Mexico.
My, I'm I'm being naive here, but, uh,
I've always thought that the hurricanes traditionally would
come from sort of the Atlantic side more.
So is there anything unusual about that?
So in terms of the
variation in intensity, there's all sorts of things that happen
eye
wall replacement.
So it temporarily weakens. And as the National Hurricane Centre has said,
they do expect some fluctuations, but regardless, it will remain a very
dangerous hurricane. And the trend that we
are seeing is this trend towards very rapid, rapid intensification.
In terms of the tracks,
I need to look at the historic tracks from the National Hurricane Centre.
I don't think there's
anything exceptional about this track. But I, I will. I will
check
just to just to give you an idea. We at the World Meteorological Organisation.
We work very, very closely with the weather forecasting community. There is one
veteran
US weather hurricane presenter. His name is John Morales.
He's been doing this for decades
and he actually broke down in tears yesterday, making his regular report.
He's so emotional about what he's seeing.
And this is a guy who's seen dozens and dozens and dozens of hurricanes.
It speaks about it.
Nina.
Hi, Claire.
Um, the fact that these are, uh,
happening so so late in the season Do you think that is this sort of, uh
can we expect this to be, like a new normal in in terms of, uh,
how these hurricanes are gonna happen going forward?
I think the new normal is the abnormal. I think that's what
I think. That's what we're learning. It has been an unusual season.
So Hurricane Beryl,
which was back in July
so quite early on in the season that was record breaking because it was the earliest
hurricane.
Category five Atlantic hurricane on record.
These are
very late category Category five hurricanes.
The historic peak tends to be late August
September because of the warm ocean waters.
And as I said, the waters around Florida are still very, very warm.
It remains to be to be seen.
We have seen Category five hurricanes in October, so it's not the first one,
and it certainly won't be the last.
Thank you very much. And no more question in the room, Gabriela.
Thank you, Alexandra. Um hi, Claire.
Uh, do you expect heavy rain or something in in Mexico, in parts of Mexico?
Can Could you talk about that?
Yes. I'm just looking at the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Centre.
So today
they're warning of damaging hurricane force winds and life threatening storm
surge with destructive waves across portions of the northern coast of the
Yucatan Peninsula. So
I'm just trying to look at the,
um
at the map. So,
yes.
So Mexico will be impacted, but it seems to be, you know,
it seems to be on the on the on the edge.
The main impacts are going to be in Florida.
Thank you very much, Clara.
Oh, Maya.
Yes. Thank you for taking my question. Alessandra. Hello, Claire.
Um, my question is related to the, uh, weather systems in the Amazon rain forest.
if there is any research that has indicated that there is some, uh,
relationship between these extreme weather events occurring, uh,
at this time of the year and the,
the Amazon rain forest of, um
fires,
I would have to check on that. I think our secretary General, Celeste Saulo,
tried to answer questions yesterday on what's happening in the Amazon.
I'm not aware
immediately of a direct correlation, but having said that,
most weather patterns are there are lots of telecon connections as we call them.
But I would have to check and get back to you on that.
I
mean, this is related to
to the hurricane season rather than
what's happening elsewhere with the climate.
Don't see any other hand for Claire on Maya's a follow up?
Uh, yes. Thank you, Claire, for the clarification.
Um, and if we could follow up, then on that, um and also the question was, um, related.
But do you see also, if there is an increase in the severity of this,
I know it's the season, and
there are category five hurricanes every once and then but, uh,
is there any indication also in the research?
Looking at a 30
year
period period that the severity of the number
of hurricanes that hit the Gulf Coast uh,
have increased in the last 30 years.
Uh, as a follow up question.
Yes. As we said in the World Meteorological Organisation
state Water resources report that we released yesterday
because of climate change, the hydrological cycle is
accelerating. It's becoming more erratic, spinning out of control, so to speak.
So that means that we are seeing
more intense rainfall, more extreme droughts.
That's just
that's just in general.
A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture,
so when it does rain,
that rainfall has a tendency to to be heavier
because of heat droughts becoming more more intense.
All of that was in the report yesterday.
Because of sea level rise, we are seeing greater,
greater impacts from storm surge, which is a major hazard from tropical cyclones.
And the research from the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change
is indicates that whilst we will not necessarily see an
increase in the number the overall number of tropical cyclones,
we are likely to see an increase in the proportion of very intense tropical cyclone
tropical cyclones and what we have seen certainly this year.
Last year is a tendency towards more
rapid intensification.
Gabriel is asking if you can repeat the name of the anchor that broken tears.
Speaking about Milton
the Anchorman?
Yes. So the the anchorman, um, I can send you his name in the chat. His name is
John Morales. Um,
he, uh
he actually made it onto the front page
of the built newspaper in Germany today with the
whether the title in German is whether expert battles with tears
as he reads out the forecast. So his name is John Morales. He's very well known.
He's very respected. He won
a Lifetime achievement award last year along with
Secretary General Celeste Saulo of the American Meteorological Society.
So this is somebody he knows. He knows his stuff.
He knows
what he's talking about. My last follow up?
Yes. Thank you very much. Uh, the last question is related to the, um,
early warning systems. I've, uh, seen that for Eileen
that the early warning systems were working quite well and
people were able to move out of the danger zones.
Is is there anything that you can comment on in terms of early warning systems
that are put in place by the US government and, uh, the hurricane centre in Miami
in
relation to meal.
Thank you.
The
the forecasts and the early warnings,
as we saw with with With With Helene were were excellent.
Um, they are
excellent, very, very accurate, very precise.
Also for Milton,
what we're seeing is the National Hurricane Centre. The
National Weather Service will be issuing the forecasts and the warnings.
And then it's obviously for
local authorities for authorities in Florida to act on those to issue
the evacuation orders.
It's not always easy. Roads are clogged.
There's probably no more availability on flights.
And what Professor Solo said yesterday that in the case of Helene,
the warnings were there,
but in many cases because people had never experienced anything like it,
they couldn't actually believe it, so they didn't act on those warnings.
We're hoping that this will be different
with Milton
and
the
this particular area where it's meant to make landfall that was hit by Hurricane Ian
two years ago. So we're hoping that the memories of Hurricane Ian
and of Hurricane Helene will be fresh enough so that people do act on the warnings and
evacuate
evacuate or stay safe.
Thank you very much, Claire, for all this information,
Um, just a few announcements to conclude.
First of all,
let me remind you that
the ninth of October the international community celebrates
the world Post day.
This year is a particular year because we are also celebrating the 150th
anniversary of the Universal Postal Union. 150 is a big age.
But as the secretary general said
in the message that we have distributed to you
the up
being also one of the earliest examples of multilateralism in action,
it continues to leverage new technologies
to provide essential services to humanity.
You have the full message in your
mailbox.
I have been asked by W WTO to remind you
of a
upcoming
WT
embargoed press conference.
This is on the global trade outlook and Statistics October update,
and it is going to take place at the
WTO on 10
October
in two days at 2 p.m.
Geneva time.
So the event will be at WTO in room D and will also available via Zoom.
Please note that the embargo will be lifted at 3 p.m. Geneva time on the same day
an embargoed copy of the report. A news item will be available today
from 4 p.m.
on the WTO online media news room.
And if you wish to participate either virtually or in person,
please get in contact with the WTO media team.
Fernando gave us this information so you can
address them if you have further questions. A
very, very last point.
The Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women that,
as you know has started,
is a session
that the 89th session
is reviewing today the report of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
The other countries to follow will be Saudi Arabia,
New Zealand,
Chile, Canada, Japan, Cuba
and
Ben.
And the work will conclude on 25 October.
That's what I had for you.
Is there any other question?
I don't see any so thank you very much to
everyone for following this press briefing thanks to our briefers.
And I'll see you on Friday. Thanks