Welcome to the press briefing of the UN Information Service here in Geneva.
Today is Friday 6th of December and I would like to start immediately with Pascal, who has an update on the Human Rights Council.
I have few announcements for you.
The UN Human Rights Council will hold 2 meetings on Monday, December 9, 1st at 10 AM, the Council will hear an oral update from Deputy **** Commissioner Nada Al Nashif on the human rights situation in Nicaragua and this oral update will be followed by a interactive dialogue with UN member states.
The same day in the afternoon at 3:00 PM, the Human Rights Council will hold an organisational session regarding it's 19 cycle that will begin on January 1st, 2025.
The items on the agenda of these organisational sessions are the election of the next President of the Human Rights Council and of the Bureau and the adoption of a President Presidential statement on the Council efficiency.
The Council will be also asked to pronounce itself on the appointment of the new Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous, Indigenous people following the resignation of Jose Francisco Cadizzai.
On Friday, December 13, at 3:00 PM, the Human Rights Council will hold an interactive dialogue on the human rights situation in Venezuela.
It will hear from **** Commissioner Volcker Turk.
And I just want to remind you that we had a meeting on Ukraine schedule on December 13 as well, but this meeting was already was postponed to January 2025.
We don't have the new date and time yet, but we'll let you know as soon as it is official.
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Participant discussion shortly brought the person on the Cafe Avec, Missy Pascaleski, the question.
Yeah, Thank you for that.
Pascal, could you just explain what the genesis of this Nicaragua meeting was?
How did that come to be called and convened?
And could you just also indicate what were the reasons for the delay of the Ukraine session?
The Council's resolution in the Caragua mandates the **** Commissioner to present an oral update.
I think if I'm not wrong, for presentation a year and since this force oral updates happens outside a session, a regular session, that's why we're holding it in December.
This is something that has been happening for several years now regarding Ukraine.
Yes, the meeting was is postponed to January 2025.
Last Monday, the President of the Human Rights Council received a letter from the **** Commissioner asking him for the postponement of this meeting.
And the **** Commissioner explained that he was due to operational constraints and that because of this, his office is not in a position to submit the periodic report on time for December 13th.
So the request from the **** Commissioner for this postponement will enhance the quality and the reliability of the information that will be presented to the Human Rights Council and better guide the interactive dialogue that is expected after this update.
Laurent we must see Pascal used for very few election of the presidency.
So it's happened to me, the premier part of the duo Mardi Alec Clara Unity commercial cancer wait direction video Merci Pascal.
And before we close the human rights chapter, just to remind you, the press conference of **** Commissioner for Human Rights worker took on Monday morning at 10:30 in this room.
And we also have another one for the week from next week, the UN Committee on the Domination of Racial Discrimination.
They will present you the review of the findings on Armenia, Ecuador, Greece, Kenya, Monaco and Saudi Arabia with the four members of the committee, and that will be on Friday at 9:15 before the briefing.
And the Committee on Protections of the Right of Migrant Workers and Members of their Family is concluding this morning the report of Seychelle, and that will be the last one on the agenda.
Oh, Gabriela, you have a question for Pascal or for me?
Good morning, Alessandra.
I just want to know if the state of Nicaragua already confirmed the assistance to Monday's session.
And also on Venezuela, does the **** Commissioner have a observers or someone that is going to be there on the 10th of the January when the new President will take the the post?
I will get back to you on the official participation of Nicaragua.
But what we've seen from previous meeting is that we had a representative of the government participating remotely from manager.
But I will double check this and get back to you.
Gabriela, regarding the your second question, I think it's a question that you should better ask Ravi now and or or directly for Kartuk.
I Commission for Kartuk on Monday, maybe that's the best.
Our first guest on from WHO, Margaret is connected online and Doctor Rick Peppercorn is joining us from Gaza to tell us about the health situation there.
Welcome, you have the floor.
Good morning, Good morning to everyone and greetings from Gaza, from Derabella.
I want to focus on on on 2/2 areas.
First, about the extremely concerning information with registers from Kamala 1.
And secondly, I want to raise some issues on on medical evacuation and matter of fact.
So what we receive now from the information and and it is difficult to to analyse what and how, but this information is actually from the emergency medical team which serves in Kamal at one and other sources.
So first of all, all night there was heavy bombing around the hospital around Kamal at 1:00, early in the morning around 4:00 that there was an IDF tag seen outside the hospital and through people, they were the people, they were kind of informed and told that everyone had to move outside of the hospital.
This kind of resulted in, in, in panic and, and, and what we understand that people started to climb the wall and, and to escape.
And of course, and this panic attracted IDF fire.
There's reported death and, and, and also detentions, arrests.
And the bulk of the people were were directed to walk towards the main what's called Badlahiye St and from there to the Saladin and eventually to the Saladin checkpoint.
Now the debriefing with the emerging medical team, Mercy that says Indonesian emerging medical team, it was unclear that there wasn't a year.
We see all kind of messages that there was an official evacuation request by the **** levels, etcetera from IDF.
The hospital is what what we got from the EMT was left like the way it was.
That's not intact because it has been damaged before.
The hospital director and a number of staff and a number of patients are still in the hospital.
And when Mercy the the the emerging medical team Mercy left, they didn't see at that moment IDF soldiers outside the hospitals for WHO.
And together with our colleagues from Orcha, we reached out to CLA and and Cogas.
Well, first of all, of course, to ensure the protection of the facility, We also, as the OES shall coordinate a movement of a Ministry of Health ambulance that picked up the six internationals and the one nationals that worked with the emergency medical team Mercy from Indonesia.
And they reached that at 9:00 this morning.
They reached the public aid hospital safe and and the debriefing they they mentioned to to my colleagues, where are you with me?
That of course the security situation was tense already for days, panic caused by the bombiness shelling along with the panic crowd inside the hospital.
So the the EMT also felt very unsafe and that they should follow the bulk of the people to men and hospital.
It's important to know that the hospital director did not ask the EMT to leave, in contrary and did not follow them.
So our plea, like always, is health facilities, hospitals, health workers and everyone related.
Ambulances should never be a target, should never be attacked.
They should be protected.
They're a place for the needy, the sick and people should feel safe.
Fortunately, what we've seen in the in specifically over the last weeks, in the weeks, I would say a month in the north in, in, in Gaza that the access to Kamala Guam Indonesian Hospital and Al Adha was very severely restricted.
We've had many of our missions actually denied impeded etcetera.
However, I want to and and also what we understand for example, yesterday on the 5th of December that also reports that quad copper carried out an attack actually on Kamala one or in in badly.
And according to the Ministry of Health, a six year old patient was killed while she was taking on taken on a wheelchair to the X-ray department and 12 other people were injured, including two health personnel.
That's reported to us and 1 is a sustained serious injury, I want to say.
And this makes it I think even more confusing for us.
So on the between 30th November and the second December, so WHO apart as we conducted missions.
So only a couple of weeks ago myself, I was in, in, in, in Gaza for almost 4 weeks and I was part of four missions, 4 of this seven, we as planned 7 missions and we finally managed 4 to Kamala, Juan and to Kalada to do the things we always do, try to bring in fuel, medical supplies, bloods, food for patients, staff.
Sometimes we were we were sometimes denied to take anything and also to take critical patients house to Shifa and and to other places.
Now only we planned for a number of missions in between a number of them denied and impeded.
But on between the 30th November and to December.
So just a few days ago The Who parts conducted these missions to the north of Gaza and they delivered fuel supplies, including food parcels and support.
And they, so we, we, we, we brought the emerging medical team Mercy to Kamala 1 just recently.
We just take less than a week ago and, and brought 10,000 litre of fuel full parcels for, for patients to start blood units, units, etcetera, including this EMT and, and, and the EMT deployment had been denied for at least five times over the past two weeks.
So they're just there and now within one week, they're gone again.
This is not only for me incomprehensible, but also incredibly, incredibly sad.
I mean very brave EMT who actually is being deployed through WHO and support together with fuel, medical supplies and everything to their.
They had two surgeons, 2 emergency nurses, 1 gynaecologist and a logistician.
And now, within one week, they are forced or they feel forced.
Let me say this way, they feel forced and threatened, robably scared and they left already on the same mission.
I just want to mention also WHO delivered 24,000 livre of fuel and medical supplies to Shiva for onward distribution to the hospitals in Gaza, because Gaza City with all the the, the the new ID PS from the north has grown considerably.
I mean, we talk about 350,000 people plus etcetera.
There's a number of a few medical facilities, Shifa and a few other hospital of course in the neighbourhood, Al Ashley, the public aid hospital, Al Hilu and a few Primary Health care points.
And they are becoming more and more important and they need to be constantly resupplied.
We also did a medical transfer three critical patients from Kamal at 1 to Shifa have 7 patients and 18 companion from Gaza City to the European Gaza Hospital and National Complex for the international medical evacuation to Jordan and the US to pace on the 3rd December.
We had another matter of fact as well.
So this brings me to the second point to what I want to raise on Medevac medical evacuations.
So we WHL continues to support medical evacuation outside Gaza and since 7th of October 2023, in total 5325 patients have been evacuated outside Gaza, but of that almost 5 thousands were evacuated via the Rougher crossing before the 7th of May, including four thousand children.
So at least we estimated at least 12,000 patients across Gaza still need medical evacuations to survive or to get the treatment they need.
We talk about roughly probably half, two to to 40% trauma patients and things spinal injury applications, burns which need a lot of new reconstructive more specialised operations.
But also a huge part is non chronic diseases, specifically oncology, specifically cancer.
So we urge of course since the rough are crossing closure on the 7th May 2024, only 378 patients have been evacuated right outside DAZA, 331 through WHO support.
And then on top of that all the companions of these 217 were children.
And again, the top five medical needs of those evacuated through WHO since since that time they include, as I said, almost more than 40% sexually cancer related, more than 25% trauma, 8% congenital anomalies and 7% cardiac diseases and optology.
And the destinations since then, UAE, by far it tops that is 266, US 22, Jordan 20, Romanian 15 and Belgium 5.
I want to remind everyone that that prior to the current crisis, between 50 and 100 patients per day were evacuated outside Gaza to get specialised treatment.
Again, the bulk of them 40% oncology related, but also a lot of our spend and they mainly went to the East Jerusalem hospitals and to the West Bank.
So this has been our plea in our request all the time.
We are completely ready to get into much more organised medevac on a weekly basis or twice a week or three times a week, etcetera, because if we continue in this space, we will all be medevacing for the next 5 to 10 years.
We need to Disney to change.
So we, we request for proper medical corridors.
The first one to restore the traditional referral pathway to East Jerusalem and West Bank, but also and, and, and to restore the the referral pathway to Egypt and possibly Jordan.
I want to leave it here and of course, open for questions.
Thank you very much, Rick.
That was really exhaustive.
I'll turn to the journalist in the room.
Don't see any question online.
John 0, Costas, Francois and The Lancet.
Rick, I was wondering given that this week it's at WHO headquarters is a well disability week.
Do you have an update on you just mentioned the figure the from the 12,000, the number that need to be evacuated.
How many of these are amputees?
And if did I get it correct?
It's only the US have taken 22.
Did you mention have any been evacuated to the UK to France or Germany?
I mean like that's an, an, an, an good question.
So on the, the, the data we, we, we have, yeah, I think there's two things.
I mean, I think you've seen, let me first get back to the what you asked about how many amputees etcetera.
I don't have specific data on that what we know and I think we shared that also with you as a you raise I think great questions on that.
In in one of the former Palais briefing, there has been this WHO assessment, you know, like, OK, we talk about over 100,000 injuries in Gaza.
So what does this injuries contain about?
And then with the assistance from the emergency medical team was an assessment done between January and May.
And based on that, I mean like, you know, correcting for, for for for all the other figures.
And that was quite shocking, that one quarter of those of all those trauma, trauma injuries.
Where severe trauma injury, actually life changing injuries, which would need either additional operation and and also yeah, support, lifelong support and rehabilitation.
That's what we can say now.
I just want to and and and and currently.
So we estimate that that 7% of the the Gaza population is, is estimated to have some form of disabilities.
Well, that is of course quite and that is also has massive implication if hopefully we will ever talk about ceasefire and and and early recovery and rehabilitation etcetera that we are already focusing on this and trying to focus on this.
And and you might remember that the we ho supported for many years and invested more than 10,000,000 in the limp reconstruction centre as part of a Nasser that got severely damaged and destroyed.
But we are already working on that like how, how can we improve some of the rehabilitation currently?
Now you asked about this.
So the top five medical needs, I, I, I mentioned 44% cancer, that is from the 333 patients WHO managed to medevac outside Gaza plus them you talk about I think another 5-6 hundred companions etcetera.
Since the Rafa crossing was closed.
That was 44% cancer related, 25% trauma, 8% congenital, 7% cardiac disease and 4% autonomy.
And the top five for that group that for that group, I want to say that's the UAE with 266 patients, the US 22, Jordan 20, Romania 15 and Belgium 5 S I hope I addressed when your question there.
So yeah, I haven't indeed heard from any patients transferred.
You asked about UK or France.
We know that the EU is is willing to to accept more patients etcetera.
And who is very much ready.
We're very happy to hear that.
We, we hope other countries and many other countries have stepped up specifically in the region.
Of course, we should not forget that Egypt took Barfar the bulk of the patients before the Rafa crossing is closed.
UAE think we talk already about 1000 patients plus or something like that.
Also I know in Oman and and and and and and Jordan, but that was before.
So what we hope to establish when there's proper medical corridors that from there.
So if there's patients can be matter of fact to his Jerusalem hospitals and for example the West Bank hospitals and then when there's a need that from there they can go somewhere else the same we need an other corridor.
Again, we established to Egypt and to Jordan because we're talking about an estimated 10/12/14 thousand patients.
We don't even know how many actually approximately 12,000.
And in this space, we're doing it now and it is by the way, incredibly time consuming and and management wise a huge task for The Who team here in Gaza, but also in Jerusalem to do all the coordination.
So we want to and of course when we do this kind of medevac, we prefer that we do it for 100 patients and then maybe with another 200 companion and 1 go in, in instead of focusing on 7 or 8 patients etcetera.
It's almost the same amount of work specifically in the, in the very complex circumstances, a very challenging situation we work in.
We for all those, matter of fact, we, we collect patients, for example, from, from the north, from from the various places where they collect from Shifa and then we bring them to the South and, and the night before, a couple of nights before to European Gas Hospital for WH also make sure there's medical care, shelter, food, etcetera.
And then we have to arrange all the transport.
We do this together with our great partners of PRCS and, and, and other partners, we bring them up.
Those are really rations.
Thank you, Christian Orich, the German news agency.
Rick, I would like to go back to your first item, Kamala.
One I didn't quite understand.
Did you say that there was evacuation order at 4:00 in the morning, but you don't know where it came from or whether it was for real?
Maybe you can elaborate a little bit on that.
And the medical evacuation team, where did they come from and what were their nationalities?
So there were no what what I said, I think then you missed it based on our information and that is from various sources, including the emerging medical team.
Yeah, Who left the place?
There's no official evacuation order.
However, I think first of all, heavy bombing around the hospital, very close to all mice.
Then an IDF tank that's based on all of agents from Asia outside the hospital.
Then information which spreads that all people had to leave the hospital, resulting in panic and I can I've been there when it was close to their closer bone.
I can really understand the the, the panic and and how scared people must be.
So people started climbing the back wall to escape and that panic again attracted IDF fire.
That's what we understand we we that's reported their death stamped their attention, arrest, etcetera.
But the bulk of people were directed to walk through the bait Lahiya St and from there to Saladin and Saladin checkpoints and the international emergency medical team.
They left with that crowd and and and they told us the information.
So they, the hospital is still what we call minimum, minimum operational with the hospital director there and the number of staff and the number of patients.
So there's no evacuation of the hospital currently, currently taking place.
However, of course we what I said what we are really concerned about.
First this is happening ultimately around Kamala Dwan and Alada Hospital, the only two hospitals north of Gaza with what we call are minimum minimal functional already for weeks, weeks I would say now actually already for months which constantly have shortages of supplies, medical supplies, fuel, bloods, etcetera.
And and as I said, I mean already for when I was at a, let's say 3-4 weeks ago was starting to stretch for four weeks.
We went four times to Kamala 1 and I think twice we could bring in fuel and medical supplies and some food etcetera and blood and taking out the most critical patients.
And what is for me a bit incomprehensible that only a few days ago, that's only four or five days ago, Adobe HO Missions was facilitated again to reach Kamala 1 and bringing what I said, bringing 10,000 litres of fuel, medical supply, blood, taking outpatient, but also bringing in for the first time since months this international emerging medical team.
So what's that was facilitated composing of two surgeon emergency nurtures and a gynaecologist.
And within one week they feel forced, scared, whatever to leave.
I think that is extremely concerning and should never happen.
I mean like that hospital should be operational and and WHO partners should be able to reach that hospital regularly, including all other hospital to make sure they get their supplies and their fuel and they can be operational.
Muhammad, Muhammad Aslan, I don't want.
My question will be about Al Mawasi region.
Margaret or Rick can answer for it.
And recently Israeli soldiers targeting the tents were displaced.
Palestinians are staying in Al Mawasi region of Gaza.
As a result of this, many people lost their life.
My question is how do you think these people can survive in winter condition then even their tent are being attacked.
I didn't get the question.
I didn't get the question Mohammed was asking was asking how they can survive in winter conditions.
So I think that's a good question.
And of course, we are very much also WHO very, they always ask me questions about health and, and of course, because as WHO we are, we are leading and coordinating the one UN and partisan health.
But I personally and and and and and coming here and so regular on long term missions.
I'm much more concerned currently about shelter and and exceed the conditions of, of, of of shelter.
So yeah, I think if I could ask the, the, the Member States and everyone around us, the shelter and shelter items really need to get into into Gaza and probably delivered at the places where it's needed now.
So specifically and I think we all we're focusing now on health, but the other areas, the fuel, the fuel situation is, is again becoming precarious and very complex and difficult.
Well, for, for everything we do here, fuel is the most important item.
So that always should be there.
So plea to anyone involves regular supply of fuel, fuel, food.
I mean, you've seen and I think I'm sure you heard WFP and NRA etcetera, all talking about the, the the, the food and the food scarcity and the lack of diversity of food etcetera.
Also bounded by the security problem in inside Gaza, the lack of policing, a lack of police, the looting, etcetera, massive area and then the everything around shelter.
So the impediments of importation of supplies.
And and, and the closing of the Rafa border.
I mean that has been raised constantly the Rafa crossing that impedes, I mean like a lot of the work we do.
So you, we still discuss a lot of the same thing, lack of the unit gas supplies getting into Gaza and then being distributed to the places where it's most needed within Gaza.
On the other hand and and and furthermore, we we have informed you are thinking about as well on infectious diseases etcetera.
It's difficult at the moment to get specific data.
But when people ask me so are the epidemic of course diarrheal diseases is more than 25 times as much as normal, respiratory infections is way higher among under fives etcetera than than normal.
So that is specifically when you talk about winterization the the incredibly poor water and sanitation condition because one one of the reasons we have actually polio as well in, in, in, in, in Gaza, I said that compounds that.
So, yeah, we are quite concerned about that.
The whole the the lack of proper winterisation in in Gaza.
First and foremost, of course, what is needed is a is a ceasefire and that humanitarians can properly do their work all over Gaza.
Nicomin, Nicomin Bruce, New York Times.
Yeah, thank you for taking the question.
Rick, A couple of questions.
First, in relation, you mentioned the quadcopter attack on Kamala Dwan.
It's just confirmed by you.
And was this an attack that was carried out on people within the premises of Camel and One Hospital?
That's my first question.
And then I have two questions relating to Medevac.
You've raised before this your concern to get the corridors back to East Jerusalem and so forth operating on a regular basis.
When you raise that with Kogat, what is the response you are getting number one?
Second question is, I wonder all the patients who have been referred for medical evacuation, particularly since 7th of May, how many, if you know, how many have died while they were waiting for medical evacuation?
Yeah, on the, on the, on this quadrotrope attack, I said as well, I said it very clearly.
So we cannot confirm because we didn't have a mission around that time etcetera and we didn't get that.
That's how that information we, it's, we always try to and I think you should probably know who, one of the mandates etcetera by the World Health Assembly is that we, we, we monitor, we analyse and we report on what we call attacks on healthcare.
And so we try to get that from all kind of sources.
We never attribute where where this is coming from because we are not a crime investigating Bureau.
I will want to stress that as well.
So it's that's why we report like we do.
So I cannot confirm that on the medevac.
So the what we ask for is I said this medical corridors and yes, we erase this with with everyone, including the very much also with the Israeli authorities that we want to restore this pathway to East Jerusalem and to and to the West Bank.
Actually just this week there was a session on this in the Agusa Victoria Hospital organised by the East Jerusalem hospitals I attended as well.
There were a lot of questions.
They said because they are ready to receive patients.
They did that all the time in the past.
And what I said from the from the the, the 300 patients we met, the fact outside 40% was related to oncology.
They used to go always to Augusta Victoria Hospital and to some other places, sometimes in the West Bank.
Now we're talking about so many, many, many, many patients that only having the East Jerusalem and West Bank would not be enough.
So we have to definitely also get a medical corridor back to Egypt and and possibly Jordan to to really speed this up.
We raised this and and including with the Israeli authorities, they heard us.
We raised this already for months and you know, they would they reflect on that, but currently this is not approved.
Now all the we, we definitely are aware of the patient died.
I mean, and I think when, when, when this maybe stops at one stage and we get into this analysis because we always look at the number of deaths and injured because of looking at the number of people actually who have, we look at people who have been killed and and actually injured, but the people who have unnecessarily dies.
And I think there was 1 selling a long time ago already an assessment of that in the, in The Lancet, etcetera will be much larger.
That's also we, we know that we are aware that we have actually I remember also that when we a smaller group of patients was a child not so long time ago which was on the list to be medevac etcetera.
And then the the day before the medevac is something like that the child passed away.
So definitely we don't have clear figures on that unfortunately.
I think before I let you go, there is a follow up in the chat from Christian was asking where were the members of the emergency medical team from and then we'll free you.
They are from so it's called the the Mercy Indonesia.
So there were six international, one national and they are from the internationals are from Indonesia.
There's one of the many EMTs doing fantastic work.
I mean like, that's if I, if I say what is a little bit of, of, of, of an incredible achievement, people always talk about polio.
For me, the big achievement is the health workers in Gaza together with emerging medical teams with partners like WHO and other partners that somehow in many places we the, the hospital, the health facilities and health system is partly functional.
And we know that many hospitals we discussed now if you talk Shifa and NASA metal complex, European Gaza hospital also actually even come out one in the past in Al Ada, they all became from functional, partly functional, non functional.
They all bounce back because of that system of support.
And that's a real proud part.
We've been massively supporting that and that it is partly to minimal functional, absolutely not sufficient.
There are still many people passing away and dying for no good reasons because proper care is not available.
Many people who get but still sorry.
There is also a just a small thing to confirm for Reuters.
Israel facilitating the Indonesian teams entry.
Right or not, it's an Indonesian team and they are they're safe.
They left Kamala 1 we facilitated and they are now actually camping in another hospital.
Thank you last question from AFP.
Then we go to the other guests Nina.
Sorry, Nina and yes, but there are sorry yes, yes, hi, thank you for taking my my question about Camelot 122 questions.
You say that there there were no official order to to evacuate, but that there were information that spread around the for the people.
Could you give us more, be more specific of where this information came first and how many people are still inside the hospital now, if you have that number and with the number of patients and and doctors.
OK, you know what, I think so this is difficult to to.
So we need more information.
But again, indeed, what we get no official order for evacuation.
But people being told and then a rumour, we then within amidst the panic and amidst the heavy bomb arguments over the night, etcetera, then that's, I think it's spread that people had to leave and all the ID PS had to leave.
And when they went out and they tried to escape, etcetera and and, and more panic and reported deaths, etcetera, They, they left.
We don't know, but it's a substantial amount and they left too badly and to the, to the check.
But how many people are still in the hospital?
We know that the hospital director is there, that there's some medical staff and that are also still are patients in the hospital.
So we will, we will probably get more details on that today.
Thank you very much, Erika.
Thanks so much for updating us on this very important situation.
Good luck with your with the next days.
I'll go now to our next guest, who is Monica Totova, who's the Senior economist, FAO.
She's connecting from Astana to tell us about the monthly update on global food commodity prices.
So, Madam, you have the floor.
I realise good afternoon from Astana, good morning in Geneva.
I realise that after its briefing, my contribution to today's briefing is going to be very mundane.
But nevertheless, I wanted to brief you on the latest developments of the FAO Food Price Index, which was released this morning.
The index increased by half percent in November compared with October, reaching the highest level since April 2023.
Price quotations for vegetable oils and dairy products, those were those for meat, cereals and sugar decreased.
While compared to historic levels, the food price index in November was 5.7% higher than its corresponding value a year ago and remain over 20% below its peak of 160.2 points, which was reached in March 2022, which as you might recall was immediately followed following the start of the war in Ukraine.
Focusing just in a slight detail of on individual commodity groups, as I already mentioned, vegetable oil prices rose the most by over 7% in October, which was the second largest jump in two months, mostly on the account of tightening balance.
Dairy prices also continued to increase increases by rather contain .6% from September led by rebound global import demand for the whole meal powder.
But the prices seem to be reaching new records every month and mixed from demand and Thai inventories in Western Europe.
Now going to the commodities where prices declined, senior prices declined by 2.7% to a level of 8% below one year earlier.
Feed prices declined amid weaker international demand and increased supply from the ongoing harvest in the Southern hemisphere.
Sugar, which has been in the news quite a bit in the last year or so due to its large fluctuation.
The sugar price index declined by 2.5% impacted by the start of the crushing season in India, in Thailand and concerns easing concerns about the sugar procaine prospects in Brazil.
Meat prices also declined.
So FAO in addition to the food price index also released its cereal supply and demand brief where every month we provide forecast for global cereal production, consumption, trade and stocks.
So in the last release that was released today only forecast that the global cereal production will decline by 9.6% from the previous year, which is a downward revision from our previous number, but it's still the like second largest output on the record.
As the agriculture year continues out of the calendar year is coming to the close, we are now also looking at the crops to be harvested in 2025.
Softer wheat prices might mean that the area expansion of winter wheat crop, the planting of which is currently underway in the Northern Hemisphere might not be as big.
Last but not least, I would like to mention that the Agriculture Market Information system, the secretariat of which is hosted at FAO released it's monthly monitor today as well featuring in addition for regular analysis and deflection on agricultural commodity markets in 2024 and looking forward to 2025 identifying uncertainties that could be potentially affecting global commodity markets.
Obviously **** on the agenda remains extreme weather events, geopolitical tension and uncertainty in the trade policy.
I will leave it here and I'm happy to answer any questions they might be.
Thank you very much, Monica.
Let me see if there's any question for you.
Yes, please, Sir, can you introduce yourself?
This is Mr Liang from China Economic Daily.
I'm quite proud to report on FAO based in Geneva, though not personally in Rome.
My question is related with the food prices or the bearing on food prices.
As a result of the undergoing transition in the Agri business sector, which we see a lot of Agri business big players these days introducing a big amount of new technology like the block, like the blockchain, like AI, all for the purpose of streamlining in their language in their language for the purpose of streamlining the supply chain.
So how do you think the night effect, the net effect of this streamlining of supply chain played into the price factor?
Would the would the streamlining of the supply chain really make at the end of the day, the price of the commodities, the grains, everything cheaper or or it might have a reverse effect?
So thank you for the question.
In terms of now what I described here now was, was month to month changes.
Obviously month on month you are not going to see any differences from the process of digitalization, from the process of blockchain streamlining the supply chain etcetera, etcetera.
For that we need to look at the very broader and longer term set up of the prices.
So what is happening on the prices If you follow these briefings, I come here every month to to speak about developments and I always speak about how we compare to the peaks which we had before.
This is to say that there are many shocks in the market that happened right.
I mean February 20, March 2022, we talked about extremely **** prices.
There was the shock of the world in Ukraine and how we are going to get those supplies.
Then we talk about impact of weather events, we are talking about other additional shocks, impact of trade policies for example.
So with all these things that are happening within the supply chains, it is hard without a detailed study to attribute how this progress that is being done within the Agri business firm is helping.
However, by introducing these changes, what happens is that they are normaling the cost of doing business right.
So the cost of transaction, the cost of moving goods from one spot to another, the logistical cost, that is not the shipping cost, which has other issues.
We spoke about the Panama Canal, we spoke about the sea crisis last year.
The crisis still continues.
The Panama Canal right now, the situation has improved.
So there are many other factors that are in play, but nevertheless the this wants to streamline the logistics and certainly not hurting that that what is happening on the Agri food markets.
But it is not a development that in the taking into account this other shocks the consumers are going to see immediately.
I hope that answers the question at least partially.
Yeah, it looks like any other question for FAO in the room I don't see online.
There are no there are no others.
So thank you very, very much, Monica for this very important for us to keep track of this important index.
So thanks a lot for giving us this update.
I'll now go to the colleagues of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
We have with us Eric Tollefson who is the head of weapon contamination for ICRC.
So you are here to speak about anti personal minds and extradited ordinance ammunitions and the risk they pose to civilians globally.
Thank you so much Alessandra.
It's very nice to to be with you today.
This week marks the anniversary of the 26th, sorry, the 27th anniversary of the the wide band convention and also mentioned earlier here the International Day of of Disability or the Disabled.
I wanted to address a few contexts of concern and thank you so much for that introduction.
First, let's go to to Lebanon.
We now see that the ceasefire has has taken effect and we will then have the population that are now trying to return to the homes in the South.
It's it's a population of more than 100,000 that has has been moved from from the South to north earlier in the conflict and they're now trying to return to their their areas of the region.
Of course what we are seeing there is a lot of evidence of weapon contamination.
These are hazards that was not there prior to them leaving.
But when coming back, these are new risks that they would be the subject to.
And, and our teams are, are trying to, to assist as best as we can together with the old qualities.
But we are afraid that we will see an increase in, in injuries and harm to the population as a result of the situation moving across to Syria.
We, we see a very similar situation now with the, the, the very rapid developments over there.
And we see that masses of population are fleeing from from the fighting.
What we need to be aware of here is that traditionally to the more than a decade long war in Syria, the majority of weapon contamination has been along the river and, and the waterfronts.
And this is where the main roads are.
And when people are trying to get away.
So, so everyone is exposed to risks that they they earlier did not have to to front moving across to Ukraine.
As mentioned by by the colleague Rick Peppercorn from WHO winter is coming and it can get really cold and in the Ukraine.
I'm speaking from from personal experience and we are trying to assist population.
But of course what we see is that people will be forced to heat the homes to provide care to to the loved ones and and if you enter into forests into other areas, this is where you find weapon contamination.
We also have concerns with the news of of the states talking about transfer of anti personnel mines into this particular conflict as that could further make the situation worse, not just at the the immediate time now, but also of course in in the longer term.
As as we know that that mines particular anti points personnel mines which are victim activated are there and and are really showing harm mainly to to civilians and and and what we see is the majority of accidents is happening post conflict when when the the hostilities have ceased and people are returned trying to return to the normal lives on a on a personal account.
I I've worked around the world in for many years first got involved with the work on weapon contamination in in the Middle East in the early 90s, later in the Balkans.
At that time, what we saw is no matter of, of the work we did in terms of clearance of land mines, unexploded ordnance, explosive submunitions from cluster weapons, the accidents were going off every year they were revising.
And it was only with the, the introduction of these legal instruments such as the mine bank convention and later in 2005, the conventional cluster munitions like we saw this trend being curbed and we saw accidents and victims being reduced.
And I think this is important to, to remember that, you know, the legal instruments, what was what made the impact in terms of reducing accidents and victims.
And then of course, comes the, the cleaning up afterwards, all the work which is time consuming.
It is costly and and it's, it's also slightly dangerous.
So I'll, I'll, I've stopped there, but I'm happy to take more comments if there should be any.
Eric, This is this is really important.
I look at the journalist in the room.
So let's go to the platform.
Satoko is the correspondent of the Yumi Yushinbun in Geneva.
I just want to ask about the policy side and anti landmine treaty here.
Last month's US outgoing President Biden approved to supply Ukraine with anti personal landmines and Finland which is the recently acceded to NATO member is now considering to reintroduction of the anti personal landmines.
And I understand you will not answer specific countries cases, but could you give us your thought on how these policy changes will affect the the auto convention?
Yeah, thank you for that very pertinent question.
This article I'm coming from the operational side and have some technical expertise.
We have in the ICSC some of the the finest lawyers that are working on exactly that question to try to find out how we together with with other States and like minded organisations can work to ensure that these these legal instruments under IHO remain strong.
And and that we we prevent states from when, when seeing an increased security risk are are talking about leaving, leaving these conventions.
So, so if, if you would like to know more about this, you can come back to us and and we will take contact with with some of our legal colleagues on this.
Adoko yes, I think you could do that through Crystal whom we have the contacts, but we can also, you can also address us a question in writing if you want and I can send it to our colleagues of the Office of Disarmament Affairs, John Zarro, Costas, France Vancat and The Lancet.
Thank you for this update and it's good to have someone who's coming with field experience.
Can you bring us up to speed based on ICRC field teams?
What are you seeing in terms of amputees in various conflict zones, especially in Ukraine and also in Gaza?
I I understand you have teams in in both areas.
And secondly, the concerning anti personnel mines and and also clusters from your experience in the field, what is the failure rate?
In other words, what are the the doves those that don't go often potentially ticking time bomb for civilians down the road when hostility cease.
Thank you for those two questions.
On the first one, I would need to go back and check the data sources and they, they will vary obviously in, in, in context like Gaza, we we see very few if any victim operator type weapons.
There is more they kind of air launched and, and, and land service weapons that we we've seen used, which of course causes a particular pattern of, of harm.
Whereas in, in other contexts like like Ukraine, we see that victim activated, victim activated weapon types are causing a different pattern of harm.
But we, we can look and see whether we can, can give you the exact data for that.
Sorry, could you repeat the second question please?
Given your field experience, the failure rate of anti personnel mines or cluster submunitions, the so-called duds, you have various estimates from your experience in the field, what has been a ballpark figure of the failure rates which down the road are a ticking time bomb for civilians?
And I, I'm afraid I can't give you, you know, 1 ballpark figure which would be correct.
All across what we see is there are so many valuables in terms of what, what type of weapon that is called called or new or all the discs, how it is being deployed, what are the ground conditions, but also the kind of user experience and training of the operators playing into this.
However, what I can say is that we we typically see from manufacturers, they quotes that a, a 1% or less failure rate would be the typical figure.
But when we approach this and and are and are looking at at the, the conditions at field level, we see depending on the time that the the failure rate that we've seen that for instance, some of these antipersonal mines with the with self destruct functions that we have found in places like in Ukraine, they have a failure rate on the self destruct mechanism of higher than 50%.
In terms of other munitions, liver munitions, we see typically a failure rate between 10 and and 15%.
But please contact me bilateral if you would like to, to discuss this further.
Thank you very much, Eric.
And there is a question for you from Rianovosti.
Elena, why don't you read it?
But since you had asked for the floor, I give you the floor.
Elena Tatrova Rianovosti.
I see she's not taking up the the mic, so let me read it for you.
So she's asking, does the International Committee of the Red Cross condemn the new delivery of anti personal minds that the USA provided to Ukraine?
What are the consequences for the civilian population of Ukraine?
That's the question that Renovos is asking you.
Yeah, thank you for that question, Lena.
Again, I'm I'm the head of the, the department working on the operational consequences of weapon contamination and, and not on the, the legal department.
And I know that our legal colleagues are, are working on, on the, on the daily response to, to these news.
And please do not hesitate to, to contact us to our media advisors if you would like to learn more on, on our response time.
Thank you, thank you very much.
And she says thank you on the chat.
So thank you Eric for this and thanks very much for the briefing.
I don't see other hands up for you.
And just just to clarify where you were calling from because it's not in my notes, just the journalist need to know where you were calling from.
It's you're in Geneva, right?
I'm, I'm across the world at the ICSC headquarters.
OK, you're, you're in headquarters.
So that's for our colleagues.
It's important to know where you're talking, speaking from.
Zaina, you have an announcement.
Thank you very much, Alessandra and good morning colleagues.
I'd like to let you know that the ILO will be issuing our new flagship report on social dialogue on the 11th of December, which is next Wednesday.
We'll be holding a virtual press conference at 10:30 in the morning, Geneva local time.
The report is going to be looking at the critical role of social dialogue in economic and social development.
How how we're faring when it comes to social dialogue or dialogue between and workers, employers, organisations and governments, especially in light of the environmental and digital transitions that we are seeing at the moment and ahead of the UN 20-30 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The findings build on surveys, data and reviews and they are quite comprehensive.
Our Assistant Director General for Governance, Rights and Dialogue, Miss Manuela Tomei will will present the dialogue on the on via the online press conference with support from from technical colleagues.
Now all the the report and all associate material is available, will be available in a couple of hours from now under strict embargo until 10:30 AM CET, Geneva local time, which is 9:30 AM GMT on the day of the press conference, which is the 11th of December.
We'll be sharing the the media advisory at some point today, probably in the afternoon.
So everything that I've shared with you now will be available in your inboxes quite soon.
And we have spokespeople available for interviews should there be an interest in speaking to one of them.
And as you said, you'll announce it with all the details very, very soon.
Any question to I alone this press conference and report?
So thank you very much, Zaina.
Good luck with the launch.
Anktad also has an announcement for the Global Commodities Forum, the battery.
This different sector, they should develop the product or mineral energy Tuju Development Forum a climatic commerce durable.
You had this actor to service public, private, International University.
If you have the represent on the the Global Gas Centre, the the director, the last one attack Bremen Cotton Exchange on that in the ground variety, the participant and the the wool mask and.
International coffee organisation Asian passe Napa the the number you have in listed key above that blue solicit and Lily Stacy.
This should not expect a disposition for we don't need any a low virtue.
So I've had Palestinian general France, El diz N d'epala dinasto mercy, mercy boku Catherine and questions to answer.
Let me see on the platform don't see any.
So yeah, thank you very much for this update.
And the note in English as you say, I have read to you I think all the no, there is, there is one update that Solange has just sent me about the press conference.
So we've already spoken about the one on Monday by Forker Turk, We have already spoken about the one on Friday of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
There is a new one that I think has just been announced to you, that's Wednesday, 11th December at 1:30 PM.
And it's about the human rights violation in Gaza and across the the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The speakers will be Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1767, Margaret Setter Waits, the Special Rapporteur, independence of judges and lawyers.
Ben Saw, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, and George Katrugalos, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of democratic and equitable international order.
So that's the last, the new one which has been announced now just to clarify.
Yeah, so we need now the announcement about the ILO one, which I understand what is also on the 11th to International Day.
Tomorrow is International Civil Aviation Day and the 9th is International Anti Corruption Day.
But also I shouldn't say above all, but an important day, which is the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the victims of the crime of genocide and of the prevention against this crime.
And you have received the statement of the Secretary General.
So if there are no other question to me, I'd like to conclude this briefing by saying happy birthday, Akano.
As you know, we mark this year together with our friends of Akano, the 75th anniversary.
My advice here in representation of the committee, but of course, all the Akano members are to be congratulated for this incredible 75 years of bringing the voice of the UN family in Geneva, outside Geneva and to the world.
And we thank you very much for the cooperation.
And often the criticism that you offer us brings us, makes us better.
And so happy anniversary.
I hope we'll celebrate more tonight.
So for me, if there are no other question, I'll see you on Tuesday and wish you a very good weekend.
