Welcome to this exceptionally virtual briefing of the EUN Information Service in Geneva.
I would like to immediately start by giving the floor to Jens Lerke for OCHA, who has a brief announcement.
Can we unmute Yens, please?
OK, I don't see for the moment Yens it might not be yet connected.
So let's let's go on with Katrina Weso, who also has an announcement for Ranktad.
Katrina, could you please be unmuted?
Thank you for for fixes that ELA confirms the press Shepas Minola Pahol.
Sorry, I switched to English.
The flow goes to Claire also for an announcement on the symposium.
Yes, good morning everybody.
We'll be sending out an announcement just shortly, in an hour or so, about a a virtual symposium which the World Meteorological Organisation and International Science Partners are holding next week.
It's from the 4th until the 6th of August and it's to review the relationship between weather, climate and environmental factors in the spread of COVID-19.
As we all know, the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread globally, and this is within a wide range of climates and seasonal and different environmental settings.
It should be stressed that environmental conditions are not the principal drivers of the first wave of the pandemic, but there are obviously questions as to whether factors such as temperature, humidity, air quality and ultraviolet light influence the spread of the SARS COV 2 virus and the disease COVID which it which it causes.
So this two day virtual symposium will try to promote understanding into the exact role of meteorological, climatological and environmental factors both indoors and outdoors.
And we hope that, you know, by examining this, you know, we might answer some some outstanding questions and promote public health management and safety.
Thank you very much, Claire.
I'm looking now at my list of participants in case there were any question for you, but I don't see any.
OK, so let's now go to Lisa.
Just very quickly, Claire, is there going to be any sort of a final summation of the symposium, a press conference or something?
It sounds like an interesting topic and that could be useful.
The we're not envisaging a formal press conference and it is obviously a virtual symposium.
But, but if, if there, if there is a request, I can, I can liaise with my scientific colleagues to see if we can, if we, if we can set something up virtually.
And I can certainly arrange for interviews with, you know, with the experts taking, taking Part 1 of the lead lead in this is the WMOW Health World Health Organisation Joint Office on Climate and Health.
And I can certainly put you in touch with the, the expert whose name is Joyce Schumacher Gulimo and she, she will be happy to, to talk to you.
The proceedings are going to be fast tracked and published online in the SOV A1 Health Journal.
So there will, you know, there will be a written, a written outcome.
It might not be, you know, the day the conference finishes, but I can certainly, you know, put you in touch with people to speak to them.
Can you unmute Musa Aussie please?
Listen, continue briefing.
Margaret Harris, the red connected.
Sorry, if I could just add that that in the in the advisory that we're sending out that is a link to the symposium.
So if you are interested in in following it and you have the time, you know you're more than you're more than welcome to do so.
There will be a couple of **** level addresses at the start.
So maybe, you know, maybe maybe that's the the best thing for you to do.
I was looking if Yance had connected in the meantime, but I can't see him.
So we will wait for him for his announcement to come in.
But in the meantime, I would like to keep the floor.
To Elizabeth Russell for OHCHR, who has several briefing items.
Elizabeth yes, good, Good morning, everybody.
This morning we have launched a report both from here in Geneva and in Seoul on women in detention in the DPRK.
And the report finds that the women are subjected to multiple and serious human rights violations by state security and police officials.
The report's based on 101st hand accounts by North Korean women detained in the DPRK after being forcibly returned, and the period covered is from 2009 to 2019.
These women, who eventually managed to escape the DPRK, gave detailed interviews to UN human rights staff.
Although travelling abroad is effectively prohibited in the DPRK, women embark on dangerous journeys looking for life saving sources of income or a new life abroad.
They often fall into the hands of human traffickers, ending up as cheap bonded labour or being exploited sexually and at times forced into marriage.
When they're returned to the DPRK, they're detained by the Ministry of State Security or the Ministry of People Security, and they're often sentenced to imprisonment without a trial or after proceedings that do not meet international norms and standards for due process and a fair trial.
Now, among the testimonies, one woman described how she tried hard not to reveal details of her life in China, and as a result, she was beaten and kicked so hard that one of her ribs was broken.
And she said she still feels the pain today.
Another woman said that the beatings were so excruciating that she even attempted suicide.
Women recounted how they're detained in inhumane, overcrowded and unsanitary conditions with little or no access to daylight and fresh air.
Detainees are subjected to forced nudity and invasive body searches.
Some women reported sexual violence by guards or seeing other women being sexually abused by guards.
All women reported being given insufficient food, leaving them malnourished and sometimes interrupting their menstrual cycles.
UN **** Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet described these women's stories as heartbreaking.
These are women who have often been the victims of exploitation and trafficking, who should be taken care of, not detained and subjected to further human rights violations.
She said the report contains a set of recommendations to the DPRK government to bring the detention system into line with international norms and standards, including meeting the needs of female detainees, and these are based on the Mandela Nelson Mandela Rules and the Bangkok Rules.
The UN Human Rights Office stands ready to work and engage with the authorities in a meaningful and constructive way now.
The report also calls on other states to respect the principle of non reformal by not repatriating people to the DPRK when there are substantial grounds for believing that they would fail face a real risk of serious human rights violations and other irreparable harm.
It also calls on states to support any accountability process to investigate whether international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity, have been and continue to be committed in the country.
The **** Commissioner stressed how these accounts show once again the systemic nature of human rights violations in the DPRK and the need to keep seeking ways to ensure proper accountability for such crimes.
The UN Human Rights Office will continue to gather evidence of this kind to support a process of criminal accountability whenever and wherever possible.
Liz, looking at the journalist's hands and Lizza wants to ask you a question.
Liz, could you give a little background on how it is that these women get to to China?
I mean, I believe that many of them actually are seconded by the North Korean government to to work and then they take their money and this sort of thing.
If you could elaborate upon that and, or whether these are women who have somehow managed to escape from North Korea and then they were caught by the Chinese authorities and returned.
Yes, Lisa, the, the, the, the women interviewed and, and as we said, it was 100 first hand accounts covering a, a period from about 2000 women who'd, who'd this had happened to from 2009 to 2019.
So actually very current.
There was a variety of factors given for for why they they they left the country and what happened to them.
But it's clear that in many cases they were subjected to, to trafficking and they were then returned.
And what this report really focuses on is what happens to them once they are returned to North Korea.
In the report, there is an interesting glossary of all the different detention facilities that these women are sent to.
Now initially they're sent to what are called pretrial detention centres or Koyo Waso.
And then depending on the kind of testimony that, that let's say is is beaten out of them, they might be sentenced to a shorter or a longer period.
They might in some cases be sent to political prison camps.
Though I must stress here that the, of the 100 accounts we have, none of them were people who'd been held, held in political prison camps.
But the the accounts given of, of the, the range of violations, the range of suffering, the kinds of things that happened to these women really paint a very distressing picture.
Liz, other questions, I don't see any for the moment, but you have other two press items.
So maybe you want to continue with the second and we will reopen.
Just prepare my notes please.
This, this is with regard to a human rights defender, Azim Janoskarov.
And it's with the great sadness that we learned yesterday, Monday, that Azim Janoskarov, who was a human rights defender and journalist, died in prison in Kyrgyzstan over the weekend.
We send our sincere condolences to his family, friends and fellow human rights defenders who'd advocated for his release from prison.
In May, we urged the Kirgis authorities to allow Asgharov, who was 68, to leave prison as his frail health meant he was among the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In recent weeks we received information that his health was deteriorating further, but despite repeated calls, Asgarov was not provided with urgent medical assistance, the urgent medical resistance required and he was not released on humanitarian grounds.
He died in a prison hospital in Bishkek on the 25th of July.
We understand that the Kyrgyz authorities have listed the cause of his death as double pneumonia, Convicted on various charges including accessory to ******, incitement of inter ethnic hatred and hostage taking in the context of ethnically motivated violence in southern Kyrgyzstan.
In June 2010, Asgarov was serving a life sentence and had spent some 10 years behind bars.
In 2016, the UN Human Rights Committee found that Asgarov had been arbitrarily detained, held in inhumane conditions, tortured and mistreated, and prevented from adequately preparing his defence.
Now, COVID-19 poses challenges for all countries, including Kyrgyzstan, where the authorities have repeatedly and publicly expressed their commitment to international human rights norms and standards, which also include obligations to ensure the right to health and the right to life.
For people deprived of their liberty, the state has a heightened duty of care.
We call once again on the Kyrgyz government to consider an an early humanitarian release for the most vulnerable prisoners and these include women, minors, the elderly, people with underlying health conditions, people with low risk profiles who have committed minor and petty offences, people with imminent release dates and those detained, detained for offences not recognised under international law.
Now with regard to Azim Janaskarov, there should be a prompt, impartial and effective investigation into his death.
Under international human rights law, his family have the right to redress.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Human Rights Office has flagged the need for governments to act to prevent the spread of the disease in detention facilities, which are often overcrowded and unhygienic, and where health services are inadequate or even non existence.
Almost by definition, physical distancing and self isolation in such conditions are near impossible.
We have seen some notable examples of good practise.
At the same time, we remain deeply concerned that many governments are either not taking steps to decongest detention facilities or are not releasing anywhere near the number of prisoners they have approved for release.
Now, this is obviously a subject that the UN Human Rights Office has been following and tracking.
And we do have information from different regions around the world which we're constantly looking to update.
And I can give you some more details of that should you be interested.
Any questions from the journalist I don't see.
Oh yes, Lisa again Lisa Lisa Ash line.
Sorry we need to mute unmute her yes OK you're connected.
I'm unmuted now thank you Liz.
I was wondering do you know how many political prisoners are being held currently and any sense of how many of them are really vulnerable to becoming fatally I'll and do these prisoners have any course to legal redress to legal due process?
Is your question specifically about Kyrgyzstan or in general how about both?
Since you asked a good second question, I will, I will follow up on your question too.
OK, Well, if I may start with Kyrgyzstan, because as I said, the, the, the case of Azim Janaskarov is, is something that that was known to us for a long time.
He was the, the, he brought his, his case to the UN Human Rights Committee who, who made a finding that, you know, he had been tortured, he had been held in inhumane conditions and the committee called for a retrial on a number of occasions.
It came before the courts again, but he was, they upheld the life sentence.
The Supreme Court back in May when we made our appeal for him to be released, upheld the life sentence against him.
And one of the points that the human rights committee flagged was that he wasn't able to adequately prepare his defence.
So that clearly is a concern with regard to to the overall number of of prisoners.
That kind of information I don't have speaking globally.
Well, that's almost an impossible question to, to, to answer.
But what we would say is precisely the, the people who who are being detained for, for, for on because they're human rights defenders, because they're journalists, because they've not committed any specific crimes.
People who are held in pretrial detention authorities should really look to try and give early release to these people.
We made a list of the kind of people that should be prioritised for early release and it's clear in the case of Azim Jan Askarov, who was elderly, he was 68 and he had underlying health conditions, he should have been released.
And this is a subject that we have flagged, as you know, on numerous occasions and it clearly will be something that we will continue to flag.
What is interesting is that it's estimated that roughly 6% of the global prison population have been approved for release.
However, as as we said, the number of proof release is very different to the number that have actually been released.
And that's why we're really calling on states to take steps to to make sure that people are released because detention facilities for all sorts of reasons are just so dangerous, are really incubators of diseases like COVID-19.
The picture around the world varies obviously from region to region and country to country.
We do have some good examples, as I flagged, and we do also have some concerns.
It is something that we are continuing to look at and it is something that we will no doubt continue to speak about.
Thank you, Liz, Emma, good morning.
I had a question about the Human Rights Committee.
Is can you answer questions on the committees?
I can ask if it's, if it's information, I obviously don't speak on behalf of the Human Rights committee.
I can certainly ask the question, Emma, and let's see what.
Yeah, I'm just curious whether this idea of mandatory mask wearing potentially being a breach of a covenant of human rights is something that the committee has considered or, or plans to consider?
Or do you have any general comments on the issue?
Or is there a feeling that this sort of thing is is gaining momentum, this sentiment?
Well, I think with regard to, to the committee's views on that, I think your best place to, to really approach them to find out what, what their position is on, on mandatory mask wearing.
It is obviously an important issue, but, but there you're, you're getting into sort of public health questions and, and I don't feel qualified to, to speak about that.
But if you'd like to, to drop me on and even drop Vivian Koch who works with the Human Rights committee aligned, we can certainly look into that question that you pose.
And I don't see any other question on this particular subject.
So maybe you want to go to your last point.
Yes, if I may prepare myself again, thank you.
And in the meantime, Yens is connected.
So after Liz we'll go to him.
Yes, is the third item refers to techies proposed new social media Bill.
Now we are concerned by moves by the authorities in Turkey to introduce a new social media bill that would give the state powerful tools for asserting even more control over the media landscape.
The law, if adopted, would further undermine the right of people in Turkey to freedom of expression, to obtain information and to participate in public and political life as well.
It would further weaken platforms that are essential for independent journalism.
The independent media is already under serious ****** in Turkey.
These concerns have been exacerbated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to figures provided by the Ministry of Interior, as of May 2020, at least 510 people have been detained for allegedly baseless and provocative social media posts about the pandemic.
And those are their words and the state's response to it.
Under the draught Bill, which reportedly will be discussed in parliament soon, social media companies would be required to appoint a representative within Turkey.
If the companies fail to comply, they would face steep fines and possibility of having their bandwidth slashed to the point that people in Turkey would not have any meaningful access to their site.
The wholesale blocking of websites is not compatible with the right to freedom of expression.
The same is true for measures that render websites effectively inaccessible, such as deliberate limitations to the available bandwidth.
The law would also require that companies store all of their data on Turkish customers within Turkey, undermining people's right to communicate anonymously.
The law would also introduce extremely short deadlines for responding to content takedown requests by individuals and the courts.
This, in combination with the ****** of legal liability and fines, would provide strong incentives for over compliance with requests to take down material.
We're also concerned about expanding the state's power to demand removal of reporting from news websites.
We'd like to recall that all limitations on the right to freedom of expression have to be in line with the requirements of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Rather than seeking to increase powers of information control, government should take all necessary measures to promote plurality of the media.
Legal and regulatory frameworks for such essential forums of expression as social media platforms should only be adopted based on thorough deliberations and broad public debate.
So that's our item on Turkey's proposed new Social Media Bill.
Let me give a few seconds to the journalist to react.
If there's anybody who wants to ask questions, I don't see any for the moment.
So thank you very much for this extensive briefing.
I'll now go to Yance, who is connected.
Yance, you had an announcement.
Can Yance Lerka be unmuted?
Thank you very much and good morning everyone.
Yes, I, I have a short update on the Central emergency response fund, which is as you know a pool fund where donors pre position their funding for the emergency relief coordinator to, to allocate in the course of the year.
So it's very much a life saving fund and it is considered a safety net for the for the most vulnerable in the world.
We have now issued a press release that you should have in your inboxes about the second round of allocations from what is called the underfunded window of the Central Emergency Response Fund, which as name suggests, goes to to a crisis that are experiencing either a significant underfunding or a significant increase in the needs so that the existing funding simply does not suffice.
Humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock has then released $100 million in this second round to 10 countries across the world.
If we add the the first round of allocations in this underfunded from this underfunded window, which was 125, we arrived at $225 million which had been allocated this year and that is a all time ****.
So a record allocation from this life saving fund to countries in dire need of this funding.
The largest allocation this time round was for 35,000,000 for Yemen.
As you know, it is the single largest response plan we have.
It asks for a bit more than than 4 billion and it's under 25% funded.
So a lot of money is needed and here's really a boost to the to the response there.
The other countries that benefited from this particular round and I'll just read them out in order on the size of the allocation that they have that they have received.
So first Yemen, then Afghanistan, Nigeria, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Burundi, Colombia, Haiti and Uganda.
Several of these countries already have existing humanitarian response plans.
Some of them do not have that, but what they do have is a plan for responding to the COVID-19 within the overall framework of the UN coordinated response.
So that is countries such as Pakistan, Mozambique, Colombia and Uganda, which received this money, particularly for underfunding to the COVID-19 response.
So an annual record 225 million.
That compares to last year's allocation from this underfunded window, which was $200 million throughout the year, which was in itself a record.
So certainly a growing mechanism and thanks to the donors who have provided those funds.
Thank you very much, Jens.
Any question to Jens on this particular subject?
So let's go to our last speaker.
Babar, you have the floor.
If Babar can be unmuted, please.
And then we will go to the question.
I haven't forgotten that there were questions for WHO Margaret disconnected, but we also have ILO Rosaline Yarder on the line, ITC Victorio Cammarota and Mariksim Mercado for UNICEF, just in case you wanted to ask them questions.
So Barbara, good morning, Alexandra.
We're just trying to highlight the situation in the Sahel and the the Great Lake region.
UNICIA, the UN refugee agency, is calling for stronger efforts to mitigate the risks for refugees, internally displaced people and hosting communities posed by land mines and improvised explosive devices in Africa's conflicted and Sahil and Lake Chad base basin regions.
Since the beginning of 2020, there have been a growing number of fatal incidents involving forcibly displaced populations.
Mines, unexploded ordinances and more frequent use of improvised explosive devices are resulting in a growing ****** to host populations and and refugees.
While it appears that the intended target of the numerous anti government and non state and are the security forces, more and more civilians are indiscriminately killed and maimed.
Chad and Nigeria topped the most affected countries in the Lake Chad basin.
In the most recent incident in a refugee camp in the east of the country on June 24, four refugee children aged from 9:00 to 12:00 were killed and three others were seriously injured when they picked up an unexploded device and tried to open it.
Meanwhile, in northeastern Nigeria, some 230 people were killed by the IEDs and more than 300 injured in 2019.
More than 15 incidents have been reported so far in 2020.
Our teams on the ground also witnessed a rising trend in the Sahel.
In Niger, 5EX incidents have killed at least 5 refugees and displaced people while injuring many others since the start of the year.
For example, on 21st of January this year, two teenagers, a local resident and a refugee friend from Burkina Faso picked up an unscoded rocket.
Mistakenly thinking it was a toy, they tried to open it with an axe.
Divide exploded tragically, killing the teenage resident and badly wounding the refugee.
In Nigeria's Differ region, 2 vans ran over explosive devices near the town of Boso in two separate incidents in February and March this year.
The explosions killed four people, including three **** school students and many others injured.
This included a tenth month old baby as well.
In Mali, the civilian population accounts for almost half of the victims of landmines and improvise device improvised device explosions.
In the entire country, at least 42 civilians were killed in 82 incident between January and May this year, mainly Mopti, Gao and Kedal regions.
The routes linking Mopti in the centre of the country with the northern regions are particularly affected and dangerous.
In Burkina Faso on June 6th, the vehicle carrying two refugees IIT and IED near Mentow refugee camp.
Both were irritated to Jibo where they received treatment for their injuries.
Sahil is one of the fastest growing displacement crisis in the world where millions have fled indiscriminate attacks by armed groups against civilians such as summary executions, widespread use of **** against women in attacks against institution including schools, health and health facilities.
In addition to the **** death toll, injuries and their after effects including psychological damages.
The presence of explosive devices hinder access to local livelihoods such as pastures, fields, farms, firewood collection as well as community infrastructure.
They also affect delivery of humanitarian Aid and Development activities.
UNICR continues to support the injure and the families of the victims.
We also help with the funerals of the disease and provide psychosocial support sessions for survival, including the children.
We are also engaging with the community leaders to raise awareness on the risks caused by unexploded ordinance.
Urgent efforts are needed to address the dangers and legacy of land mines and to heighten awareness of the horrifying ****** from mines, explosive remnants of war, and improvise explosive devices.
There are a few other details in the note as well, which has been distributed already.
Thank you very much, Babar.
Peter Kenny, I just wanted to know you mentioned in your report that the the mines seem to be laid by non state actors.
Is it only non state actors and anti government forces who are laying the mines or do both sides lay mines in terms of the knowledge that you have?
Thank you, Peter, the reports we are receiving.
I mean the way the impact of landmines and unexploded devices is, impact of civilians has been, I mean the numbers and incidents show it.
We know it's a global issue in terms of landmines and unexploded devices over here.
I don't have any confirmation in terms of who is the responsible who have been laying it.
But what we have seen is most of these are late to target security of forces because you have seen in the Sahel region and in the Lake Chad Basin that there are a lot of security operations and against the armed groups and also armed groups are doing counter operations against the security forces.
And quite often we have seen the civilian population being caught up in all these actions.
But the reality on the ground is we are seeing many, many incidents involving civilians, including displaced people, refugees and and hosts who are caught up and and and become victims to these fatal incidents.
Baba, you've already spoken about this, about the informational campaigns.
How, how effective are they?
Or are they a lost 'cause I mean in clearly it's the civilians as usual who are paying the several heavy price.
I suppose that it's not possible to do any sort of mine clearance while there is active fighting going on.
Indeed, the, I mean, awareness sessions are important for the displaced population because remember, they flee, leave one area, arrive in a new area.
So in terms of their awareness, how to protect themselves, but there are many locations they would even don't know.
I mean, when your life is under ******, you're in danger and in many remote locations.
Imagine about Sahil and the Lake Chad Basin where you have to leave your house, home or your village and you have to run.
You probably would even 1 remember what's waiting for you on the other side you and don't know which way you're going to run for your life.
So quite often when these desperate people arrive, they probably have no idea.
Once we became in touch with them as humanitarian agencies where we do landmine awareness sessions with many of them.
But as you also as even in in in our details that we are sharing today, many of them are underage, are children under the age of 18 playing out in the fields, having no idea, thinking that these unexploded improvised devices are twice for them.
And they end up having all these tragic being part of all these tragic incidents.
So that's why the call is 1 that all the land mines and unexplored devices should be removed through concerted efforts of everyone involving the the governments, all agencies are in involved and on the other hand they should not be there.
As far as my understanding it, they are banned under international law and one of the reason is that these are indiscriminate killing machines which have been laid out there.
Indeed, I don't see any other question.
Babar, thank you very much for this.
So now I will open the floor for questions to as I said, WHO, but I repeat ITCILO and UNICEF Harrell so connected Musa, you wanted to ask a question to Margaret Harris for WHO Musa Hasi TS group.
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Merci, Margaret, good morning.
If you can unmute Margaret Harris please.
Voila, good morning, Margaret, good morning and good morning Musa question and thanks for sending it to me yesterday.
There, there seems to be this fixed idea about this virus being seasonal.
But there is a huge outbreak, the most intense, the highest numbers are being experienced in the USA.
They are in the middle of summer.
Also Brazil, they are in the middle of.
They are an Equatorial country.
We also have seen large outbreaks in very warm Equatorial countries like the Philippines.
So the season does not seem to be affecting the transmission of this virus currently.
What is affecting the transmission of this virus is mass gatherings is people coming together and people not social distancing, not taking the precautions to ensure they are not in close contact.
So where people are in close contact, we are seeing intense transmission.
Now the second part of your question was about the arrival of the flu and that is very relevant because we do see the flu seasonal virus and we do see a rise in flu cases during the winter.
Now at the Southern Hemisphere is currently undergoing it's winter and we are watching, we have a flu surveillance system and they are looking at the samples coming from every laboratory and they're also testing them for COVID.
Now the interesting thing is we're seeing from those samples **** levels of of COVID, but we're not seeing **** levels of influenza at the moment.
So we're expecting a later flu season in the Southern hemisphere.
And your question is that about will there be a melons, will that cause confusion?
It will be a concern because you have, if you have an increase in respiratory illness when you already have a very **** burden of respiratory illness, that puts even more pressure on the health system.
So we are certainly encouraging everybody to have vaccination against the flu so we can at least limit the exposure to that particular virus.
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I'll answer in English again.
So your question, as I understood it was that in Republic of Congo they charge for tests and that seems to be a concern limiting access to testing.
So first of all, I don't have information about that.
So I'd have to refer on the specifics of cost and tests to our Afro colleagues if you want confirmation of whatever the cost is.
But testing the pricing, these are decisions taken by the country.
The country owns that part of the piece.
Now we do everything we can to encourage all countries to test because testing is absolutely essential.
You don't know where your your outbreak is if you're not testing people.
And we also encourage all countries to make it to, to make access to testing wide and available.
So, but the actual strategy, the mechanisms, these are decisions taken by the local authorities.
Thank you, Margaret Tomohiro, KEDO News.
Could you tell us about the the date of the emergency committee that should be happening later this week?
And are you going to be having the separate briefing or a readout to be provided to us or not?
Good question Tom Mahiro, it will be, it will be Friday afternoon.
We are still discussing whether it would be a pro have a briefing or would it be best to provide you all with the outcomes as soon as we have them.
We certainly would do that.
We would put that out as a media release with, with you know full details of the outcomes.
The main interest I expect they will be on, on what the emergency committee decides to do with they have standing recommendations currently.
Are they going to to change those recommendations or they or, or or not?
So, you know, there are recommendations around travel and trade and, and all those different issues that they are constituted for.
That's their job is to look at those things.
So the main thing, I think the main area of news will be will those recommendations change.
So we're still deciding whether or not to go with the press briefing because it will be quite late again, late on a Friday evening, or whether it would be more effective and more useful for everybody if we Simply put out the recommendations, the results in a press release.
Thank you very much, Margaret.
And I'm sure you let everybody know.
And it gives me the opportunity to remind everybody that on Friday, the UN observe an official holiday and the presentation will be closed and there will be no briefing.
Just so that was our reason as well.
Yeah, that was actually one of our reasoning that you're all on holidays anyway.
Should we all drag you in?
If, if, if maybe you would be better off with the press briefing?
That's good that we mutually reinforce the the message about Friday.
So next question comes from Peter, Peter Kenny.
Good morning, Margaret yesterday who put out a cybersecurity alert.
And I was just wondering if it's these scammers and hackers are going for funds, you know, illicit fundraising on illegal fundraising or are they also putting out misinformation?
What sort of information do you have on that?
So I think we put out an alert quite often and one of the things that that scammers and hackers do is try to persuade people that they're WHO and, and, and divert funds that way.
Some of the other scams are offers of employment and and again, there is the issue of misinformation, which is a a serious, very, very serious matter.
You know, as we've often discussed that that that misinformation can, can lead to loss of life, loss of life just as the virus itself can.
And this gives me the opportunity to remind you all that the United Nations is fighting against this misinformation with a huge campaign called Verified.
I don't know how many of you saw the story on the Swiss television Sunday night, but basically the idea is to enlist everybody, every person can become an ambassador of information, fight against disinformation by purporting information which are sound science based.
That's the name of the campaign on the pandemic on their own social media.
Emma, good morning, Margaret.
I have a few questions to start off maybe with two and first one.
I was just wondering, has WHO any comments on this, the new findings with obesity and COVID and the fact that people who are obese are more at risk?
Or is that something you're planning?
And secondly, if I may, I'm curious if there's any updates on this potential North Korea first case and whether you're completely reliant on Pyongyang to actually report that to you or whether you might have other ways of getting that information.
So thank you on the first one, the obesity back to you on that.
Would you mind sending me an e-mail with the with the exact ask so I can follow up with the clinical people?
Because there is a lot of research in this area and a lot of research on, you know, different kinds of nursing management and so on.
So if you could send the exact question, I'll send it to the clinical people and come back to you with a native answer on North Korea.
To the update yesterday, I've asked for a further update.
All our member states are to report under the IHR.
Yeah, a couple of questions in one on on Mexico, on testing, talking about prices in Mexico, if you want to to be tested PCR test, it's $500 not $3500.
So and then they only test the per the people that are very sick that are already in the hospital.
So my question is, do you WTO validates this way of testing?
I mean, is, is that the correct way to to test?
And then another question very, you know, not very important, but I have to ask, is Doctor Tedros going to take vacations or Anna and Maria and you?
And yeah, it's just curiosity.
I'll ask you the first one.
We'd like this virus to take a vacation.
We'd like everybody to help us make this virus take a vacation by socially distancing, really following the recommendations.
And that leads to the second one.
Our approach to testing is test, test, test.
We have very clear guidance on who to test, how to test, where to test.
So I'll refer you to that.
But essentially, if you're not testing or if you're not testing enough, you're not finding where your virus is, and then you can't put out those fires.
And if you're not putting out those fires, we're not taking a holiday.
OK, You don't you don't go next.
You, you Yoshitake Asahi Shimbun.
Maybe we'll go to Isabel, to FA.
Good morning, good morning.
This is a question on vaccines.
Last Friday, Doctor Swami Natan said that the to have the result of phase three could take around six months for this at least these three vaccines that are in this phase three.
But yesterday Anthony Fauci in the US said that the results of the Moderna vaccines at least could be ready before the elections of November in the US.
Do you have any explanations for this difference, Recalling that Doctor Tedros has already warned about politicisation of this pandemic?
So yes, I do have an information.
Doctor Sumiya was talking generally about what you would normally expect because as she mentioned when she was describing that you need to have one group who get vaccinated, one group who are given a different vaccine or a placebo.
And you need to see a very big difference in the effect that whether you need to see that these people do not get COVID.
And unfortunately, you need to see in this group that some of them do.
So to make that to have a clear effect size would normally generally take six months.
Now, Doctor Fauci may have been talking about a specific instance that he has specific information about.
So Doctor Sumio was talking about a general situation.
Doctor Fauci is talking about a specific situation.
Yes, thanks for taking my question.
I I had two questions actually I wanted to follow up on Emmas question earlier on North Korea.
I was just wondering, I was just wondering how concerned W 2 is about this first case of Covad being reported in North Korea and if you have indications of a broader spread.
And then my second question is on mask use.
I see there's new research out showing that masks possibly are more protective of the wearer than we thought.
And I was wondering if this is something you've been looking at and if you're planning on updating your mask device?
So on the first one, we're concerned about transmission in any country because as you know, if it's anywhere, it's everywhere.
Second, as far as any specific updates, I'll have to refer you to Southeast Asian regional office.
They're the ones managing the very specific updates.
On the second one, the mask use, I haven't seen this particular study, but again, that's what we do.
We bring all the information in, we look at all of it and when there's emerging new evidence or something that indicates that there would be a better way, we then update our guidance accordingly.
Thank you and you let's try again if it if it works this time, yes, this time, yes, it does work.
I have a question about term second web.
Is there any clear, clear definition or, or on like average or on document or or is it just the terminology and the Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I'll jump in right away.
Mike Ryan has made this clear several times.
But what why people keep talking second waves?
They're really talking with a flu lid because that's the way flu behaves.
And just like on to Moose's question, people are still thinking about seasons.
What we all need to get our heads around is this is a new virus and it's behaving even though it's a respiratory virus and even though respiratory viruses in the past did tend to do this, you know, different seasonal waves, this one is behaving differently.
We we have to do to to be aware is learning about us as we're learning about it.
And so the things we do know work, the social distancing, the hand washing, protecting the source.
So wearing the mask when you're asked to indoors, ensuring that you always cover your cough, ensuring you stay home if you've got any symptoms at all, ensuring that if you've been in contact with somebody known to have the, the virus, that you identify yourself and self isolate.
Complying with the things that are asked of you around travel, all those things will stop it.
But at the moment we're not doing that because people seem to have it fixed in their heads that there's this seasonal thing and they seem to, to think that that for some reason they, they there, there seems to be this persistent belief that summer's got a problem.
It's virus likes all weathers, but it what it particularly likes is jumping from one person to another when we come in close contact.
So let's not give it that opportunity.
So the second wave idea, we are in the first wave, it's going to be 1 big wave.
It's going to go up and down a bit.
Now the best thing is to flatten it and turn it into just something lapping at your feet.
But at the moment, first, second, third wave, these things don't really make sense and we're not really defining it that way.
Margaret, thank you very much.
That concludes our questions.
I still have two things to tell you.
You have received from us an invitation for a briefing, which would happen on Wednesday, 29th of July at 3:00 PM Geneva time.
This is going to be a a background briefing under embargo ahead of the release of the Secretary General's brief of the impact of COVID-19 on Southeast Asia.
The report itself, the bringing itself will be published on Thursday, 30th of July at 6:01 AM Geneva time.
And the briefer will be Mrs Armida Celzia Alish Bana, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
We will try, you have received the invitation.
We will try to send you the accompanying documents as soon as possible.
And the other event I wanted to remind you about is the sorry, here is the UNHCR announced press conference that's going to happen on Wednesday, 29th of July at 1:45.
This is going to be a hybrid press conference.
So you'll be able to connect, but also to come to Room 3 to listen to the speakers.
In fact it's UNHCR but also together with IOM and the African Union, we will have several speakers.
The report they will launch is entitled on this journey.
No one cares if you leave or die.
***** protection and justice along routes between East and West Africa and Africa's Mediterranean coast.
So I hope we will see you numerous at this press event.
I think I've given you all my announcement.
I see Moussa has still a question.
I'm guessing it's for Margaret, not for me.
We not set up for Margaret.
So in question technique.
Preferably conference the President Las al trois fulfil me.
Me as you can participate Zoom.
The television the maximum possible.
The briefing and person on the side of compose this man sets men with some more online to add the problem.
The staffing may remark of.
I say the continuing control focus virtual.
