The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing 04 August 2020
/
53:27
/
MP4
/
422.4 MB
Rhéal LeBlanc, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section of the United Nations Information Service, chaired the virtual briefing, attended by the spokespersons of the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Labour Organization, and the World Health Organization.
World Breastfeeding Week
Laurence M. Grummer-Strawn, Head of Food and Nutrition Action in Health Systems Unit at the World Health Organization (WHO), said the theme for this year’s World Breastfeeding Week was “Support breastfeeding for a healthier planet”.
The Director-General of the WHO and the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had released a join letter calling on governments to protect and promote women’s access to skilled breastfeeding counselling, a critical component of breastfeeding support.
This issue was timely in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had led to tremendous interruption of healthcare services around the world, including to breastfeeding mothers. The letter also called for increased investments, as analysis indicated that the lack of breastfeeding led to the death of 820,000 children every year, including in developed countries, and generated over US $302 billion in economic losses every year.
During World Breastfeeding Week, the WHO would be launching three new sets of documents and tools to help with capacity-building of health care providers in being able to support breastfeeding: a Competency Verification Toolkit: Ensuring Competency of Direct Care Providers to Implement the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative; a manual on Care of Feeding for Small, Sick, and Preterm Newborns; and a Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative Training Curriculum. These materials would be launched during a webinar advocacy event, to be held at 3 p.m. CET on 5 August. There was also a frequently asked questions page on the code for health workers.
Responding to questions, M. Grummer-Strawn said there were no changes to WHO’s standard recommendations on breastfeeding even if mothers had COVID-19. The risk of transmission from a COVID-19 positive mother to her baby seemed extremely low. Breastmilk had been tested around the world, and infective virus had not been found in it, except for a few odd cases. He recalled that breastfeeding had positive effects for both the child and the mother. Turning to formula milk, he expressed concerns about the practices of formula industries trying to get mothers to use their products and weaken healthcare providers’ support for breastfeeding. Problematic marketing practices, such as issuing videos featuring doctors speaking negatively of breastfeeding while referring to COVID-19, had negative consequences beyond dissuading mothers from breastfeeding. They could lead, for instance, parliamentarians and employers to perceive breastfeeding as a less important issue.
COVID-19
Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), said that, according to the Secretary-General’slatest policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on education, the pandemic had created the largest disruption of education systems in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in all countries and all continents. It had also exacerbated education disparities. Learning losses due to prolonged school closures threatened to erase progress made in recent decades, not least for girls and young women. The Secretary-General had issued a video message on the launch of this policy brief.
Responding to questions on the licensing of a vaccine in Russia, Christian Lindmeier, for the World Health Organization(WHO), said there were clear guidelines and regulations to get this moving in an effective way. He noted that there had not been any official announcements yet on this matter. It was important that guidelines and regulations be followed.
Replying to questions about WHO’s mission to China, he explained that a two-person advance team had gone to China to meet Chinese experts, lay the groundwork to join efforts to identify the origin of the virus, prepare for future missions, and start drafting terms of reference. The Director-General had addressed this topic during a press briefing yesterday. The timeline, composition of the team and other information would be shared later.
He added that the WHO held two briefings per week on COVID-19, one on Mondays and the other on Thursdays.
First Universal Ratification of an International Labour Organization Convention
Roselind Yard, for the International Labour Organization (ILO), said the Organization was to announce the first universal ratification of an International Labour Standard in its more than 100-year history. Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour had now been ratified by all 187 Member States, becoming the most rapidly ratified Convention in the history of the Organization. The Convention called for the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including slavery, forced labour and trafficking. Universal ratification meant all children now have legal protection against the worst forms of child labour.
An embargoed virtual press briefing would take place this afternoon at 2 p.m. Geneva time. ILO Director-General Guy Ryder would announce the universal ratification at the press briefing. Also speaking would be Corinne Vargha, Director of the ILO’s International Labour Standards Department, and Vera Paquete-Perdigao, Director of the ILO’s Governance Department. The press release and all associated materials would be under strict embargo until Tuesday 4 August at 1 p.m. GMT (3 p.m. CET). Audio and video of the briefing would be available after the press conference.
Attack on Internally Displaced Camp in Cameroon
Babar Baloch, for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said the UNHCR strongly condemned an unprovoked and brutal attack on a site hosting 800 internally displaced people near the village of Nguetchewe, in Cameroon’s Far North region. At least 18 people had been killed and 11 injured in the incident during the early hours of Sunday 2 August when assailants had thrown an explosive device, thought to be a grenade, into the makeshift camp while people were sleeping. Some of the wounded had been evacuated to Mokolo district hospital, an hour’s drive from Nguetchewe. Some 1,500 people, including terrified residents of the hosting village, had fled to the nearby town of Mozogo for safety. UNHCR was deploying an emergency mission to assess the situation and evaluate the protection and health needs of those affected. Local communities in this impoverished area were often the first responders to those fleeing growing insecurity and violence in the area, which covered Lake Chad and north-east Nigeria. They were sometimes related, and they shared with them the few resources they have. Against the background of growing insecurity, UNHCR anticipated enhanced community protection, shelter, water and sanitation would be needed as the country responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A briefing note is available here.
Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service, said the Secretary-General had strongly condemned the heinous attacks against civilians, and called for those responsible for these atrocities to be held accountable. International human rights law and international humanitarian law must be fully respected and all civilians in Cameroon and Chad must be protected. The United Nations remained steadfast in its support to the countries of the Lake Chad Basin in their efforts to overcome the scourge of terrorism, and address the security, political, humanitarian and socio-economic challenges in the region.
Responding to questions, Mr. Baloch said access was an important issue for humanitarians in this region. He noted that the Far North region, tucked between Nigeria’s Borno and Adamawa states and Lake Chad, currently hosted over 300,000 internally displaced persons.
Geneva announcements
Rhéal LeBlanc, for the United Nations Information Service, reminded that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development would be holding a virtual press briefing on the fact that Barbados was set to sign an agreement to host UNCTAD15 on Wednesday, 5 August at 1:30 p.m. GMT (9:30 a.m. in Barbados; 3:30 p.m. in Geneva). The speakers would include Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, and Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, UNCTAD Secretary-General. Journalists must register prior to the event at unctadpress@unctad.org. The link to the event would be shared upon registration.
The 101st session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) would open today at 3 p.m. This online session would last until Friday, 7 August. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the examination of State parties' reports that had been scheduled at the present session (Bahrain, Belgium, Bolivia, Denmark, France, Niger, Singapore and Thailand) had been postponed to future sessions. At the opening meeting this afternoon, the Committee would elect its new Bureau, including its new Chairperson. It would also hear a statement from a non-governmental organization. The Committee would then meet in private until Friday afternoon.
Teleprompter
OK, I think we are ready to start.
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to this virtual press briefing of Tuesday the 4th of August.
Nice to see you you again after a couple of weeks of of holidays.
Just a reminder, I guess to start off with, you've all received this morning the latest policy brief on education issued by our Secretary General.
It's quite an important brief as it recalls that the COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in all countries and all continents.
This pandemic has really exacerbated education disparities and learning losses due to prolonged school closures threatened to erase progress made in recent.
Decades.
Not least for girls and young women.
So I invite you to take a look at this at this latest policy brief.
And there is also a video message that accompanied the brief and I believe a briefing by someone from UNESCO for further information.
And on that, we will start with the items on our agenda we have with us this morning.
Christian, I think, I don't know if Christian Lindmayer is with us, but we certainly have Lawrence Groomer Strong, who is the unit Head of Food and Nutrition Action in Health Systems at the World Health Organisation.
Good morning, Mr Groomer Strong.
And you're here to tell the media a little bit about World Breastfeeding Week.
I'm going to I'm going to turn it over to you.
I don't think we have Christian on the call.
But we have you.
Please go ahead.
OK, fine.
Can you hear me OK?
Yes.
Well, good morning everyone.
Happy to be with you today, August 1st through 7th.
Every year the world celebrates World Breastfeeding Week and WHO and UNICEF have always been an active part of supporting this week.
This is a week for us to call out the importance of breastfeeding and call for actions to provide better support.
And the theme this year is support breastfeeding for a healthier planet, for WHO and UNICEF.
We've really focused on the support aspect of that.
And so we're really doing a call for better support for mothers through individualised professional and, and, and, and peer support to mothers through skilled breastfeeding counselling.
The Director General of WHO, in collaboration with the Executive Director of UNICEF, have issued a letter that calls on governments to protect and promote women's access to skilled breastfeeding support.
And this includes a variety of ways to to provide that support.
It includes information that would be given to to pregnant mothers and postpartum mothers, helping them to build their confidence and their ability to breastfeed, as well as to work with them on a new challenges that they might have either in their environment around breastfeeding or with the physiological aspects that they might have some challenges to help them work through those issues.
This issue is particularly timely in the context of the COVID pandemic as the interruption of services that has been tremendous around the world for providing the kind of support that mothers normally would get with breastfeeding.
Oftentimes the health services that would provide maternal and child health are have been diverted to to take care of the COVID response.
Sometimes families do not feel comfortable in going into health services because they're afraid that they might get COVID and so they don't come for a routine kinds of support.
And community health programmes that provide the kind of connections to mothers to provide them that kind of advice and answer their questions about breastfeeding are not able to to continue because of the social distancing rules and such.
And so women don't get that kind of 1 to 1 support they normally would get.
In this call to action, the Director General and as well as UNICEF are calling for an investment, increased investments to ensure that all mothers have access to a breastfeeding counselling services.
That is particularly important at this time because we have documented through through modelling that about 820,000 children's lives are lost every year because of the lack of breastfeeding and the economically there are losses of about $300 billion per year in economic productivity lost because of the lack of breastfeeding.
So this is an important investment for us to provide that kind of support that women need.
The second aspect of the call to action is to scale up the training of healthcare providers and community providers in how to provide that kind of support so that they have the skill sets that they need.
That's that kind of training needs to happen pre service.
So before they even go into to working in our medical schools, nursing schools, midwifery, as well as the development of community workers, but also it needs to extend to existing staff.
We can't wait 30 years until people are are out into service.
And so we need to provide that kind of refresher training to make sure that healthcare professionals know how to provide the counselling and support the mothers need today WHO or today, tomorrow actually, we'll be launching 3 new sets of materials to to support this area of building skills.
1 is a competency assessment toolkit for healthcare systems and governments to test that the healthcare providers actually are are have the skills that they need.
So a variety of tests and case studies, observational tools to check them, a set of tools for training on the Baby Friendly Hospital initiative.
So the early support that women need in the hospital.
And finally, a manual on how to apply the services that are needed for small and sick newborns, those that are preterm and particularly vulnerable.
So three sets of materials are being launched tomorrow to help in that capacity building of healthcare professionals.
And then the final, finally, the call to action calls on the inclusion calls for the inclusion of reimbursement for breastfeeding services as part of the routine part of services in primary healthcare and as part of the the scale up to universal health coverage.
To make sure that it's not just that people can provide these services, but that they actually have the time available to them to provide the services when mothers come into them either antenatally or post natally.
We're actually calling for a minimum of 6 visits for the starting in pregnancy, going out to the second year of life as a an absolute minimum that mothers need to have for the support for breastfeeding.
So this is all part of a larger call within, within the call for support for breastfeeding during World Breastfeeding Week and hope that you can help to, to expand this out so that we actually extend that call to to governments around the world.
Thank you very much.
OK.
Yes, thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr Grammar Strong.
I saw Christian.
Lindmeier online, but then he's.
Disappeared again, so I.
Was going to give him the floor to see.
If he wanted to add.
Anything but I don't see him with us.
Again.
So let's go to a first question from Lisa Schlein from Voice of America.
If we can unmute Lisa, good.
Morning.
Lisa, hope you had a good vacation and.
Welcome back.
I did.
Thank you very much and.
Mr Gummerstrom, I have a.
Few crisp questions for you.
You might want to take a few notes.
I'm sorry I'm doing this because.
With the virtual.
Business.
I get muted and then I can't.
So I'm.
I'm I'm.
I'm jumping.
In and doing it all now.
Ask a reasonable number of questions and then we'll.
We'll come back to you if.
We need to.
They will be shortened, Chris, but OK, go ahead.
All right, the first question is now breastfeeding.
What about women who have COVID-19?
Do you consider that these women should not?
Breastfeed their children or if.
Or that is it safe for them to do so?
And if you say that it is safe for them to do so.
And I don't know what your answer is, What evidence?
Do you have for?
That then if you could sort of summarise the.
Main benefits.
From breastfeeding and what the main obstacles are put in the way?
Of.
Women breastfeeding in both developed and developing, particularly developing countries.
Perhaps.
OK, I'll stop.
There now.
Thank you.
Thank you, Lisa.
Mr Grammar Strong OK, so first on the question of whether women with COVID should breastfeed, WHO has been very clear in its recommendations to say absolutely breastfeeding should continue.
These are new mothers that they should initiate early, have their babies skin to skin with them, women with them.
There really should be no change from our standard recommendations.
The reason for that is that the risks of transmission of the COVID-19 virus from a positive a COVID positive mother to her baby seemed to be extremely low.
We have we have never documented anywhere around the world any transmission through breast milk.
Doesn't mean that it couldn't be possible somewhere, but it would appear to be extremely rare that it would be there.
We have tested the breast milk of many mothers around the world in a variety of different studies.
And while a few studies have found a few selected kind of random odd samples that have had particles of the virus in them.
So they've tested positive.
When they followed up to see whether the virus was actually viable and could be infected, they could not find any actual infective virus.
And so like I say, it was not totally impossible there could be a transmission through breastfeeding.
It appears that it would be extremely rare.
Secondly, children who get who get COVID through whatever whatever source that might be, whether it's through people breathing on them or others in a hospital that they might be affected by someone else with COVID.
Those cases tend to be quite mild.
And so even protection is, is not necessarily the most important priority and we have to balance that out against the other benefits of breastfeeding, which we'll come back to in a few moments on some of the details.
But it is about balancing off those 820,000 lives that I said before that would be lost if we if we diminish breastfeeding.
And therefore the balance of risk is definitely in favour of continued breastfeeding.
So what are some of the benefits?
So breastfeeding provides benefits during the time of breastfeeding and those are what are kind of most, most recognised.
So protection against diarrhoea, which is one of the top causes of mortality in low income countries, protection against respiratory infections, against obesity, childhood obesity later on as the children get older, protection against leukaemia.
In addition, breastfeeding protects the mother against breast cancer, ovarian cancer and type 2 diabetes later on.
So there are benefits for both the mother and the baby.
And when we've added these up, it comes out to about 820,000 lives around the world.
Even in **** income countries, breastfeeding is still important even for mortality.
Sudden infant death syndrome, a major cause of death in the United States, is considerably lower for children who are breastfed.
And what are some of the obstacles to breastfeeding?
Clearly, providing this kind of support is one of the top ones.
And there are top ways of addressing these because oftentimes women stop breastfeeding because they perceive that they're not producing enough milk.
Studies have really shown that that's generally not a physiological problem.
It's based on the lack of confidence and the lack of support that women get to to get good latch to make sure that their babies are actually suckling at the breast well and maintaining that milk supply.
If the baby is not positioned correctly or it's not latching well at the breast, then the the milk supply can actually diminish.
Secondly, going back to work is a problem that we see in many places.
If women need to go back to work earlier, either for economic reasons or for their own own well-being that they want to to be employed, that can be a barrier to breastfeeding if the employer doesn't provide adequate support.
So we call for longer maternity leave.
It's paid maternity leave so women can stay at home for a little bit longer to take care of their babies.
And then when she does need to go back to work, that there are appropriate accommodations for her either to work for home from home for a little bit longer, as we're all learning to do now in the, in the of the pandemic.
Or other ways that she might be able to bring her bread baby to work or have her baby nearby her at the workplace or to express her milk if necessary and have that baby have the milk fed.
So work barriers are certainly a challenge.
We also know that the marketing of breast milk substitutes can be a challenge to just the understanding of the importance of breastfeeding.
And so women can be convinced that breastfeeding may not be so important because they've heard messages many times that there's an alternative out there that's just as good, even though we actually know that it's not just as good.
So those are some those are some of the key challenges and barriers we try to address.
Great, Thank you very much for this very comprehensive responses.
I see Lisa has a follow up question, so let's unmute.
Lisa, thank you.
Yes, it's a follow up about you made short shrift about the marketing of.
Formula milk, I'd like you.
To elaborate upon.
That because there were huge.
Problems with Nestle and.
Other formula milk manufacturers years ago and I.
Think they're still going on?
Are these dirty tricks?
Still going on?
Especially in the developing.
Countries in order to discourage mothers from breastfeeding their babies.
And buying their formula.
And what are the consequences of that happening?
Thank you.
And do you have a press release on this?
By the way.
If you do, it would be nice to receive it.
Thank you.
There are quite a number of materials and I'll let the the press office work with you on on, on getting you the right links to to the places for these various materials.
Regarding the marketing, yes, we continue to be very concerned about the practises of the formula industries, both the the, the big multinational corporations as well as in many countries there are local manufacturers of breast milk substitutes that are trying to get mothers to, to, to, to get onto their products.
They use a number of of tricks.
Sometimes it's not as blatant advertising as it once was because they know that they can get caught on that and, and are ashamed that they're doing many other things to reach out to mothers indirectly to, to establish relationships with them, to build clubs with them, come to come to us.
We're here to support you.
And then they, they get their messages in indirectly.
They'll work with healthcare providers to either directly buy them out with things that might be seen as bribes or small gifts to get them on their side, but also to pay for their education to sponsor conferences.
So they're very engaged in getting healthcare providers to weaken their support for breastfeeding.
So we're, we continue to be very concerned about this in the context of COVID.
We've seen many examples of companies that are positioning themselves as experts in COVID come to us.
We're here to, to provide you advice.
We're here to provide you support.
They've done many in many countries have been giving out samples of their products as as a goodwill gesture just in case there's not enough supply.
Even when there really aren't supply problems with that, that giving away free supplies is a way of getting mothers to to try out the product and then that diminishes their milk milk supply and get hooked on.
I would just like to mention in final that it's not just the access to mothers that affects this.
The marketing also effects just our general Society of how much we support breastfeeding.
And so those healthcare providers that are marketed to by the industry become less supportive.
Employers probably are less supportive of breastfeeding because they don't think it's so critically important and it's just a mother's decision as the way the industry frames it.
And therefore they don't need to be so supportive of breastfeeding or parliamentarians don't put as much resources into supporting breastfeeding because it's seen as a less important issue.
Thank you very much.
I see we have Christian with us.
Maybe I'll give him the floor very quickly to see if he has anything to add because he wasn't with us at the very.
Beginning.
Or maybe you can respond to Lisa's question about a press release and other materials.
What can you tell us, Christian?
And then we'll take a question from Paula Dupras, WS.
So yeah, thanks.
Sorry, I had.
Connection issues in the beginning.
We do not have a press release, but we have all types of links in the webinar.
Tomorrow, which I think.
Larry already.
Referred.
To the links of this will be I think shared.
Both.
With the transcript of the briefing and I, of course.
Can also share them individually.
Upon request, as I take it.
There's one from you, Lisa.
Thank you.
Thank you, Christian.
Let's go to to Paula.
Can we give the floor to Paula?
Good morning.
Yes, good morning.
Thank you for taking my question.
I just wanted to know.
The $300 billion that you mentioned on the diminished?
Economic productivity, I wonder.
If you can break that down, how you?
Come to that number.
And then secondly, just to follow up on on.
Lisa's question, would you have further details on how?
The industry is using.
Tactics to dissuade use of.
Breastfeed, I mean breastfeeding, sorry, in in favour of their own formulas in Latin America.
Can oh, I think.
We we need to unmute.
Larry.
Yes, there you go.
You OK?
We can hear you now.
Please go ahead.
OK, great.
Thank you.
So in terms of the three hundred $300 billion figure, these are economic estimates based on a combination of the healthcare savings from reduced morbidities and mortality from breastfeeding.
That from the lack of breastfeeding combined with the longer term productivity gains from breastfeeding and those are related to studies that have documented lower IQ in children who are not breastfed.
Systematic reviews that have looked across a wide variety of studies to document how much of a loss is there and then economic modelling of what the productivity gains we would get from the improved IQ.
So it combines the two together to to get these these global figures that actually calculates out to about a half a percent of GDP when we look at it globally.
In terms of the tactics I mentioned some of them to Lisa's questions a few minutes ago.
Definitely the donations of free supplies is a key 1 advertising.
The media is getting much larger and growing rapidly.
The use of digital ways of of either getting ads out to mothers or to engage with them directly in groups online, reaching out to them one-on-one in ways also through through phones to to call us up for for additional information.
Often times they're promoting their company as being the good, the good guys who are here to help you out.
We, we have, we, we've seen ads in the pandemic.
These are difficult times.
We're here to support you as kind of their, their campaigns, some of their websites have put up doctors who are talking about how do you manage breastfeeding in the context of, of COVID with a lot of negative messages about breastfeeding and are being counter to The Who guidelines and those are sponsored by industry.
So, so those are some of the tactics that we're particularly seeing right now.
I'm also seeing health claims on labels and in some of their ads, they claim that their formula is going to keep your baby from getting colic or addressing some other issue.
When in fact, the, the formula is, is really the same formula.
There are no studies that really document it is able to do what it what they're claiming that it does.
I should just finally mention Christian just mentioned the, the webinar tomorrow to, to, to kind of carry this message further.
I did not mention it earlier.
I think we can share the information with you tomorrow afternoon, Geneva time.
We'll be bringing together some **** level speakers from funding organisations as well as some first ladies speaking around the issue of the importance of breastfeeding in their countries and a number of organisations around the globe, including WHO and UNICEF and other Ng OS talking about the importance of skilled breastfeeding support.
Thank you very much.
I think Paula was.
Asking if you had specific.
If there were specific tactics.
Being used in the Latin.
American region, but the examples you've given, are they fairly generalised worldwide or they are fairly general?
I, I apologise for, for, for missing the, the, the Latin American connection.
There's nothing particular that I can point to as being different about the way it's being done in Latin America versus other places.
OK.
Thank you.
I see we have a question from Christian Erlich.
Christian.
If we can unmute.
Hi, Real.
Hello, Christian.
Nice.
To see you back good.
Morning, I have a.
Question to Christian that has nothing to do with breastfeeding but OK.
Go, go ahead.
This is.
About the.
Russian noise about a vaccine and the idea that this vaccine should be licenced.
In the next two weeks.
Before phase three studies have been started.
Can you talk about that?
Is that a normal procedure?
What does who?
Say about those kinds of activities.
Thank you.
So thank you, Christiana I.
Won't take too much time on this now because I think we'll we'll rather continue than Larry, but there's a quick.
One there are established.
Practises and there are guidelines out.
Any vaccine and any medicament for this purpose should be, of course, going through all the various trials and tests before being licenced and before rolled out.
Of course, we have to be always careful when any such news or highlights or reports come out what it does actually mean, because sometimes individual researchers claim they have found something which is of course, as such great news.
But.
Between finding or having a a clue.
Of maybe having a.
Vaccine that works and having.
Gone through all the stages.
Is a is a big difference.
And of course.
We have the the ACT.
Accelerator and we have the hundreds of vaccines who are in the trial process.
And a few advanced ones.
And there are clear guidelines and guidances.
And regulations in order to get this moving.
In a safe and effective way.
Thank you, Christian.
I see Emma Farge from Reuters has her hand raised.
Can we unmute, Emma?
Good morning, Christian.
Thank you so much.
For joining our briefing, I.
Was wondering if.
The team from China.
Is back please and whether they have.
There's been a.
Debriefing and if there's anything.
Further, you can say about.
The next team, The composition.
Or the OR the.
Timing of the big China mission.
Thank you.
I could, of course, but let me ask real.
Right now if maybe.
We hold these questions back after finishing the breastfeeding part and maybe we could we could take those questions first if there are any.
OK.
Christian, I see your hand up again.
It's difficult for me to to to see what what questions?
Yeah.
Same thing.
It's it's also going to be on the COVID.
So let me just ask everyone if there are additional questions on breastfeeding for our guest, Mr Grammar Strawn.
I don't see any hands raised so I think I.
Think we can end on?
This this particular topic.
Thank you very much, Mr Grammar Strawn, for being with us this morning to inform us about this very, very interesting topic and we wish everyone a happy world Breastfeeding Week and we'll let you go.
And now we'll go back to.
We'll go back to Emma and Christian and.
We'll if you want to stay on the line, Christian for them.
OK, let me see.
So there was a so maybe you can start by answering Emma's question because that was formulated.
Can we unmute Christian, please?
There we go.
All right, I think I'm in.
So thank you, Larry also.
For for for doing this.
And yes, I already sent the details to Lisa and the other details can be shared about the webinar and others with the with the briefing.
Note.
So thank you for that.
On the COVID.
Mission or on the preparatory mission?
It was a 2.
Person WHO advance.
Team that has concluded a three-week assignment in China to lay the groundwork for further joint efforts to identify the.
Origins.
That's important.
So the team had extensive discussions with Chinese counterparts and received updates on EPI studies, epidemiological studies, biologic and genetic analysis, and animal.
Health Research.
The team.
Also carried out video discussions with virologists.
And scientists in Wuhan, China, and.
As well as local health authorities.
In Beijing, you can also.
Look back at the press briefing yesterday which the DG held.
There were also questions on this, but important.
This was an advanced mission to prepare for future missions, to lay out the terms of reference and to also.
Start discussing about the possible.
Composition of the team.
Good.
Thank you very much.
Question.
I see we have a question from Peter Kenny.
Yeah, Christian, this is just a question of clarification about The Who Press webinars.
Are they going to be now held on Mondays at 12 midday or are they going to go back to the normal time of 5:00 PM just?
For, you know, for planning.
Purposes.
Could you elaborate on that?
Thank you very much.
Yes, an important point, Peter.
Yeah, we're trying to adjust always to the various markets around the world.
So we're at this point have now 2 briefings a week on COVID by the DG.
That is Mondays around noon and Thursdays.
So it's the evening 1700 as as scheduled, Geneva time.
So that's 2.
Briefings a week.
Very often there's some social.
Media activity during the week and then of course we have Tuesdays, Fridays at the at the palace.
So these.
Are the the occasions for now?
Thank you.
Let's go to James Keaton from Associated Press.
If we're going to mute James.
James, go ahead.
Christian, how are you?
It's.
So nice to see you back.
Just want to follow.
Up on this, the terms of reference are those going to be made made public?
What's the story on that?
I mean, I understand that, you know, I, I've went over and over the comments from from DG.
Tetris yesterday.
And he seemed to be sort of projecting that this is going.
To be a long term project.
That it's that they're.
Looking for for answers over the long.
Term so can you.
Tell us what the terms of reference are, or tell us whether or not they're going to be made.
Public and I sent a.
Number of questions yesterday that.
Didn't really get answered.
By the e-mail.
Particularly like Emma asked about, you know, when any details about whether there's.
Time the timing or the composition?
The number of.
People in this, are they going to go?
To a Wuhan are they going to be?
Collecting samples.
Can you give us anything on those things please?
Yeah.
Thank you, Jamie.
And no.
Unfortunately, we don't have any.
Further details yet?
We don't have any TRS yet, we don't have a composition of the team yet, we don't have a timeline yet.
So this is all.
To come.
Obviously, and as you can imagine, I'm not sure.
If we like.
Proactively shared in.
TRS or if they're available upon.
Request.
So in a summary, we'll have to see what the details of these this will be, but obviously there's a huge interest globally and from you at.
The palace so.
There will be some.
Way or shape or?
Form we will communicate whatever is possible about this, but we're also.
Standing by from our end.
OK, I think.
Jamie has a follow up.
So let's go for that follow up and then we'll go to Tristan.
Sorry about that.
I just want to make sure.
The the the terms of reference.
Have been agreed.
Is that correct and you just don't have?
Them and that is that what's happened is that what what?
I'm saying I mean I'm, I'm trying to understand.
What the reason would be that?
There would not be.
They would not be.
Made public if they exist, no to my.
Understanding Jamie, it's not been.
Finalised because there there is a lot of players who have to go into this to my understanding.
The team, team.
Has been working on basically a draught that the authorities in in Beijing and Wuhan, and this is now being looked at that that's my understanding of it.
So no, there's no document I'm holding behind my back or at.
Which I have just haven't seen.
I don't.
Think there there is a Tor yet?
Or are any Tor yet?
OK, let's go to Christian.
Yes, Christian, I'm afraid I have to go back to.
Russia if.
You allow me to would WHO consider this?
As.
Dangerous if a local authority licences A vaccine that has.
Not gone through phase three trials.
What does it mean in the context of WHO if one country proceeds?
Like that and starts vaccinating.
Teachers and other people with something that, if I understood correctly from what you said.
Before.
You who?
Does not consider.
Safe.
Thank you.
So let's first see where this actually goes from the few announcements.
We've seen.
So far and we.
Have not seen anything official that's important.
And if there was anything official, then our colleagues in the European Office would definitely look into this, but in general terms.
There are set up.
Guidances and regulations and rules how to deal with the safe development of a.
Vaccine, and these should be.
Definitely followed in in.
Order to make sure that we know what the vaccine or the treatment is.
Working for and against who it can help and of course also if it has any negative side effects or that whether maybe the side effects are bigger.
Than than they actually benefit from it.
Very clear.
Thank you, Christian.
Yuki Psycho Saito from NHK.
Is also waiting to ask a question.
Yuki, good morning.
Just a clarification of the issue of Russia, but you mentioned that there is a clear guideline, but do you mean there's a WHO guideline and.
You mean that countries should?
Follow that WHO guideline.
Thank you as per all WHO guidances are guidelines.
Of course they're.
Set out against the best evidence of the best practises, but it's up to every Member State.
In each and every Member State to to adhere and to follow them.
OK, I see.
We.
Have a question from Gabriella Sotomayor.
Good morning.
Yes, good morning.
Hi, real nice to see you.
Nice to see you, Christian.
One question yesterday.
Doctor Tedros at the press conference.
Said that wearing a mask is a sign of solidarity and you are pushing for these things of using the mask.
My question is about the President of Mexico.
Who?
Said that he will.
Wear a mask until.
When when corruption is over.
So is this a?
Leadership that you want to see, is this the solidarity?
From President of a nation, could you?
Say a comment on that please.
Thank you very much, Gabriella, you can.
Imagine that I have no.
Comment on that to offer.
OK, we have Robin Millard from.
AFP.
Good morning, Robin.
Good morning.
Just a quick question on the mission to China.
Did they?
Can you confirm that they stayed in Beijing the whole time, that they did not go anywhere else?
And they did not go to Wuhan.
Thank you let.
Me just.
Check if I have anything further on that I doubt actually, but let me quickly see.
Yeah.
So to my to my understanding, they had video conferences with the scientists at the one Institute of Virology and physically met with the officials from the Beijing health authorities.
I can only deduct from this, but I don't have clear information of the the travel itinerary.
So again, the team carried out video discussions with with scientists and virologists and Wuhan as well as other local health authorities.
Good.
OK.
We're going to end with WHO here I see.
Ahmed Ahun.
I'm going to give you this one last question, Ahmed, and then we're going to close with WHO because we need to move on with.
Our agenda Ahmed, please go ahead.
Yes, for Christian, yes, thank you, real.
Do you hear me?
Yes, we hear you.
Great.
Hello, Christian.
Good morning, Christian.
We we read some days ago a statement.
From the the.
Organisation Medicines for Frontier asking the company sefit the American one to reduce.
The price of the rabbit test for krona for COVID.
19 Is the organisation involved with anyhow in in the negotiation with the with the company?
Thank you.
I don't have no details on the specific company.
But in general, of course, there are various foreign various groups who keep working on equitable access and fair access and the and the reasonable pricing of any drugs or tests in order to make them available for all countries and for all people.
How these are ruled out and what that means for the individual negotiations, individual companies, I don't have details on.
Good.
Thank you very much Christian for being with us this morning taking these questions and for bringing along Mr Grammar Strong to to brief on the World Breast Feeding Week.
Thank you very much and we'll see you again shortly, I'm sure.
We're going to move on to Rosalynn Yard from the International Labour Organisation who wants to tell you about an important press conference they're having this afternoon.
Good morning, Rosalynn.
We'll just unmute.
You good morning.
There we go.
Hello.
How are you?
OK, good.
Oh, good morning.
Yes, I'm fine.
Thank you.
So today the International Labour Organisation is to announce the first universal ratification of an international labour standard.
This is the first and it's more than 100 year history.
The Labour.
Standard is Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labour, which has now been ratified by all 187 ILO Member States.
And this means it's become the most rapidly ratified convention in the history of the organisation.
And Convention 182 calls for the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour.
This includes slavery, forced labour and trafficking.
It prohibits the use of children in armed conflict, prostitution, *********** and illicit activities such as drug trafficking and in hazardous work.
And so this universal ratification means that all children now have legal protection against the worst forms of child labour.
An embargoed virtual press briefing will take place this afternoon at 1400 Geneva time.
And Guy Ryder, ILO director.
General will announce the ratification.
Also speaking will be Corrine Varga, the director of the Ilo's International Labour Standards Department, and Vera Piquetti, pedigal director of the Ilo's Governance department.
You should by now have received the embargoed press release, but please let me know if you have not and we'll resend it to you.
And just to note that the the press release and all associated materials will be under strict embargo until this afternoon at 1500 Geneva time, which is 1300 GMT.
And there'll be audio and video of the briefing which will be available after the press conference.
So let me know if you have any questions or if you want to arrange media interviews.
Thank you.
Thank you Roslyn.
Sounds like excellent news for children all around the world.
Are there any questions for for Roslyn or I'm sure you can hold off with your questions until the press conference this afternoon.
I don't see any hands raised.
Thank you very much, Roslyn, and good luck with the press briefing this afternoon at 2:00 PM.
And while we are on the topic of press.
Conferences.
Just a reminder on behalf of Ungtad that tomorrow, 5th of August at 3:30 PM they will be holding a virtual press briefing.
On the fact that.
Barbados is set to sign an agreement to host Ungtad 15.
This will be with the honourable.
Mia Amor Motley.
The Prime Minister of Barbados and Dr Mokisa Kituyi, the Ungtad Secretary General Catherine Risso reminds.
All of you that you.
Must register prior to the event at the e-mail that you will have received, but it's unctad Press.
At unctad.org and then the the link to the event will be.
Shared upon registration prior to the event.
There we go.
That's that's the the the other press conference happening this week and we will.
Now.
Move to Baba.
Baba Balash from the United Nations **** Commissioner for Refugees is with us this morning to talk about an attack on the IDP camp in Cameroon.
Good morning, Baba.
Good morning, my Dearia.
Can you hear me?
Yes, we hear you perfectly.
Go ahead.
OK, let me start just a second unit.
CR.
The UN Refugee agency strongly condemns an unprovoked and brutal attack on a site hosting some 800 internally displaced people near the village of Guache in Cameroon's Far North Region.
According to reports, at least 18 people were killed and 11 injured in the incident during the early hours of Sunday 2nd of August when assailants through an explosive device thought to be a grenade into the makeshift site while people were sleeping.
Some of the wounded were evacuated to Mokolo District Hospital on an hours drive from Goeche.
Some 1500 people, including terrified residents of the hosting village, have fled to the nearby town of Mozhogo for safety.
According to record reports, UNICIAR is deploying an emergency mission to assess the situation and evaluate the needs of those affected.
Local communities in this impoverished area are often the first responders to those fleeing growing insecurity and violence in the area, which covered the Lake Chad and NE Nigeria.
Against the backdrop of growing insecurity, UNICIA anticipates enhanced protection, shelter, water and sanitation will be needed as the country responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNICER calls on all to respect the civilian and humanitarian character of the displaced camps and to respond promptly to urgent needs of people who have fled violence and suffered multiple displacements.
The attack follows a significant rise in violent incidents in Cameroon's Far North Region over in July, including looting and kidnapping by Boko Haram and other armed groups active in the region.
The Far North region currently hosts more than 320,000 displaced people and more than 100,000 Nigerian refugees.
The incident is also a sad reminder of the intensity and brutality of the violence in the wider Lake Chad Basin region that has forced food and 3 million people to flee.
These include 2.7 million internally displaced in northeast Nigeria, in Cameroon, Chad and in Niger, while nearly 3,000,000 Nigerian refugees have fled into the neighbouring countries.
Cameroon alone reports that since the beginning of this year, it has recorded 87 Boko Haram attacks on its northern border with Nigeria.
22 of them were in the Northern District of Muzogo alone.
While in violent attacks have cost the lives of some 3 of some three 30,000 people and displaced more than 3 million in Nigeria, Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad.
I'll stop here.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Baba.
And of course, the Secretary General, you will have seen a statement by him just this morning, also joins.
His voice in condemning these.
Terrorist attacks on Lake Chad.
Basin and.
He calls for those responsible for these atrocities to be held accountable.
International human rights law and international humanitarian law must be fully respected and all civilians in Cameroon and Chad must be protected.
He said the United Nation Nations remains steadfast in its support to the countries of the Lake Chad Basin in their efforts to overcome the scourge of terrorism and address the security, political, humanitarian and socio economic challenges in the region.
He's added.
We have a question from Lisa Schlein, so let's unmute Lisa.
Hi, Babar, good morning to you.
Good morning, Lisa.
I have yet.
Another unoriginal question.
I keep asking the same.
Questions.
I'm so sorry but.
There there are many different.
Armed groups operating in this area, is there any knowledge at all about who is behind this and what is the rationale?
You know the the reason behind attacking ID.
PS Who who who?
Are not.
They're not fighting.
They're not.
Really endangering anyone but.
What is the the war?
Tactic behind this.
Sort of thing.
And I.
Suppose you ray all.
You talk about the importance.
Of holding these people accountable, I they never get.
Caught.
How can you hold them accountable?
Thank you, Lisa.
I think I'll, I'll start here.
Indeed, there are many armed groups in the region, the Cameroonians themselves on this one suspect Boko Haram and many armed groups in the region have been unleashing terror and terrorising the civilian population.
We have seen many, many attacks.
I mean, as I was mentioning, you know, in, in, in Cameroon, since the early this year, more than 87 attacks have been recorded which are attributed to Boko Haram.
It, it has affected millions of people in the region.
And only in, in this area of Cameroon, there are more than 320,000 people displaced.
As we understand, this was a makeshift site.
The attack happened at the time when people were sleeping.
These were civilians as mentioned already and sadly, at least till now, there are reports of some 18 dead with eleven others who have been moved to the hospital to get healthcare.
Access is a huge issue for humanitarians in this region in terms of providing humanitarian support.
I'll just stop here.
Thank you.
Thank you, Baba.
And just to add to what you were asking, Lisa, I mean, of course, whenever these attacks happen, the United Nations and the Secretary General will call for the local and national authorities to do whatever they.
Can to investigate these?
Crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice.
I mean, I don't have specific examples, but we've seen examples of the law being.
Successful in bringing some of.
These perpetrators to to justice and I think this.
Is something that.
Those who who conduct such attacks must must also be recognised and that they are not, that there are consequences that can that can happen.
If you you.
Perpetrate such crimes.
Peter Kinney, I see your hand is raised.
Yeah.
Good morning, Baba.
I just wanted to try to get a clarification.
Cameroon has been in the news because of conflicts between the two communities in the country, the English speaking community and the French.
Speaking Community.
Does this attack bear any relationship to that conflict, or is it totally unrelated in terms of the?
Information you have.
Many thanks.
Dear Peter, as far as I understand you're, you're referring to Cameroon's southwest and Northwest regions, which also have a displacement situation.
But this is the the far northern region in the country where there are more than 300,000 people are displaced.
And mostly this is linked to the greater Lake Chad Basin conflict which has been going on.
The main focus has, as we have seen has remained in, in Nigeria.
But we have also seen that these areas which are very close to Nigeria that there have been attacks which are suspected on Boko Haram and this has and other armed groups and, and, and these attacks, continuous attacks have affected, affected more than 300,000 people in this region.
Thank you.
Thank you, Baba.
I don't see.
Any other hands raised?
So I think we can close on this this topic.
Thank you very much for being with us this morning.
And.
I The only additional thing I have to tell you is in terms of meetings being covered by the UN Information Service this week.
The 101 first, the 101st session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination opens today at 3:00 PM.
This online session will last until Friday on the 7th of August.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the examination of state parties reports that were scheduled for the present session has been postponed to future sessions and at the opening meeting this afternoon, the committee will elect its new Bureau, including its new chairperson.
It will also hear a statement from a non governmental organisation and.
Then the committee will then.
Meet in private until Friday afternoon.
Peter Kenny, I see you have your hand up.
Is this a question for myself, For Baba?
No, no, this is not for Baba.
This is actually more a general question.
Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic.
Bombing of Hiroshima and the.
The two red crosses in Geneva recently put out this statement expressing a lot about the and apparently the new arms race that is occurring.
The UN have any anything planned to say about this or is there is there has anything been said recently?
Thank you.
Listen, I'm just coming back this morning, Peter.
I will look into and going through messages and things.
I'm sure that there would be some type of a message from our Secretary general.
I I expect there would be 1.
So let me look into.
It and see if we have anything to share already or if anything will be coming shortly on that unless there are other questions I think this is all I have for you this morning we.
Will close this press.
Briefing of the 4th of August and I wish you a good afternoon.
Reminder about that the press, the virtual press conference by the ILO this afternoon at 2:00 PM.
Thank you very much everyone, and have a good afternoon.